Blog Post # 6: Flipped Learning

I find the concept of Flipped Learning very exciting.  Done correctly, flipped learning makes students more responsible for their own learning and has the potential to lead to more meaningful classroom discussions and projects.  When I was in college, the classes that I found the most successful were the ones where students came to class prepared to discuss that day's material.  In some of those classes, the professors required us to post questions or thoughts about the material on a classroom board and read other students posts.  That setup caused us to read the material, think about it, write about it, and read what others wrote.  By the time we got to class, we were prepared with our own questions and some answers to questions that had been posted.  I never considered that the same type of approach could be used in middle school classes.  But, why wouldn't it be successful?

Alan November and Brian Mull identified the top five common criticisms of flipped learning as:

• Flipped learning makes the teacher less important.
• Kids don't want to watch boring video lectures at home.
• How do we make flipped learning accessible to all students, including those who do not have access to technology at home?
• Where is the accountability?  How do we know if students are watching the videos?
• Who will make the recordings and how?

November and Mull addressed those concerns clearly and concisely.  I believe that the key to successfully implementing flipped learning is planning.  Administrators need to plan out which class or classes they should ask to kickoff flipped learning.  Teachers need to plan which concepts they want to use flipped learning for  and what resources they will give students to look at or read at home.  Teachers also need to plan for how they will assess student comprehension and whether or not students did the assignment.  Finally, teachers will need to plan what will happen in the classroom to replace lecture time and to reinforce and extend the learning that is happening at home.  

My action research is on flipped learning so I have been thinking about this topic for a few weeks now.  I have decided to start with our 6th-8th math class.  One of my concerns has been how we will make sure that all students can access the videos.  We have decided that we will download the videos to a flashdrive or dvd for students who cannot access the internet at home.  Also, the computer lab will be open after school for an hour for those students who need it.  Another concern is the videos themselves.  I was concerned about having the right equipment to produce the videos and making sure that students will find the videos interesting.  We will try to record our own lectures with the equipment and resources that we have, but we are also searching for appropriate videos online.

I cannot wait to get started.  Flipped learning has the potential to revolutionize learning in exciting ways.