To Flip or not to Flip the Classroom

But maybe you want to.

As a teacher and collaborating as a Resource Specialist (Special Academic Instructor), I have been a 'fly on the wall' in many teachers' rooms. I have seen it all. And I have seen a good example of a modified 'flipped' classroom, suitable to our demographic in SoCal. Many of our students don't have internet at home, but have access from the school classroom or library.

An unassuming Math 7 teacher balanced the most effective methods in her classes, and it did include a summary review of the specific lessons, coinciding well with the specific California State Standard of the moment. I occasionally also observed the use of this material (which was included in the text book program) in Math 6. The students were engaged with it because it was different than the teacher's voice, methods,  and sometimes ethnicity. If your class is predominantly one ethnicity, it is a good idea to include other 'guest' teachers for a sense of multiculturalism. And this is without making a big fuss. This media was available for the students to access through the District Website, too. 

The amount of time video is used in a class is the real point. Teaching is much more of a science than an art. A teacher can analyze the efficiency of methods for each period of the day.

• Teachers observe the efficacy of a method by observation. Are the students listening and watching the video? Have you provide a method for them to interact with the information? Do you use a graphic organizer to check off the times the video teacher mentions the same points of the lesson they just worked on in the three dimensional class? Maybe Cornell notes to compare? Kids do what you inspect, not what you expect, and physical proof of their involvement in the video lesson compels them to focus. My Math 7 teacher friend always did this.

• Teachers observe the efficacy of a method by data. Did the students effectively demonstrate comprehension through homework, quizzes, tests, and discussion? As much as we may dislike the percentage way of evaluating learning (seems so cold), achievement and grading are coming up. Does including video help this group? How about the low kids? Is this helping? How about the Special Ed. kids? Does the common auditory processing disorder make the video ineffective for them? Would a graphic organizer help? 

• Teachers observe the efficacy of a method by comparison. First we check this group's past achievement, then compare between our own class periods (this is secondary.) Asking our team teachers on the same grade level is enormously helpful. Are we teaching roughly the same method? What are the results? Can we tweek them seeing the success in our collaborator's class? Frequently, one detail can make a difference. The time spent on the activity; the tools used during the activity; the value of the activity. What does the student gain from participating in this activity? Some teachers tie focus during class to various points or rewards, etc.

  Here are some links to help with the discussion:

  1. “The Art of a Flipped Classroom” Must-See Webinar 

  http://ilearnproject.com/the-art-of-a-flipped-classroom-must-see-webinar/ 

  2.  The Flipped Classroom: Pro and Con

  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/flipped-classroom-pro-and-con-mary-beth-hertz 

  3.  The Flipped Classroom Infographic

  A new method of teaching is turning the traditional classroom on its head.

  4.  Reflecting on the Flipped Class from Student Feedback 

  http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/how-the-flipped-classroom-is-radically-transforming-learning-536.php

  5. What is the flipped classroom

  http://www.techsmith.com/flipped-classroom.html 

  Here is some input from this site:

   What are some benefits of this method?

  • Gives teachers more time to spend 1:1 helping students
  • Builds stronger student/teacher relationships
  • Offers a way for teachers to share information with other faculty, substitute teachers, students, parents, and
    the community easily
  • Produces the ability for students to “rewind” lessons and master topics
  • Creates a collaborative learning environment in the classroom