Happy Thursday! Today was the last day of the week with students for me – we’re in PD tomorrow and then off on Monday for the Labor Day holiday in the US. My school year is off to a GREAT start and I hope you’re enjoying an awesome transition back to school. I’ve revamped a few things in my flipped classroom this year to help me be more present individually with my students in their learning. I. AM. LOVING this new checkpoint system that I’ve implemented. Here’s how we’re using Google Forms to gather evidence of student learning in my “in-class” flip. Get ready for an E.L.F!
First thing – I’m a sucker for a good acronym. If you read my last post on increasing collaboration in my classroom with the B.O.A.R.D. strategy, you know what I’m talking about! As I was revamping my plans for my Government classes this summer, I wanted to focus on improving two things: collaboration among my students and increasing individual discussion and feedback on learning with my students. Enter the E.L.F.
I know you’re curious by now and are ready to learn what E.L.F. stands for, right?
E.L.F. stands for “Evidence of Learning Form!” My students said the acronym should actually be “EOLF” and my response was, “oh yes, we always say we live in the USOA, don’t we?” My point was made 🙂
After two to three videos, my students complete an ELF that I share with them using Google Classroom. (The locked form option in Classroom is still super glitchy, so I don’t use it just yet). If my students get a 100% on the E.L.F. they can either move on with their videos or start an extension activity on their HyperDoc. If they get less than 100% on their E.L.F., I go to them with their results pulled up on my iPad, and we talk about what they missed. If they’re still not quite clear on what they missed, I have them re-watch the video with the specific content, then I chat with them again. Most of the time, they’ve cleared up their misconception and are ready to move on. Sometimes, I open up a drawing app on my iPad to sketch out an example or explanation. This has been FANTASTIC!
What goes on an E.L.F., you ask? Two to three questions that ask students to apply what they’ve learned – no spitting out definitions that they copy and paste from Google here!
If you come into my Government classroom, here’s what you’ll see:
–> students working asynchronously about 1/3-1/2 of the class period
–> students working on extension activities
–> students checking the XP leaderboard on Classroom
–> students creating products such as games, presentations, conversations, etc., that demonstrate learning
–> me bouncing around from student to student, answering questions, clarifying misconceptions, explaining concepts in multiple ways, while sitting on the floor, a stool, or perched on a table
–> frequent formative assessment through E.L.F. activities and whole-class review games
–> a Keurig that is almost always running because I’m a coffee-holic
The E.L.F. and B.O.A.R.D strategies are exactly what I needed to add in my classroom this year! I feel like my students are focusing on learning content, collaborating with their peers, creating, and thinking critically. I’m loving it!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Thanks for reading 🙂
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