FlipCon Gold Coast 2016 – Saint Stephen’s College

Explanation of programs in Years 1 and 4

Our Primary classes use technology to enhance learning in a large number of ways. However, these classroom visits focus on developing essential skills required for flipped/blended learning to be successful in later years. These skills include the ability to work independently/self-regulation, resilience, stamina, persistence, risk taking, accountability, etc.

I have had teachers say to me “Our students don’t have the self-regulation, time management, resilience, etc. required to learn via flipped learning. My response has been “Where do they learn this? We ring bells to tell them when to go to class, when to finish class, when to eat, which room to be in at a particular time of the day, which books to read, and so on…and then we wonder why they look to us first when unsure, or don’t know what to do when not guided.”

(Option A) Year 9 Spanish

Spanish teacher, Mr Dean Culell, uses LanguagePerfect to check students’ homework progress, as well as short videos that students can view at home prior to attending class. 

He will demonstrate how he can utilize Quizlet.live to review concepts and check student understanding in a collaborative classroom environment.

(Option B) Year 1

Structured play based learning to develop skills and attitudes required for successful flipped learning

These include problem solving, creativity, risk-taking, self-regulation, persistence, collaboration, higher order thinking, communication skills.

Provocations and learning centres are designed to develop skills the students will need to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Research into 21^st century learning tells us that skills such as; problem solving, creativity, risk-taking, self-regulation, persistence, collaboration, higher order thinking, communication skills and community awareness are equally important as Literacy and Numeracy.

 This program of play based learning encourages each child to become independent thinkers and life-long learners. The children are provided with a wide range of open ended activities and projects designed to foster their natural curiosity.

Classroom investigations are most closely suited to ‘individual rotation’ which is a subset of ‘station rotation’.

Technology has a place in play based investigations and is used in context and as required. The students apply the technology resources available in the room to assist with individual or group projects. For example; Using the IWB and iPads for research purposes when involved in plan, design and create activities, using book creator to publish a story or using the iPads to photograph or video work in progress.

My role as facilitator may include working with a small focus teaching group, assist with the development of conflict resolution strategies or at times I will use my discretion to direct students to specific centres if they need assistance getting started. At the end of each session we may choose to reflect as a whole class, a small group or in pairs. At other times the children may volunteer to share their work. The refection process is led by the children and I facilitate to deepen their thinking process as required. Reflection time is not a show and tell session. The children are encouraged to focus on the following areas; voice projection, summarising of ideas, intention and questioning; what worked well? What challenges were encountered? What will I/we do differently next time?

 

(Option C) Year 6 H

Using a range of online resources and technologies to support independent and anywhere/anytime learning

In 6H at Saint Stephen’s College we utilise digital tools and traditional learning materials.  Digital learning tools have enabled instant research and self-directed learning.  Students are encouraged to seek out answers themselves often in the middle of a lesson.  With increasing numbers of international students and a growing understanding of the diverse learning needs in our classrooms children can easily translate, YouTube and access our Online Learning Environment (Brightspace by D2L), for further explanations.  In some learning areas we are using BrightSpace as a reference point for content, such as what is an article or an adjective.  Other learning content, such as our correspondence writing unit, is all on BrightSpace for the class to work through together.  Digital tools used in these ways are not only supporting children’s learning but instilling habits of effective lifelong learners.  Furthermore, we are being surprised how easily we are switching to OneNote as our preferred workbook for a number of subjects.  Children can pop in photos off the board, collaborate together, work at home with ease and is allowing the teacher instant access to students’ work at any time.   

(Option D) Year 5

Developing the skills and attitudes required for successful flipped learning by use of the Daily Five literacy program. These include the ability to work independently, develop stamina, exhibit accountability and become highly engaged.

The Daily 5 is a framework for structuring Literacy time so that students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing and working independently.

Students select from 5 authentic reading and writing choices, working independently towards personalised goals, while the teacher meets individual needs through whole-group, small-group as well as one-on-one conferencing.

Through this program students develop independence, stamina and accountability.

Students are given choices which produces productive, highly engaged students who are excited about developing their love of Literacy.

Less time is spent managing off task behaviours, leaving more time for individual instruction as well as small group instruction.

The framework of the Daily 5 adapts perfectly to our Curriculum and supports and enhances our larger goals regarding blended/flipped learning.

We have observed that students are now confidently articulating their individual goals and are independently practising the strategies that have been modelled to them during conferences and small group instruction.

Students are also reflecting on their own improvements in comprehension, fluency, and accuracy in their reading and writing.

Students are enthusiastically engaged in the tasks they have chosen and work independently on these with increasing stamina.

Teachers are able to carefully observe, monitor progress and provide one-on-one instruction to meet the needs of every student.

Recognising personal strengths and observable needs; developing and articulating personal goals; developing accountability and independence; maintaining stamina whilst practising strategies; making choices based on personal needs, are all important building blocks in order to prepare our students for their future.

