Our research found that student apathy, disengagement, and behavior issues have risen post-pandemic. Many students struggle to connect to their classmates, as well as the materials being taught, and educators need new ways to help students with social-emotional learning (SEL) topics like kindness, building friendships, and empathy. Research shows that students are more engaged in learning when they are having fun and feel connected to others. 

Here are some simple ways to use topics to prompt student creativity throughout the school year:

• Introductions - A great way to start off the school year or semester is to create an Introduction topic (assignment or activity) via Flip so students can share information about themselves and their learning goals. These topics can either be shared with the class or made privately available to the instructor(s). Educators often foster connections between students by asking them to comment on other students’ videos with supportive affirmations. This allows students to learn about one another, identify things they have in common, and start the year off feeling more connected.
• Cultural celebrations and holidays - Flip can be used throughout the school year to celebrate, commemorate, and learn about holidays or cultural celebrations like Black History Month. 
• Prompt students to share their opinions and build presentation skills – Flip provides students with ongoing opportunities to share their experiences, opinions (favorite book), or reflections any day of the year via videos vs writing. You can use Flip’s Discovery Library to find pre-made topics (created by other educators or Flip partners) or generate your own using Topic Copilot.
• End of year celebrations and reflections - Many teachers start the school year by asking students to set goals for themselves and then revisit those at the end the school year. You can also use Flip to create a time capsule, host a masked singer competition, or play a game like Would You Rather?

See your students’ learning journey more clearly on Flip - Flip can help you foster a positive classroom culture throughout the school year by celebrating your students' achievements, recognizing their efforts, and encouraging their growth. You can also provide personalized feedback to your students in a more human and supportive way via Flip video messages, emojis, or text. These practices can help you build rapport with your students, especially those who don’t feel comfortable speaking up in class or appear disengaged.

Elementary educators around the world are using Flip to build foundational skills in their young learners. Secondary educators are helping students build critical thinking, presentation and collaborative skills, and educators for high school and higher education students are using Flip to empower their students to be leaders in the modern, digital workplace. For ideas on how you can use Flip to empower your learners throughout the school year, be sure to visit our educator toolkit.  

Our research found that it's harder than ever to check-in individually with students. Larger class sizes combined with an increased focus on curriculum and testing make it challenging to know what information your students are retaining and which questions they have about the material.

Many educators use Flip at the beginning and end of their teaching units. This allows them to gauge students’ knowledge of the subject before they start a new topic and assess their comprehension after finishing up a lesson. Teachers often create Flip topics to ask students questions like:

• What do you know about this topic?
• What would you like to learn about this topic?
• What did you learn from this lesson?
• What parts of this unit were confusing?
• What questions do you still have about this topic?

These check-ins can be done privately (via a moderated topic only the educator can see) or amongst the whole class. Educators were surprised by how open students were in these topics, how easy it was to assess students’ understanding of the material, and how much they learned about their class. Through utilizing Flip, checking in becomes more inclusive because students can talk vs write. Flip helps educators hear from more students, see their impact, and tailor their teaching to meet their class’s needs.

Flip can also foster connections and increase positive communication between parents/guardians and educators. You can show off all the exciting things your students are learning including creative projects, field trips, and presentations via Flip videos or topics. Some educators use Flip for parent-teacher conferences, holiday messages, or class announcements. Flip can also be used to make career days and holiday celebrations more inclusive of parents who aren’t able to join in-person. Flip helps you engage parents/guardians in their child’s learning process and build trust without needing to do extra work.

Our research highlighted the pressure educators are under to teach the standards set by their school, district, state, and/or country. Many students missed out on key learning building blocks during the pandemic. As a result, educators are seeing higher levels of student frustration, disengagement, and refusal to complete written assignments. It’s hard to help students catch up and rebuild their confidence learning new things.

Flip makes it easier to teach students of all ages core skills and track their learning in a more inclusive way (oral vs written assessments). Flip can help you reengage your students by providing them with more variety and choice while saving you time. Flip’s Topic Copilot helps you to quickly create engaging and interactive lessons that align with your school’s curriculum and standards.

Students also enjoy using Flip for presentations because it allows them to refine their ideas while practicing their speech, focus on their content by sharing their screen, and reduce the anxiety of talking in front of the class. It also gives all students an equal chance to ask and answer follow-up questions. Flip makes class presentations more inclusive, creative, and engaging for everyone.

Educators also found that Flip helped them break learning into smaller chunks so it’s more digestible and less overwhelming for students. It’s also helpful for reflecting on your impact as an educator by watching videos of your students building new skills and tracking their progress over time. 

If you're looking for a way to make learning more fun, engaging, and inclusive, you should try Flip. After all, 85% of educators have recommended Flip to another educator, so what are you waiting for? It's free, safe, and easy to use on any device. To get started:

1. Sign up for an account
2. Create a group and invite your students
3. Post a topic (assignment or activity) and watch the magic happen

Looking for more inspiration? Connect with our amazing educator community via Facebook or Twitter for even more ideas. We can’t wait to see what happens when you Flip your classroom and start seeing your students like never before!