FLIPGRID is one of the coolest programs in education today! If you have not used it, stop reading this right now and go to flipgrid.com! Sign up and join the community! The program can be used on all types of devices, so anyone with access to the internet can use Flipgrid. The program gives students a voice and is truly personalized learning at its best. Microsoft recently purchased Flipgrid with a goal of making it free to educators. FREE! So, obviously with me being a huge fan of Flipgrid, I have strongly encouraged our teachers to use the program. Needless to say, they LOVE it! We use Flipgrid in various subject areas in grades 1-12 and could not imagine class without it!
Chinese and Spanish Classes: At Porter-Gaud School we teach Mandarin Chinese and Spanish to our students in grades 1-4. (Grades 1-4 are in what we call our lower school.) When students get to grade 5 (middle school), they can choose between Spanish, Chinese, Latin or French with the plan to stay in that language throughout their high school years. The goals of teaching a foreign language in lower school are in accordance with the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL). A main goal is to meet the novice low to novice mid levels. This means students will be able to recognize and present basic information using single words and memorized phrases. Students will communicate on very familiar topics using phrases that they have practiced and memorized. The students are also introduced to Chinese and Spanish culture and art. Chinese and Spanish in lower school are designed to introduce and expose the students to the languages in a way that prepares them to take a foreign language in middle school.
How Flipgrid makes a difference: Teaching a foreign language to students who range from ages 6-9 can be challenging! Knowing how to engage the students while promoting a culture of respect and foster a love of learning is what Porter-Gaud teachers Teresa Rice and Yingxian Wu have mastered! These amazing teachers recognize that the students are growing up in a multicultural world and they want them to be introduced to the languages that are part of the globalized society. So, how do they reach every student? How do they give every student a voice? How do they build confidence? The answer to all of those questions is Flipgrid! The language teachers will use Flipgrid to introduce topics, to reinforce vocabulary, to communicate with other collaboratively, and more! Flipgrid is a part of just about every aspect of their classes!
What the teachers LOVE about Flipgrid:
- Flipgrid allows every student to participate in class. There are some students who participate more than others. Some students are nervous or shy. This program gives everyone the chance to answer questions without fighting for attention or trying to worry about participation points. It is that quintessential class questioning technique.
- Flipgrid builds confidence with speaking a language aloud. Students hear themselves and others speaking the language, which helps them become better speakers of the language. Some students are nervous to speak aloud or afraid they may make mistakes. With this program students can record and re-record posts.
- Flipgrid can be used for oral assessments as a whole group instead of one at a time. Students can record their speaking part and the teacher can respond privately to each individual student. No longer does it need to be one-to-one with the teacher listening to the student. It is a huge timesaver!
- Flipgrid allows for collaboration within the class. Students can comment on and respond to other posts. There is an oral and written component to the commenting. The teacher sets the parameters and the students can easily collaborate with one another.
- Flipgrid allows for collaboration outside of the classroom. Students can “chat” by sharing posts with students in other classes, other grades, other schools, other states, and even other countries! Time zones and schedules are no longer a factor!
- It makes learning the language exciting! The kids can add emojis and decorate their postings. They absolutely love Flipgrid!
So, as I said before, if you have not tried Flipgrid, please do! It will change how you teach and how the students learn! Here are a couple resources from the Flipgrid site:
I will be posting more about Flipgrid and how we use it in different grades and different subject areas. Until then- love what you do and do what you love!
Peace Out,
Julie