"Flipping" Your Class

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Have you heard about the "flip?" And I'm not talking about Flip cameras, although those are nice too. I'm talking about a new phenomenon known as flipped or reverse instruction. The idea is that instead of spending class time on lecture and direct instruction and assigning homework for practice, you do the reverse. You post your lectures online by video or screencast or GoogleDocs or whatever. The students get their direct instruction during their homework time. Then you are free to use classtime for practicing or applying the concepts. Students who might ordinarily get stumped on a math problem at home and give up now can go through it with your help.

It's an idea that's gaining momentum, especially due to the Khan Academy. In math and science in particular, practically any topic you want to teach is available in 12 minute videos for free on the Khan Academy web site. So it's easy to flip your class.

But really any class can be flipped. It may not be something you would do every day. But perhaps for certain topics or once in a while. Or for a snow day.

If you're interested, here are some articles to tell you more about flipping.

Flip Teaching

Advancing the Flip - Developments in Reverse Instruction

Flip Your Classroom


And please, join in the conversation! What do you think about the flip?

Project-Based Learning in the World Language Classroom

Thanks to my PLP network, I've received some great resources lately for project-based learning. Unfortunately, I still haven't found what I'm looking for - good research and/or guidelines for using PBL in the world/foreign language classroom.

Here's my problem - in the language classroom, we're focused on 2nd language acquisition. It's like building blocks. Yes, there are skills the students have to learn/practice. But there are certain amounts of content (vocabulary, syntax) without which they can't "build." So I can't figure out how to do PBL effectively without sacrificing what I think is important. And I would love some help!

I was inspired yesterday when I discovered that a post I made on a discussion forum (on this topic) was tweeted out - not by me. I assume it was tweeted by the discussion moderator. So I figure the wider I cast the net, the better the catch. So if anybody out there knows where I can look, will you let me know? I know they're doing great things in 2nd language acquisition in Scotland and Australia. Anybody over there using PBL effectively in a language classroom? I'd love to learn from you.

Thanks in advance!

Typing Accents on my Windows 7 Laptop

This was a big one for me. All the key commands I knew from Windows XP did not work on my laptop, and being a French teacher, I have to be able to type accents! It was easy enough to find key commands that would work in the Office suite, but that still left out anything web-based, because they did not work in a browser. So email, blogging, social networking - I couldn't type my French words! And who had time to figure all this out?!!?

Well, I finally made the time, so I'm sharing what I found here. Maybe it will help someone.

First, you have to enable the international version of the keyboard. That part scared me and I had to read up about it. Anyone who has ever typed on a keyboard in Europe knows what I mean! I didn't want to end up with all my keys scrambled. But you're just adding an option, and it's a US International keyboard, so it's just adding, not scrambling. Whew! Here's how you do that part - Adding the US - International Keyboard in Windows 7.

It will add a little keyboard icon to your taskbar. Click on this keyboard to expand the options and you can choose the US - International (or go back to plain US) any time.

Now, when you're typing anywhere - in any application, or in a browser, you just have to enable your international keyboard. Once you've done that, the key commands are easy! Here they are:



Note that you don't hold down the first key. Type one, then the other. Hope this helps someone.

34 Free Productivity Tools that will Help You Eliminate Expensive Software

This article is flying around Twitter. So I thought I'd share it here.

34 Free Productivity Tools that will Help You Eliminate Expensive Software.

Among them are some old favorites and some new ones on the scene. Hope you gain something from it! I did.

More Musings - Self-Directed Learning

I love the idea of empowering my students to create their own learning. I just don't know what it looks like, especially in a foreign language class. It's actually something I've explored to some extent. I am a fan of project-based learning, at least in theory, but I don't have any models to follow to create a foreign language curriculum following that model. I tried to find research on project-based learning in foreign language classes, but no luck. I even thought of getting a PhD with that as the driving question for my dissertation. But I'm not quite there.

I've never been one to throw out the baby with the bath water. I embrace new ideas and incorporate them along with the tried and true. But somehow this feels different. It feels as if to truly empower students, the whole structure has to change. And it sounds really scary, but it's exciting too.

But I've never fundamentally re-designed a curriculum before. I don't even know where to start. But I am convinced in the value of the exercise. So maybe this is step one? Casting the net, looking for ideas, resources and mentors from whom to learn.

OK, I just did what I would love for my students to do - start their own learning journey by casting the net. Maybe I can figure this out after all. But I still need help!

All ideas welcome!

What/Who Inspires You?

That's a broad question, so let me narrow it a bit - specifically in your teaching, what/who has been your inspiration? Have you had an epiphany in your teaching? Something that really impacted what you do in the classroom? Perhaps a book you read or a speaker you heard. Let me know in the Comments box. I'll compose a list.

And by the way, thanks everybody for the comments on Expanding the Walls! Somebody IS reading this blog. :-)

Musings - Expanding the Walls

I don't know if anyone is reading this, but I needed a place to voice these thoughts. So here goes. This year, I have taken on a new adventure in the Powerful Learning Practice program, and it's fantastic. The focus is on connected learning. I think it's just what I needed. In the initial phases of the program, we're instructed NOT to think about changing our teaching. We're supposed to focus on our own learning. And I'm doing that pretty well. But everything I'm learning is reinforcing my belief that the walls of the classroom have to come down. And I can't help pointing the finger at myself.

What I'm learning through PLP is that networking - social or professional - is where the world is headed. This is the way our children function, and they are the future. So like it or not, we're not going back. So I'm thinking about the way I am working now; networking online with people I have never met face to face, and I realize more than ever how disconnected our classrooms are. The vast majority of teachers - even those who network in their personal lives - still shut the door when the bell rings and class takes place within the four walls. Disconnected from the rest of the world.

More and more this model is alienating our students. Just in the last week, I have spoken with two different students whose ideas for presentations at the TEDx Youth Conference have to do with redesigning the educational system. They're not exactly sure how to fix it, but they recognize the need for a shift.

So as a technology coordinator, it's my job to recognize this - which I have - and to help implement this change. And sure, we're taking baby steps. We're videoconferencing and skyping. But I take a look at my own classroom, and I don't see any walls tumbling down. And I'm a French teacher. One might think, well that's a natural fit! Your students should be working regularly with students in a francophone country. But I'm sad to say they're not.

This is where the hard work comes in. As leader of our PLP team, I have thought many times that I would like for the focus of our team's project to be expaning the walls of the classroom. But I need to make it more personal. I have to fix my classroom first. This is now my goal. I have to figure this out for my own teaching before I can think about influencing other teachers.

Now it's in writing. No turning back. :-) Wish me luck!