Let's Flip It!

      Do you ever leave school for the day and think "I meant to check back in with Matthew to see if he understood", "There are too many of them and only one of me!", or "Did they understand the lesson from today?". If you have, you are not alone! I oftentimes feel like I only was able to catch a snapshot of what my students took away from the lesson. I feel as though the class periods are not long enough for me to effectively help my students if I just had more time! I leave school worrying about students who I know struggle and if they have the help at home to get through their homework alright. On the other hand, I think to myself did I push my advanced students to their full potential? Being a teacher for 30 students makes it hard to meet all of their learning needs, every single class period. If I could just clone myself I could help them more!
      Many teachers who feel this way are practicing traditional teaching methods in their classrooms. Students receive a lesson of new material in class, have a little bit to practice in class, complete their homework, and return the next day to evaluate how they did. While this method is not wrong, is it the best method for ourselves as teachers and our students' achievements? "Lord and Camacho, in reporting on a survey of teaching-oriented engineering faculty (those who were attending an engineering education conference), found that while only 36% of respondents think tradition lecture is a good teaching approach, 60% of them still teach that way" (Love, Hodge, and Grandgenett, & Swift, 2013). A flipped classroom provides the lesson material virtually, through videos created by teachers, for the students to learn prior to them coming to class. Upon arriving, students are able to practice the newly learned material with the help of their teacher and peers during the application process. Through collaboration, peers reflect their understandings off of each other, allowing the teacher more time to help more students. Since students are also completing work prior to coming to class, teachers are able to identify misunderstandings before students even come to class, allowing them to address it a lot sooner (Brame, 2013). Students who are struggling have more time for support in class and students who are more advanced have the time for enrichment concepts. The learning experience is personalized to all students and the teacher has more time to effectively reach all of their students. While the concept may be new, isn't it worth a try?

Share your experiences with a flipped classroom below!

("The Flipped Classroom Model", 2015)

Resources

Brame, C. (2013). Flipping the Classroom. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/

Love, B., Hodge, A., Grandgenett, N., & Swift, A. W. (2013). Student learning and perceptions in a flipped linear algebra course. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 45(3), 317-324. doi:10.1080/0020739x.2013.822582

The Flipped Classroom Model from Sprouts. (2015, September 28). Retrieved June 16, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdKzSq_t8k8