I was a history major in college. I was thoroughly invested in my discipline. But even me, a history geek, struggled during marathon lectures. And you should’ve seen my classmates. It was often a massacre. I remember thinking, This is a darned passive way to learn. I could read what he’s saying in a book. I felt like a prisoner with no control. And remember, I was a guy who loved history.
This is relevant because I teach dual enrollment history to high school juniors and seniors. Dual enrollment is a college course brought to the high school campus. A few years ago, my principal asked me to teach such a course. The sponsoring college made clear their expectation that lecture would be a big part of the class. I was initially reluctant because I remembered my comatose classmates back in college. I didn’t want to do that to my kids.
Regardless of my hesitancy, I signed on. My challenge was to make lectures engaging. I certainly wasn’t going to stand in front of them and drone on. I decided to try something new.
Kylie Stickrath is one of those awesome student voices (primary sources) that’s going to urge you to give flipped presentations a try! Kylie was skeptical about flipped presentations. Once she experienced a good one…she became a full-fledged convert! Listen and see if she can convert you!
Here are some great platforms for flipped presentation creation:
@kyliestickrath
Episode Template
The Problem:
Students are disengaged and downright fidgety during lectures and presentations.
The Solution:
Give a flipped presentation a try.
What You Can Do Tomorrow?
- Pick a presentation to flip.
- Select a number of public domain images.
- Record the lecture and then upload it to YouTube.
- Have students apply what they’ve learned the next day in class.
- Constantly debrief.
Watching videos is what this generation does. So when in Rome….do like the Romans. Create an engaging flipped lecture and upload it to YouTube. This format empowers students to be self-directed.