10 TEDs to Create a Learning Environment for Your Classroom
It is my humble opinion that the number one key to the success of a "Learning Classroom" is the development of a classroom environment that values learning over the accumulation of grades. Creating a community of learning that we all benefit when we all participate in the process of gaining knowledge. While this may seem "utopian", there is an actual joy that comes about in students who lose the the stress of being defined by a letter.
I use these TED's in my classroom and as home viewing content to assist in the development of that learning environment for the students entrusted to my care.
SMARTER TEACHER
Sharing a quarter century of teaching, the Smarter Teacher blog will focus upon the Three C's: Think Critically - Communicate Clearly - Work Collaboratively. The Three C's of education are the most important skills necessary for teachers to develop in the students entrusted to their care. "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." - Alvin Toffler -
Saturday, May 31, 2014
10 TEDs to Create a Learning Environment for Your Classroom
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Back to the Classroom – Taking It Beyond the Content
Back to the Classroom –
Taking It Beyond the Content
Okay
so now you have library of digital resources to provide
content for your
students.
Now What???
You
have all of the support mechanisms in line to make sure every student has
access to the tools necessary to watch those resources. The administrators have been pacified,
parents have been appeased and the students know what’s happening.
Now it
hits you, what happens next in your classroom?
What do you do with all this class time since you don’t need to lecture
anymore? You have all these short
demonstrations that you have squeezed into lecture time. Your labs have all
been cut down to 30 minutes to fit them in with all the content you had to
cover. And on top of that you have to
begin adopting the new standards format set forth by the Next Generation
Science Standards. What happens after the video?
There
is no one model for the flipped classroom.
Each educator must choose the model that best suits the environment of
their classroom, the needs of their students and the, outcomes expected from
their specific class, course, department, school and district.
In
order to maximize the learning potential of the students, the classroom must be
an environment that safe and comfortable for both the educator and the student.
The
nature of your classroom model is only limited by your imagination and energy.
While
no one model is best, most teachers find that adopting parts of several of the
classroom teaching models work best depending upon the nature of the course,
subject, topic and learning goals associated with that classroom
Four
basic models of the flipped classroom include:
·
Traditional
Flipped Model
·
Inquiry
Based Approach
·
The
Flipped Mastery Approach
·
Project
Based Learning
Traditional Flipped Model
This
is a good place to begin for most teachers.
Educators
provide access to learning resources in the class and take the role of “Guide
on the Side” as students work in peer groups to apply, teach, learn, unlearn
and relearn.
Students
are encouraged to take an active role in their own learning process.
Inquiry Based Approach
Students
learn to take ownership of their own learning by searching for answers about
their own questions. Students can work
independently or in groups to conduct the inquiry process. Students are encouraged to follow the steps
of the scientific method in this approach:
·
State
the Problem
·
Research
the Concept
·
Form a
Hypothesis
·
Test
the Hypothesis,
·
Gather
and Process Data
·
Form
Conclusions
·
Present
the Work
Flipped Mastery Approach
This model allows the
educator to truly become the “Guide on the Side” as this is a self-directed
learning model where students work at their own pace to gain mastery of a
concept before moving on to the next topic.
Students can work independently or in peer group teams. Educators monitor student progress and
encourage students to maximize their potential.
This model provides the
best opportunity for differentiation in the classroom. The accelerated learner can move through the
material quickly and provide opportunities to explore content beyond the
framework objectives. Students who
process at varying levels can achieve the framework objectives at their own
pace and using a variety of digital content and assessment modes. Students who find passion in specific topics
can spend extra time and dig deeper into the content material in order to
satisfy intellectual curiosity.
Project Based Learning
Using
real-world problems to inspire students to apply content to the solution,
students use critical thinking and problem solving to create solutions. Learning objectives go beyond the
understanding of the content but are dependent upon the application of the
knowledge in some concrete demonstration.
Students are encouraged to create self- assessment and feedback loops to
monitor their progress and the ultimate success of their project outcome. This model encourages students to develop the
21st century skills necessary to enter the job market of their
future.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Seven Stepping Stones to a Flipped Classroom
Seven Stepping Stones
to a Flipped Classroom
The
“flipped classroom” is not the newest fad that will save education. It will not replace textbooks. It certainly will not replace teachers. And it definitely will not make every student
all of a sudden love school and turn in every assignment.
However,
with a little extra work up front, a little more imagination and an openness to
change the parameters of the traditional classroom, the flipped classroom could
create opportunities to provide more content, create extra time in your
classroom, develop opportunities to interact with students and empower them to
take charge of their own learning.
Oh
there will be push back. Students will
complain, parents will wonder, colleagues will question and administrators may
balk. Student complaints will include
things like, “your not teaching us,” “I used to get my homework done while you
lectured,” ‘my dog ate my hard drive,” and “I don’t get it.” Parents will wonder, “why is there no
homework,” “what do you do in class all day,”” why is my child on the computer
all the time,” and “why are you not teaching my child?” Colleagues will ask,
“Why, What and How?” And Administrators will balk at, “What is this going to
cost?” and “How are you going to meet the standards?”
