Flipped Classrooms
There appears to be more and more energy behind the idea of “flipping” classrooms–using student time at home to receive “lecture content” and time in class to do the “homework”, collectively solve problems, participate in hands-on activities and/or applications of the material.
This seems to make great sense. Studies have shown that with traditional homework, students who don’t fully understand the material “practice” incorrect skills, which adds additional time to unlearn and relearn. Also, receiving a “one size fits all” lecture in class is often not the best use of time that could be more individualized, collaborative and interactive.
Here are some excellent videos by some of the pioneers of this technique:
http://mast.unco.edu/programs/vodcasting/
But flipping the classroom also requires us to flip some other things, such as how lessons are conceived and delivered; how technology plays a role in and out of school; and how organize classrooms to foster participatory learning rather than a lecture model.
What do you think? Do you think this type of instruction could be beneficial in your school? Have you tried it? How can we help?
Tags: Flipped classrooms, Individualized learning
This entry was posted on Friday, April 22nd, 2011 at 9:29 am and is filed under 21st century learning, Collaborative learning, Video, Web 2.0. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
9 Responses to “Flipped Classrooms”
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I am glad to field any questions about the flipped classroom. I am one of the pioneers Joel mentioned and am in the videos on the site. Also: Aaron Sams and I have recently completed a book about the flipped class and it should be available in the fall of 2011. ISTE (http://iste.org) will be publishing it.
We also have a conference this summer June 16-18, 2011 if you want to learn from the best flippers in the USA. http://vodcasting.ning.com/events/the-flipped-class-conference
We have a NING for interested folks who want to discuss the flip: http://vodcasting.ning.com. Over 800 educators are actively talking about the flip on the NING.
Lastly: the twitter hashtag for discussing the flipped classroom is #flipclass
Thanks Jonathan!
This is my first year of flipping in middle school math. It has been challenging as well as rewarding. I am convinced it is a superior method and works very well if (and that is a big if) the learners do it “right.” Doing it right mean they they:
* Diligently watch the videos, take notes, and try to learn from them
* Come to class prepared to ask questions and get clarifications
* Use class time wisely to accomplish objectives and learn
* Seek help when they are not making progress
* Actively work through the curriculum with a plan and a schedule
Many middle schoolers depend completely on others for their learning and expect to sit in class and “be taught.” Who can blame them after so many years of being indoctrinated into this way of learning?
It’s been a struggle with kids and parents but it has gotten better as the year has progressed. I have made a lot of mistakes, as will always be the case when delving into something new, but I have learned from them (mostly) and have a system that works — if only the kids would do their part (which many are unwilling to do).
If the flipped class model is implemented on a wider basis and kids learn to be more self-directed at an earlier age, I believe it will have a profound effect on educational outcomes and the future in general.
Philip: Thanks for the feedback – excellent.
I have completely flipped my AP Bio class and have created numerous mini video lessons for my 7th graders. In my mind, this is certainly the direction we need to go and will be successful when we do. I think the key is patience and persistence. At first I got real resistance and not a lot of the students were not watching all of the online videos. I still did not lecture but the kids did not do any worse and now they are starting to do better and many have adopted other forms of video as well such as Kahn, sparknotes, and hippocampus. The beauty of this system is that it makes students accountable, provides choice, and offers more teacher support. Some students don’t like being held more accountable, but they will come around.
Thanks Ian!
I think about my own AP Biology class — where the instructor stood in front of the classroom and read straight from the textbook every single day while we sat and followed along in our own textbooks. Needless to say, I remember nothing from the class except that fact. This is pretty exciting stuff!
Here is David Truss’ take on flipped classrooms:
http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/three-keys-to-a-flipped-classroom/
Check it out!
This is a great idea in an ideal world. I have kids without internet and/or without the home environment to make “homework” possible. I had a kid one year who lived in his car in the woods the last semester of his senior year. The flipped classroom has some insurmountable obstacles. If suddenly the kid has three teachers requiring home viewing of lectures on a single night there will be time issues, especially if the kid has a basketball game that night. Is the flipped classroom a viable approach? For sure, but only if a lot of variables come together at once.