Article Review: An Interview with Flipping Teachers…

Article:

FLIPPING THE CLASSROOM. (2011). Educational Horizons, 90(2), 5-7.

NETS Standards Addressed:

NETS-T:

2) Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

3c) Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.

4) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

NETS-S:

2) Communication and Collaboration – Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

3) Research and Information Fluency – Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

5b) Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

6) Technology Operations and Concepts

Response to Article:

Until I started reading some of the article reviews from my classmates, I had no idea what a “flipped” classroom was. At least, I had never heard the term. Most college-level classes have at least some component of being flipped, with many online resources that contribute to the work that will be done in class during the next face-to-face session. I can certainly see the practicality of using this method with middle and high school students as well. In middle and high school classes, teachers generally have but an hour or so to facilitate lessons and provide support for students who are struggling with a concept. With class sizes in middle school pushing 40 students, teachers are being forced to maximize their time with students in unique ways. Although this type of teaching may not have previously been prevalent prior to university classrooms, it is one method that we are more likely to be seeing at lower levels in the near future.

One piece of advice that will stick with me the most from this article is the idea to flip just one unit that is already developed. My students have recently started blogging in the classroom and I see no reason why I couldn’t use the blog to post instructional videos that the students need to watch at home. The difficulty will be making sure all students have equal access to the internet at home, or are able to use the public library to watch videos. I know that I do have at least one student without internet access at home and will need to keep his access in mind as I am setting requirements for viewing any videos I post. While he would certainly be able to use the public library, I need to clarify with his parents just how feasible it is for him to be able to view these videos on a regular basis.

The main benefit I see to this type of learning in my own classroom is that, with a blended class, time is already divided between groups of students learning at different levels – normal for most classrooms today. However, when scaffolding an already blended classroom, the range of abilities is going to vary greatly. If I can utilize some of the time in the classroom to work with students who are struggling, rather than on facilitating content delivery, my time will be much more effective in the classroom. Additionally, with the traditional model of learning, if parents are unfamiliar with a concept or topic – which happens most often with math instruction, thus I would envision using this method with math for both math groups – they are pretty much out of luck as far as helping their children with homework is concerned. However, in using a flipped model, students and parents can watch videos together, allowing parents (hopefully) a better opportunity to assist their children when needed. While most of the “homework” will be done in class, if questions arise, parents have the same tools as students to be able to seek assistance.