The flipped classroom has been gaining popularity in K-12 education for some time now. It’s a pretty radical approach to teaching and learning as it completely disrupts the structure of the conventional classroom. Historically, teachers are placed on center stage. They lecture to the class on a particular topic. Students might ask questions or answer them, but knowledge is garnered through listening to the teacher, taking notes and absorbing the information from a lesson.
In a flipped classroom, the learning process has an active and participatory component. Students do not listen to a teacher lecture during class. Instead, they consume the information for the actual lesson on their own rather than as a group. This is often achieved by the teacher creating short video lessons and posting them online for students to view, but it doesn’t have to be done this way. Video is just one option. Class time is used for discussion and for engaging in activities based on the content of the lesson that promote deep, critical thinking.
Flipped learning is not for everyone. It takes a firm commitment from the teacher, especially during the first year, as they create content and navigate their changing classroom. Like all things, flipped learning has its pros and cons so it’s important to be informed before deciding if this approach is right for you. Here are a few key things to keep in mind.
It’s Not About the Videos
The video aspect of flipped learning gets a lot of hype, but really it’s just one small part of the process. What happens in the classroom is far more important.
“The video just builds a foundation,” says Todd Nesloney, a former 5th grade teacher who is now principal at Navasota Intermediate in Navasota, Texas. “In class we’re able to dive deeper by having students do something very hands on and creation-based where they are learning through doing and through conversation instead of me lecturing.”
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