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Flipping the Classroom On it's Head or Off with My Own

Image Not Mine
Be careful that first step is a doozey!

 Have you ever felt like you have fallen down a rabbit hole? You followed the White Rabbit down and now you are falling, falling, falling...

Once you reach level ground, it's not quite what you expected. It's different...odd...challenging. Eventually you start to feel more comfortable. Not at home, mind you, but comfortable. It's not as scary as you initially thought. And then you meet the Red Queen and she's shouting, "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

That's how I feel about technology. I fell down into this rabbit hole of Web 2.0, social media, blogs, Twitter feeds, and digital citizenship. I am starting to get my bearings and become more confident in my own netizenship. And then the Flipped Classroom appears out of left field with it's own demands, "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD" and your free-time!

For those of you new to the flipped classroom, it is best explained by one of my favorite educational videos! (I've been waiting to share this one!)



As John Graney states, "The flipped classroom challenges learners to take control of their learning." However in order for that to happen, you as the teacher have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately that work is going to happen behind the scenes. One of my favorite teaching mentors once told me that a teacher's work happens before the student even enters the room, once they are in the room it is their time to do the work, the teacher is only the facilitator. If you have done your part well and thought of the obstacles and trouble spots, the student should be able to complete the task at hand. The flipped classroom is a lot like that. It's a lot of work upfront but the rewards are numerous.

Helaine Marshall lists three reasons to flip your classroom: Interaction, Critical Thinking, and Comprehension. Now I don't know about you but for me those are the three things I consider the most when thinking about student achievement and student engagement. I want my students to have multiple opportunities to produce language in the classroom (interaction). I want them to be thinking (critical thinking) and not just surface level, I want them to go deep. Finally, I want my students to understand English, the content, the culture, and of course the language (comprehension). The flipped classroom is just another way to meet students needs.

So while it may seem scary, new things often are, the flipped classroom is a unique and student centered way of approaching an old idea: education.
Keep Your Wits About You!
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Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 28, 2017 at 5:46 PM

    I like the reference to Groundhog Day. I can't put a link in here so enjoy this:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrYe-ezyegY

    It can all feel like a rabbit hole but you're right, flipped classrooms can help to stop the free-fall sometimes when used properly and judiciously.

    Also love the references to Alice in Wonderland. Fun fact: The father of Alice Liddell was the editor of the Liddell & Scott English-Greek Lexicon that is still in use today by Latin and Greek nerds like me.

    ReplyDelete

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