In the last post, I talked about Guiding Principles for flipped reading instruction.  This is now two posts because someone...who will remain nameless...told me that it was too much for one post (he's right, of course.  I just spiral out of control when I'm excited about an idea. Or fifty).

Today, I'll deal with the last Guiding Principle, particularly as it applies to shorter works (GP 3):

4. Flipping reading has to be about process and skill rather than content

For my Essay and Exposition class (an 11th/12th grade English semester-long elective):

• Units are roughly a week, but part of a larger sequence, planned using Understanding By Design, and incorporating my adaptation of Ramsay Musallam's Explore Flip Apply structure:

            Explore Flip Apply Explore Apply Assess

More on that in a minute.

• Students will be about 75% self-paced. Monday will be the one day that is rarely/never self-paced.  
• We will read a short text together on Monday - the class focus is on essays and creative non-fiction.  This includes selections from Essay Connections, The Orwell Reader and The Blair Reader, as well as Me Talk Pretty One Day.  Because I realise that is VERY different from what most people are teaching in US English classes, I've done my example here with two poems, which at least are easy to modify for your own context.
• After reading together and assessing basic comprehension, students will either work alone or in groups to look at theme/structure/style/whatever the focus is.  This will usually take the form of inquiry.  
• • Sample Inquiry/Explore Questions (again, these are 11th-12th grade level, but could be adapted for lower levels):

• • What common structures can you find in the language in the text? 
    
  • skill: analyse impact of author's choices on text, analyse impact of word choice on text, CCS 11.3-11.4
  • Example with one text: What patterns can you find in the LANGUAGE (i.e. only the explicit/literal words in the poem, not the inferences you might make) in "Red Dust"?  
  • Example with two texts: What patterns in the language are found in both "Red Dust" and "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"?
  • How is the idea of (x theme) developed in the text?  
    
  • skill: determine theme and trace development, CCS 11.2
  • Example with one text: What explicit words and implicit ideas/inferences in Philip Levine's poem "Red Dust" would lead you to believe that the author is writing about sorrow?
  • Example with two texts: What explicit words and implicit ideas/inferences in "Red Dust" and "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" can you find?  What common theme can you draw from those patterns?
  • Compare (x text) to (y text).  What do you notice about (x) pattern in the text?  
    
  • skill: analyse author's choices and development of theme in two texts, CSS 11.2-4
  • Example (with two texts, obviously): What do you notice about the patterns related to mortality in "Red Dust" and "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"?  What is similar?  What is different?  Which (in your opinion) delivers the theme/impression most effectively?
  • What [figurative language/literary device/poetic meter/etc.] is used in the text?  What patterns do you notice?  What inferences can you make about the text based on those patterns? 
    
  • skill: determine meaning of words and how word choice impacts the text/theme, CSS 11.4
  • Example: Levine uses intense juxtaposition throughout the poem "Red Dust" - what controlling impression does that create?  What word patterns help you understand the controlling impression?
  • What personal experience have you had that you can relate to this text?  Explain the connection and how it relates to the text using specific examples of the language in the text that made you think of the connection. 
    
  • skill: cite textual evidence to support a claim, CSS 11.1

After they read and complete the inquiry task, we will discuss those ideas in class.  This may bleed into Tuesday (or homework for Monday night), depending on the length of the text.

• From there, students will be self paced, using roughly this format:
• Skill: Video on technique/theme/style analysis (flip)
• Practice Skill: Complete task that builds skills with a similar text (apply)
• Process-Teacher Model: Video on choice of texts with guiding questions (explore)
• Practice Process: Analyse text of choice (apply)
• Process-Student Model: Write/do project to show mastery (assess)
• Work on WBP project, either as homework during the week or with left-over class time (explore/flip/apply)

I didn't want to break up the flow of that list, so here are some additional details about those steps:

The work will be completed in order, but it can be done in class or at home, as the kids find easiest/most productive for them.  They do have to be working during class time, but not requiring the videos for homework makes it more self-paced and asynchronous.  There will be a "Watch" station so they can view the videos during class.  

