What is it?
Flipped learning, also referred to as reverse instruction, flip teaching, backwards classroom and reverse teaching, is a bIssasic teaching concept that uses any form of internet technology to modify and adjust the learning level in the classroom.
Why?
Flipped learning is mainly used so that there is more interaction time between students and teachers, rather than formal lectures. The traditional type of classroom environment includes teaching a lesson through lecture, assigning homework and worksheets, and expecting the students to finish these assignments using the knowledge that was just learned, rather than applying practical work.
A Brief History
A man named Eric Mazur is the earliest known person to implement this type of learning style in 1990. As a Harvard graduate, he had learned that using technology based lessons helped him to teach the lesson WHILE helping the students...coaching rather than instructing. Soon after, the idea skyrocketed throughout classrooms nationwide.
After gathering information and formulating an opinion on flipped learning, I had to ask myself...what about the students who don't have access to technology at home? What about all of the lower SES households? They just miss out on the videos (or whatever technology has been assigned to watch) ? After some more careful research I've found that this issue has already been taken care of in a variety of ways. First and foremost, the class is questioned about what they have at home to use technologically. If a student does not have access to a computer at home, the teachers usually burn the video onto a DVD and send that home with the student. Most students had DVD players in their homes, and the very few who didn't got one from the teacher. Another way to help students who may not have access at home was introduced through the schools themselves, where the computer labs have been allowed to stay open past school hours just for this particular reason.
Another question I had to ask myself was "Is this serious? Flipped learning is all about students watching videos at home and then just doing worksheets in class?" Well, I found that I was wrong. In fact, flipped learning classrooms are more like learning workshops than classrooms. They may even seem chaotic to an onlooker because all of the different conversations being held between peers and coaching done by the teachers. Class time is designated to form around the students' learning needs.
Of course, since I am not 100% on board with using so much technology in the classroom I still had more questions. I understood the definition of flipped learning, but I wasn't quite sure on what EXACTLY happened in the classroom. I found an example of a lesson plan using flipped learning, and it went as follows:
1) Students prepare for the class by listening/watching a video or other technological resource.
2) After watching, the students are asked to organize their questions and information that they've learned.
3) Students then log on to some type of social network for the classroom and post their questions, concerns, and thoughts about the subject material that will be shared with the whole classroom.
4) The professor sorts through these questions and ideas prior to class, and uses them as discussions, activities, assignments, and worksheets during the class time.
5) The role of the professor is to give questions or concerns about the content, and then to listen and guide the students as they figure it out with the aid of peers, working as a mini-group.
After reading this, it made a lot more sense. In all honesty, flipped learning doesn't have much to do with JUST technology, it's a completely new approach to teaching.
Personally, being an early childhood education major, I won't be using flipped learning often in my classroom, but I will certainly implement the idea into a few of my lesson plans. I will of course switch a few things up, such as, rather than the students watching the video at home, it will be a very short video watched during class, as a class, and then continue the remaining steps from there. (Using materials and resources that are acceptable for young children.) I've found a few more sources that have more information if interested in further education on the subject matter.
This video explains a lot of what I've already mentioned...but, I added it for all of you visual/hearing learners!!
Resources
No comments:
Post a Comment