Module 3 - assignment 5 - flipped classroom

The flipped classroom is not a new concept for me. We have heard about it at our school for a few years, and there is always a buzz of excitement by the presenter and the teachers who are demonstrating it, and a series of eye rolls from everyone else. Having seen the videos, I find myself caught in the same old space. Sure it sounds wonderful, and I do see tremendous merit in it, but the reason for the eye roll is universal. The irony of the efficiency received on the back side of the program is coupled with a huge amount of investment on the front side, and therein lies my, and other teachers' problem. Our schools, the same schools who hold up the glorious banner of the concept of the flipped classroom, also suck every last bit of free time we have to actually create the content needed for this. My planning period is an oxymoron. I can't plan anything for it or during it because on any given day I will be covering someone else's class, watching 3 other rooms while teachers take a bathroom break, sitting in on an IEP meeting, or participating in another mandatory SOL meeting.

After-school, I have remediation with students, assigned game duties, grading responsibilities, and family obligations. I have tried very hard to see where to find the time to do the flipping, and just haven't found it yet. That is what I most want to get out of this class. How do I find time to flip? And more importantly, how do I get the student's to buy into it? I know the concept of the engagement sounds great, but less than 15% of my students turn in their homework now - how will that change? Does it change? I'm curious. I would love to have my AP students in particular read concepts before they come into class because they are the most likely to get lost during lectures, and we don't have time to slow down. And how does this affect the new accountability model of our evaluation cycle? We already have the guillotine of SOL's hanging over our heads - how do we keep those kids on pace to finish content if they are taking their time to understand it? I see great promise, but I have a lot of questions.

Time in a Bottle