Flipped Instruction Going Well; Will Continue: Update 11/26-11/30

Nearly all students this week participated in flipped instruction! 

Before I detail the week ahead, I wanted to let you know that the flipped instruction model in our math class is going very well. In a few moments I will elaborate on flipped instruction so you have a little more knowledge about it. I'll speak in simple terms and avoid teacher jargon. Anyway, I plan to increase the use of this model because the students are responding well to it.

A few things about flipped instruction:

What it is: 

• The nature of the name implies that what is typically done at home (homework and studying) can be done at school, and what is typically done at school (formal lesson and assessment) can be done at home. 

• Flipped instruction model allows for each student to work at a pace that is more conducive to his/her learning approach, style, and ability. 

• Flipped instruction allows for students to pre-learn or build background on a concept prior to coming to class and either beginning work or having the teacher re-teach the concept. 

• Flipped instruction provides more opportunities for a teacher to assess a student on an ongoing basis, and it allows a student to receive the proper type of instruction for that day's content; this could be re-teaching, enrichment, more one-on-one instruction, and small group instruction. 

• At its heart, when done well, flipped instruction promotes ongoing assessment and personalized instruction for each child, thus giving him/her the best context for learning, reflecting upon learning, and having opportunities for higher level enrichment. 

What is is NOT: 

• Flipped instruction is not "go home, watch a lesson, come to school the next day, and do work." It appears that on a very basic level this is what flipped instruction is, but trust me, being a teacher, there is a whole lot more to it; at its heart: ongoing assessment and personalized instruction. 

• Students learning solely on their own. While flipped instruction has a student watch an online video/tutorial or webcast initially at home, this is really what I like to call level one instruction. The next day in class, I make it a point to visit with each student and do follow up work and re-teaching. Sometimes that re-teaching is extensive (for a child whose assessment the nigh before shows me he/she really doesn't get it, and sometimes that re-teaching is a follow up with questioning. Sometimes the re-teaching really is enriching your child and posing more challenges, aka as enrichment. 

What are we Learning or re-learning this week before Friday's Test? 

• Skills and strategies for computation. 
• Context for computation (balancing our checkbooks)
• Higher level computation (calculating sales tax and discounts) 
• Exponential notation 
• Context for applying operations in word problems (Problem solving work) 
• How to better evaluate our math strengths and weaknesses (reflection) 

Okay, so maybe the test will be the following Monday or Tuesday. I will keep you posted. There is one standard left for us to introduce and that is: 

Standards:

5.NB.T2: Explain patterns in the number of zeroes of the product when multiplying by powers of 10. 

6.EE.1 Write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents.