Flipping Out: How To Turn A Grammar Class On Its Head

This post is NOT about venting the many frustrations surrounding the teaching and learning of English grammar. Rather, the focus here is on how to flip your classroom. What is flipping the classroom? In many learning environments, the teacher lectures during class and students are sent home with homework. In a flipped learning environment, students watch online videos in preparation for class, and then engage in active learning opportunities during class time when the teacher can help guide them through particular challenges of applying their knowledge.

Flipping is catching on. There have been several articles about it in The New York Times. In addition, several websites are promoting and coordinating efforts toward the initiative, including flippedlearning.org, ed.ted.com, flippedclassroom.com/, and flippededucation.com. For further reading about the method, you can check out articles here and here. To me, one of the best academic articles out there, one that launched a renaissance in education, is Alison King's article From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side.

The dynamic works particularly well for English Language Learners studying grammar because it gives students opportunities to repeat the concepts of the target structure as necessary without exhausting class time on lengthy and repetitive explanations. Furthermore, it allows students to pinpoint specific questions that they might have. It also makes Q & A time  much more effective and efficient.

I experimented with this teaching dynamic in the Summer of 2013. My YouTube channel where I posted most of these videos can be found here. An example of a typical flipped lesson involved students watching a video about "whatever, wherever, whenever, however, whoever" at home. The next day, we did an interactive role play in which one student was a "Bratty Teenager," telling the other student who was roll playing an "Overprotective Mom" that she could do "whatever" she wanted. It was a smash!

I didn't always create my own videos. There are plenty of wonderful resources already out there. Two You Tube channels I frequently utilized in my class were AlexESLvid and JenniferESL.

How could you utilize this teaching format? I'd love to hear from people who have tired or are trying this method. The following are three videos that will help hurdle the initial technical and practical set up of this fun and engaging teaching style.

How to make an iMovie...

How to upload a video to You Tube...

How to create a New Screen Recording using Quicktime...

Create a Solution to the Crisis in American Education

 How would you solve America’s educational crisis? Work in a small group of five students to come up with an innovative and creative solution to the problem. It shouldn’t be similar to anything that’s been tried before. Use the articles and lectures provided in the unit as sources to support your ideas. Also, be sure to use sources that contradict your ideas and to refute their arguments. Mention each source at least one time. Use APA style when citing your sources. Your group should take each of the questions below into consideration. Your response will come in the form of a 5-paragraph paper and a 15 minute presentation. Each student in the group will be responsible for one component of your project. Each student will write one of the five paragraphs and present a two minute portion of the presentation based on his or her selected component.

 1. Do teachers’ unions help student achievement or hinder it?

2. How do you deal with the bureaucracy of school district's central offices?

3. Do you think charter schools are the answer? Why or why not?

 4. How will you deal with No Child Left Behind’s requirement for 100% proficiency in reading and math by 2014?

 5. How do you close the achievement gap?

 6. Is teacher tenure a problem? If you believe so, explain how you would deal with it.

7. How does income inequality influence education? How does your plan address this situation?

 8. Would you change how schools are funded? How?

 9. Does your proposal include standardized testing? Why? How?

10. Do bad neighborhoods cause bad schools or do bad schools cause bad neighborhoods?

11. Would you include merit pay in your plan? Why or why not?

 The basic structure of your paper/presentation should consist of the following components:

1. Introduction: Use a very specific starting point to hook the audience. Use an example that will clearly illustrate the value of your solution.

 2. Background: Briefly summarize the crisis of American Education. Slant your summary in favor of your idea.

 3. Confirmation: Describe how your idea will work in full detail.

 4. Refutation: Before the critics have a chance to object to your ideas/arguments, refute them!

5. Conclusion: Explain, in detail, the benefits that will occur if your idea is implemented. For more information on this structure go here:

 http://www.chicagonow.com/white-rhino/2012/05/if-you-teach-or-write-5-paragraph-essays-stop-it/

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Watch Diane Ravitch on PBS. See more from KLRU.

Online Articles:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201107/education-testing-in-schools-isnt-working

http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

http://www.troymedia.com/2011/10/21/standardized-testing-in-schools-is-a-good-thing/

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/what-superman-got-wrong-point.html

Professor Plumb Murder Mystery Activity -- Past Modals for Specualtion

For a high-intermediate grammar class, I used the power point presentation and the worksheet that follows to create a context in which students can use modals plus the present perfect to talk about past speculations. Students listen to the power point, which tells a murder mystery story. While they listen, they take notes on the four suspects in the case. After they've taken notes, they write sentences that make speculations about "who done it." Lively class discussion follows. I used this over the past two days in class, and it was really fun. I suggest dividing it into two days to leave students wondering who the real murder is. Enjoy! If you use it, let me know how it works. I'd love to get feedback. P.S. As an expansion activity, I used www.polleverywhere.com to create online polls. Each poll contained a modal plus present perfect sentence that speculated about the murder mystery. Students could vote whether they agreed or disagreed with the speculative statement via text message or email on these polls. Students enjoyed being allowed to use their phones in class! I highly recommend this as an expansion activity.

Past modals murder_mystery from blueparachute.

Professor Plumb Murder Mystery Activity.docx

Pronunciation Power App

Many of my students have started using their iPhones and other such smartphones to study English. I have made a little worksheet attatched below that gives step by step instructions on how to download a free Pronunciation Power App from the iTunes store. I've recommended it to many of my students who have been struggling with particular sounds in English and it seems to be a fun, easy way to focus on improving pronunciation in these areas. Enjoy!

Pronunciation Power App for iPhone

Max Wears A Wolf Costume

My second graders are working very hard on their summarizing skills. We've been reading "Where The Wild Things Are" in an effort to strengthen our summing up abilities before moving on to more difficult non-fiction summarization.

Based on an end of class writing assessment, I've noticed something interesting. Despite the fact that we modeled the summary process multiple times, many students still couldn't help themselves from retelling their favorite detail in the story. "Max wears a wolf costume" was commonly included in student's writing.

I used the info I gathered form this assessment and planned a lesson that asks students to distinguish between the main ideas and details of the story. As I showed students pictures that detail the main events of the story, students wrote down a few details and the main idea or the "big idea" or the "most important thing happening" in a graphic organizer.

Students were quick to point out details such as "Max has a hammer." And "the moon is in the window." After a little support, students were able to focus on the main idea and were writing something like "Max made mischief and was sent to his room."

This experience has helped me to realize the importance of assessment as a tool for meeting students’ diverse needs. And it reminded me of how full of wonder kids are. Even though it isn’t a main idea, Max wearing his wolf costume is one of my favorite parts of the book, too.