There is potential that some students can skip the skill/practice steps if they can demonstrate mastery.  No point in making them build a skill they've mastered, right?  In that case, the assess phase would have to show mastery AND excellence, since they are now challenging themselves beyond basic mastery.  The will probably end up also having masses of time to work on WBP, which is okay with me.

I'm using these loose definitions for the skill/practice/process terms:
[note: these are VERY under-construction.  Feedback appreciated]

Skill: anything that builds a necessary reading, writing or thinking skill.  Usually modelled explicitly in a video.

Practice Skill/Process: anything that allows a student to work on the skill or process.  It will usually be a reading assignment, a conversation, or a piece of writing.  This is the skill-building stage that allows students to move towards mastery.  This is the step I will be most directly involved in during class time.  I will be working with students individually or in small groups.

Process-TM: these are videos that I'll make with Andrew Thomasson where we model the writing process, a reading strategy, or have a reflective conversation.  Whatever process we model, students will be expected to show mastery of in the Process-SM phase.  If we show a reflective conversation, they will be expected to have a reflective conversation.  If we show writing, they'll be expected to write.  Etc.  

In this example, we will talk about the three texts as a preview and walk through the beginning of each text, showing the beginning of the process we expect them to finish (like marking up figurative language and analysing the impact on tone).  This will evolve as we start trying it [as of now, we've only hazily talked about it and this is probably the most complete description he's read at this point...so Andrew, if you have feedback or think this is a stupid idea, we can/will talk about it more...].

Process-SM: this step is where the students use the exact same process Andrew and I modelled in the Process-TM to show that they've mastered the process AND skill taught that week.  So in the unit I've outlined above, students would have to film themselves (alone or in a team) walking through the process we modelled on a brand new text, or they could mark up the text in writing or in a VoiceThread.  That would be assessed, and if students need to go back to build mastery, they will repeat the Skill/Practice steps with more explicit guidance from me.


*****


This is overly reductive, but using that model means that the content you use (i.e. what you read/watch/talk about) doesn't matter NEARLY as much as the process and skills you're building.  You can read a Cornflakes box and make it work in this format if you're clever enough.

I also know that I tend towards overly complicated systems and structures.  It always gets more simple as I bounce it around with Andrew and the rest of the Cheesebucket Posse.

I've spent a considerable amount of energy this summer trying to figure out this difficult problem: How do you flip reading instruction, particularly in a self-paced, asynchronous mastery environment?  

I don't know that I have an answer yet.  But I have thoughts.  These thoughts were HEAVILY influenced by lots of people (yes...the usual suspects).  In fact, let me make that more explicit.  These ideas are not mine.  I can't claim them and I refuse to claim them.  They only exist because of the amazing people on Twitter who process with me constantly.  They only exist because of the webinar we had last Tuesday.  They only exist because of Andrew Thomasson and Karl Lindgren-Streicher.  Andrew said it better here...and that's how things tend to work.  I talk forever and in circles, and then he just puts it so simply and beautifully, in a way that is perfectly understandable and yet so profound that I just shut up and agree with him.

So I agree with him.

That being said...writing "we" instead of "I" just sounds weird.  So mentally, when you read "I" know that there are multiple "I"s represented in this amazing collective of colleagues.

I'm going to start by listing the general ideas, then I'll give specifics after the list.   This got really, really long.  And it's probably confusing to anyone outside my own head.  For that I apologise in advance.  

Guiding Principles
1. Flipped reading is more than "reading at home" and "talking about it in class."
2. Flipping reading requires way more creativity than flipping grammar or vocabulary or even writing, and it greatly depends on instructional context.
3. Flipped reading works better with shorter texts than with longer texts.
4. Flipping reading has to be about process and skill rather than content.

Explanations of those Guiding Principles

1. Flipping reading is not reading at home and talking about it in class.
This pops up every now and then, and I just have one thing to say:
How is it flipping when you're just following the commonly accepted instructional paradigm?  That's not flipping.  That's traditional.  

So stop saying that is flipped English...please?

You can read Troy Cockrum's thoughts on the matter here.

2. Flipping reading requires creativity and depends on instructional context.
The first part is obvious - the reason there are VERY few strategies for flipping reading is because conceptually, it's really difficult to get your head around.  It takes creativity, which is where the Explore Flip Apply model comes in (more on that later...and there are tons of entries if you look back through my post history).

