St. Mary’s Ryken Turns Learning on its Head
St. Mary’s Ryken teacher Joanne Person
When most of us hear the word “school,” we think of a traditional classroom where a teacher teaches the day’s lesson and students have homework to reinforce the concepts taught.
For Joanne Person’s Algebra II class at St. Mary’s Ryken, however, that model has been turned on its head or “flipped.”
“Students have the textbook on their iPads,” Joanne begins. “At home, they read the chapter and then watch the corresponding video. We use our classroom time to work on the chapter’s activities and problems together, and to answer any questions about the concepts being introduced.”
Joanne decided to give the flipped classroom a try when she kept encountering the two biggest problems with homework: the first is that the student can’t remember how to solve a problem, gets frustrated and then doesn’t complete the homework; and the second is when a student spends a lot of time figuring out a problem, but figures incorrectly, and then goes on to make the same mistake on all homework problems.
Juniors Natalie Seidel and Ben Greb both find the flipped model an easier way to learn.
“The best part,” said Natalie, “is being able to go back and watch it again.” Ben agrees. “You can keep going back until you understand something,” he said.
Joanne confirms that the students took to the flipped method quickly because “it’s self-paced learning.”
Joanne had a bit of a learning curve, too: In the beginning, it would take her about an hour to make one 15-20 minute video using an app on her iPad. She’s now down to about 30 minutes to record and edit. The videos aren’t of her standing in the front of the class lecturing, rather they show only her whiteboard. She narrates as she draws the concepts presented in each chapter.
Media outlets have been filled with empirical evidence of the success of the flipped model, both at the high school and college level. The National Education Association’s Priority Schools Campaign points to one dramatic example of a high school outside of Detroit where before the flip more than 50% of freshmen failed English and 44% failed math. After the flip, the number of freshmen who failed English dropped to 19% and to 13% for math.
For St. Mary’s Ryken students, the flipped model comes in handy especially when a student is absent or has to leave early for a doctor’s appointment or for an away sports game. But, one unexpected benefit, said Joanne, has been that parents watch the lessons, too. At a recent parent-teacher conference, she heard from many who enjoy watching the videos to refresh their memories and to be able to offer additional help to their child.
With the outpouring of positive feedback from students and parents alike, Joanne plans to continue with the flipped model and perhaps expand it to her other classes for next school year.
Watch one of Joanne’s lessons – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu_7wyV45Ew
