“Why Is It Called A Flipped Class?”
(This is an excerpt from a letter addressing common concerns and questions I sent to parents before school started.)
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Students’ “homework” will be to take notes, carefully copying examples I explain in detail in online videos using my usual teaching style. We will use class time to work together on activities and practice problems that would traditionally be sent home as homework. This way, students will work with me, their teacher, on the activities that are the most difficult and where they need the most support.
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I try to record most of my instructional videos so they are 5 – 10 minutes in length, with 7 minutes being the most common and only a few going over 10 minutes. Students are encouraged to pause the video as needed while they are taking notes.
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Because our school is on a block schedule and classes meet every-other-day, we typically cover two lessons each time we meet. Many days, students will be expected to watch two short videos to cover two parts of the lesson. It is more inviting to watch two 7-minute videos than to watch one 14-minute video. I will provide a video lesson calendar to help students keep track of the video schedule.
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Any student who has not taken notes or who does not bring notes to class will use a school computer in my classroom to view and copy the notes at the beginning of class. Once the notes are complete, the student may join the rest of the class in activities already in progress.
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Some students may choose to view the videos several times while taking their notes and others may find they can take the notes in one viewing.
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My instructional videos are free for all of my students and their parents and may be viewed as many times as necessary. I encourage parents to create their own account to view my lessons so the activity I monitor on each student’s account accurately reflects his/her viewing activity.