To
get a handle on all of this and make the transition easier, there are basic
step that will make the process move a little smoother and provide
opportunities to get all of the publics on board.
The
Seven Stepping Stones for implementation of the flipped classroom include:
1. Brainstorm
2.
Create
3.
Design
4.
Prepare
5.
Set
Outcomes
6.
Build
a Library
7.
Create
a Portal
Brainstorm
The first thing to do
is decide how you want to transition into the world of flipped learning. Do you
want to spend the summer creating an entire semester of content and go “whole
hog”? Are there specific lessons or
content areas that make sense for your subject matter? Do you want to have a
flipped day? Monday will be flipped
homework and Tuesday will be the Flipped Classroom day. What content can you create or find
easily? Is there a special unit or class
project that flipping might enhance? Remember not all lessons can nor should be
flipped. The teacher facilitator must do
what is best for all students and must maintain their own sanity.
Create
Create the “flipped”
homework assignment. Determine what the
students will watch. What is the content
that the students will need? Do you need
to make your own video? Is there
something already available on line or from your textbook? What media can or should be used? Is this a lesson or a unit? What will the students do? And, how will you create accountability?
Design
Design the classroom
follow-up activity. How will the
classroom become student centered? Will
the activity be a project? Will inquiry
be the focus? What choices will the
students have in demonstrating their knowledge?
How will the learning be assessed? How will the students take ownership
of the content knowledge they have been exposed to?
Prepare
Get students prepared
for the “flipped experience”. Outline
expectations and
parameters. Encourage
the students to take charge of their learning.
Demonstrate
how to use the media.
Explain all the options and choices available. Be proactive in
assisting
students who have special needs or lack access to the technology. Offer
options and possible solutions for all
students to feel they can be successful.
Set Outcomes
Determine expected
outcomes and processes for assessing the learning. Prepare for success but be ready to support
failure and develop areas for improvement.
Provide opportunities for growth and varieties of methods to demonstrate
learning and mastery of the content standards.
Build a Library
Develop a library of
resources that can and will engage all students. Provide choices
in what the
students can watch. Evaluate media for
the effectiveness of delivery of
the content, engagement for the students, presentation
of the content standards and
development of formative assessment. Encourage
students to use other resources to
further their understanding of the content.
Allow students freedom to take care of
their own learning.
Create a Portal
Determine how to
deliver the content. Does your school offer
a platform for the organization of the content library? Do you need to develop your own portal? Is there something already available that can
be adopted to fit the needs of your students and your classroom? Can you use a platform like Moodle, Blackboard,
Ted Ed, Vimeo or YouTube to put your content in a format that is user friendly
for both you and your students?
Now it is
time to start “Flipping”!!!
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Online Resources for Flipping Your Science Classroom
Flipping Your Science Classroom
General Flipped Classroom
Resources
http://flippedlearning.org Flipped
Learning Network
http://flippedclassroom.org Flipped
Learning Network
http://flipped-learning.com Turning
Learning –On Its Head
http://flippedlearningjournal.org Flipped
Learning Journal
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23flipclass&src=typd Twitter
Flipped Search
http://edtechcoaching.org Ed
Tech Coaching
http://flippedoutlearning.weebly.com Flipped
Out Learning
Shared Digital Resource
Sites
http://ed.ted.com TED
Ed
http://ted.com TED
http://learnzillion.com Learn
Zillion
http://www.kahnacademy.org Kahn
Academy
http://www.brightstorm.com Bright
Storm
http://socratic.org Socratic
http://www.sophia.org Sophia
http://www.teachingchannel.org Teaching
Channel
http://www.youtube.com You
Tube
http://teachertube.com Teacher
Tube
http://vimeo.com Vimeo
http://www.periodicvideos.com Periodic Table of Elements
http://www.wevideo.com We
Video
http://www.digitalvaults.org National
Archives – Digital Vaults
http://www.screenr.com Screenr
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com Screencast-o-matic
http://www.educreations.com Educreations
http://gamestarmechanic.com Gamestar
Mechanic
http://scratch.mit.edu Scratch
Blogs to Follow
The Self Directed Learner http/scribelife.com/SDL/
Science Sites
http://phet.colorado.edu PhET
Science Simulations
http://www.bozemanscience.com Bozeman
Science
http://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse Crash
Course
http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu Science
Is Fun
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com Steve
Spangler Science
http://undsci.berkeley.edu Understanding
Science http://serc.carleton.edu/eet/index.html Earth
Exploration Toolkit
http://www.periodicvideos.com Periodic
Table of Elements
http://richannel.org/videos Videos:
Ri Channel
http://www.livescience.com Science
Live
http://interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html Interactive
Sites for Education
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/category/science-technology Science Documentaries
http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/kidsite/ 24/7
Science
http://www.knowitall.org/nasa/simulations/index.html NASA
Simulations
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