Today's students are turned off by the lecture mode of teaching. The student of today embraces technology. I would like to use this love for technology in my class so that students will be motivated to take charge of their own learning in a way that will excite them about school and about math.
My students are from a very small rural area in the South where the unemployment is rampant and expectations are low.
We will have 16 students in the Senior class this year. I am endlessly telling them that they can achieve whatever they set their mind to, despite their economic status or home situation. They are hard working students but they have difficulty believing that they can be successful and they lack motivation. It is my hope that the use of the Flipped Classroom Model will allow them to take control of their own learning in such a way that they are interested and more invested in their success.
My Project
The process of flipping the classroom involves taping productions of classes so that students may view, review or perhaps even preview the content of the day. This saves time during the classroom day for the practice that is needed in mathematics: such as discussion, hands-on work (using markers, erasers, and whiteboards), collaborative work, etc. This also "frees" up time during the day that now can be used to focus on individual students, or individual concepts that need to be strengthened. Using tools such as the video camera I can create short taped lessons that learners can watch, watch again and watch again at their own pace. For students who cannot watch at home, I will provide a station, in the classroom, using earphones that will enable them to view the lesson. This empowers the student and eliminates the embarrassment factor that some students have about asking to see a concept again when they don't understand it the first time.
Today's students need their teachers present to answer questions or to provide help if they get stuck; they don't need their teachers present to listen to a lecture or to review.
Today's students grew up with Internet access. Instruction via video is not a big deal for them. This model allows students to pause and rewind their teacher. It changes classroom management and gets the parents more involved. Students feel pride when they accomplish learning. This project helps them learn.
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