Flipped Art Room

I am working to transition my art room into a 'flipped' art room. What does that mean exactly? In a flipped art room students can view the content of a whole group lesson at home, and when the students are in class they can spend more time getting to the good stuff, the projects. In a flipped art room, the teacher can create a video of their whole group lesson content and post it online for the students to watch outside of class. This way the teacher will not have to repeat the content over and over as we often do when we present the same lesson day after day to a new class. Here are some samples of the video lessons that I have made for my students.

Some lesson content is basic, such as the video above. I like this because I can use it as a refresher for a student if they are struggling with the idea. The student can use the computers in the art room to watch the video on their own.

This video shows a a step by step process for creating a specific item. While I know that there are videos that already exist on making these folded books (and the other content that I have), I think it is important for my students to hear my voice, and to be able to see me. I feel kind of like their personal tutor when they are watching a video that I have created. This helps me build a relationship with the students in a school with a large students population.

The video above explains why I'm working to flip my classroom. It was made as part of an online class that I took through the FIZZ institute. In addition to the reasons that I talk about in the above video, I am also hoping to create transparency in the art room. I want parents and families to know what their students are learning during their time in art. The videos also help me to reflect on the content that I convey to my students, and on the effectiveness and clarity of my teaching.

 As I mentioned above I am working towards making this transition, it's a continuing process that has taken some time. While I have made many videos already, I am still working on how to best get the students to watch them. Last year I gave students a mailing label with the link printed on. This year I have embedded videos on my art room website. Now that I have students watching the videos, I am working on a plan to get the students to actively use the content. One of my next goals is for students to create their own videos to explain the art concepts that they have used in their artwork. As Aristotle is quoted, "Teaching is the highest form of learning."

Have you used a 'flipped class room' construct in your art room? What successes or difficulties have you had?