The second part, about instructional context, is really important.  What will work with me at Redwood High School is not what worked at San Lorenzo High School, and it may not work in your school either.  I don't know.  You're the teacher, thus you're the expert on how to teach your kids.  I can only tell you what I do, and give you guiding principles for how to structure your units and instruction.

When I flipped Night last year, I made videos of myself reading the text.  We had Today's Meet live discussions in class as the videos played (basically, it allowed me to participate in the discussion and manage the room instead of trying to read + do all of that).  Then students compiled theme and figurative language examples in separate Today's Meet threads and on Edmodo.  Then we did a lot of writing and discussion questions.  We watched a lot of related documentaries and film clips to give context.  We discussed them all.  I had a few skills videos, but not many - probably because the skills were mostly higher-level and based on lower-level skills they had learned earlier in the year (either on video or back before the flip, by direct instruction).

I consider that unit flipped.  But a lot of people wouldn't.  This is why we need to come to a common understanding of what flipped English is and isn't.

It also leads to my next Guiding Principle:

3. Flipped reading works better with shorter texts than longer ones.  
Jessica McGrover lays out in this post why this is true.  When you're having students flip a longer work and go at their own pace, they will inevitably do what you want them to do and end up working at their own pace.  And you can't have discussions about the book unless kids are at roughly the same point.  Imagine trying to discuss the theme of fate verses free will in Romeo and Juliet when one student is in Act I, scene v (after R&J meet), another student just finished Act III scene i (where Mercutio/Tybalt are killed), and another student just finished the play.  Unless you explicitly give them permission to talk about the entire play (which "ruins" it for the student in Act I), you are going to have frustrated students and a flat discussion.  Which ruins the whole experience of collaborative conversation.

The plan I've got for my flipped classes this year is to have some strategies for flipping shorter texts, and some strategies for flipping longer texts.  

Read the second part of this entry here.  It was way too much content for one post.

If you're interested in attending the Flipped Class Webinar, where Troy Cockrum, Andrew Thomasson, Karl Lindgren-Streicher, Crystal Kirch and I talk about the future of flipping English and History, you should check out our google document.  It has all the information you'll need to attend, and it includes a list of questions that we've generated from conversations, blog comments, Tweets, etc.  

This is a crowd-sourced event, so feel free to add your question to the list!  If you do add a question, it would be great if you could include your name and/or twitter handle so we can credit you.

As always, it will be a great conversation with a lot of dynamic and innovative teachers.  We hope you can join us on Tuesday, 10 July at 5 PM PST.  If you can't join us, then I'll be (hopefully) screencasting the whole thing and posting it to our YouTube Channel.

Here is the link to the google doc.  Here's the full document if you can't/don't want to access it:

Language Arts/Social Science Webinar
This event will take place on 7/10 at 5 PM PST

The presenter line-up is:
Troy Cockrum (@tcockrun), 7th-8th ELA (St. Ignatious, Indianapolis, IN)
Cheryl Morris (@guster4lovers), 11th-12th ELA (Redwood High School, Marin, CA)
Andrew Thomasson (@thomasson_engl) 11th-12th ELA (King’s Mt High School, King’s Mountain, NC)
Karl Lindgren-Streicher (@kls4711), 9th-10th Social Science (Hillsdale High School, San Mateo, CA)
Crystal Kirch (@crystalkirch) 9th-12th Algebra 1 & Pre-Calculus (Segerstrom High School, Santa Ana, CA)
Kate Petty (@techclassroom) 12th grade ELA, ELD 1 (Trabuco Hills High, Mission Viejo, CA)

Discussion Questions
How does an English teacher flip their class?
What does flipped reading instruction look like?
What role do the CCS play in flipped pedagogy?
How can we learn from/work with other subject area teachers to figure out how to flip English?
Does Explore Flip Apply work in English and history?
What kinds of skills make good videos and (if any) which should remain “unflipped”?*
How can collaborative videos make flipping English more reasonable?
What kinds of project based learning can you do in English?
How can WSQ (Watch Summary Question) & SSS (guided note-taking packet) be used in ELA?
What colour hair do you think Crystal Kirch has?
Any other questions you’d like to add for our consideration can go here:

