Student reaction

I decided that the best way to ensure my students knew how to function in a flipped classroom was by modeling for them.  So, we watched the first instructional video together, in class.  I taught them the importance of pausing the video to take notes and rewinding the video to listen again to something they didn't quite understand.  I taught them how to take notes and write down questions that pop in their head as they watch the video.  When I asked them what they thought of this new way to do things in the classroom they expressed excitement.  "You mean no more boring math worksheets for homework?" one student asked.  I told them I couldn't promise that there would never be a math worksheet for homework but that they probably wouldn't have many, that I would assign whatever I thought was best.  Yes, I've learned to keep my options open with my students! ;-)

The true test of my students' interest and commitment to this model came the days proceeding that initial day of introduction.  The first day my students were assigned a video to watch only about half of the students did so.  Many came in telling me they had technical difficulty or didn't understand how to access the video.  So, I showed them again!  I also had the students who hadn't watched the video do so in class right away.  I let the other students play on Sumdog or MangaHigh while they waited for their classmates.  I felt they deserved a reward for doing the right thing when so many had chosen not to.  I think it also motivated those students who didn't do their homework because they realized what they missed out on as a result.

The next day only about 1/4 of my students didn't do their homework and each day it kept dwindling down more.  There seems to be a few kids who habitually don't do their homework, this is nothing new and would likely still happen if they had a worksheet to do.  I have one student who does not have regular access to a computer at home, he gets a DVD to watch on his TV. :-)  The only challenge with that is that I'm horrible at remembering to burn the DVD!

I recently figured out how to have my students respond to the videos on Moodle.  I'm very excited about this because it makes it much easier for me to know who truly watched the video and I believe it helps the students engage in the concept and express their understanding.  I have learned so much about student misunderstandings through their responses.  Many of their responses have helped me learn about my teaching, what I need to change and when a video needs to be rerecorded.