Day of the Dead: TED-Ed Lesson

In my post from yesterday I gave my initial reaction to the "flipped classroom." In short, I loved the idea, but wasn't sure how feasible it actually was to create effective lessons for students to complete outside of the classroom.  Well, I created a TED-Ed lesson for a homework assignment for grad school, and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to do.  With easy to follow steps, I could DEFINITELY see using this in my future classroom as a way to introduce topics to students before we even meet in class.

Check out my Day of the Dead Lesson here.

Lesson Language Learning Objectives:

• Relating Cultural Practices to Perspectives: Learners will use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied
• Relating Cultural Products to Perspectives: Learners will use the language to investigate, explain, an reflect on the relationship between the products and perspectives of the cultures studied
• Acquiring Information and Diverse Perspectives: Learners access and evaluate information and diverse perspectives that are available through the language and its cultures
• Cultural Comparisons: Learners use the language to investigate, explain, and reflect on the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own 

** These can be catered to meet the level of the class which is being taught **

How to Test if Objectives Have Been Met:

• This lesson has several "Think" Multiple Choice Questions and and Discussion Question.  The MC questions check for comprehension, and the discussion question directly calls for cultural comparisons
• This TED-Ed Lesson should be followed up by an in-class discussion in the target language in which the teacher models the discussion question in Spanish and a possible response.  Students will already have thought about the discussion question and their answer as per the TED-Ed assignment, so in class they will need to only focus on target language use.  The teacher can further this discussion by facilitating a conversation about the practices and products associated with Day of the Dead and how it relates to cultural perspectives.  This is the definition of flipped learning: The students learn the basics outside of class, then they can achieve higher level thinking in the classroom as guided by the teacher.

The Flipped Language Classroom

So in my technologies course, we have spent the majority of the class talking about and exploring different technologies to use in the classroom or for professional development.  This week's topic is learning about the Flipped Classrooms more in depth.  Here's a general overview and of course, my initial reaction!

A Flipped Classroom is one in which the instruction occurs outside of the classroom and homework time occurs in the classroom, pushing students to learn independently and at their own pace, while in class achieving higher level thinking and problem solving.  It sounds great, right? Well, let's first go over the positives because there are many, but I do see this posing quite a few challenges.

According to Three Reasons to Flip Your Classroom, implementing this:

1. Increases comprehension of course material: Students can learn at their own pace.  They can pause an instructional video at home to take notes and to let what the teacher said "sink in," where as learning in a classroom doesn't allow for this
2. Increases interaction with the instructor and peers: Class time is spent applying what was learned for homework, not with the teacher lecturing.  This gives the teacher more time to guide students as they apply what they learn.
3. Increases critical thinking as a natural part of the learning process: By learning outside of the classroom, there is more time to apply higher level thinking inside the classroom, like analyzing, applying, and creating.

In other words, as put by Flipping your EL Classroom: A Primer, In a sense, what is flipped is the clock. The clock at home gets used on instruction, on piquing curiosity, on initial exploration. When the classroom clock starts ticking, teachers spend their time interacting with students on activities that they used to assign as homework. Like all good homework assignments, these activities still challenge students to use what they have learned. 

My initial reaction to reading about the flipped classroom was "Wow, this makes a lot of sense," but at the same time, "Wow, this sounds like a lot of work for the teacher, and potentially the students."  A teacher who has never taught a flipped classroom before has to prepare homework by creating instructional videos or learning activities which teach students the main ideas (something that the teacher would have traditionally taught in the classroom) and also prepare actual class time for the students to apply what they learned.  As it's name suggests, it is truly "flipped." Despite this initial workload though, what challenges does the flipped classroom pose? Well, on the side of the teacher, I think it takes a lot of time and skill to create effective virtual lessons for the students.  Teachers need to search for effective videos (or create their own), or come up with other creative ways for students to learn from their textbook.  Students then need to be able to learn from this so that the teacher doesn't need to "re-teach" the entire lesson the next day.  Also, would this really work for students? There may be a student without a home computer, or with limited data plans on their phones to access online material.  In theory students could stay after school in the computer lab or go to the public library, but this all boils down to school resources, student transportation, and student responsibilities at home.  And what about students with different learning styles or with disabilities? Some students do learn best being guided by the teacher.

Later this week in school I will be creating my own Ted-Ed lesson for my imaginary students and I am sure as I work through this unit I will see how feasible it is to create a flipped classroom and what challenges I face.  Despite my concerns, I am intrigued with the idea of the flipped classroom and think that this new way of learning teaches students many skills, and if done right, could be a much more effective use of class time. Students learn best when they discover knowledge for themselves, and I think that by flipping your classroom there is a definite possibility for students to be challenged more and to learn more!

Flipped Learning Community

So what exactly is a flipped classroom? In doing some research for school I have come across this term time and time again in articles and blogs alike.  To be honest, I was a little unfamiliar with this term and just the name, "flipping" your classroom, suggests a complete and total overhaul.  That doesn't sound easy at all. But alas, after doing a little research, flipping the classroom is definitely within reach for the tech savvy and those less tech-inclined (myself included!).  The Flipped Language Classroom is all about teaching students in the 21st century. A lot of things have changed over the years, but one thing that has stayed relatively the same is our educational system.  This video below sums up what I am talking about, and in a super creative and inspirational way.  Get ready to feel motivated!

So what steps are within our reach to make effective changes in our classrooms? We may not be able to change the entire educational system, but we can begin by making changes within the walls of our classroom.  Often that means using technology either in the classroom or at home for homework assignments.  That is where the term "Flipping the Classroom" comes into play. It's not always easy to flip you classroom, and  by no means should you be expected to figure it all out alone. Flipped Learning Community is a professional learning community that I just discovered- with a page dedicated to world language teachers.  It's a forum of advice, questions, suggestions, by and for world language teachers. 

So here are some ways that being part of the World Language Teachers Flipped Learning Community can help:

• View educational videos on how to flip your classroom and make it tech savvy (I'll definitely be looking at these!)
• Have access to forums where language teachers share their experiences with incorporating tech into the classroom (both good AND bad- candid feedback is always appreciated)
• Ask and answer questions
• Share different sites and tips for flipping your classroom

I have to admit, even though I am overwhelmed with thinking about how to Flip my future classroom, mostly from an organizational and planning standpoint, I am excited by all the possibilities it brings.  Like I said, I will definitely be watching some of those how-to videos because there's a big difference between incorporating tech in the classroom and then incorporating it effectively.  It will be pretty fun to use some new technologies to teach students, and at the very least, to capture their interest! Any suggestions or experience with flipped classrooms? I would love to hear them!