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE!
Question/Poll is found here: http://tinyurl.com/ELAflip

Link to Webinar is here: 
http://www.anymeeting.com/WebConference/default.aspx?ip_ek=FlippedEnglish1

Technology Notes:
--You should run AnyMeeting out of Firefox, as Chrome and Safari seem to have issues.
--Before the meeting, you’ll need to create an account and do a system test (http://www.anymeeting.com/webconference/systemtest/AnyMeetingSystemTest.aspx)
--If you are unable to get into AnyMeeting, Crystal will be checking the hashtag #ELAflip and taking questions from there
--We will make every attempt to record the session and host it on YouTube afterwards (at least on the ThomassonMorrisInstr channel)

TECHNOLOGY BACK UP PLAN:
If the AnyMeeting site crashes for any reason, we will switch to Google+ Hangout and we’ll add the link on Twitter (hashtags #flipclass and #ELAflip) and our blogs, as well as on this document.  You will need stream through YouTube using the link we send out.

So this project on which Andrew Thomasson and I have embarked is exciting.  The filming has become less of "how do I write a research paper adequately?" and more of friends hanging out, and oh, we just happen to also be writing a research paper.

And that makes it really hard to edit the videos well.  There's also the fact that our last session clocked in at nearly 70 minutes, and is breaking down into five videos.

I've finished videos six, seven and eight.  They're posted up in the Thomasson & Morris Instruction tab if you want to see them.  Just keep in mind that I haven't added YouTube annotations yet (all the places that say "click here" will eventually redirect to the other videos in the series), mostly because I didn't want to do it before all ten videos were on YouTube.

This whole problem is compounded by the fact that Mr. Thomasson left for the weekend and so I'm missing half my filter for "is this good or not?" - which is one of the reasons our partnership works so well.  

Posting this blog entry is also sort of procrastination.  The hardest video is yet to come - the actual "writing the draft" one includes a lot of me just sitting there typing, while Andrew gets up and leaves a few times.  We're figuring we'll need to do a voice-over track on it...which means waiting until Andrew gets home tomorrow.

Other things I've done to procrastinate:
--posted to Facebook about my project with Andrew
--tweeted and surfed my timeline
--started planning my courses (i.e. assigned a different colour pen to each class, counted the weeks in the semester, then gave up)
--made some Blue Bottle coffee (if you don't live in the Bay Area, that reference is probably lost on you...and that's a shame.  Best coffee in the Bay).
--pretended to do some dishes
--filled up my water bottle
--posted a question on Ask Metafilter (my other favourite time-killing website) to solicit the best humourous works to use in my Language of Humour class
--started reading an essay about writing essays in The Essay Connection (Bloom)
--responded to the following Tweet:

Okay.  Back to work...


...after I check Twitter.

So in the last week, I've recorded and edited about two hours worth of content with my co-conspirator, Andrew Thomasson.  I wrote about what we've been up to in the previous post, so I won't spend too much time on that.  Right now, I have a few exciting announcements:

1. ShowMe, the iPad tool I use to create videos on an interactive whiteboard (you can see all my videos here), named me one of the first ever Master Teachers.  If you go to my profile, you'll see the little title next to my name.  It's a big honour, and I really appreciate the value they see in my work.

2. I will be co-presenting a Language Arts/Social Studies Flipped Class webinar, with Troy Cockrum, Andrew Thomasson, Crystal Kirch, and Karl Lindgren-Streicher, and another presenter TBD. We will be discussing lots of questions Troy and I have received in the last few weeks, and I think it will be a good introduction to flipping English for those who struggle to know where to begin.  We'll also address Social Studies because of the links in the Common Core Standards (for ELA people and others unfamiliar with them, the CCS in Social Studies aren't content-based - they are literacy/skills-based), with Karl as our resident expert History teacher.  Crystal will be there to help moderate and take questions from viewers.

