Professional Learning Strategy
Flipped Learning can be a key component to closing gaps in math. If you missed class or didn’t quite get it when you were in class having a flipped classroom can help. Students can go back to any lesson at any time and review it again, relearn it, or even gain a deeper knowledge of it. As a junior high math teacher for over six years I’ve heard the expression “I’m not a math person” so many times I stopped counting. Being good at math is not genetic it is learned.
Recently, I had a parent, actually a grandparent, that was concerned for her grandson as he was potentially going to fail the year. We had a parent/teacher conference and discussed how my flipped classroom works. I showed them all the resources available in my Canvas course that each student has access to. Shortly after the meeting the student along with his grandmother went through all the video lessons within the current unit and completed the homework quizzes and practice problems. Before you knew it, his grades were skyrocketing, scoring in the 90's on his tests and quizzes. Once he was caught up with the current unit they went back to the beginning of the school year to work on those lessons to close more gaps. At the end of the school year, they wanted to keep going and continue working over the summer to fill in as many gaps as possible.
The flipped classroom not only helped this student close gaps in his learning it boosted his confidence in math as well. This is a big reason why I have developed the flipped learning professional development course. This professional learning (PL) course is created so my fellow 6th grade math teachers can learn how to flip their classrooms too and provide their students with ample resources online to be successful. Throughout the session they will learn exactly what a flipped classroom is and what it looks like. I’ll provide them with all the resources and tools they will need to be successful. In the long run, I’d like to reach all math teachers on campus as well as teachers of various subject areas. I’m confident this will happen as the word “gets out”.
Recently, I had a parent, actually a grandparent, that was concerned for her grandson as he was potentially going to fail the year. We had a parent/teacher conference and discussed how my flipped classroom works. I showed them all the resources available in my Canvas course that each student has access to. Shortly after the meeting the student along with his grandmother went through all the video lessons within the current unit and completed the homework quizzes and practice problems. Before you knew it, his grades were skyrocketing, scoring in the 90's on his tests and quizzes. Once he was caught up with the current unit they went back to the beginning of the school year to work on those lessons to close more gaps. At the end of the school year, they wanted to keep going and continue working over the summer to fill in as many gaps as possible.
The flipped classroom not only helped this student close gaps in his learning it boosted his confidence in math as well. This is a big reason why I have developed the flipped learning professional development course. This professional learning (PL) course is created so my fellow 6th grade math teachers can learn how to flip their classrooms too and provide their students with ample resources online to be successful. Throughout the session they will learn exactly what a flipped classroom is and what it looks like. I’ll provide them with all the resources and tools they will need to be successful. In the long run, I’d like to reach all math teachers on campus as well as teachers of various subject areas. I’m confident this will happen as the word “gets out”.
Call to Action
We need a different approach to PL as teachers spend roughly 10% of the school year completing PL hours and regardless of these efforts, teachers are not improving very much from year to year as expected (TNTP, 2015). Teachers are being put into PL sessions that do not apply to them specifically, content or grade level, and they feel they are wasting time, therefore, they are not actively involved.
Teachers do want to improve and learn new strategies to engage their students more. Therefore, PL needs to be content/grade specific and can no longer be ‘one-and-done’ as they need ongoing support while they are learning. The flipped learning PL focuses on the 5 key principles of effective professional development with the use of technology. Below is my Call to Action video created to encourage the use of this alternative learning for PL.
Teachers do want to improve and learn new strategies to engage their students more. Therefore, PL needs to be content/grade specific and can no longer be ‘one-and-done’ as they need ongoing support while they are learning. The flipped learning PL focuses on the 5 key principles of effective professional development with the use of technology. Below is my Call to Action video created to encourage the use of this alternative learning for PL.
PL Outline
The planning and development of the flipped learning PL took a lot of time, but that is because I ensured that it serves a purpose and will be beneficial for my fellow colleagues at McDonald Junior High. I would love for the entire math department to jump on flipped learning and through my PL I hope that the excitement will spread and more and more teachers will take hold. This past year I've flipped my math class and I feel that I've had a lot of success in doing so. So, my focus has turned toward my peers to get them up and running in the flipped world.
Below you will see my outline with a tentative schedule along with resources organized in a spreadsheet for easy processing. I've developed this outline with the help of several of my past assignments.
Below you will see my outline with a tentative schedule along with resources organized in a spreadsheet for easy processing. I've developed this outline with the help of several of my past assignments.
- My 4DX Process for Implementing Flipped Learning in mind as I focused on my Wildly Important Goal (WIG).
- My Implementation Timeline.
- My 3 Column Table where I developed learning goals, learning activities, and assessments all while trying to accomplish my Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG).
Audience
The flipped learning PL is designed for the 6th grade math teachers at McDonald Junior High. This PL is to educate the teachers on flipped learning and to provide them with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful. The end goal is for the teachers to flip their math classes. The teachers need to learn how to use Canvas, the platform to deliver flipped learning to their students, as well as the knowledge to record video lessons.
Fostering Collaboration
Collaboration will be completed in many forms. Teachers will collaborate initially with a short survey to determine their willingness and capabilities of implementing a flipped classroom and they will collaborate within the online Canvas course through discussions as they learn new tools. During the ongoing trainings/meetings through the PL teachers will have ample opportunities to discuss what tools the students need to know to be successful in such course, how to design the Canvas course making it easy to navigate, and deciding which lessons need to be flipped. Collaboration is a key part of PL as teachers learn best from one another.
