Tips for moving forward with flipped classroom

"When I was just lecturing, I may have had my moment of glory in front of the class, but it wasn't working for my students. I started looking for ways to engage them in their learning, how to differentiate more easily and how to make myself available to those who need it," says Annick Arsenault Carter, a Grade 7 teacher at École Le Mascaret in New Brunswick. The answer: she found it in the flipped classroom.

The flipped classroom consists of transmitting more theoretical knowledge to students through video clips. They can then watch each video at their own pace, press pause, go back and listen again if necessary.

According to Annick, "the flipped classroom allows the teacher to be with the students rather than in front of them. She has found it to be a way to better support students who are struggling and to allow stronger students to progress at their own pace. 

However, she would like to point out that this is a strategy for diversifying her teaching. It should not become the only way to transmit knowledge. For example, in mathematics, she has transformed five out of 11 modules into a flipped classroom.  

Tips before you start

In the context of a conference presented during ADF Week, she offered some tips for teachers who want to get started with this practice. 

1- Know your program well

With a good knowledge of the curriculum, it's easier to identify basic lecture concepts that you repeat every year or simple tasks that you explain to students on a regular basis. This is the content that should be the focus of your videos.

2- Determine the intent of the video

The intent of the video will guide the content that is conveyed and how it is conveyed. 

Is it to clarify a concept? Or to review it? To get students to pursue a task? To provide common vocabulary terms for all? The video could even be used to communicate with parents.

"For me, the content has to allow you to move forward or go deep."

3- Record the video

Several styles can be used: voice and screen, teacher on screen, hand writing, etc. Annick finds it important to physically appear in her videos to speak directly with students. 

"The important thing is to find your style."

A very important piece of advice she insists on: "The video doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to meet the needs. 

4- Follow the progress of the students

The videos are then made available to students (e.g., unlisted video on YouTube or shared folder). They are integrated into a work plan that students must complete. In order to track the progress of the students in their work plan, Annick has set up a checklist for the students to complete. "It's important to know where they are. It allows me to identify those who are falling behind, for example."

5- To go further

Since she has been making videos for many years, Annick likes to make them periodically. She also occasionally asks students to update existing videos, shooting it their way. "It helps them witness their learning and they get on board."

Favorite tools

Over the years, the teacher has used several digital tools, and not only to make her videos. Here are her favorites.

Nearpod

Collaborative presentation tool which allows the integration of videos and other documents for the students. It then allows teachers to follow the progress of each student in real time. 

Padlet

Digital bulletin board type toolIt also serves as an organizer of ideas by theme or other. It can be used as a tool for presenting the work plan.

Loom for Education

Tool allowing to record simple videos (camera, screen, camera and screen). It also uses the screen recording function of the iPad tablet via PowerPoint.

Seesaw

Tool which allows to keep track of learning and to communicate with parents.

Can go

Creation platform which allows the formatting of infographics, slideshows, posters and documents of all kinds. Collaborative mode available. A functionality allowing to make video has been added recently.

It is possible to listen Annick Arsenault Carter's entire lecture on FADIO's YouTube channel.

In addition :

(Re)listening a École branchée Pedagogical Rendezvous directed by Stéphanie Dionne with Annick. 

(Re)read the article The flipped classroom is popular in distance learningpublished on our website.

Learn how to create educational videos with us on March 26th during the CréaCamp SPRINT! 

Dimension (s) of digital competence related to this article
7- Producing digital content
8- Take advantage of digital technology as a vector of inclusion and to meet diverse needs

To see the Framework.