Florence 1 Schools’ Remote PD Plan // Download The Full Story

A student completes an assignment on his personal learning device. A student completes an assignment on his personal learning device.

Download the latest Professional Development Success Story to learn how Florence 1 Schools applied the flipped classroom model to remote PD. 

How The Flipped Classroom Model Helped Florence 1 Schools’ Teachers Adopt EdTech

Over the last two years, Florence 1 Schools has worked with a SMART Professional Development (PD) Specialist to provide SMART Board interactive display and Lumio PD opportunities to teachers. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, PD sessions took place at each school, face-to-face. The sudden onset of remote learning due to the pandemic brought with it a sense of PD urgency so that teachers could use SMART tools most effectively with their remote students.

With more than 650 elementary teachers districtwide and only one SMART PD Specialist, Florence 1 had to get creative.

As educators, we know that one way to implement blended learning is by using the flipped classroom model, in which students complete learning assignments at home and apply that new learning during class the next day.

Leaders at Florence 1 Schools asked:

What Would Happen If We Applied The Flipped Model To Smart PD For All 13 Elementary Schools, Remotely?

Florence 1’s technology leaders and SMART’s PD Specialist created a new training program to answer that question.

This program included:
  • a ‘flipped session’ video recorded by the PD Specialist,
  • a reflection survey completed by teachers after viewing the flipped session, and
  • a small group ‘live session’ that allowed teachers to try out the technology with live support from the PD Specialist.
 

The program was a success, with approximately 80% of teachers completing the flipped session and survey, a 99% teacher satisfaction rating, and a “just as effective” or “more effective than face-to-face PD” rating by the majority of school-based technology leaders.