First, I fully recognize that what I'm going to be highlighting here... is super powerful, but also take an ENORMOUS amount of time... but I think the payoff over time will also be ENORMOUS... I know teachers don't have a lot of time, are under appreciated, and typically don't get paid for the curriculum development they do. (I'll be posting in the future my thoughts on that) ... but even if you start small and slowly "flip" your classroom, it will make a big difference.
Second, what do I mean by "Flipping". What “Flipped” Means “You move the direct instruction from the group space to the individual space,” through the watch-at-home videos"(source: www.scholastic.com)
While I think this video is a bit hokey, but it does capture the idea if what flipped learning is like... Students watch the "lectures" at home, and then do hands on work in class.
Flipped Learning (1:40)
At the school I work at, Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE), This is exactly what we are being asked to do for next year... While our class schedule is unique, much of what I'm planning and looking to do, could be implemented in any school or classroom. At SVCTE we have a 2 hour AM class and a 3 Hour PM class. The plan is to make the AM class 3 hours, by "flipping" an extra hour of "home lectures". At the same time, my plan is to use that same material I create for the AM, and use it in class in the PM as independent study. This give me 2 hours every day with each class to focus on more hands on projects and group work. It will also let me have more time to spend with each individual students.
Key Benefits: Proponents of flipped learning say that the method’s secret lies not in the instructional videos, but in the extra time it gives teachers to work closely with students in their classroom. (1)
This article by Flip Your Classroom - by Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams (the Flipped Originals) is a great overview of the benefits:
- Flipping helps struggling students
- Flipping helps students of all abilities to excel
- Flipping allows students to pause and rewind their teacher (I personally think this is one of the most valuable features of this flipped learning)
- Flipping increases student–teacher interaction
- Flipping allows teachers to know their students better
- Flipping increases student–student interaction
- Flipping allows for real differentiation
- Flipping changes classroom management
- Flipping changes the way we talk to parents
- Flipping educates parents
- Flipping makes your class transparent
- Flipping is a great technique for absent teachers
- Flipping can lead to the flipped-mastery program
I'm just starting this project, but I already know it's going to be awesome. I know that many teachers will be skeptical and also feel that this will be overwhelming, but like I said, start small... flip a few lessons.
I'm going to use this flipped model 2 ways.
- I'm going to use it the way that most traditional definitions agree, by taking "lecture" lessons, where mostly I'm explaining a concept, and get these recorded. This does a few things:
- It lets me have a lesson lecture already for a student who might have missed class
- It lets me push that class time out of class, or even have it in class, but with quiet individualize learning.
- Lets me have a lecture that can have closed captions, and speaker notes all embedded with it.
- I'm going to also record other videos, that are really labs or hands on demos, where students need to follow a step by step process... but now, because it's a video, they can take their own time in class to complete it... they can rewind it, then can pause it... and BEST OF ALL, as a teacher can be walking around answering individual questions and giving more individualize help to students.
I have no illusion that this will be time consuming, and to do a good job, will probably mean recording the videos 2-3 times before they are "Goldilocks"... I'm working with a future teacher who is running a STEAM non-profit, and we (and that means mostly him) are developing a hands on class to build an 8 bit computer... and so far this "flipped" model is working out AWESOME.. more on that in a later blog post.
Dig Deeper:
This is where you can dig deeper and learn some more... most of these, are sources I have been looking as I start my "Flipping" adventure:
