One of the most popular topics in education today is the Flipped Classroom, a model in which teachers send their students home with a lesson (usually in the form of a video) and then engage in exercises and practice in the classroom after the fact. It has many advantages, namely getting the basic nuances out of the way and working on projects and problems with the teacher in the room.
This year at my school, I’ve been inspired by this model to flip our tech-related professional development.
Videos usually work best
When I flip my educational technology workshops and staff events, I use a variety of tools -primarily screencasts, instructional videos, and some step by step how-to lists. I’ve generally found providing videos to be most successful.
There are a myriad of tools available for recording video on screen (I love Camtasia and Snagit by Techsmith for capturing directly from the screen; if I want to do an iPad video I use them in conjunction with AirServer). I keep videos brief (no more than 4 minutes, ideally 2-3) and always strictly on topic. I also clearly label them so that a teacher can find exactly what they’re looking for quickly. My motivation in providing a flipped environment is to provide educators with greater flexibility in their own learning and just enough support after the fact.
The general flipped model directs you to provide the lesson in advance and then work out the problems in the classroom. However, I have found that you should flip appropriately for the context of your professional development. I have found success in a variety of Flipped PD methods using several different models. Here are some techniques that have worked for me.
Flipping in Advance
Teachers are exceptionally busy, especially during the school year. I flip in advance only when I’m presenting a quick and easy-to-follow task for them to accomplish. For example, if I am leading a professional development session on Google Drive, I will, in advance, have them login, accept the terms of service, and set their password. As support, I provide them with a short, 2-minute video with step-by-step instructions on how to do this. This way, the focus of our training time together can be on how to use the tool rather than simply getting into the system.
By keeping the introduction short, explaining why they should do this in advance, I find that I get more buy-in from my staff. They come ready to learn and we do not have to spend a good chunk of the session getting people logged in for the first time.
Flipping After the Fact
After a professional development session, I like to provide my faculty with a series of videos that highlight what we did in the session. This is a great way for them to later return to topics they found useful, at a time when they might be most motivated to learn.
I generally keep an agenda for my training sessions and then make sure that I provide a brief video highlighting each topic. For example, in a session on Google Apps for Education I will provide brief videos on:
How to log into the system- How to personalize your account
- How to create & share A document
- Different share settings & what they mean
- How to create Groups
- How to create & share a folder
- How to upload & share a file
- How to download & login to the Google Drive app
- How to upload pictures & videos using the Google Drive app
I also hold training sessions on internet resources such as Edublogs and Wikisites, and other various tools and apps that we have available on campus. I ensure that there are short, supportive videos for each of these resources that take faculty step-by-step through the training session. I have found that by doing this, teachers are more likely to continue to implement what they learned in one of my sessions – to use the tools for real purposes and continue with their own training. They are more comfortable when they can go back, in their own space, and review material they have forgotten or were confused about.
Flipping for Enhancement
Many of my faculty members are comfortable with technology or feel empowered after initial training. So, in addition to providing “review” sessions, I like to give them videos to help enhance the skills they learned with me.
For example, after a workshop on Wikispaces, I provide the teachers with a playlist highlighting the more advanced tools, such as widgets, embedding videos, and inputting a variety of multimedia. After training them on Google Drive, I will provide videos that explain how to use the research tool, how to grab the embed code from a document, and even address highly sophisticated techniques such as importing video from a smartphone, opening it on a tablet, and then importing it into another app for further modification (a concept known as app-fluency).
By providing faculty with additional tools and information that may be more challenging, they have the option to accelerate their professional development according to their comfort level and individual needs.
Flipping for Continual Support
Both my faculty and I have incredibly demanding schedules. Often, it is a challenge simply to find a time to meet to go over a concept or a tool. I find that if a faculty member asks me a quick question — “How do I add users to my class edublog“ — it can be faster for me to make them a short “how-to video” rather than trying to navigate our calendars for a joint meeting. They are able to get their question answered directly and quickly and both of us get to be active conservators of our time. Plus, I have a new resource to add to our video library, expanding my support throughout the community.
Concluding Thoughts
For me, flipped professional development has been highly successful when blended into a more traditional model. I can hold workshops, training sessions and other professional development activities in person with my faculty and continue to support them outside of that face-to-face environment.
Flipping PD has allowed me to make my training more efficient from the get-go, provide continuous support, and allow everyone flexibility with their schedules. It’s now a proven model that I will continue to use; its success has been greater than any previous training experience I have provided.
Jennifer Carey
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These ideas are so good, I often wonder why someone hasn’t thought of this sooner! I have put together a “Flipped” faculty meeting scenario that you can view for ideas at http://bit.ly/PDOffer
Awesome thanks for sharing! I’ll be sure to check it out.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your post. I think you’ve addressed an important first step in flipping PD for teachers. I do, however, think you need to move past the “how-to” to also focus on the pedagogy. Back in 2006 I was creating these how to videos both before and after workshops but I found it wasn’t enough to bring real change. People got stuck at the “feature” level. Beginning in 2009 I started creating pedagogy first videos for teachers and then co-founded a professional learning company. (www.sublimelearning.com) The 700+ videos included “how to” but more importantly they focused in on good instructional strategies with the goal of moving beyond replication of practice. Using the videos with a flipped PD model means when I meet with teachers, the focus becomes the learning rather than the technology. In this way teachers move up the SAMR ladder to use technology in transformative ways.
Thanks Kendra for your comments. You’re right that if you want teachers to more fully and applicably integrate that it requires more advanced and directed professional development. My school is very small and our curriculum is not fully-set, so I find it more effective to do this on a personal or departmental basis. For example, a teacher may want me to help them with a particular project or a department chair may want full departmental training for using Google Drive for a writing project. In those cases, I find in the classroom, face to face, or departmental in person training to be most effective.
Still, I would love to see some examples of how you do this via a Flipped PD model at your institution!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for sharing…when you have a chance, check out “Talent” at torsh.co. I’m interested in your thoughts.
It’s great to see others doing this. I am a principal and began doing this about a year and a half ago. There are so many ways to accomplish this, and my teachers really do enjoy this format. Our meetings and PLCs have become exponentially more productive and meaningful. I’d love to compare notes sometime. I’ve done several trainings in my state, and it is growing as a trend quickly. Thank you for sharing!
Christie I would love to see some examples of what you’re doing! I know I could take this farther and would love some inspiration!
great post with great thoughts! We have been practicing flipped learning too and have been using learning management system for this purpose (JoomlaLMS in our case) and we are pretty happy with its flexibility. Undoubtedly, there is plenty of other educational software that help to make flipped learning work and lms is just a framework to keep everything together but is a good alternative to Google Drive.
Thanks Kate for sharing your experiences with an LMS. My school does not currently use one (we are looking into it), but your’e right – it’s a great place for a secure repository!
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Hi Jennifer,
You’ve provided great insight on a flipped classroom environment!
In addition to the apps you’ve already mentioned on recording video on screen, I thought you would be interested to learn about another powerful screen-mirroring solution to record your devices. I work for the software-development company Squirrels LLC – creators of wireless screen-mirroring solution, Reflector 2. Not only can your record devices on your computer screen, but you can record multiple devices at a time. You can even live stream straight to YouTube.
A few other features that are great for a flipped classroom setting is the ability to mirror cross platform, customize the app to fit your individual classroom needs and extended security options.