We will publicise the link on Edmodo, Twitter, and our personal blogs (e.g. here) on Monday, as the webinar will take place on Tuesday at 5 PST.  All you need to join in is an internet connection!  I hope we'll have a good turn-out, and that it will prove useful to people.

3. Finally, I will be starting a project based on a previous blog post about my first day of school activity, White Blank Page.  Here's some additional information, as we're seeking 1-3 more high school teachers to join us (because I'll have seniors, it just seemed wrong to open it up to 6th-8th graders, as it will be heavily collaborative between students).  So far, Karl Lindgren-Streicher and Andrew Thomasson will be joining me on the project.  We'd love to have other teachers of ANY discipline, so long as they teach HS and can commit to the project.

Students would add their questions to a Google form, and then we would archive it on the project's website.  Each semester, students would choose a minimum of one question to work on.  There are lots of ways to do this, but the three of us will probably use it as a Google 20% project, where students get roughly one class session a week to work on it.  Finished projects would be posted to the project website, where students could comment on other projects and get ideas for their next project.

This project is constantly evolving, but we'd like to have at least four, but as many as six, dedicated teachers signed up to the project before 10 August.  If we have more interest than that, we would be HAPPY to help you set up your own project (this would be ideal if a lot of middle school folks wanted to do their own!).

******

Also, if you didn't notice, I have made some changes to the organisation of this website.  I added a tab for Thomasson & Morris Instruction, which is where you'll find updated information about my collaboration with Andrew.  Our future plans are HUGE, so check back frequently to see what we're working on.  Right now, I'm attempting to cut together something coherent out of our (ridiculously fun) chaotic 65 minute recording session from yesterday.  As we go on, it's feeling more and more like two friends hanging out, rather than doing "serious work" - and I think that's great.  We want students to see us having fun, but also working hard, and I think we're finding that balance.  

I'd also like to publicly thank Andrew for being the best collaborative partner I could wish for.  He keeps our crazy ideas in check, and has allowed me to be more excited to be a teacher than I ever have been in the last nine years.  I look forward to seeing what we'll accomplish together over the next few years.

If you have questions for us, you can contact us here, on Twitter (@guster4lovers and @thomasson_engl), or at our shared email address: [email protected].  We also have our own YouTube channel, where all of our videos will be housed.

Andrew and I were actually about to start recording video #4 when we got this.  It took me a few minutes to calm down from the sheer excitement so we could film.

Here are the videos:

And all of this was made possible by Twitter.  Imagine that.

Oh, and PS, if you hate the videos, then it's all Andrew's fault.


(j/k!) :-)

Today was legitimately one of the most exciting, and probably important, days of my career.  

Today was the day that Andrew Thomasson and I made our first attempt at collaborative video.  Now I do a lot of ShowMe videos, but having my face and my entire screen in the video is not quite as comfortable for me.  I mean, ShowMe (ironically) lets me hide.  Screencasting a Google+ Hangout is new territory.

We have been sending tweets and emails and texts back and forth hammering out details and plans, but it was time to take the plunge and get it going.

Our tweets right after the screencast sums it up pretty well:

Here's what I learned about screencasting and editing in Camtasia for Mac based on this experience:

1. Having a plan is a good idea.  We outlined the entire video ahead of time, but allowed for spontaneous dialogue and direction.  It wasn't as polished as it could be (and will be as we get better at this).

2. The teacher/student dynamic (Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams made use of this in their collaborative videos) works pretty well.  I think it's the best way of showing the process, rather than just lecturing.

3. Camtasia really is awesome.  It took me a while to figure out how to do everything I wanted, but I'm relatively happy with the editing.  It was pretty easy to get it up and running, and even though I had to pretty much learn everything as I went along, the 12 minute video took me about 90 minutes to complete.

4. Working with someone else makes the video so much more powerful.  I can't possibly overstate this.  Making a ShowMe video is great.  But having TWO teachers combining wisdom and practice to teach a lesson?  That's just phenomenal.

5. Having someone else preview the video helps catch errors.  I had a spelling mistake, an unfortunate Google auto-correct moment, some misaligned camera angles, and a few spots of dead air.  With those tweaks, it was much better.  And I wouldn't have caught them or made them if someone else hadn't been involved.

