Cycle Two: How does the flipped learning model affect student engagement and academic performance using an instructional video created by a parent volunteer?
This cycle included three main actions:
1. Designing and creating the flipped lesson. This video homework can be accessed here.
These were the tools used to create the flipped lesson: Google Form, DoodleCast Pro, YouTube, and Flubaroo and KeyNote For this cycle, the instructional video was created and narrated by the researcher, a once a week class volunteer. It was embedded in a Google form with 8 questions to answer. The entire form was linked from the class blog.
2. In-Class Activity: Disease Transmission. This activity simulated the spread of infectious disease by sharing liquids in cups each after each “visit.” Please view this link for activity design. 3. Post Activity quiz on bacteria. View the Google Form used to assess student academic achievement here. Results and Discussion:
Student academic achievement increased in all six groups as reflected in their homework quiz scores, as did their participation rates compared to Cycle 1. We were successful at avoiding the video access problems encountered in Cycle 1 by creating our own, and uploading it and testing it on the iPads. The students are likely to be getting used to the process of learning with video homework. I am continuing to wonder about the relationship between who prepares the video and their quiz scores. Post lesson assessment decreased for all groups. The quiz was created with the homework video in mind, rather than the in-class activity due to lack of coordination between myself and my learning partner. There was very little correlation between the in-class activity and the quiz that I had prepared using a Google Form.
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No significant change noted in engagement levels. Engagement seems to stay the same as reflected by scores using the Research Assessment Package of the same sample group.
Beyond the technology, I have started spending even more time in school, assisting as needed and having lengthy conversations with our technology integration specialist. I am also beginning to feel as though I am not pushing my own agenda onto my learning partner, but as that we are working together, each having her own qualities to affect student learning in a 1:1 iPad environment.
Video Homework and Questions: Video Homework Announcement on Blog:
Post Lesson Assessment:
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Reflection:
Creating videos from scratch takes a lot of time. This Plague video took over two days to research, create the script, put together the slides and record the voice-over. If children learn better when their own teacher is producing these flipped videos, then this time needed will surely be a deterrent to other educators. How can we continue that teacher-student relationship over homework video despite the effort and time required?
Reflecting back on Cycle 1 and our technology hurdles, we were able to avoid the same problems. The mechanisms for the flipped lesson worked smoothly technologically. The mistake was in the lack of coordination between my learning partner and I leading to a post-assessment quiz that did not reflect students learning at the time. This particular experience I feel is a natural consequence of me not doing the research all by myself. Despite the strengthening of our relationship, there are still many factors in a school days that influences what actually happens in the classroom. My hesitance to impose on her does not make it easy on her as my partner. I take comfort in knowing that Action Research will be flexible, and that it will truly reflect the people in midst relationships. I am happy to be aware of my lesser strengths.
So what of the degrees of separation, if you will, and it’s affect on student learning? Louis Cozolino in his book The Social Neuroscience of Education (2013) talks about the “social brain” any how a nurturing relationship can positively impact learning. I continue to wonder how a familiar voice or face in a video used in a flipped learning model can impact student achievement.
The other main difference between Cycle 1 and 2 was that the lesson assessment was individual, in the form of a quiz; whereas it was a group project fro Cycle 1. Peer to peer learning, I believe, made an impact here.
Next Steps:
I will continue with one more cycle, using the lessons learned above and hopefully get my learning partner to co-create the next flipped lesson with me. I plan to be more comfortable exercising leadership towards meeting our goals for improved student achievement and engagement using the flipped learning model.
Creating videos from scratch takes a lot of time. This Plague video took over two days to research, create the script, put together the slides and record the voice-over. If children learn better when their own teacher is producing these flipped videos, then this time needed will surely be a deterrent to other educators. How can we continue that teacher-student relationship over homework video despite the effort and time required?
Reflecting back on Cycle 1 and our technology hurdles, we were able to avoid the same problems. The mechanisms for the flipped lesson worked smoothly technologically. The mistake was in the lack of coordination between my learning partner and I leading to a post-assessment quiz that did not reflect students learning at the time. This particular experience I feel is a natural consequence of me not doing the research all by myself. Despite the strengthening of our relationship, there are still many factors in a school days that influences what actually happens in the classroom. My hesitance to impose on her does not make it easy on her as my partner. I take comfort in knowing that Action Research will be flexible, and that it will truly reflect the people in midst relationships. I am happy to be aware of my lesser strengths.
So what of the degrees of separation, if you will, and it’s affect on student learning? Louis Cozolino in his book The Social Neuroscience of Education (2013) talks about the “social brain” any how a nurturing relationship can positively impact learning. I continue to wonder how a familiar voice or face in a video used in a flipped learning model can impact student achievement.
The other main difference between Cycle 1 and 2 was that the lesson assessment was individual, in the form of a quiz; whereas it was a group project fro Cycle 1. Peer to peer learning, I believe, made an impact here.
Next Steps:
I will continue with one more cycle, using the lessons learned above and hopefully get my learning partner to co-create the next flipped lesson with me. I plan to be more comfortable exercising leadership towards meeting our goals for improved student achievement and engagement using the flipped learning model.
Student engagement scores using the Research Assessment Package for Schools - Teacher Report (RAPS-Te) were recorded on April 4, 2014.