There's Still Hope For Me

This year, I am teaching all of my classes using Flipped Mastery.  Basically, I have (or will have) all of my lessons and lectures on video for the students to view online.    The students work at their own pace during class, assign their own homework, ask questions when they are unsure or confused, and take tests when they feel they are ready for them.  I provide the students with a pacing guide to make sure they will finish the curriculum by the end of the school year.  You can purchase this book to read more about it.

I decided to give it a trial run last Spring to help me work out any kinks.  That was helpful.  It helped me to realize that students really don't understand how to learn.  They are so dependent on teachers to tell them exactly what to do that some are almost paralyzed with all of the freedom.  I needed to be more proactive with encouraging the students to come up with a plan.  

This school year, I started with tables around the room, where 4-5 students could work together.  I created a video and a worksheet for each lesson, and a review for each outcome.  Each outcome has at least two versions of the test and high performance questions/projects for those that prove proficiency.  I keep track of the students who play games on the computer every time I turn my back, the students who do work for other classes in my class, and the students who just sit there and talk.  

The students are required to understand or at the very least perform the procedures that I teach during the videos.  So, I have the procedure part of my job well underway.  The problem is that this is so time consuming that by the time I am finished grading all the tests for that day and planning the next lesson to record, my prep period is over.  I need to bring work home with me every day just to stay ahead of the game.  I'm not feeling great about this.  My students this year are learning procedures mostly, and once in a while I'm able to find the time to do some class activities or lessons to support their understanding of concepts and application.   

But I'm not feeling totally down on myself.  Next year I will have more time.  More time because I will only have to tweak my videos and worksheets and not recreate them.  My plan for next year is have an activity or project each week.  Maybe a Mathalicious or shell lesson one week and a 3-act the following week.  As far as this year goes, there is hope.  I will soon catch up to where I started last year and be able to be more creative.  

I'm still trying to find my balance.  The old rules for cell phones doesn't make sense to me anymore.  Some students are more productive when listening to music while others are not.  Do I allow some students to use their phones while others are not allowed?  Some students want to do work for other classes during my class.  Do I stop them or do I let them go?  What if they prefer to watch the math videos at home while they complete their Spanish worksheet in my class?  Is that really a problem?  I'm walking a tight light between allowing students to find what works for them and saving them.  They are mostly Freshman and still need that guidance, but do I let them fail, so they see that it doesn't work, or do I save them so they pass?  

A few of my colleagues have said some not so nice things to me and I wasn't really prepared for that.  They have told me that my class is a joke and a free-for-all.  I was expecting resistance from the students and some parents, but it never occurred to me that my equals would take my changes so personally.  They are not comfortable with what I'm doing and it defies the rules they have in their classrooms.  Like the bathroom rule.  According the school, students are not allowed to use the restroom during the first and last 10 minutes of class because they will miss the intro and closure to the lecture.  That doesn't apply to my classes most days.  Does this really make my class a free-for-all?  Allowing the students to get up whenever they want to get a tissue, get a pair of headphones, help another students, grab a large whiteboard, or ask me a question must make my classroom a joke.  

But it's not all bad...

This whole flipped mastery thing is changing my career.  Now that I'm not lecturing every period all period long, I have time to get to know my students.  There are some students with baggage that they just want someone to hear about.  I have had more conversations in the hallway with my students this year than all of the other years of my career combined.  One student declared the other day that I was her favorite teacher because I actually care about her. 

I usually lose my voice twice a year.  Once in the fall and once in the spring.  I didn't lose my voice this fall.  I guess not having the project my voice for 5-6 hours a day will prevent that.  

As the students are getting accustomed to this model, they are finding that their classmates are very knowledgeable and willing the help.  I have a student who beautifully explains the vertical line test.  Each time a student has a question about determining if a graph is a function, I refer them to her.  Many students will use a large white board and teach each other, or work on problems together.  I also like this because they are writing larger and I can see their work as I walk by. 

I would love to have a testing center, a place where students can go to take tests when they are ready. I just need to get a few more teachers on board with flipped mastery.

Will I ever go back?  Not likely.