FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does homework look like now?
There is still homework, but it is now in the form of students being required to watch a video of important concepts and take notes. Typically the videos are each around 5 minutes in length; however, they may have more than one video per
night. I will record videos by topic and we may look at 2 or 3 topics per class. The vast bulk of traditional homework like practice problems will be done in class with support from other students and me.
How does my student access the videos?
Ideally the students watch the videos from my website under the appropriate course, ie, Algebra I or IB Prep, Trigonometry. My website is http://mrs-forsythe.weebly.com/parent-page.html. The videos are usually posted on the YouTube channel. With the use of computer labs in the library, students can also watch the videos at school, before or after the start of the school day or with their classroom teacher's permission.
For students without consistent Internet access at home and no way to come early or stay late, there are some other options. A student can bring in a flash drive (4GB at least) and I can copy the files to that drive. If that doesn’t work, I can create DVD files of most of the videos that will play on a standard DVD player. I don’t really recommend this as the video quality is not great, but it is another option.
What does class time look like now?
My classroom is set up so my desks are in groups of 3 to encourage peer collaboration. Class will generally begin with a warm up problem from the previous night, with time to work on it individually, then discussion as a small group and we will go over it as a large class. This gives each student some time to refresh the lesson in their mind and try to clear up any misconceptions. The bulk of class time is then spent in a variety of ways. On a typical day there will be an activity of some kind. This might include a traditional math assignment, group project, station reviews, white board practice or SMART board activities, etc.
What can parents do to help in the flipped classroom?
Understandably, a lot of parents are uncomfortable helping their students with their work in certain classes,
but the flipped classroom gives a lot of opportunities to be involved in your student’s education.
1. The first thing is to make sure they are actually watching the videos, preferably with headphones and without other distractions. Teenagers believe they are awesome at multitasking, but research shows it hinders their studies!
2. Students are required to take notes in Cornell format, which means they will have a large right-hand column for notes and a smaller, left-hand column for main ideas or questions. At the bottom they are to summarize their understanding. Look over their summary of the material and make sure that it makes sense and shows that they understand the material.
3. Encourage them to use the videos to their fullest, rewatching as needed, rewinding or maybe even finding other sources to get their information.
4. This is certainly not required, but another option is to watch the videos with your student, which serves two purposes; helping you to help them as well as keeping you up to date on exactly what they are learning.
What should students do to excel in a flipped classroom?
A big thing for students is to make sure they actually watch the videos. The tendency is often to ignore them and to just try to figure it out in class through the activities. Keep in mind watching these videos are the key to having success in this course. A motivated student could probably get this done at school and not even have homework.
The other key is to realize that the videos are only a small part of the process, that diving in and participating in all class time activities to the fullest will lead to a deep, complete understanding of the material. This is different than the normal mode of cramming material and then dumping out your brain on the test. If you fully buy into the flipped model, you will really know and understand the material, not just cram it for a grade.
What if students watch the videos but don’t understand the material?
That is sometimes the case, but the videos are not meant to be the end goal, so have no worries there. The real point of flipping the class is to get an idea of the topics and bring questions to class for as much additional support as possible. My goal is not to get your student a grade or to cover material. The goal is to give students a deep understanding of the curriculum, to inspire a greater love for math and to prepare them for future endeavors by encouraging them to take charge of their learning, making it real and personal for them. I am here to facilitate growth and learning and am always excited to do that.
There is still homework, but it is now in the form of students being required to watch a video of important concepts and take notes. Typically the videos are each around 5 minutes in length; however, they may have more than one video per
night. I will record videos by topic and we may look at 2 or 3 topics per class. The vast bulk of traditional homework like practice problems will be done in class with support from other students and me.
How does my student access the videos?
Ideally the students watch the videos from my website under the appropriate course, ie, Algebra I or IB Prep, Trigonometry. My website is http://mrs-forsythe.weebly.com/parent-page.html. The videos are usually posted on the YouTube channel. With the use of computer labs in the library, students can also watch the videos at school, before or after the start of the school day or with their classroom teacher's permission.
For students without consistent Internet access at home and no way to come early or stay late, there are some other options. A student can bring in a flash drive (4GB at least) and I can copy the files to that drive. If that doesn’t work, I can create DVD files of most of the videos that will play on a standard DVD player. I don’t really recommend this as the video quality is not great, but it is another option.
What does class time look like now?
My classroom is set up so my desks are in groups of 3 to encourage peer collaboration. Class will generally begin with a warm up problem from the previous night, with time to work on it individually, then discussion as a small group and we will go over it as a large class. This gives each student some time to refresh the lesson in their mind and try to clear up any misconceptions. The bulk of class time is then spent in a variety of ways. On a typical day there will be an activity of some kind. This might include a traditional math assignment, group project, station reviews, white board practice or SMART board activities, etc.
What can parents do to help in the flipped classroom?
Understandably, a lot of parents are uncomfortable helping their students with their work in certain classes,
but the flipped classroom gives a lot of opportunities to be involved in your student’s education.
1. The first thing is to make sure they are actually watching the videos, preferably with headphones and without other distractions. Teenagers believe they are awesome at multitasking, but research shows it hinders their studies!
2. Students are required to take notes in Cornell format, which means they will have a large right-hand column for notes and a smaller, left-hand column for main ideas or questions. At the bottom they are to summarize their understanding. Look over their summary of the material and make sure that it makes sense and shows that they understand the material.
3. Encourage them to use the videos to their fullest, rewatching as needed, rewinding or maybe even finding other sources to get their information.
4. This is certainly not required, but another option is to watch the videos with your student, which serves two purposes; helping you to help them as well as keeping you up to date on exactly what they are learning.
What should students do to excel in a flipped classroom?
A big thing for students is to make sure they actually watch the videos. The tendency is often to ignore them and to just try to figure it out in class through the activities. Keep in mind watching these videos are the key to having success in this course. A motivated student could probably get this done at school and not even have homework.
The other key is to realize that the videos are only a small part of the process, that diving in and participating in all class time activities to the fullest will lead to a deep, complete understanding of the material. This is different than the normal mode of cramming material and then dumping out your brain on the test. If you fully buy into the flipped model, you will really know and understand the material, not just cram it for a grade.
What if students watch the videos but don’t understand the material?
That is sometimes the case, but the videos are not meant to be the end goal, so have no worries there. The real point of flipping the class is to get an idea of the topics and bring questions to class for as much additional support as possible. My goal is not to get your student a grade or to cover material. The goal is to give students a deep understanding of the curriculum, to inspire a greater love for math and to prepare them for future endeavors by encouraging them to take charge of their learning, making it real and personal for them. I am here to facilitate growth and learning and am always excited to do that.