Flipping My Classroom- What does it mean and should I do it?

I have heard many benefits of a “flipped classroom” model, so I was interested in learning more about it.  I decided to do some research about what this means exactly and how this could be deployed as a technology initiative in a school.  After reading the blog entry, Flipping The Classroom...A Goldmine of Research To Keep You On Your feet, on 21 st Century Educational Technology and Learning, I have a much better understanding of a flipped classroom.

Essentially, this is an overview of a flipped classroom:

• Teachers create or find short video clips that focus on a necessary skill/strategy/lesson
• Students watch these clips at their own pace
• Students & teachers are involved in online discussions about these clips
• Class time is dedicated to interactive activities (such as Project-Based Learning)

After reading this blog entry, I have come to realize that a flipped classroom can look very different from classroom to classroom or school to school.  I like that teachers can create a blended learning environment based on the needs of their students.  The idea that it can look different depending on resources and needs makes the deployment of flipping the classroom more realistic for schools.

Some strengths I found for flipping the classroom:

• More individualized instruction
• More time for Project-Based Learning
• More time for the teacher to meet in small groups and one-on-one to best meet the needs of students
• Easy reteaching method
• Students work at their own pace
• Nourishes higher-level thinking skills
• Students are engaged
• Promotes self-evaluation

    In my research about flipping the classroom I came across Salman Khan’s video on Edutopia.  This was a wonderful resource.  One of my biggest take aways was the fact that the videos that students watch focus on skills or strategies that they learn from but some of the best learning that will happen is after the video is over and students have discussions. This emphasizes the point that flipped learning allows for Project-Based Learning.  Khan also emphasized how flipped learning lends itself well to individualized instruction.  Students can be working on skills or strategies that they need, whether it be below, on, or above grade level material.

Some techniques & tools I found to successfully deploy the flipped classroom model:

• Use resources that already available (Khan Academy or LearnZillion) 
• The blog entry, 30 Online Multimedia Resources for PBL and Flipped Classrooms  
• Follow Flipped Institute’s easy how to guide
• Use the WSQ technique for student accountability

My decision is yes, I would like to deploy the flipped classroom model.  With this model, classroom time will be available to do creative, hands-on, collaborative projects which will nourish life long learning.

“The real magic is when you let people talk to each other.” - Salman Khan