Workload, anxiety, stress and burnout are often cited as reasons why teachers leave the profession. Science teacher Steve Griffiths has found that flipping his lessons has greatly reduced these and improved his job satisfaction.

During the holidays I worked hard to redo a number of my videos and create a workbook for my students to use to interact with the videos, and to practise and deepen their knowledge. Two weeks in, I can say that every class is doing great. They’re working really well with the in-flipped classroom and I’m really loving it.

My classes this year have a real mix of abilities. Some of the students have significant learning difficulties and many of the students got Ds and Cs for science last year. Over the years, these students have been ‘beaten down’ by getting poor marks in science. So, they came into my class the first day with a defeatist attitude and many of them were ready to be disruptive and adversarial. I know that if I was trying to deliver a lecture, these students would quickly gain my attention and my wrath. However, in an in-flipped classroom, I‘m able to spend quality time with each of my students one-on-one and have gentle, calm and caring conversations with them

Teaching micro-lessons

I spend time with every student, in every class, every day. I use an in-class flip model in my junior science classes. Students interact with the videos on their computer in class, at their own pace, then work on the questions, exercises and experiments when they are ready. I walk around the classroom teaching micro-lessons, interacting with the students, checking for understanding and encouraging them. Because students are working at their own pace and are empowered to work independently, they never seem to act out with poor behaviour. Amazingly, they get in and do the work without fuss. I used to dread teaching some classes because I knew there would be students that would act out or disengage as I was lecturing. I no longer have this fear, simply because I am not trying to teach the whole class at the same time.

Sense of dread

Proponents of flipped learning identify differentiation, relationships, active learning and student-centred learning as some of the benefits of flipped learning. I would like to add to this list another benefit that may even be more important and that is the wellbeing of teachers. It is not healthy to go to class with a sense of dread about how the students are going to behave in the lesson. I am glad to say that flipped learning has enhanced my enjoyment and decreased my anxiety in the classroom. My anxiety about trying to teach the class as a whole has been replaced with the passion and joy I experience from interacting with my students as individuals in a meaningful and authentic manner each and every lesson. That is why I became a teacher and that is only possible through flipping.

Share resources

There is still a cost to my wellbeing. That is, I spent a portion of my holidays creating the resources that would ensure that my classrooms were successful. This is a sacrifice I was willing make. However, I don’t think every teacher is … or should. So, I share the resources I made with the eight other teachers and across the 13 other Year 9 science classes. It’s my cunning plan that other teachers will see the immense benefits in flipping and share the load with resource creation in the future. At the very least, I can reuse and recycle the resources I create for many years. In addition, another benefit is that I don’t spend hours each night finding resources for the next day because I have already found them.

Longevity and fulfilment

Finally, lecturing is performing and, like most performers, I get performance anxiety. I even get anxious about whether the computer will talk to the data projector when I have 28 students waiting for me. This is no longer a problem because I have already done the performance, in the video, and now my performances are usually one on one or in small groups conducting micro lessons with engaged students who need specific guidance.

I’m passionate about helping my students be the best version of themselves possible. I do this through gentle and supportive guidance, one on one, and seeing each student as an individual, precious sole. I could not possibly do that standing at the front of the class lecturing.

I can say for me at least, that the answer to longevity and fulfilment as a teacher is the in-class flip.

I’m not trying to sell you a short cut here – it is hard work to set up and it takes effort to continually improve it. However, it definitely stops me from stressing about upcoming lessons!

Steve Griffiths is a science teacher with Education Queensland. He is a founding member of the Flipped Learning Global International Faculty and is presenting at this month’s RESCON NZ. More at resconnz.com