A HOT topic right now in education is the idea of a "Flipped" or "Inverted" classroom. Here's what it is:
So... students watch lectures at home at their own pace and the "traditional" homework is done in the classroom. Proponents of the flipped classroom say that:
Ideally, the videos that the students watch at home are created by the teacher but I believe that this could be done differently. There are many resources available for teachers to use to introduce the concept. Many textbook programs have smartboard videos or online resources for every lesson. The Khan Academy or Brain Pop (see resources link) are sites that offer short videos to introduce concepts that could be used to prepare students for the next day's lessons.
The flipped classroom reminds me a bit of my Honors classes in high school or college where students were assigned reading on the topic prior to the lesson and ideas on the topic were discussed during class. Today, children seem to be more visual learners so while the videos have replaced the written text, it still appears to be the same concept. While it is probably more beneficial at the higher grade levels, I do wonder how effective it would be at the primary grades. It may be a way to incorporate parents in their child's learning at the younger levels since parents may have to help their child access the videos and would hopefully watch it with them.
There are many resources available on the Internet on the flipped classroom. An interesting site I found is: http://flippedclassroom.org/ . Check it out and see what you think!
- teachers have more 1 on 1 time helping students
- students can rewind lessons and master topics
- students get instant feedback and teachers revisit concepts that students don't understand
- creates a collaberative learning environment in the classroom because it allows the opportunity for students to ask questions and work through their problems with the teachers help and the support of their classmates.
Ideally, the videos that the students watch at home are created by the teacher but I believe that this could be done differently. There are many resources available for teachers to use to introduce the concept. Many textbook programs have smartboard videos or online resources for every lesson. The Khan Academy or Brain Pop (see resources link) are sites that offer short videos to introduce concepts that could be used to prepare students for the next day's lessons.
The flipped classroom reminds me a bit of my Honors classes in high school or college where students were assigned reading on the topic prior to the lesson and ideas on the topic were discussed during class. Today, children seem to be more visual learners so while the videos have replaced the written text, it still appears to be the same concept. While it is probably more beneficial at the higher grade levels, I do wonder how effective it would be at the primary grades. It may be a way to incorporate parents in their child's learning at the younger levels since parents may have to help their child access the videos and would hopefully watch it with them.
There are many resources available on the Internet on the flipped classroom. An interesting site I found is: http://flippedclassroom.org/ . Check it out and see what you think!