(Option E) Year 6 C

Collaboration, solving real world problems and gamification

Whilst in the classroom, students utilise a variety of Technology rich tools to build collaboration and solve real problems in a variety of ways. These skills and tools are not simply games related with a character reward at the end, they are varied. Whether it be Readers Workshop, Mathematics, Science, Writers Workshop or even Spelling and Grammar, students utilise these Technology rich tools regularly to improve collaboration and build various skills across different disciplines throughout the day. The aim of this session will be to allow participants to see Technology rich tools used in various ways in the classroom.  Gamification has also been introduced which has increased student engagement and motivation.

(Option F) Year 11 Drama

Using technology and Online Learning Environments to enhance Drama

Year 11 Drama are studying political theatre with a focus on the creation of a one person show that sends a political message to an audience. Students will be assigned to one of two tasks for the duration of the lesson including collaborative teamwork and independent work delivered through our Online Learning Environment (OLE), Brightspace. In one group, students will be viewing and responding to a number of videos within the OLE of performance art and responding to them critically. In the other, students will be working collaboratively to brainstorm content for their upcoming assessment task. In addition, individual students will consult with the teacher about their concept for an upcoming assessment piece (one person show).

(Option G) Year 12 Chemistry

Flipped learning involving complex experiments

Year 12 students study a unit on wine making. This is assessed as an Extended Experimental Investigation (EEI). As such, it requires students to go through the wine making process and produce bottles of red wine. This year students harvested approximately 350 kilograms of Shiraz berries from the Granite Belt vineyards at Stanthorpe. As a part of the EEI, students had to hypothesize how changing one important factor would bring about a change in a measurable chemical component of the wine. Experiments were they undertaken to measure these factors (Wine pH, Titratable acidity, volatile acidity, free and fixed Sulphur dioxide alcohol concentration, residual sugar and light absorbency).

In previous years the experiments were demonstrated to all students at the same time in a traditional classroom setting. The demonstrations required about two weeks to complete. Students had been given notes summarizing the processes. They then had to apply these processes as they undertook their own versions of the experiments. If they were absent for a lesson, they had to try to gain understanding from another student’s notes or by asking the teacher.

This year a series of six tutorials were set up using Office Mix. Each contained detailed video demonstrations of an experiment and the associated theory and calculations. Students watched these for homework and took notes. They could also play a section during class when doing the experiment if necessary. This provided more time in class to complete the experiments and allowed the teacher to have more time to interact with students.

Students could also replay the tutorials as many times as necessary, at any time and from any location, thus providing flexibility for learning.

In this lesson, students will be working through some of the experiments. The tutorials will be available for perusal.

(Option H) Year7 Humanities

Station Rotation

This session will take place is a learning space designed for Blended learning, specifically the station rotation model, which enables three different rotations to take place simultaneously. Three or more teachers can work independently of each other yet are very much connected visually and spatially. This increases the opportunity for staff to team teach and work in collaboration with each other. The versatility of the space is enhanced even further with the ability to open up the entire space into one large area. The furniture design promotes this flexibility and can be easily arranged into various configurations. During this session you will see a typical Year 7 Humanities class in operation using the station rotation model. You will be able to chat with the students and teachers about how this model of blended learning operates at Saint Stephen’s College.

(Option I) Year 10 Japanese

Ms Danielle Goucher, Japanese teacher and Head of the Department of Foreign Languages will use LanguagePerfect to monitor students’ homework progress and demonstrates how OneNote can be used to provide students with immediate feedback on their Japanese writing skills in a supportive learning environment. 

She also works with students to practice creating iPhone messages in Japanese.

(Option J) Year 9 Flipped Maths

This class uses Office Mix and our Online Learning Environment to provide rich learning resources that can be used at home to gain understanding of the fundamentals of the topics. The more complex concepts and associated problems can then be covered in class.

The tutorial viewed at home contains an explanation of the theory, worked solutions to sample questions in the form of ‘pencasts’ and interactive activities and quiz questions. Analytics that are part of Office Mix allow the teacher to easily see what material has been covered by students, how long they spent on each activity, and how successful they were in answering the questions.

Students are also active participants in the tutorials as they must take notes on a ‘blank’ version of the tutorial provided by the teacher.

When back in class, it is then easier to individualise instruction and zone in on concepts that require more explanation.

Class time can then be richer, focussing on the needs of individuals. It also provides the opportunity to work through more complex problems – the one’s that would sometimes frustrate students if they were set for homework.

Online quizzes taken at home also that allow concepts that have not been understood to be identified in groups and individuals, allowing more focussed instruction.

(Option K) Year 7 Computer Studies

Self-paced Blended Learning

Each student in this class works at his/her own pace. While this topic is programming, the entire course is built on this model. It has been operating successfully for many years.

Students use online tutorials with built in activities to learn how to code. The teacher can then work on individual problems, or work with small groups who are having difficulties (or need extending) when necessary.

This type of class has typically seen some students complete a unit of study very quickly (days instead of weeks), while also allowing other students to have more time. The old days of one speed for all are long gone.