How will using flipped classroom techniques impact student motivation and achievement of concepts in fifth grade mathematics?

Seminar Title

How will using flipped classroom techniques impact student motivation and achievement of concepts in fifth grade mathematics?

Flipped Classroom

Elementary

Elementary

Mathematics

All Disciplines

Do students simply tolerate your class? Are there rumors floating around school that you have become the teacher no one wants to have? Maybe they do not understand the concepts taught and are too embarrassed to say anything in front of a large group of their peers? Maybe they are bored because they have to listen to an adult (who probably thinks they are funnier than they actually are) speak AT them for umpteen minutes at a time? This listless way of teaching and learning is tired and outdated. Using the flipped classroom approach to teaching keeps students engaged in their learning. Their engagement increases their knowledge of concepts taught. The increased understanding helps students maintain confidence in the classroom. Because of the many ways flipped classroom can be used to educate students, it is user-friendly for almost all grade levels. If you would like to be part of an engaging discussion about how you can use flipped teaching techniques in your classroom, or if you simply want to learn more about what flipped classroom is, this is the session for you!

As I collected data from my two math classes, I made sure I kept the same question in mind: how will implementing flipped classroom techniques impact my fifth grade students achievement and motivation in the classroom? My interest in these topics stemmed from past years of teaching. Some students enjoyed math, while others simply tolerated it. Using the flipped classroom approach in the classroom would allow students to watch videos of concepts taught instead of watching me teach in front of the room. This would also allow students to work at their own pace and have a more individualized approach to their learning. As I reviewed the literature about both flipped classroom in general and in math classes specifically, I found a pattern in most of my research. The positives of using flipped classroom to instruct students far outweighed the negatives. Most instructors found students of all abilities to be more engaged in their learning and more successful when taking assessments and understanding overall concepts taught. Student-centered learning became the focus in their classrooms, as fewer teachers were in front of the room teaching for the entire class period. This created a more positive classroom climate and decreased classroom management issues. Both formative and summative assessment scores also increased with the help of the flipped classroom approach to teaching. Learning the material was not going to happen without the students putting in work. This increase of student accountability allows growth both in and out of the classroom. In my fifth grade classroom, I taught one math section using a form of flipped classroom. I compared this with my other math class, which I taught using mostly lectures in front of the students. The purpose of comparing both classes was to get a first-hand look at how different each class would approach math each day. Using Schoology discussion posts and Google Forms, I was able to compare both student understanding and interest of the concepts taught in class. Schoology was also the platform used to check student understanding each day using formative assessments. When looking at the results of my findings thus far, I am realizing that students love to watch videos in class. They do not, however, know HOW to watch them for learning. Many simply watched the videos, did not pay attention to what it was about, and went on to the assignment. As I move forward, I will start by teaching students how to watch videos for understanding instead of simply posting the videos and telling them to go to work.