Flipping the classroom means using Web-enabled instructional strategies that allow educators to spend class time interacting with students rather than lecturing. Most often, this involves assigning students an instructional video to watch online as homework, while problem-solving or other hands-on work occurs class time.
The
motivation behind flipping is that students can receive more one-on-one attention
from the classroom teacher if they are actively working on an assignment in
class. Proponents claim this leads to better understanding of a given lesson.
In
addition to watching videos, students (if the school has arranged a platform
ahead of time) can do practice exercises and complete assessments from any
computer with Web access. Educators can view each student’s progress in detail,
so that they are prepared to deliver individualized interventions once kids
return to class.
To
explore the concept in depth, read Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every
Class Every Day, by classroom-flipping pioneers Aaron Sams and
Jonathan Bergmann.
Benefits
of a flipped classroom include:
Students
experience less frustration. Specifically, kids can note parts of the video
that confused them, and teachers can differentiate by re-teaching those
concepts to students who need extra help.
Less
class time is spent on lecture, and more is spent on “activity learning” in the
form of collaborative work, concept mastery exercises, labs, etc.
Teachers
can spend less time grading, since kids are doing what used to be “homework” in
class, and getting instant feedback on it.
Those
who have successfully implemented a flipped classroom give rave reviews:
In a "realist’s guide to flipping the classroom",
chemistry and physics teacher Sherry Spurlock of Pekin Community High School in
Pekin, IL, noted that her students “are much more involved in what’s going on
in class than they ever have been in the past….I’m getting much more
interesting questions.”
She
added, “Flipping the classroom…takes away any places to hide. There is less
opportunity for them to just copy a friend’s homework and hand it in.”
Susan Murphy of Algonquin College, who teaches video editing,
said, “Students have told me that they feel more relaxed coming to class,
because they feel prepared to sit down and do their assignments. Students at
all levels—from very beginner to more advanced—were engaged, and attendance was
at an all-time high!”
The
practice of flipping is still too new for conclusions to be drawn regarding
effects on student achievement, but early results are promising: In Clintondale
High School near Detroit, flipping not only increased the percentage of
students passing classes, but also reduced discipline problems.
So
teachers merely have to record videos or screencasts of themselves delivering
lessons, or find a relevant video online? Well, it’s not quite that simple.
Experienced “flippers” recommend the following best practices:
Consider
whether your course subject matter lends itself to flipping; it’s noteworthy
that the most commonly flipped classes tend to focus on math, science and
technology. Murphy notes that “flipping your classroom is not a
one-size-fits-all solution. I have found that for teaching concepts, like
software, it works really well. But for more theory-based courses, there’s
still a place for [in-class] lectures.”
Allow
yourself time for experimenting with tech tools—you may need a whole summer to
prepare before you launch your first flipped lessons. Use a Learning Management System (LMS) that
allows you to distribute materials and track student progress, and allows
students to ask questions.
Buddy
up with one or more teaching partners who can help you record lessons and serve
as a sounding board for ideas.
Don’t
try to do too much at once…try flipping a few lessons and build up until you’ve
flipped one entire class. Then use lessons learned to flip other classes.
Keep
video lectures short (10-13 minutes is ideal).
Prepare
students and families for the transition to a flipped setup, and use their
feedback to refine your practices.
Form
small student groups that serve as ongoing workgroups for in-class activities.
This not only facilitates learning, but also gives kids a preview of real-world
work, where group problem-solving and project-based learning are routine.