Climbing Pyramid Bloom's with the FLIP Pillars: Understanding

CC Image courtesy of New Blooms Pyramid by Andrea Hernandez on Flickr

For the understanding demonstration, I submit a copy of my conference session notes organized by the four pillars. I argue that this is a great way to demonstrate understanding because the presenters  organized their presentations based on their own constructs and experiences. As far as I can tell, none of the sessions were intentionally (or at least, overtly) organized by the four pillars. So reorganizing content based on the FLIP construct demonstrate understanding of both the content and the construct.

Below are my session notes. I deleted images since they are copyrighted. I've highlighted my thoughts and questions wherever possible.

Tuesday, June 18

9 am Session Title	Keynote
Presenter	Jon and Aaron
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Pre-Flip Flip Space - Focus on front (central location/ whiteboard Pedagogy - “one size fits all”, one person delivering the content and one method of teaching Assessment - one test on one day Space - Change chairs and tables into groups & stations. Chairs & tables moved when needed, no focal point of room (hard to do when limited by architecture, may have huge tables and may share room.) Pedagogy - time-shift videos to maximize time in class, flip blooms taxonomy and use class to focus on Hot (high order thinking) tasks Assessment - informal formative, projects, student choice, can still take tests multiple times or decide on another option. (need a large test bank and a lot of choices)
Learning Culture	Transfer ownership of learning from teacher to kids, let go of control (need a high threshold for change, # to a counselor?!) Change conversation about what should happen Standard based grading....learning objectives with rubrics (even with exams). Focus on meeting objectives rather than grades (are teachers trained to use SBG?) Teacher becomes the Curator and filters the content
Intentional Content	Move to Learning Objects - include Videos, phet simulations, podcasts, websites, readings. Make learning objects interactive by using google forms - students can summarize, answer questions, ask questions Think about what's the best tool for the goal, is it your learning object Teacher becomes the Curator and filters the content - actively evaluate learning objects (a lot of content online to choose, a lot of work, a lot of time evaluating and finding)
Professional Educator	Don't do it alone! Find a partner, even if in a different school (will my students go for that?) Be reflective Blogging, Ning, twitter Ask yourself what will you do in the next 5-5-5-5 (Days, weeks, months, years) to solidify learning?

10:45am Session Title	Flip or Flop - Moodle
Presenter	Chris Luker
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Students can finish the course early - provide extension opportunities Even let kids work on other courses if demonstrated mastery Moodle - LMS perfect for mastery Can create unique tests/quizzes in moodle on same topic - keep assessment integrity & allows for retakes Randomized questions, choices within MC questions, even plug in different numbers for calculated questions Need large question bank -  ExamView or Google XML view to import pre-existing questions into moodle (need to learn about examview) perform item analysis, password protected, time stamps
Learning Culture	Mastery stems from Bloom and Keller research Data: 1 standard deviation higher in mastery environment but was overwhelming to implement. All students should be forced to learn, which questions the idea of the bell curve distribution. Bell curve based on a random sample but our students are not a random sample. Should have benefited from our instruction, should lean towards high performance. With mastery, kids held to high standard. Can’t move on if not mastered Now we can implement mastery by leveraging current technology Chris’s model (better to be standards based but live in a grade world) 1. Moodle Quiz then mastery check (paper and pen--2 to 5 questions) Mastery check focus on about processes, lab based, should be short and graded on the spot. Instantaneous feedback 2. Exams two questions but brings concepts together Shift in focus--need to set a Mastery benchmark. what score? 80? 85? Could depend on the Expectations of your community Need to communicate expectations: Mastery checklist - tell order of assignments expected timeframe*  (hadn’t considered this--good tip) objectives Give video and book (with time in video) and associated book pages
Intentional Content	Assignments only 3-10 questions, just factual info, post keys, Use of pogils (love these!!!)
Professional Educator	* Check out book  by Kelly Morgan - Mastery Learning in Science Classroom

1:15pm Session Title	Offering student choice
Presenter	Ellen Dill (website)
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Is standardizing really fair? Same task for every kid really fair? Choice board & tic-tac-toe for project based learning (I found a great site with templates & examples) Use choice board to differentiate by Blooms & Learning styles (But I asked Ellen, how do we ensure each project/choice is equally rigorous? didn’t really get an answer I found satisfactory) Can set up choices in deliberate way to ensure certain tasks/skills are mastered Cartoon from Ellen’s ppt sums up rationale for student choice (Hilarious but so true, this is standardized testing!)
Learning Culture	Choice allows for shifting of teacher at center and puts child in the center--based on student skills and interests Kids are more motivated
Intentional Content	Can set up choices in deliberate way to ensure certain tasks/skills are mastered especially with tic-tac-toe board:  eg, every task in top row can be a verbal or writing component. Just set up rules to allow for controlled choices. (three choices for tic tac toe seems like a lot. how many ways do we need students to demonstrate learning?) * Ellen’s model: Beginning of class is a modified do now, then complete flipped hw, then work on project.
Professional Educator	In preparation for Back to School Night: Have parents complete a flipped lesson, give feedback and answer questions.

