Image from freeyork.org
Well, I asked for it. But I should have put on a bullet proof vest before reading all of the feedback, anonymous feedback, from my MS students about flipped classroom. Their comments were not all negative; not even a majority was, but the negative comments hurt like it must feel to be shot wearing Kevlar. I guess that since MY experience with flipped, though hard work, has been so very positive, I never expected any strong negative replies to the student survey. In fact, I was so sensitive to them that I had to read through all of the responses 3 times before I could see the forest of positive for the negative trees. Thankfully, there were a lot of positive comments too.
Let me address the negative first. I try to be a reflective teacher, and I can modify and adjust in a meaningful and purposeful way using my students’ feedback. That’s what I plan to do…learn from it and move forward. First of all, many of them dislike Cornell note-taking style. In my defense, the choice to use the Cornell template was after much consideration on my part, but it is an example of my trying to put all of my students, round or square, into the same darn hole. I can fix this. I will teach them a variety of note-taking styles and let them choose which works best for them. Secondly, the lecture videos are too long. I knew this all along, but when you have so much curriculum content that it defies a pacing guide shorter than a decade, it’s hard to pare it down into bite-sized nuggets. But, I can fix this too. I will just have to produce the videos again in shorter segments at least. I can also make sure they have access to the videos earlier, so they can watch at a more manageable pace.
www.bryanleecomedy.com
The third and BIGGEST hit to the chest was that they felt they couldn’t ask their questions from the videos or reading homework . They often forgot what their questions were by the time they got to class. Some wanted more immediate feedback. Honestly, these comments made me want to cry. As part of the same survey, an overwhelming majority (89%) felt they have better access to me. But obviously, they don’t feel that way at that crucial point of front-loading content. I am their teacher, and they should have access to me as much as possible. I can’t be on call 24 hours a day, but I can fix this too. I need to come up with a plan for them to post questions immediately. I may use a backchannel of some kind or have a collaborative doc or spreadsheet where they can post any time, then I can address those questions or problems in whole class or individual discussions in a timely fashion. Before next year, I will have it figured out!
Now for some of the positive. One comment theme that was in the dislike section and like section about equally was re-watching, rewinding, pausing, and reviewing the video lectures. Some of my students thought having to rewind or re-watch to “get” content was a total drag. Some thought it was a huge benefit of the flipped classroom. I bet you know where my opinion is going to fall on this one! I teach in a great school with amazing kids, but most of them would be considered EAL in any school in North America. We also have students with learning exceptionalities. One of the main reasons I decided to try flipped was to be able to differentiate more effectively. These comments, both positive
live2excel.net
and negative, tell me I achieved my goal in the differentiation department. The next big positive was that students felt that flipped classroom had made them more independent learners. They feel more”responsible” for their learning. This is also a big win for me as a teacher. Other benefits stated were...”We have deeper class discussions.” “There is more time for hands-on activities and labs.” “We can start the fun stuff as soon as we get to class.” “I am better prepared for class.” “I get to learn at my own pace.” These statements made me feel so much better.
One apparent contradiction was about homework. Some students said the flipped classroom style was so much more homework. Some said they liked having so much less homework. This was very confusing to me at first, but I’ve been teaching quite a while, and I’m a mom. I may be interpreting the data wrong, but homework is never fun. And there are students that just aren’t going to do homework no matter what form it takes. My son was a great student who worked hard, but he didn’t like homework either. I venture to say that if his teachers had ever asked what he liked least about their class, he would have said, “Homework!” I don’t want to burden my students with homework, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be valuable and meaningful. It’s just not fun.
So what wisdom have I gleaned from this honest and sometimes painful feedback? As a professional educator, I always have to “hear” what my students are saying. I have to be reflective about my teaching practice and student learning, then be prepared to make the necessary adjustments. Flipped classroom instructional model…NO model…is perfect, so I need to figure out what works best for me and my students. Maybe that’s all of it or parts. I have to keep learning and growing just like my students. Finally, I have to continue honing my craft. My goal…Master Teacher!