– Terra Graves –
It’s that time of year when many people make New Year’s Resolutions. I thought it might be nice to apply this concept to my Flipped Learning (FL) practice.
My FL practice is a few steps removed from the classroom. I have been out of the classroom for many years now, and it’s been a year since I moved out of my role as a professional learning facilitator. As a department administrator, the closest I get to FL is flipping my staff meetings and professional learning for my team. With that context in mind, I give you my New Year’s Resolutions for Flipped Learning in my world.
Continue with weekly updates and commenting
Not all resolutions need to involve changing something. Keeping what is working is always a good idea. Before I became the official administrator of this department, I was the lead Program Specialist. Part of this role involved being “in-the-know” about all of the work being done in our department so that I could report back to the “big boss.” We decided to do weekly updates so that each person could inform the group on what was accomplished, challenges, and what the goals were for the next week. This practice has continued and now we also have made it a regular routine to read and respond to everyone’s updates. I believe that this has not just informed all of us, it has created a culture of respect, openness, and support.
Create a regular flipped assignment for staff to complete in our online group space
On occasion, I have asked my team to read an article or watch a video and post their thoughts on it. I like reading the discussions that follow and feel these activities contribute to all of our learning. I want to establish this as something we do weekly, but I want to make sure that my team is on board with this idea.
Schedule in-person meetings for team discussions that are better done face-to-face
Our last department meeting was almost two-months from the previous one. I hadn’t realized that until I noticed the dates in our team notebook. What that tells me is that our existing structures for communicating information and making decisions must be working. However, I think everyone enjoys it when we are all together and engaged in conversation. Most of us are in the office at the same time for much of the time, but everyone is busy with their work. So, I’m wondering if they would like to have a scheduled meeting. This will be another thing to decide as a team.
As I look forward to another great year with my team, I am excited to continue/begin these activities in order to support their learning and productivity. I’m grateful for my Flipped Learning experience and training. I know that I am a much better administrator because of it!
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