3 Unforeseen Wins of the Flipped Classroom

Ten or so years ago when I decided to flip my classroom the reasons why I wanted to flip were very clear.  Crystal clear.

From wanting to do more than just lecture all day to increasing student accountability and ownership over their learning, I knew the flipped classroom model would get me closer to those goals.  I could go on and on about finding and solidifying your WHY for flipping, and I give most commons reasons why in this post, but it's something we dive deeply into in my online course where I walk teachers through, step-by-step how to flip their classroom, called the Flipped Classroom Formula.

I won't spend time in this post talking about reasons to flip because, I'm betting, you know what those are.  And if you don't know them for sure, you do have some idea of why you're looking into this whole flipping thing, and I want to help you solidify and optimize those reasons if you become one of the teachers who joins me in the Flipped Classroom Formula.

This post is all about the hidden reasons why, or the unforeseen (more, unexpected) "wins" that come along as a sweet surprise when you flip your classroom.

I need to make an important point, though, before we begin.  So if you're distracted right now, I need you to come back and really see and digest this statement...

These wins I outline in this post do not just come automatically when you flip your classroom.  They come when you flip with intention, purpose, and clarity on what impact you want to make with your flipped classroom.

I'll put it another way... making videos of yourself (or finding quality videos someone else makes to use in your own classroom) and assigning them to your students doesn't automatically give you these wins.

Ok, got that?  Great.

Stick with me through this post to check out an opportunity where I will show you how to flip your classroom effectively, the first time, and these wins will be an automatic reward you reap from all your hard work... and maybe even others you don't see coming.

Here we go.

1. Organization of your classroom.

When you first start learning about the flipped classroom it can seem very disheveled and even chaotic because often times you're looking at a lengthy to-do list just to get started.

This is why many teachers who do take the leap, and start flipping their classrooms, albeit on their own without guidance from someone who has done it before but, dang it, they are going to make it happen, often you'll see that the chaos sticks with them.  The long to-do list and the mission to just get the videos made and out in the world, doesn't land well with their students, then they don't see the results they are looking for and they ultimately give up on the flipped classroom, meaning all that hard work was for nothing.

But - phew, thank goodness for the but - when you flip with intention, and you map out not just the videos of your flipped classroom, but also the student content, in-class activities, and, more importantly, the goals of your overall flipped classroom, then you will see the HUGE benefits of a cohesive and organized classroom.

For this one, I don't mean that your physical classroom is tidy and organized.  Although that is definitely something I strive for in my classroom, it's not necessarily one that I address when discussing flipped classroom strategies.

What I mean is that your classroom, the aspects that are not the physical existence of the room - I mean the procedures and routines of your course, the demeanor and daily interactions between you and students, the curricular expectations and performance of your students, etc. - those will all feel as a united front, and will have very obvious organization and intention.

I don't know about you, but I feel like even the most free-spirited, who-cares-about-organization kind of person would see the overall, influence-your-WHOLE-life impact this can have.

Again, I want that for you, and I want to help you get it.

2. Parents knowing what their kids are learning in class.

For those of you in the elementary or even early middle school levels, this one is probably something you are cognizant of and intentional about with specific procedures in your classroom.  But for those of you at the upper middle school and high school levels, your students' parents have no clue what is going on in the classroom most of the time, let alone what their child is learning while their in your care.  

Even if you do tell them, there's so much to share, and, there's definitely something to say for empowering your students to share their own experiences.  Who are we kidding, though - these are teenagers we're talking about, teenagers talking to their parents, no doubt... yea, slim chance that happens, am I right?

Well, in the flipped classroom, at least for the traditional, full flip, students will be watching videos at home.  Even if they are watching the videos alone locked in their bedroom,  there's a much higher chance of a parent catching a glimpse of at least one of your videos and asking students questions than if they come to your classroom and see one of your lectures.  Yea, that's not happening.

I can't tell you how many times a student would come to class having watched one of our video notes, and they say, "Mrs. Rice, my dad walked by my computer last night and did a double take, and asked 'Whatcha watchin'?'"

