District Administration - November 2012 - (Page 32)

scr pt in K12 “That, clearly for us, is where the magic happened.” Flipp ng the i i 75 percent of students in Clintondale are on free or reduced-price lunch. “They just need more support while they’re in school. At 3 o’clock, their school day is done. They have to survive. That’s the reality of it.” Seven years ago, probably 20-25 percent of students at Woodland Park had no internet access, says Bergmann, who is now technology facilitator at Joseph Sears School in Kenilworth, Ill. For those with computers but no internet, they put content on flash drives. For those with DVD players but no computers, they provided DVDs. “It’s an important issue, but it’s solvable,” Bergmann says. Sams adds that some students were able to watch the videos before they left class, many had smartphones no matter what their socioeconomic status, and he had a standing order with his colleagues to donate their own desktop computers. “We need to provide equitable access,” he says, but “it’s not an insurmountable hurdle.” Even in cases where students simply can’t get to the videos at home, they can watch them during study hall, or before class in the library, Arfstrom says. “It’s becoming much less of an issue than it would have been a few years ago,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons flipped learning is trending, because access outside the school is so prevalent.” The added potential for one-on-one attention in the classroom could improve prospects for lower-income students, says Mike Dronen, district coordinator of educational innovation and technology in Stillwater. “We think it’s going to be a big leveler for districts with high percentages of English-language learners and students on free and reduced-price lunch,” he says. In Havana, Ill., about 65 percent of stu32 November 2012 Karlee Boshetto — Jonathan Bergmann, technology facilitator, Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth, Ill. Teacher Heather Witten at Elizabeth High School in Colorado discusses with students a Spanish reading book in class. They were excited when they figured out a tough section. dents are on free and reduced-price lunch, and a survey showed that 30 percent of students did not have internet access, but the district has taken several steps in launching the flipped classroom schoolwide in its high school, Twomey says. They’re opening the library before and after school, they ordered thumb drives for students with computers but no internet, and they purchased 25 laptops with DVD players for students to check out. Bennett tries to ensure that students have time to watch videos in class if they would prefer. “I don’t require that to be done at home,” he says. “They have a pile of other things to be worrying about when they’re not in school. I’m not flipping the time when things happen; I’m flipping the responsibility and the leadership.” Ability to Differentiate Educators say that flipped learning can greatly increase a teacher’s ability to provide differentiated instruction given that students work at their own pace in the classroom—and teachers can provide more challenging work for those who are breezing through. Bergmann says he and Sams moved to what he calls the “flipped mastery class,” in which students move through the content at a flexible pace, after first trying to keep everyone on the same page. “That, clearly for us, is where the magic happened,” Bergmann says. After insisting that all students get through all five units of chemistry, he and Sams realized that the fifth unit was not essential, but more of a “nice to know” that would only be important if a At the Okanagan Mission Secondary School in School District 23 in Canada, students in a flipped biology class explain how the class works to School Trustee Chris Gormann (standing on left) and Roy Cannan, a Canadian parliament member, visiting the school. District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November 2012

District Administration - November 2012
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Flipping the Script in K12
Sustainable Professional Development
Brave New World of Teacher Evaluation
Philadelphia’s “Servant- Leader” Superintendent
Enhancing School Access Control
New Products
Professional Opinion
New Directions

District Administration - November 2012