2:30pm Session Title	George of the Jungle
Presenter	Kathryn Lanier & Dena Leggett
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Video decisions - others? Yours? Choices? Mandatory?
Learning Culture	Teacher No longer the king of the jungle,  Let go of control ( similar to a blog post by Terie Engelbrecht about making it less about me and more about students. Shift kids in class from listening to doing Role of videos: -Do not reteach, only clarify/answer qs -Student Questions about videos in email, blog, form, etc - Creative chaos -Video - exposure While Class - practice -Issues with watching - DVDs, library, before or after school, etc
Intentional Content	Video Yours or other? Make sure cover goals- understanding not mastery Right length - not too long but long enough to convey key info Prepare kids for class Make them serviceable but not perfect Chunking  - aid in future edits (and processing of info) Google form to ask qs video for exposure Copying hw happens - do you want copying lower level or high level
Professional Educator	Flip Chat on Mondays! twitter #flipclass or #flipsci. (Time?) Plc and pln Multiple year flip Parents Communicate - parent night flier, video Explain the why (link to opposite argument) - this blog post argues the opposite, telling folks makes your course stand out and people are resistant to change. if kids don’t succeed, it’s because of the flip- so don’t make a bog deal about it. ---Not sure what I think.

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Wednesday, June 19

8:30 am Session Title	Spotlight on science
Presenter	Chelsea Campbell and Sharon Geyer
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Someone shared the free Canvas LMS Sexy interface and free!!! Quick reflection appears to be a pretty version of moodle Could be useful - won’t have to worry about taking my course with me if I leave my current school *Erin- teaches in CT, has flipped for a few years with another colleague.  Her model is a blend of  mastery and traditional flip. Her units have a deadline but students are self paced within the unit (I’ve tried this with some success but I wonder if I forced the slower kids to go too fast. maybe accept that not all kids will go through the entire curriculum)
Learning Culture	* Erin - uses learning stations with student unit folders. Exchanged contact info. Need to see samples. *Dan - uses EFA (Explore-Flip-Apply) Exchanged contact info        “Grades should measure learning.” Quote of the day!!!!
Intentional Content	*April - uses Problem Based Learning - she revised case studies from U. Buff site and removes some content to transform into a problem.
Professional Educator	Dan Lipin - created a site showcasing teachers who flip in the tri state area

9:45 am Session Title	Embracing failure - Flipped project based learning
Presenter	Andy Pathan and Matt Weyers
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Allowed kids to come up with own project as an option. (hard to know if their choice is a good one.)
Learning Culture	Highly engaging projects - Ultimate Frisbee player ranking and draft project to learn stats Scratch project (Want to learn how to use that program. I dream of having kids create their own simulation demonstrating natural selection instead of just using one.) Moved away from the textbook. Easier to do because the stats course was an elective - states standards to worry about.
Intentional Content	My group had some technical difficulties and didn’t finish the frisbee project on time. Had a teachable moment:  Be careful about setting time restrictions. When in time crunch, groups tend to rely on one person - that’s what we did! Scratch project- kids figured out how to use.
Professional Educator	Took Andy’s card. Will pick his brain about projects.

11:00 am Session Title	Keynote
Presenter	Ramsey Musallam
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Students have different intrinsic motivation/focus - need to provide a hook for all students
Learning Culture	Explore-Flip-Apply - Student centered - inquiry model based on reduced 3 E model (which stems from the 5E model) Explore - hands on, hook, generate need to know = “I need some tools” Flip - video with lower bloom’s content = “Here are the tools” Apply - HOT task, applications = “Use the tools” Analogous to a Walk around Blooms - start with HOT task, generate Q’s - Create dissonance, let students struggle slide down to lower tasks (FLIP - video) = just in time teaching now that they have the tools, apply & move up blooms
Intentional Content	Cognitive load theory -  but what about unmotivated, unfocused kids? Need a hook to bring attention to and motivate Create dissonance, let students struggle Intentional withholding of info - create a  “need to know” during explore  phase
Professional Educator	Be open to criticism Anonymous surveys - google form Cycles of learning blog - very useful site, he also shares his google drive folders under the tools, resources tabs on the site. Also has a research page.

1:15 pm Session Title	Explore Flip Apply in Social Studies (Even though I’m a science teacher, I attended because I wanted to hear more about EFA)
Presenter	Ramsey Musallam and George Phillip
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Could assign project but have some choice within the model Students can skip “flip” part if ready for application Also possible to flip without videos
Learning Culture	Ramsey shared link to video hooks for explore phase (I shared during session that I can make a hook but how do I do it in a way in which students actually need and want my/a video without contriving the situation?) Students at the center of George’s class - debate & role play
Intentional Content	The flip video = just in time teaching, intentionally withheld info Students can skip “flip” part if ready for application
Professional Educator	George found Ramsey online and asked about the EFA method

2:30 pm Session Title	Implementing a flipped mastery
Presenter	Lisa Karpovich and Laura Shifflett
Flexible Environment (Pedagogy, Assessment, Space)	Optional assignments, alternative assignments, indiv. pacing Kids like flipped mastery because they don't have to stop everyone's lesson in order to ask a question. Own unit pace but set test dates Space redesign (jealous - love them
Learning Culture	21st century skills - communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking Comfy learning spaces (jealous!!) Asking questions - better connected Gave up control to kids Own unit pace but set test dates Student started to abuse quiz retakes but then set 2 quiz limit then alternative assessment
Intentional Content	Learning opportunities
Professional Educator	Plan, do, study and act as a reflective practice Why do I have unsuccessful students? Look at data. Item analysis, what am I doing wrong? Ning, twitter, PLC, PLN, seek help of instructional coach, was connected to Bennett who also struggled flipping during same time Apply for learning grant Invited admin into discussions epitomizes professional educator, what a role model