Yesterday was Day 2 (or D-2) of using the flipped model for my three 6th grade math classes. Day 1 was not a winner or necessary a loser; it was however an eye-opener (see this blog entry) in that I was used to the role of sage on the stage and not used to just being 'available' to my kids.
Yesterday I began to to better understand my new role. I saw the power of productive collaboration -- peer power! My kids were learning and I was being a content troubleshooter, an encourager and a one-on-one tutor. I felt grand.
Not only was it just my second day of flipping, but teachers from the neighboring junior high and 4 assorted principals rotated through my classroom yesterday observing the happenings as well. I barely noticed their presence because the kids were center-stage -- talking, discussing, problem-solving, sharing, inquiring, answering each others questions and having a good time! I still got my fix of being in front of them, but not in my former role as a giver of information, but rather as a facilitator, guide, and clarifier of the content.
I also continue to see the awesome leverage for learning that Edmodo offers. Discussions about the video the evening before class are peppered with questions/comments in posts of Edmodo. Mostly the students answer the questions posed by other students -- how cool! Sometimes I will wade into the fray. I can't imagine flipping without this tool. Thanks Edmodo!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I am on my third week of the "flip" in my 7th grade History class, and its nice seeing what other educators are doing. I used Edmodo last year, but this year switched to Schoology. I would definitely recommend checking it out. It has all the functions of Edmodo plus a few more! Good luck, I look forward to seeing how your experience turns out! I'm also blogging- flippinghistory.blogspot.com if you're interested, keep up the great work.
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