6. Every Flipped teacher should try a collaborative video at some point if they can.  It pushes you to be better than you are alone.  And that's what teaching is all about.

Okay, enough about me.  Here's the video.

We're recording Part 2 tonight.  Stay tuned for that one.

After having such a productive conversation with Andrew Thomasson (@thomasson_engl) yesterday, I was on a #flipclass idea binge.  So as I was driving home from Marin, I was thinking about what my first week of school would look like.

And I made the logical conclusion that the first week of school should be flipped.  

I know...duh, right?

But it's important to consider what that looks like.  Normally, I would give out a syllabus and spend at least a couple of days teaching them how to succeed in my class.  But I kept asking myself the Flipped Class Question: What is the best use of my class time?

So as I was thinking about that, I realised that there is NO better way to give them the typical "syllabus" information than in short videos.  Each night there could be a small portion of some major skill or piece of information they'll need. 

Here's are the videos I'm planning to do (your needs may vary):
1. Signing up for Edmodo and format of Cornell Notes*
2. Rules and Procedures (food, electronics, hats, that kind of thing)
3. Introduction to Flipped Learning 
4. Technology they'll use (GoogleDocs, Today's Meet, Socrative, Edmodo, etc.)
5. Patterning** system

*The really metacognitive part here is that the first video will teach Cornell Notes style, and then they'll have to re-watch the video and take Cornell Notes about the video (super meta, right?) and submit them on Edmodo.

For each of the videos, there will be a specific task, like the Cornell Notes, that will help my students learn what I expect - all without me having to lecture them once face-to-face.  Then the first thing we'll do in class is have them ask the questions they generated during their viewing of the video.

**patterning is a system that I will discuss on this blog at some point, but it's too much for this section.

******

The other thing I needed to figure out was what it would look like to do an inquiry unit (roughly an explore-flip-apply unit) for this information.  That's when I had the second Great Idea.  

The inquiry (explore) question is: What is it like to be a student in Ms. Morris' class?  What will help you succeed in Ms. Morris' class?

I will have them answer those questions (just outside my classroom, so they can't hear each other) in a short video interview on the first day, while the rest of the class is doing White Blank Page.  What they say will be interesting, because it will be based on whatever evidence they've managed to glean about me from being in my classroom.  That tells me something about their critical thinking, and will help guide me as I create the research unit videos.  It also gives me an opportunity to talk about first impressions, and the psychology around the way we use language - verbal and body language - to help guide our impressions about the world around us.

At the end of class, they'll turn in their White Blank Page assignment.  The next day, I'll show them how I can glean evidence about them from their work.  They will use those skills to gather evidence about me based on what I've put up in my classroom and what they can learn by asking good questions.  I'll probably do a little with personality/ learning and brain-based learning.  I know there isn't a ton of science behind MBTI, but ever since I had several students email me or come find me after graduation to tell me that was the most useful thing they did in my class, I decided to keep doing it.  I'll cover that at some point if people are interested in seeing it.

The eventual result (apply) will be them writing an "essay" that will answer the inquiry question and help me understand them.  That will also help me diagnose what writing skills need to be covered.  

It's only June, so I'm sure as the summer goes on, I'll have more ideas.  I'd also like to hear your thoughts!

This entry will grow as students complete their final projects.  Here are two projects on how to understand new words you encounter when you read.  I didn't check the powerpoint before she presented, so there are some errors.  But overall, I'm proud of what she did. 

For people who want to flip science or math, there are a wealth of resources available.  While there's no "How-To" binder, you can pretty much pick up another teacher's videos and keep on using the same materials you've been using for years.  

But in English, other than Troy Cockrum and Kate Petty, there aren't many people flipping AND writing about it.  I think it is partially a problem of definition; there aren't many people who can define what English flipping looks like.  So here's my attempt:

Flipping English is about two things: 
1) helping students take responsibility for their own learning by understanding them and their unique skills, abilities, and needs, and 


2) leveraging technology to build a student-centred learning environment that meaningfully engages the cultural context in which our students live.

There are many educators with great intentions who approach flipping English in the same way that math and science teachers flip.  They choose grammar, vocabulary or concrete writing skills because those fit best in the "traditional flip" method.  

