Reflections from my first week of flip (student) training

"It always starts with them, it is for them, they want this to happen and here is another reason why.  I have to continually remind them of the message that started it all.  Although the conversation was powerful and engaging, it was like three or four days ago and big emotional and cognitive ideas don't stick for that long in the heads of most people."


Here is a walk through of  what my first full week in the lab looked like.


If you have questions about curriculum design follow LINK to a post on how I formatted my class so that students can self navigate content, which (seems to be?) is an essential component to making this thing work.

The first two lessons were done in the "lab" that is to say the controlled environment of the classroom so that I could coach steps of the process (as opposed to simply letting them know today's lesson can be found at www...be prepared for discussion tomorrow).



Topic 13 Lesson

Cultural Goal:  practice what it is like at home, and learn the structure of the lessons.  

Lead with the "Why":

 "We are going to be spending a week practicing what this process will be like for you.  I have done this with students before so I would like to warn you it may be awkward.  If we are going to succeed at changing school so that it can serve you better, we need to practice like we play.  Therefore (although it may seem small), it is very important that everyone works independently (no sharing computers) so that you can get a feel for what it is like."

I learned this lesson the hard way last year, because I didn't think it would be, and it has nothing to do with being distracted.  Students are far less likely to do the things that are intended with this model.  Pause, rewind, "stop and think" when the lessons prompts them to because they are concerned about the person sitting next to them and slowing them down.

Also notice how different this message is then just simply starting with

"Today you need to work individually, so no sharing computers or devices"

This message was shared before I walk through the structure of a lesson.  It took me two periods by the way to figure out that I need to Start with this idea as opposed to end when they are (mentally) on their way into the computer lab or what ever.

Here is a look at some types data I collect at the end of every lesson.  How cool would it be to know this stuff at the beginning of class.




Topic 14 Lesson

Culture Goal:  I need your feedback, but am not sure the best way to get it.

"We have already discussed how much more efficient school could be if we weren't so stuck on the idea of delivering one message to everyone, there is another possible benefit to this system should we succeed in working together to make it work.  I usually share some info, we work on it, then have a small quiz or assessment.  It is only then that I really am able to take a look inside your heads and see what things are sticking and what things are missing their mark.  Think of all the time wasted between the lesson and the grading of the quiz...we usually have moved on to another topic by then.  That crucial information is almost useless at this point.

One thing I would like to coach you all to get good at is leaving feedback the moment you finish a lesson, when you are best able to articulate what works and what didn't.  Here is one way to try doing that..."

It always starts with them, it is for them and they want this to happen and here is another reason why.  I have to continually remind them of the message that started it all.  Although the conversation was powerful and engaging, it was like three or four days ago and emotional and cognitive ideas don't stick for that long in the heads of most people.

One important question that I lovingly rip off from the godfather of flip, Harvard Physics Professor, Eric Mazur 1, 2, 3.


He is my friggin hero! and all three of those links are worth investigating in order of awesomeness.  The first is an audio documentary on the observed ineffectiveness of lecture at the college level. Number 2 is a video podcast with tons of his "how to" stuff.  3 is a keynote he did at a teaching/tech conference. killer.

"Please tell me one thing you found difficult, even if came to understand everything, some parts were certainly more difficult than others.  We are going to practice different ways for you to communicate with me your thoughts.  Feel free to look at what others wrote and give them a thumbs up if you agree with them, as opposed to putting another comment. "

Here is the information they left me...open the "view comment" button.
video feedback (check comments pretty sweet)

Culture Eats Structure For Breakfast

"Listen to politicians now, with their comprehensive 12-point plans. They're not inspiring anybody. Because there are leaders and there are those who lead. Leaders hold a position of power or authority, but those who lead inspire us. Whether they're individuals or organizations, we follow those who lead, not because we have to, but because we want to. We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it's those who start with "why" that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them."

How not to coach the flip

When I first experimented with digital lesson's in the lab (literally computer lab), I was shocked by my student's response.  "Boring", "no interaction", and a nearly uniform desire to continue with lecture.  They even complained that they needed a teacher standing over them so that they would stay focused.

It is important to note that I am kind of a whack job in the way I run my class so relative to most teachers, there is an entertainment/interest factor associated with "what is he gonna do next?". I would like to recognize that this does not translate to better learning, as much as it makes them more willing to sit through lecture.

Anther unexpected mistake was that I waited until the end of the year to experiment with it.  Student's had learned the system and were comfortable with it, even if it meant accepting a lower grade then they would have expected of themselves.

Comfort is a powerful draw...sad face.

On top of all of this, my most glaring error was articulating my intentions with structural rational predictably following the what, how and very little on the "why", which is a trademark of uninspiring leadership everywhere.

Culture Eats Structure for Breakfast

I have changed very little in my videos, curriculum, and website design.  Before I started the flip, I obsessed over creating a course that students could self navigate.  Criterion referenced so that students had incentive to revisit old material.  The structure was ready for the flip, so why was my initial experiment meet with a luke warm response?  Because culture eats structure for breakfast, at times I have tried to replicate what other people do in their classrooms, things that don't appear to be terribly complex. When my results fall short it is not for lack of execution or experience, but the lack of cultural leadership that usually lead me to say things like, "well that doesn't work with my students".


This summer, I spend 18 min listening to this TED video during a morning run, the first 8 min was all I needed.


Leading with the "WHY"

Combing my experience last year with ideas from this video I made the following move.

First:  Do business as usual for the first unit.  Students are very effectively primed to experiment with school after they have gone through the pain of sitting through lecture and not understanding content while the class keeps moving, or sitting through example after example when the message was clear to you the first time.  My first unit is very rigorous, possibly the most difficult of the semester, so most students are below where they would like to be and therefore more open to change.

Second:  I carved out time for them to make a case for what works and what doesn't.  We used todaysmeet.com to have a quick informal conversation around two questions.  How much time does (during a given class period) does a teacher spend addressing your questions?  How much time does a teacher spend talking to everyone?  The results are predictable.

After this brief interlude from business as usual, my students were ready for the "why", ready for it to be something they could b a part of, that would meet their interest.  The entire pitch needed to be about them, how this is for them, and how this will solve more problems (and there will be problems) than it creates.

The Pitch...I made a recording of the conversation I lead (minus the student interaction) to provide some talking points you might consider.

The results were a complete shift in my students initial attitude toward the process.  They see it for what it is, an experiment to solve a problem that is important to them.  I continue to be honest with them about the challenges and regularly invite their feedback.  They are part of the process, it is 100% for them and they know that it is experimental in nature and expect problems to come up.  It's less about if they like it or not, and more about inquiry to see if it works.