Or, "My mom saw that one of our videos was about ______, so she watched it on her own and then brought it up when we were eating dinner" (or in the car, what have you).

Parents have even emailed me about the content, expressing how excited they are that it is both interesting and accessible due to me making lectures available in video form.  Now, my content, psychology, is naturally more interesting to most folks than say Algebra I or early American history (notice I said most folks), but I still think that parents are more likely to see the content when it is more accessible to them.

It quickly became a part of my classroom procedures to tell my students to go home and talk out loud about what we were learning.  I would ask them when they had plans to sit around with their parents, whether at dinner or to watch a show or in the car going to the dentist, and I would encourage them to bring up what it is we're learning at the time, challenging them to teach their parents.

This was easier to do, and gave kids more confidence when they had video to assist them.  They could show parents the video, but (another perk of flipping) I also knew that every student had watched every video, so there was no one who missed any content of our course.

Is two birds with one stone an applicable adage here?

3. Students notice and appreciate the work you put in.

Let me be captain obvious for a moment.  Not ALL students will EVER notice the work you put in.  In fact, most won't even notice that you show up every day.  Ok, that's an exaggeration.  But that's not our why for showing up, and certainly not our why for flipping our classroom.  If we made a career choice based on recognition, teaching wouldn't have been in the top ten list of likely careers, that's for sure.

However, once you've gone through the process (particularly my Flipped Classroom Formula Framework that I'll be discussing in this week's Facebook Live in our community, The Flipped Teacher) of flipping your classroom with clarity and intention, many students (again, not all) catch on and they see you.

They see that you have thought about how flipping will impact their learning for the better.  They notice that the video they just watched was only about 12 minutes, but it probably took you twice that to prepare for, record, and edit it.  They see the purpose in each task and activity they do in class.  They see that you had what I call Flipped Classroom Foresight (something I go into depth about in Flipped Classroom Formula) when you were creating your flipped classroom model so that you were able to remove all obstacles in the way of each of your students reaching success while you were their teacher.

They see it, my friend, and they are grateful. 

Many of them may not verbalize it right away, and some of them (although many do) will never write the email of praise and gratitude years after they've graduated as they reminisce on the impact you had on their life and learning; but have no doubt, they see you doing your thing.

Flipped Classroom Webinar

Let's get back to that first important point I made at the beginning of this post.  You remember, the whole you don't get to have these unforeseen wins if you don't flip your classroom with intention, purpose, and clarity.  Yea, that important point.

Well, I'm not going to leave you hangin'.  I want you to be able to confidently flip your classroom, gaining all the success you set out for THE FIRST YEAR.  Not just years down the road after you've become a seasoned veteran.

The first step in my helping you do that is by sticking around here at Teach On A Mission blog each week.  Check - you've done great so far :)

The second step is joining my completely free webinar from the comfort of your couch in your favorite pajama pants, all about what I've learned in my years flipping my classroom and how I can help you make your very own, thriving flipped classroom.

It's the 3 Behind-the-Scenes Insights to Flipping Your Classroom webinar starting next week.  There are multiple sessions so don't think you have to sign up for the first one.  Also, know that I will send you a certificate of completion upon attending the webinar live and sticking around to the end so that you can submit that certificate to your administration for approval in hopes of gaining some continuing education units (CEUs), or PDUs which is what we called it in my district.

Click the image below to choose your date and reserve your seat.

Another place where I can support you in your flipping endeavor is in our Facebook community, The Flipped Teacher.  This week I'll be going live in the group on Wednesday at 8pm EST to discuss these unforeseen "wins" of the flipped classroom and how my Flipped Classroom Formula Framework is built to not only help you meet your main WHY and reasons for flipping, but also gain these hidden wins as well.

Again, that's this Wednesday, September 25th at 8pm EST in The Flipped Teacher.

I hope to see you there and in that free, CEU-earning webinar :)

Until next time,