That's where I started too, because it didn't make sense to me otherwise.  

As I've continued with flipping, I found that the traditional flip didn't help me all that much.  Yes, it made sub days easier (when I had several conference days in a row, having a video that the sub could show, sure made my life easier) and it was great for test prep before the California High School Exit Exam. 

But the traditional flip didn't fundamentally change my students.  They thought the videos were cool, but they weren't taking any more responsibility for their own learning than they did before I flipped.  They also weren't using much technology in class either.  

So I decided I had to change something.  

I found two carts of netbooks that weren't being used much and put them in my room.  I signed up for Edmodo, and had my students do the same.  I recorded myself using ShowMe, reading the entire novel we were studying, and started using Today's Meet to have live discussions while I played the video in class.  I encouraged and rewarded student curiosity in those discussions, and something amazing happened: 

I actually flipped my class.

And here's the thing:  There is no one who can tell you how to flip your class.  You can get ideas from other people (and you should!), but flipped learning is first and foremost about understanding your students, and meeting their needs.  Therefore, by definition, the teacher has to make their class centred, focused, obsessed, with helping the students in the room in the best way possible.  That's why flipped teaching will never make the teacher obsolete.  The flipped classroom doesn't work without the teacher managing the learning opportunities, and helping students manage their own learning.


*****

I'm lucky to have had lots of support from my administration, my colleagues, and my PLN on Twitter and Edmodo; but most meaningfully, I learned how to fail fast.  When something didn't work, I tried something else.  When that didn't work, I tried something else.

I also was able to use June School to try out a lot of different ideas, like flipped self-paced mastery.  Now, mastery can't look the same as it does in math or science either.  Even standards-based grading in English is much more difficult.  I mean, how do you measure mastery on analysis or word choice?  

Despite that, I do believe in self-pacing and in trying to assess mastery.  I have already seen how it can help students move from where they ARE to where they need to be.  We may not be able to fully quantify mastery, but we can measure how close students have come to the standard we expect (or better yet, whether they can go beyond what we expect).

Part of my summer work is to figure out what mastery in the major English skills looks like, and how to assess it.  I also want to revise some of my videos to make them more like my recent ones (see the bottom of the post for the latest two, about which I'm much happier than my early attempts!).  The most revolutionary thing I figured out in my video production is that I need to include something for students to do/answer/write/think about in the actual video.  I then have them bring their answers (and, hopefully, questions) back to me as evidence of completion.

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For those of you who need something more concrete, here are some of my ideas for flipping English, beyond the grammar video (though I will start with grammar because that's where most people start):

Grammar
--use DOLs - ideally engaging sentence corrections.  There is very little research around using grammar independently of writing.  Using worksheets where students underline participial phrases and identify the direct object are not best practices and don't transfer to students' writing.  But there is data (both in research and in my own practice) that sentence correction and targeted instruction will transfer and solidify with students.
--give students targeted remediation based on whatever they missed on the DOLs.  I use my own videos, as well as online grammar games and exercises (like Grammar Ninja and Chomp Chomp) to give them practice - even though it's "worksheet"-y, just the fact that it feels like a game gives it more value to my students.  
--after I've assigned specific skills for them a while, I ask students to choose what THEY think they need to work on.  They post a screenshot of their end score as evidence of completion.
--use the same process for issues you see in students' writing.  If they miss apostrophes in their essay, assign them some practice based on that.
--after they have shown mastery on the practice, hold them accountable for it in ALL of their writing.  I've done "greenlining" before, where I will literally draw a green line under a mistake they shouldn't be making and stop reading.  I won't continue until they fix it and resubmit it.
--have students take expert samples of writing and compare them in style and mechanics.  Then come up with some ideas for how it shows the marks of expert writing and students can apply those lessons to their own writing.  We all know that reading more is powerful, so reading excellent examples can only help.
--have students make presentations/videos of themselves explaining a grammar concept.

