Flipping the classroom

A flipped classroom is an approach to teaching in which the classwork and the homework are reversed.  The teacher assigns short video lectures for the students to view at home before class.  The lectures can be found either online, created by the teacher or both.  This does require the students to own their own device which can be a problem.  The students become familiar with the material and come up with questions to ask once they get into the classroom.  When the students come back into the classroom the teacher can help them apply their new knowledge and answer any questions they may have.  This creates a flexible environment for the students because they can catch up or work at their own pace.  When the student is out sick they can still access the assignment for that day.    This creates a new learning culture which helps the students succeed.  Any class can be flipped no matter what the subject is.  Some teachers are trying a faux flipped classroom.  The students will all view the lessons on their own device in the classroom so that they do not have to worry about having internet access.  This also gives the teacher a chance to make sure they all stay on task.  The students can ask the teacher questions if they need to and it becomes more fun for them.  The students do not look at it as work.  They have more ownership over their work because they are looking things up and learning on their own.  The students will use their own resources to find answers to questions before going to the teacher for help.  This will help the students learn how to be independent.  Students are able to work at their own pace, go back over a lesson or research the work until they understand it.  The teacher can help the students stay on task and give them more of they are going fast or give them less if they need more time on one assignment.  Some different apps the teacher can use to help to flip the classroom are Go Class, Edpuzzle, and Blendspace.  This has been tested out in many classrooms and maybe one day all classrooms will be flipped.