Introduction

This module in my Learning Pathway is about techniques used in a Flipped Classroom environment. The idea of a Flipped Classroom is something I have been interested in for a long time and is one of the driving factors in deciding to work towards my Master’s degree in Learning, Design, and Technology. As an art teacher, much of what we do is hands-on and in the classroom. However, it often seems like there is a constant battle with time to get everything finished. Demonstrations, and activities that do not involve creating a work of art, use up a lot of class time that would be better spent actually working on making artwork, getting ideas from watching other classmates work, working through challenges and successes, and getting feedback from myself and other classmates. The Flipped Classroom model would work well in a school that had a 1:1 tech to student ratio, and there are more and more districts out there that meet that condition. For an art classroom, the Flipped model would allow students to view demonstrations and art content at home, freeing up time in class to either begin work or clear up misconceptions. Since students would be expected to bring their tech to class with them, they could also review materials before they began working. Having a portion of the class presented online would also provide other opportunities for enrichment and engagement such as games, review work, writing prompts, or other items that would be useful for students who finish a project early or want to learn more about a topic. If set up correctly, students could also complete an introduction or review activity when they enter or leave class.

The videos and assignments below are part of a watercolor unit designed for a high school introductory art class such as an Intro to Art, Painting I, or Watercolor I. The videos demonstrate very basic watercolor techniques and assignments geared towards practicing and identifying those techniques. This unit would be beneficial as a review for students who have painted with these techniques before or as a way for students who have not painted with watercolor at all to get caught up and ready to create their own work of art using watercolor. These videos and assignments are theoretical and have not been used in an actual classroom before.

Step 1: Sample Videos

In this first video, I tried recording in Zoom using the annotation and screen capture tools. I wanted to make sure I could actually create a video that showed lines and text being added to an image before creating a finished video. This sample was only concerned with visuals so I did not record sound.

The second sample video would have been a finished part of my lesson, however, I noticed that after I wrote “Wet-on-Wet” on the page, it appeared to be backward on the screen. I stopped the video to try to figure out what had gone wrong. I checked to see if there was a setting I missed somewhere and to make sure that my camera was set up correctly. What I didn’t do was play the recording to make sure the text was actually flipped backward like a mirror image. If I would have done that, I could have saved myself a lot of time re-recording, because as you can see at the end of this video. The text was in fact written correctly. I’m still not sure why it looked like a mirror image while it was recording.

After two attempts of recording the assignment and still seeing the writing displayed as a mirror image, I decided to try and write the words backward so that they would be facing correctly on the screen. As you can see in the video, they were recorded as they were written – backward. It wasn’t until I viewed this video later that I realized the mirror image was only displayed while the video was actually recording. The finished video displayed everything correctly. For my final lesson video, I ended up editing the audio from this video over the video from the previous video.

Step 2: Flipped Classroom Lesson with Video

The first part of the lesson demonstrates some basic watercolor techniques that students would need to know in order to create their own artwork. I give a brief description of each technique and demonstrate how to create or use it. This part of the lesson is intended to be completed at home but also available during class time as a review. In the second part of the lesson, students are asked to find 8 images of watercolor paintings. Across those 8 images, they need to label at least 5 different techniques. While this may seem like an activity that should be done before part two of the lesson, I believe students will need to actually try each technique on their own so that they know what qualities to look for in a finished work. This part of the lesson is to be completed after finishing and turning in their practice paintings. It can be used to fill any time left in class after they turn in their work. If it isn’t completed in class it can be finished at home for homework.