Writing
--make videos about specific skills, like Showing, Not Telling.  Then give students lots of ways to practice with it.
--make videos of the instructions for a writing task and have them watch it at home and come up with questions, then use class time to have them write and edit/revise.
--have students make videos editing/revising their own writing, or use voice-thread for them to make comments for each other.  
--use Notability to annotate student work and help them revise/give comments
--use the writer's workshop model (Troy Cockrum is the flipped guru on this one - look him up for more info)
--leverage the power of Twitter and Facebook when students are finishing writing outside of the class.  Although I believe in letting students compose in class, often students just wanted more time than we had available.  So I had them tweet questions to me, and helped them immediately when they got stuck
--connect with other classes, either in your school, your community, or outside of the country.  Have students interact with each other and critique the writing of other students.  Have them publish blogs together, or compile a digital anthology.  The possibilities are endless!

Reading
Note: This is where I have fewest answers.  I'd love to hear from people who have good ideas in this area, because it's the hardest one to figure out.  What I DO NOT see as flipped instruction is when teachers have students read at home and discuss in class.  That's just traditional teaching.  It can be good, but I really don't see it as flipping.

--make a video where you annotate one page of the reading to look for a particular element (like foreshadowing).  Then either have them read or (better yet) have them listen to YOU read on video for a few more pages.  Then have students find more examples on their own in that last section and bring them to class.
--use videos of yourself reading in class while simultaneously having live discussions on Edmodo, Today's Meet, or Cover It Live.  Focus on asking/answering questions and having students google for definitions, historical information, etc.
--model reading skills on video and have students apply that in their own section of reading.
--do a video with another English or History teacher where you discuss a text or big idea.  You can use the teacher/student dynamic that Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams often adopt, or just have a roundtable-style discussion (note: if this interests you, contact me.  It's in the works with a collection of ELA/SS teachers through Twitter)
--have students blog about their reading and/or respond to other blogs
--preview the reading on video, either historically, with vocabulary/major concepts, or thematically.  It can help build excitement for class and allow students to make connections with the text.
--have students make their own videos or voice threads of their thoughts on the reading, and then respond to other students' videos/VTs.
--have students rewrite scenes as Twitter/Facebook dialogues, either by themselves or with a partner
--use videos that thematically connect with the reading, and engage the students using live response (Twitter, Today's Meet, etc.)


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So even though there is no How-To binder, there are TONS of options for how to flip English.  

The way you know you've flipped is:
--your students are excited about learning, and their curiosity drives the learning, and possibly even the content
--you use technology when/where appropriate to do direct instruction
--you change how you structure class time so that students can work with the expert (the teacher) in the room
--you help students see real-world connections between what you're doing in class and what they're doing outside of class, and what they will need for their future
--you find that you know your students better because of the increased amount of meaningful contact you have with each student

I'm sure there are more, but that's my list.  It is only my opinion, so take it for what it's worth. :-)


So where and how do you start?

Here are some questions that have helped me think through what flipped English is in my classroom:
1. What skills do your students need?  (ideally, base this on the common core)
2. How can you tell that they've mastered those skills?
3. What tools do they need from you?  
4. What should they be figuring out on their own?  What are they capable of figuring out on their own RIGHT NOW?  How can you encourage independence in students?
5. Which skills can be taught via video?  Which ones can't/shouldn't be taught on video?
6. What classroom activities can help reinforce the skills you can teach on video?
7. How can you bring inquiry and project-based-learning into your class?
8. What technology is available to you, and what is available to your students? 
9. What technology is comfortable to you, and what is comfortable to your students?  How will you bridge that gap?
10. How much time do you spend talking to the whole class?  How can you reduce that?  How can you increase the time spent talking to your students individually?
11. How can I build a culture where revision is not encouraged, but accepted?  How can I shift students' focus away from points/grades and towards pursuing learning?

When you honestly answer those questions, you can come to an understanding of how YOU can flip English.  

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Okay.  So that's it for now.  I hope to hear more ideas from all of you, because this is nowhere near an exhaustive list.  As we move towards an understanding of the role English plays in the Flipped Classroom movement, I know the definition I offer will shift and change, just like the technology we utilise in class.  


As promised earlier in the post, here are my most recent ShowMe videos.  I'm not saying they are perfect, but they are MUCH better than what I was producing early on.