A Teacher Learns the Ropes “Flipping” Instruction

In this article in School Administrator, veteran Missouri teacher April Lynn Burton shares the mistakes she made when she first tried to “flip” her high-school French classes, and what she learned:

• Mistake #1: No rationale – Burton launched the idea of having students watch video explanations of new concepts at home without telling students why she was making the change. Students were used to one kind of school routine and were not enthusiastic. When she explained the thinking behind the idea – fewer distractions and more flexibility listening to her lessons at home and much more interaction and teacher attention in class – there was less resistance and more buy-in. 

• Mistake #2: No skill-building – To Burton’s surprise, many students needed explicit training in how to watch a video lesson at home – for example, taking notes, pausing and replaying segments, and explaining what they watched to someone else. Once she modeled and students practiced these skills, video viewing became more productive. 

• Mistake #3: Using stock videotapes – At first, Burton used the “cute animated videos” that came with the textbook, but students complained, “You never teach us anymore.” So Burton started filming her own 6-7-minute explanations and posting them on her website. “Because my students knew I was working hard to create these videos,” she says, “they were more willing to put forth the effort to watch the videos at home.” 

• Mistake #4: Assuming students who don’t have Internet access will speak up – It turned out many of these students were loath to admit it. Now Burton offers several options: watching her videos online; taking them home on a jump drive or DVD; watching them on the school library computers before or after school; or reading the explanations in the textbook. 

What difference did flipping make? Burton says grades improved, students were more actively engaged during class time, and misbehavior stopped. “It isn’t a quiet classroom,” she says, “but it is a class where students are sharing opinions, learning to work with peers and participating in higher-level activities.” 

“My Mistaken Thinking in a Flipped Classroom” by April Lynn Burton in School Administrator, March 2013 (Vol. 70, #3, p. 29), http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=27516;

Burton can be reached at April.Burton@fhsdschools.org. 

From the Marshall Memo #478