The annual goal setting post

This blog has been a fantastic way for me to formalize the random thoughts that run through my head (and dreams) and typically keep me up at night.  Last year I made the typical post in which I laid out my goals for the year.  At the time it felt very cliche because it came out when everyone was making theirs (duh, at the beginning of the year).  But looking back it was the best thing for me as it focused my brain at the start of the year and gave me specific items to work towards.  It also helped keep out the random musings that popped up that sometimes deter my better intentions.

So, this year, my goal setting post has arrived.  I hope they inspire you to formalize your goals and, if you haven't done so already, blog about them so others can gain inspiration.

GOAL #1

http://goo.gl/Q94Aj

1. Be a Johnny Crayons.  School has stopped being fun because we have taken the inquiry, the excitement and passion, and tested the crap out of it.  My students came in the first day of school and expected to have notes and quizzes.  Really??  Is that what the real world is like?  I teach therefore not a good judge of the real world.  But, I have never seen one of my friends post on facebook "Started my new job today.  Damn was that pop quiz tough!"  So I am going to make learning more about the fun and less about the curriculum.  I am going to grab onto non-traditional ideas that I see on Twitter and blogs and try them.  What's the worst that could happen?  They fail.  Well, that's #4 on my Classroom Guidelines.  We now have 4 bungee chairs that I bought from Target (students LOVE them), we draw on lab benches with neon markers, and created a classroom PED policy together on gigantic whiteboards.
2. Technology is more than just a tool.  A lot of people post on Twitter that technology is just a tool; that the content and learning is more important.  While I agree with that in principle, I think this generation is a little different.  I feel like they view technology as learning.  They learn something about themselves as they tackle tech problems and discover things they never knew existed, but was at their fingertips the entire time.  So, technology will be everywhere this year.  Phones and computers will be used whenever and wherever they can find a way to use them.  Labs are paperless, quizzes will typically be electronic (and the occasional test), on the fly research will be conducted.  Let's put those pocket computers to use and stop fearing them!
3. Change the mindset.  School has become learn in the building, work at home.  Learning needs to happen 24/7 and more importantly, when the students are ready for it.  If that means in my classroom, great.  If it means on the bus ride to school, that's fine too.  This means that I need to make myself and my class available at all hours of the day.  I have given out my email, website, Twitter name, and even my phone number (that's right, my students can text me on my Google Voice number).  Homework can be done on the whiteboards and submitted via picture.  Quizzes can be completed on wireless devices.  Instructional videos are ready on YouTube to be watched whenever.  I need my students to stop viewing my class as something that only happens for 80 minutes a day.  We need to hunt down chemistry in the world around us and bring what we find to class for discussions.

What are you doing differently this year?  I look forward to hearing your goals for the school year.

Flipping the Mindset

When I first tried the Flipped Classrom, I did it all wrong.  As Aaron calls it, I did Flipped Classroom 101.  I turned my lectures into podcasts which I asked the students to watch at home, and when they came to class they worked on HW assignments, reviews sheets and labs.  While it started out fine, both in the pilot unit and the third marking period, when the topics became really difficult the class became monotonous.  Every day the students seemed to be doing the same thing and every day I answered the same questions.  The mistake I made was not the assignments nor the videos, but the mindset of everyone involved.  The assignments (both completing them and grading them) were driving the pace of the class, not learning.

It had to change.  By the end of the year, class had become boring to everyone involved.  So, when I started again, I decided to throw so twists into the assignments.  Occasionally I let the students opt out of the unit test and submit anything they wanted that demonstrated their understanding of the objectives; inquiry labs began to appear; all of a sudden the days didn't blur into each other.

I realized the problem was still not my assignments (well, not entirely), but the mindset.  Six out of the 7 classes my students took each day were delivered in a traditional format.  Mine was the exception and it was difficult for them to flip on and off the innovative thinking switch.

So this year that's what I am tackling first, changing the mindset.  I am flipping my assessments and how the students behave in class.  Every single kid adapted very quickly to no teacher-led lessons, but not everyone can think critically about the work they are doing.  We will be using Personal Electronic Devices nearly every day, labs will be a mix between inquiry and traditional format, but all will be paperless using Google Docs and neon dry-erase markers, and students will have options as to how they want to submit work (on paper, using white-boards).

If you are thinking about flipping, here's my message to you:  flip your assessments first!  Don't worry about videos as they are pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it.  Change how your students view your class and the learning that needs to be done in it.  Once you get them thinking critically and daring to fail, then go for the full flip.

Oh, and no matter what you do, make sure EVERYONE (that means teacher and students) are having fun doing it!