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What's the Secret to Successfully
Flipping a Math Class?
Joel Evans
jevans3@hatboro-horsham.org
www.hatboro-horsham.org/evans
•B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin
•Masters in Education from Wilkes University
•Siemens STEM 2013 Fellow
•2014 Hatboro Horsham Champion of Learning
•This is my twentieth year teaching mathematics
•15 at Hatboro Horsham High School outside Philadelphia, PA
•5 at Culver City Middle School in Los Angeles, CA
•4th year teaching AP Statistics
•9th year teaching Calculus (1st year AP)
Siemens STEM Fellows 2013
This is my 4th year teaching AP Statistics.
My school is on a block schedule. The AP Stats class is a year
long course, however in the Fall, we meet every OTHER day for
75 min. In the Spring, we meet EVERY day for 75 min.
My first year, I taught using a traditional style. In-class lectures
followed by practice problems, or group activities.
At the end of each semester, we are required to give our students
a class evaluation survey. The number one complaint that first
year, was that I used too many powerpoints.
I decided to try a “flipped” classroom model.
After my first AP Exam, I went back and took a long, hard look at all my notes
and powerpoints (that first year, I was pulling powerpoints and lecture notes
from all over the place, so they were a bit of a mish-mash)
First, I created a notes packet for each chapter. I then revised my powerpoints
to ensure that they matched the notes pages.
Next, I used the recorder feature of the Smart Notebook software to record my
lectures. I used a cheap headset with a microphone. I also used an Intellislate,
which allows me to write on the powerpoints as I am talking.
I uploaded my videos to a couple of different places:
1. YouTube
2. Screencast.com
3. My Class website
Did it work?
Over the last two years, 100% of my students
passed the AP Statistics Exam
A Celebration of Excellence
There are many different ways to flip your class. Here are three
that I have used in the past:
Method #1 - My primary method. Notes Packets, follow-up
quizzes, activities designed to reinforce the lecture.
Method #2 - The FIZZ Method. Use Videos as an introduction to
the topic in class.
Method #3 - Use the videos as training guides on how to solve
specific problems.
Using Chapter 3 as an example video
Last year, another teacher and I taught separate AP Statistics sections, so we
collaborated on the lessons and the activities for the class.
We added a Google quiz after each video, which enabled us to check to see if the
kids had watched the videos, plus we get a clearer idea of what topics we need to
review and focus on. We started off using a service called Flubaroo to grade the
surveys, then we started embedding the quizzes into the videos, finally, we started
using Smart Response Clickers, NSpires with Navigators and Plickers.
We post all of our videos on our Websites, our class Edmodo site and on our Google
Drive.
I have expanded my use of Flipped Videos into both my Calculus and PreCalculus
Classes
It is a lot of
work, but I
love not
lecturing in
class!
Kids take more
and better
notes from the
videos.
Humor works well and I try a variety of video formats.
The Activities are the key! Simply putting videos out there for kids to watch will not
ensure success in the classroom.
Activities List:
•
Baseball vs Softball Throw
•
Hallway Bocce
•
Movie Correlations
•
Wesvaco
•
Monopoly Regression on the NSpire
•
Lots of NSpire Activities in Calculus Class
•
Time to do bookwork in class
•
Starnes Stacking
•
University Research Project
•
Statistics Fair
•
Design a Probability Game
•
Time to work on Fathom
•
Summer Survey Analysis
In addition to the main notes
taking/teaching videos, I also do
what I call “demo” videos, or
reinforcing videos
Ok, now we can get down to the Nitty Gritty.
What tools, websites, equipment, etc do I use to Flip my Classes
Edmodo may very well be the most-used web tool in education right now. So it’s no
surprise that it’s popular among flipped classrooms. In case you haven’t tried it out,
Edmodo is a classroom management platform designed to facilitate learning in all
directions. By that I mean it lets students ask questions to other students, teacher to
student, parent to teacher, etc. You get the idea.
Screencast is quite popular in the flipped classroom community. Designed to work with Jing
and Camtasia, Screencast is great for students looking to learn from each other, record their
thoughts and share on a classroom website or just submit homework by showing how they did
something online.
It’s YouTube. C’mon. Okay, you’ve never heard of it? Seriously? It’s an online video site
where you can watch just about anything. At last count, a bazillion videos were uploaded
every second. Most are not useful for education but many are. They’re in the YouTube
EDU and a few other related search-based queries. Like, let’s say, flipped classrooms!
Flubaroo is a free tool, integrated with Google Forms. You write a quiz in Google
Forms, and this extracts the information from the form, emails the results back to the
students, and stores the results for the teacher to see. It has a tremendous user guide that
really lays out what needs to be done.
The questions in the quiz can be either multiple choice, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank.
The program generates an Excel worksheet that contains individual results and summary
reports and graphs. It also has an option that enables it to email students their grades
(plus individual question results)
Plickers is a powerfully simple tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative
assessment data without the need for student devices. No waiting for students to
log-in on a computer or even open the right app. Plickers integrates seamlessly into
the way you already teach.
One of the most powerful tools in education, Twitter is by far the most popular tool
among educators. It dwarfs most of the other web tools that teachers are using (aside
from YouTube) and lets anyone build their own personalized learning network or
professional learning network (PLN). Teachers use Twitter to learn about new and
exciting learning models, apps, tools, and to connect with others.
By far one of the most popular educational web tools available, Poll Everywhere is
being used by classrooms, conferences, and with audiences large and small to get
instant feedback. From presentations to keynotes to question-and-answer situations,
it’s a useful (and free) tool for any classroom.
In closing:
Flipping a Class is an exciting way to provide instruction to your students. It is
effective, exciting and engaging. It is also growing by leaps and bounds. Google
search "flipping the classroom" and you are sure to find tons of information. Don't be
afraid to try it out, start slowly, build your knowledge base, grow your library, you will
not regret it!
Quote of the Year
• “Mr. Evans, it is so nice to finally meet
you. I feel like I know you already,
because I hear your voice coming from
my daughter’s bedroom every night.”
– A parent at Back to School Night
Joel Evans
jevans3@hatboro-horsham.org
www.hatboro-horsham.org/evans