3 Simple Tips for Flipping Your Classroom Like a Boss

March 30, 2022

If flipping your classroom seems intimidating, then keep reading. My goal is to increase your confidence in flipping your lessons and give you some super simple tips.

How To Flip A Classroom

There are so many “ways” to flip a classroom and I can help you navigate those, but today I wanted to share how to flip a classroom without stressing yourself out.

ONE | Start Small

You do not need to put the cart before the horse. It is very easy to get overwhelmed with the thought of creating tons of video lessons on top of the obligations you already have as a teacher. So I want you to start small…like really small. Take one lesson you want to flip. This could be a lecture, a demo, a lab, or even explaining how to do an assignment. In the past, I have recorded myself explaining how to do a Punnett square worksheet. This way students can watch it over and over until it makes sense.

I suggest keeping your videos under 15 minutes, preferably because you will lose their attention if it is too long. Mine average anywhere from 8-12 minutes depending on what I am covering. The beauty about video lessons is that you can talk a little faster to get through the content in a short amount of time since students can rewind if they need to.

Starting small allows you to slowly work out the kinks and test out your videos with our students. It is best to figure out what works for you and what you can improve upon before creating a whole bunch of videos. Once you have done one, you will definitely want to do more.

TWO | Let Go of Perfectionism

I have to admit I am very guilty of this. I want my videos to be nearly perfect before I release them to my students, but that is not reality. During lessons in-class, I mess up my words, say the wrong thing accidentally, and have to correct myself, that’s normal. I have placed unrealistic expectations on myself that I will somehow be different on video. NOPE! I’m still the same goofy girl who makes mistakes. And you know what? That’s OK! Believe it or not students like seeing that you are normal. In one of my videos, a student pointed out that my phone dinged and that I must have gotten a text. SIlly, but they can totally relate. In another video, my dog is barking or my husband is walking behind me…that’s ok! That is life!

I know that we want these professional videos, and to some degree, they should be since this is our students’ education, but being real is important too. So I am giving you permission to let go of the anxiety that you need to have perfectly polished video lessons before you assign them to your students. As Elsa says “Let it go!”

THREE | Have Fun with It.

To me, this is my favorite part…have fun! You can be yourself, tell your jokes, make goofy faces because that is the real you! If you are just being a robot on camera reading the PowerPoint notes, then it will be so boring. Students will dread watching your videos, and some may just stop watching altogether…we all have one of these students. I am sarcastic and so I play on that during my lessons, the same way I would in class.

This is a great tip for when you are recording videos on demos or experiments. I know someone who does a demo with the lights dimmed and some glow-in-the-dark experiments. She records it and the students totally get sucked in. The students who were absent still get in on the fun because they can watch what happened.

Flipping Your Classroom

Have I convinced you that flipping your lessons doesn’t need to be this huge thing? Good! Again, flipping is a wonderful thing and even if you are not ready to have an entirely flipped classroom, you can flip certain lessons. These are so powerful to have on hand for days you are out sick and still want to keep students on track or if students missed class. The possibilities really are endless. If you have been thinking about flipping your classroom, then join my Flipping Your Science Classroom Couse Waitlist.

I love sharing helpful content with y’all and would love to connect on IG or Facebook. I’m on TikTok too! Follow me and send me a DM with what you need more of because I’m here to help! If you are looking for even more inspiration, find me on Pinterest! Don’t forget to join the waitlist for Flipping Your Science Course.