Creating a Flipped Professional Development
I was assigned to create a flipped professional development lesson of a research-based learning strategy. No problem, I thought! I had in mind that I'd like my staff to learn about Dr. Puentedura's SAMR model of technology integration into the classroom, which lends itself perfectly to a flipped PD design. I read a number of blogs and articles about how to create a flipped PD lesson, and then got to work. I quickly realized that it wasn't going to be as easy as I thought. I loved Conley's (2013) idea of using an infographic as the agenda, where links to everything could be housed in an appealing visual. I was also tasked with utilizing a ten-minute video and Google Classroom for the assignment. I wanted to incorporate a Padlet wall to additionally house resources for the lesson and concept. I knew I also needed to create documents and assessments to link to the PD. This was quickly snowballing.
I am going to preface the rest of this blog post by saying that I have not actually conducted the PD lesson with my staff as of my posting this. Nearly all the information I found online about flipped PD dealt with the implementation of the lesson, not developing the lesson itself. That's the information I actually wanted to know. Yes, all the blogs and websites state that you will need to modify (or completely change) your flipped PD lesson after you've given it and figured out what worked, but I needed information about how to even get started! So, below I've posted what I created and I will walk you through my steps and reasoning.
(This link will take you to the active infographic on Pinterest.)
1. The Infographic: I love infographics, so I decided to use it as a kind of "coming attraction" poster for the staff to see what all will involved for the flipped PD. They can access nearly all the materials right off this poster by clicking on any of the icons. I would email this to everyone the week before the PD would be scheduled to take place.
2. Pre-Assessment: I made a quick, fun pre-assessment for people to take prior to starting the flipped learning activity. It could be used to group people at the meeting or shown to participants after the training for them to see how much they've learned.
3. Flipped Learning Activity: For the learning activity I opted to have participants watch one short video and read a reinforcing article. According to Pierce (2015), student learning videos should be six minutes or less for the most retention. I know that adult learners can handle more, but I opted to go short on the required video and provide a link for additional videos stored on a YouTube playlist. I provided the link for the playlist, as well as a link for additional infographics and articles with a Pinterest board on the SAMR model.
4. Post-Assessment: Burns (2016) states that holding participants accountable for the learning activity is imperative. In her experience, some form of assessment after the learning is necessary to prove the participants completed the learning exercises and for the PD instructor to check for understanding prior to the meeting.
5. Meeting Resources: I decided to create an agenda in Google Docs. Much of what I did may seem redundant, but I wanted participants to be able to access everything (or nearly everything) no matter what resource they are using. I also know that our teachers have varying degrees of technology expertise and experience, so some might be more comfortable with a Google Doc while others might want to access the information on Google Classroom. I did require they join my Google Classroom for the PD for two reasons: for them to gain experience with Google Classroom and because I was required to us it for my assignment.
6. Additional Resources: I included a link to the Padlet wall I created for the SAMR model resources. Even though it basically has everything in the infographic and the agenda, I wanted another way for teachers to access information.
7. Badges: I have two badges participants can earn from this PD. The first is a participation badge, which I would actually require (or strongly lead) everyone to request at the end of the PD meeting. I created a Google Form as the request form, and it is basically an exit ticket showing what they've learned from the training. The second badge is an application badge. Part of the PD meeting is designed for teachers to collaboratively create a math or ELA lesson with SAMR model technology levels in mind. Teachers can request the SAMR Model Tech Lesson Developer badge by implementing the lesson plan. They must prove the lesson was conducted by requesting an observation of the lesson or submitting a 5-minute video clip.
Again, I haven't actually conducted this flipped PD with my staff, but I wanted to post how I went about getting underway since most of the resources I found were more about the concept of flipped PD. Once I use this lesson with my staff, I will update how things went and what I would change. Good luck to you and happy flipping!
References:
Burns, M. (2016). Flipping teacher professional development. Retrieved on June 16, 2017, from http://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/flipping-teacher-professional-development
Conley, L. (2013). Seven steps to flipped professional development. Retrieved on June 16, 2017, from http://www.gettingsmart.com/2013/01/7-steps-to-flipped-professional-development/
Pierce, D. (2015). 5 keys to flipped learning success. Retrieved on June 16, 2017, from https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2015/04/29/5-Keys-to-Flipped-Learning-Success.aspx?Page=1