Fostering Self-Directed Learning
Learners in this PL will have lots of authentic learning that foster self-directed learning. Teachers will create video lessons that they will use in their classrooms with their students as well as their partner teachers classes and students. They will also participate in a 100% online Canvas course that they will use to learn Canvas and the digital tools available for use within their flipped classroom. Throughout this Canvas course teachers will be able to reflect and collaborate with one another to discuss the various tools available and how they can use it in their courses, therefore, providing a plethora of ideas and suggestions. The teachers will collaborate on what lessons they want to flip and then they are responsible for flipping that lesson by choosing how they want it delivered and what digital tools they want to use. These lessons will be shared among the team for all to use and once the lessons are complete the teachers will come together again to reflect on how it went to see what needs to be changed or added for the next one. This allows for teachers to continually reflect and grow individually from lesson to lesson.
Professional Learning Instructors
The PL will be delivered predominantly by me as I have flipped my classroom for over a year and have first hand knowledge of the process. I’ve also learned various tools that can be used within Canvas that I can share with my peers on how we can present the material to our students to keep them engaged. It is also important to have our math instructional coach (ICs) lead some sessions as she is the subject matter expert when it comes to math. She will be able to provide the knowledge across grade levels (vertical planning) to help plan the lessons to flip. Also, I have the classroom technology designers (CTDs) participate in some sessions as they are the leaders behind the technology integration within our classrooms so they can provide insight on some digital tools that we may not think of to use within our flipped classes. All in all, all participants have great value to bring to the table and we will capitalize on each person's strengths.
5 Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning
- Duration: PL should not be a ‘one-and-done’ concept, teachers need continuing education by creating peer groups so teachers can collaborate and regular meetings to engage teachers and keep them moving forward.
- Support: Teachers need support from the campus administrators, assistant principals and the math IC, encouraging them as well as district personnel, CTD, providing support with technology tools.
- Engage: Teachers should use various approaches for their learners to stay engaged so we should do the same in PL and keep the teachers actively learning (i.e. role playing, modeling, read aloud, or visiting classrooms)
- Modeling: Having an expert show or model the material is very beneficial. This is when the Math IC can demonstrate the lesson or the CTD can model how the technology is used. These experts could also be co-teachers with the teacher during instruction. Providing teachers with videos is a great resource for teachers to refer back to for support as well.
- Content and Grade Level Specific: The PL is geared toward 6th grade math teachers only so this PL is focused on a specific audience an everything discussed is relevant to their individual classrooms making it more engaging.
Timeline
Resources and Media
Here are a few resources, but the 12/4/2019 is the first presentation given at PL.
11/4/2019 - eMail and Teaser Video (This is just a teaser to get teachers excited about the upcoming PL with a short video on flipped learning)
11/18/2019 - eMail, Call to Action Video and Short Survey (This is a follow up and reminder of the upcoming PL proving the Call to Action, and a survey to see where teachers are and how they feel about it)
12/4/2019 - Presentation, Flipped Learning for Math and Canvas PL Course (This is the first session with the teachers going over in depth the PL and the resources needed: Flipped Learning for Math book and the Canvas PL Course they need to complete)
11/4/2019 - eMail and Teaser Video (This is just a teaser to get teachers excited about the upcoming PL with a short video on flipped learning)
11/18/2019 - eMail, Call to Action Video and Short Survey (This is a follow up and reminder of the upcoming PL proving the Call to Action, and a survey to see where teachers are and how they feel about it)
12/4/2019 - Presentation, Flipped Learning for Math and Canvas PL Course (This is the first session with the teachers going over in depth the PL and the resources needed: Flipped Learning for Math book and the Canvas PL Course they need to complete)
Summary
The flipped classroom is a great way to teach math and it can easily help students close their gaps on their learning and boost their confidence in math. Flipped classroom also allows teachers to build those relationships with their students as they have more time to converse with them and work out problems with them one on one or in small groups. This PL is the key to getting our teachers on board and seeing first hand what it can do for them and for their students. My fellow 6th grade math teachers are the primary focus of the PL, however, it will be open for any teacher that wants to participate even though the grade level and content discussed is for 6th grade math others teachers could learn the initial concept and then move into their own professional learning communities. The end goal would be for over 50% of the staff on my campus conduct some form of flipped learning in their classrooms. So, during this PL, teachers will learn how to flip their classrooms as well as the benefits it will bring to them and to their students. I’m very passionate about flipped learning as I’ve been able to teach using this method for over a year and have seen tremendous results, therefore, I strongly believe that this is a great method to reach ALL students.
References
- Alvarez, B. (2018, April 24). Professional Development Gets Flipped - Not just for students anymore. In National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/73198.htm
- Beatty, B.R. (2000). Teachers leading their own professional growth: self-directed reflection and collaboration and changes in perception of self and work in secondary school teachers. Journal of In-Service Education. 26(1), 73-97. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249020573_Teachers_leading_their_own_professional_growth_Self-directed_reflection_and_collaboration_and_changes_in_perception_of_self_and_work_in_secondary_school_teachers
- De La Rosa, S. (2019, May 15). Forget 'sit-and-get': 3 approaches are transforming professional development. In Education Dive. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/forget-sit-and-get-3-approaches-are-transforming-professional-developmen/553418/
- [Duarte Inc.] (2009, Dec. 16). Five Simple Rules for Creating World Changing Presentations [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT9GGmundag&feature=youtu.be
- Edmentum. (2018, May 21). 5 Principles of professional development for teachers. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blog.edmentum.com/5-principles-professional-development-teachers.
- Heather Hill. (2015). Review of The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth about Our Quest for Teacher Development. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved from http://www.greatlakescenter.org/docs/Think_Twice/TT-Hill-TNTP.pdf
- (n.d.). In Pixabay. Retrieved September 7, 2019, from https://pixabay.com/images/search/
- [TEDx Talks] (2014, Apr 14). How to avoid death by PowerPoint | David JP Phillips | TEDxStockholmSalon. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo&feature=youtu.be