9/29/15

It might seem obvious, but what is the best way to watch and learn from educational videos? When I first started, I honestly did not know how to answer that question. I would say something along the lines of "watch the video and take notes on it". It was not exactly very formalized. While that worked to some extent, there needed to be a more refined process that was based on best practices.

I have been making educational videos for over 5 years now and I have found that many students simply do not know how to use them effectively. This is, of course, no fault of their own. To many students, it is a brand new process of learning and takes time to sink in and create a new habit.

After looking at research on education and neuroscience on how the brain best learns, I created a system that I teach my students to use to best utilize the videos. I use this method for math and science courses, but it should work well with any subject. Basically, the system involves students watching the videos, taking notes on the videos, and developing questions on the video. Seems simple enough for the students, but there also needs to some action on the teacher's part. This post will detail what both students and teachers need to consider when flipping lessons.

Let's start with the students first:
  1. Watch the Video!
    • This seems straightforward, but sometimes the most overlooked part by students.
    • Another important point is the re-watching of videos to understand how the content is all related. Actively looking for connections is among one of the best Habits of Mind that students need to focus on when it comes to their learning. The brain understands concepts when they are understood in a linear way. Students need to make sure they are connecting the dots when it comes to concept relationships. If they are not, they had better come up with some great questions in order to make those connections.
    • The videos are meant to be paused, re-watched, and analyzed by the viewer. If you do not understand the video the first time around, that’s normal. Try re-watching, pausing certain parts, and writing down any questions you may have.
  2. Note-taking
    • Notes should be taken completely based on how the students feel would help them the most. This student choice piece is crucial for students creating their understanding of the concepts. Rather than aimlessly copying notes, students need to think about what is important, what needs to be written down, what can be excluded, and what needs to be focused on more. This is a skill that will follow them the rest of their life in any job setting. This means that not all student notes will look the same.
    • However, you will probably find that most students will copy down what you wrote in the video. This sort of thing is okay and also leads to great conversation starters for how effective that is to do.
    • Because the concept is novel to the students upon watching the video, I allow them to use the notes they take in during the warm-up formative assessment that occurs in the beginning of my class (“bell work”).
    • This also helps create an immediate purpose for taking notes as it is in their best interest to take notes.
    • Students are allowed to make corrections on their “bell work” for full credit. The requirements for full credit are as follows:
      • All mistakes must be corrected.
      • An explanation must be included on why they missed the problem the first time around. 
      • The explanation must be in complete sentences with the correct math terminology.
    • I do not grade the notes, but they are checked and used as conversation starters if I meet with students.
    • Students are encouraged to take pictures of their notes in case they lose them or need to reference them in a quick way.
  3. Question Formulation
    • As a general rule in my class, students are only allowed to ask questions that can be answered with a “yes” or “no”. 
    • The reasoning behind the questions being formatted this way is that it:
      • forces students to watch the video 
      • discourages questions like “how do you do this?”
      • helps students to think about what they do know
      • encourages students to answer the questions themselves
      • shifts the focus from the answerer to the questioner - “yes” or “no” is easy to answer rather than a lengthy explanation that oftentimes mirrors the video 
    • Please note: I do not simply answer the questions with a “yes” or “no”.
      • Further responses are differentiated based on the knowledge of the student’s skills, curiosity, math ability, etc.
      • I do give further explanations after the initial answer.
      • Students are never left out in the cold with a simple “yes” or “no”
    • These questions can be posted by students on a Google Form or on a Padlet. The questions are gone over in the beginning of class before the “bell work”. No names are attached to the questions to preserve anonymity.
Now for the teacher's part:
  1. Make sure that the students are watching the videos. How can this be accomplished?
    • Many teachers think to quiz or question the students on the material from the videos and that will force them to watch the videos and learn. The problem with this is that educational research has found that points and grades are some of the worst motivators of learning for students. When grades and points are the focus of the lesson, less learning takes place because students end up chasing their grade rather than an understanding.
    • Give students a chance to watch the videos in class. While it is preferable for students to watch outside of class, it simply is not an option for many students. Sometimes students need help managing their time (even seniors). With a flipped classroom, there is time to work with students individually on things such as this.
    • Keep things short and to the point in the videos. The videos that I create are all less than 5 minutes. I do this to keep the content concise and take away any excuses that students use to not watch them.
    • Furthermore, I try to focus videos on concept rather than the solving of a problem. The problem solving is generally completed the next day in class as a warm-up activity (“bell work”). This is a collaborative endeavor in which students can work in pairs or their 4-person pod.
    • Using their understanding from the video, students are trying to solve the bell work problems. Mistakes are encouraged and are built in as something that is meant to happen. This is communicated extensively to the students as is research that shows that this is the best way to learn. I continually say (especially in the beginning of the course) that students are "meant to be partially confused" and that "it's okay to make mistakes since this is the first the time you have seen problems like these". It makes it that much more rewarding when students get the problems correct the first time just from their simple understanding from a sub-five minute video.
    • This also provides an opportunity to figure things out on their own rather than just mimicking what I did to solve a similar problem. One of the main ideas behind control theory and learning is that learning students prefer to construct their own understanding of their learning. Although it is easier sometimes to just mimic steps to solve a problem, students are more apt to focus on deeper understanding of concepts when they are constructing their own understanding.
    • Hints are given by me as a way of differentiating instruction and helping students along so that they do not feel as if they are left to fend for themselves.
  2. Make sure students are taking notes on the videos.
    • Students need to understand that the videos are meant to be paused, re-watched, and analyzed by the viewer. If you do not understand the video the first time around, that’s normal. Try re-watching, pausing certain parts, and writing down any questions you may have.
    • Because the concept is novel to the students upon watching the video, I allow them to use the notes they take in during the warm-up formative assessment that occurs in the beginning of my class (“bell work”).
  3. Make sure students are formulating questions.

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