This is the second year that we've been using +ClassDojo at RMHS. While it's not perfect, I really do love what it has to offer and what an awesome tool it is in our classrooms. If you haven't checked it out yet, here's the link.
In my department, we've always struggled with how to best record students' use of Spanish in the classroom. Up until last year, we went with the good ol' student roster printed on a clipboard to record their participation. Every time we wanted to record a student's spoken Spanish, we found a pen and marked a +. At the end of the unit, we'd count up all the marks and calculate a score. Pretty old school, no? Just the physical drawback of always having that same clipboard and piece of paper were enough to make the system stink, let alone the lack of teacher-student (and then family) communication.
The awesomeness of ClassDojo is that it allows students and their families to see in real time, from any internet-capable device how much Spanish the student is choosing to speak in class. We've customized the behaviors so that we mark a positive point when a student speaks in Spanish and a negative point when a student chooses to speak English when she/he could have chosen Spanish. Now when I want to mark a student's efforts, I simply click on his/her avatar on the ClassDojo app on my phone (or iPad or laptop) and away we go.
While I'm not sure if using ClassDojo has increased student participation in Spanish, I do know that a) it has made my part a lot easier and b) it has increased the transparency of the whole process. I want my students and their families to be involved in their education and to be able to understand exactly what I see from them in the classroom. Instant feedback is such an amazing part of all the new technology that has been coming into our classrooms the last few years. I'm really happy to have been introduced to this program.
This year in Spanish 2 and Honors Spanish 4, we are working with elements of the flipped classroom. Before we go any further, check out this video that, in about three minutes, explains the basic idea of the flipped classroom.
What does this look like in our Spanish classrooms? We've started working with the flipped model into our grammar lessons. Rather than lecture students on a grammar topic like the present indicative, we send them home with a video and guided notes so that they can learn the lesson at their own speed just like the video mentions. We post all of our materials on our Moodle page with links to the notes, the videos on YouTube, and also additional practice activities to help the kids see if they really understand the lesson or if they need to go back and review.
In addition to flipping, we've been using this model to help us differentiate inside of the classroom. When we get to class the next day, we discuss students' questions, do a quick review, and then take a 10 question multiple choice formative quiz. With the score of this quiz, we split students into groups for activities of various levels. Typically the group with a higher score work on more advanced activities in which they are using the grammar to produce new work of their own. The middle score group works on activities to strengthen their knowledge of the material. There are so many activities on the internet that can help the students. We post many of these activities on Moodle, but also encourage students to share other resources they find. The lower group typically works in two stages. First, those students will work with the teacher, review the lesson, work on questions, and get individual attention. Then, they will work on some of those activities from the middle group in pairs to reinforce what they are working on. At that time, we, the teachers, have the ability to circulate through the classroom and give individual attention to any student needing it. At the end of the lesson, the students take a short 10 question fill-in formative quiz to assess whether they have met that day's lesson objective.
This is the second year that I have personally worked toward flipping. I LOVE IT! Taking the lecture out the classroom was a huge step. Giving students the opportunity to work on ability-specific activities makes me feel that I am actually serving the students' individual needs and not just telling them what they "should need". I also feel that I am empowering students to see themselves as the director of their own learning with my role as that of a coach. In education the catchphrase right now is that we should avoid being the "sage on the stage" and shoot for being the "guide on the side". I couldn't agree more. In the past even on days when I thought we had written great plans, there was a certain amount of blank staring when the students were able disengage from the lesson. Having our technology, flipping our lectures, and individualizing our lessons has increased student engagement in such a positive manner.
The problems? I would say that the biggest pushback I get from students is that this model involves them engaged in their learning all the time and they aren't used to it (and don't always like the hard work!). I think that using this model is a culture shift in education and that as the students begin to see results, they will get excited by what they are capable of achieving. We, as teachers, strive to have our students invested in their own learning and think slowly we are getting there.
Overall, I am incredibly pleased with what we've achieved so far and look forward to increasing student-led learning in our classrooms!
