Battling Senioritis (part 2): flippin’ and bloggin’
Last week I wrote a short post lamenting the onset of senioritis in my AP Environmental Science students, and a plan to deal with it during our energy unit. So, my plan was:
Mr. W-handles the fossil fuels
Students-handle the alternative energy sources
Groups of 3 produce 3 products for their lesson:
1. A 15 face-to-face presentation
2. A blog post (homework for classmates to read/watch/respond to the night before the presentation)
3. A handout with key takeaways that students can reference on an open-note test
Well, now we are a few days into turning my class of over to the kids. I must say I’m pretty pleased thus far. The kids are producing short blogs as topic “teasers” for classmates to view the night before (as homework) they present their lesson in class. Here are some of my favorites thus far:
In a way, I’m watching a small experiment in “flipping” my classroom. I am intrigued by the notion of “flipping” or reverse instruction, but I have yet to really try it myself. Perhaps our class blogs can become a good vehicle for hosting a flipped classroom next year? Even if I don’t flip my classsroom next year, this type of activity validates our blended classroom.
Regardless, I hope the activity is boosting engagement a at critical point in the year. Overall, my kids are writing (for a more authentic audience than just me), searching the web for good video content, and helping each other understand the technologies. Next, I’ll do some sort of evaluation when we are done to see what the kids think of our little teaching project.
*Yes, I do step in to clear up misconceptions and “teach” too….
