Welcome back to the Learn and Earn and thank you for letting me take that brief hiatus. Today's topic is one that you may have heard of, but may not know much about. We're talking about "flipping" your classroom. This idea has been around for a few years, and now it's really starting to get a lot of attention thanks to things like the Khan Academy.
The basic idea behind a flipped classroom is that by swapping what often traditionally happens (lecture) in the classroom with what traditionally happens as home (homework, projects, etc.), teachers can improve student learning, engagement, and increase the rigor in their classrooms and at the same time, save time. Let's start with a quick (2 minutes) introduction:
Sure, there's a little technology involved, but if you have a white board in your classroom and a laptop with a camera (which you do), you could get started flipping your classroom right away. (Not to mention that you also have an instructional technology coach (me) who would help you get started.) But, first, let's learn a bit more about it.
The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation offers several short videos on the topic. There are two short videos embeded on this page. Watch them to build your background knowledge about this topic. NOTE: One of the things I like is how these two teachers use minimal technology to achieve the "flip." Sure you can get fancier, but their approach of one-take videos and use of a white board makes it much more accessible.
What do you think? What questions does this raise for you? Do you see application for your classroom? Why or why not? Interested in some extra credit? Then, why not give it a try yourself? Like I said, I'd be happy to help you get started. Just let me know!
