For the past two years, I have been instructing my students in a flipped classroom. "The flipped classroom inverts traditional teaching methods, delivering online instruction outside of the class and moves "homework" inside of the class" (Edudemic). The standard format that has been used to instruct students for the past 150 years is finally changing. Technology has enabled teachers to move where lecture takes place as well as where homework is conducted. Parents have always complained about having to help their child with homework, especially when the parents do not feel equipped to help their child. The manner in which math is done is very different today than it was even 10 years ago. With the flipped model, students watch a short instructional video (this can be made by the teacher, but it does not have to be), take some notes, and then return to class with foundational knowledge that will aide in discussion and time for application (homework). I have developed a routine with my students that allows me to cover more material at a deeper level with better retention. It is critical to note, though, that this process did not occur over night. I have been working on this for going on two years. The first 15 weeks was excruciating. The students did not trust the format, and therefore were reluctant to engage with it. Once they realized (as I did) that this is the way education should be done, they began to achieve in ways I had not even begun to imaging.
I have found that combining the flipped model with Project Based Instruction (PBL), my students ability to retain the information went up exponentially. My students became creators and designers, thus adding the wow factor to every single unit we covered. The pace we move at is rather daunting, as the students will tell you, but they are so thankful for the high expectations in the end. Last year's students have asked if they could come back to talk to this year's students to tell them how much they benefited from the flipped classroom. They each said that the pace was intense, but it taught them time management and the importance of representing their ideas in a meaningful way.
I teach 7th and 8th grade social studies and reading and language arts. I teach 7th and 8th grade separately (thank goodness), and I try to combine social studies and RLA as much as possible. Each unit that we cover is approximately two weeks long. I give one week for mastering the content and planning out how to best represent the content. The second week is all application. The great part about the second week is that the students are still focused on the material, but they are seeing how all of the pieces fit together to form a mastery of understanding. The students research, watch videos, e-mail professionals, write papers, collaborate with one another, and I am their "guide on the side". I have the privilege of pointing the students in the right direction, giving them the nudge they need to get into the content and explore, and finally being amazed at the work that they have done. In the following posts, I will introduce you to many of the amazing tools that I have found so helpful in the flipped classroom as well as in the development of the projects that the students create.
I have found that combining the flipped model with Project Based Instruction (PBL), my students ability to retain the information went up exponentially. My students became creators and designers, thus adding the wow factor to every single unit we covered. The pace we move at is rather daunting, as the students will tell you, but they are so thankful for the high expectations in the end. Last year's students have asked if they could come back to talk to this year's students to tell them how much they benefited from the flipped classroom. They each said that the pace was intense, but it taught them time management and the importance of representing their ideas in a meaningful way.
I teach 7th and 8th grade social studies and reading and language arts. I teach 7th and 8th grade separately (thank goodness), and I try to combine social studies and RLA as much as possible. Each unit that we cover is approximately two weeks long. I give one week for mastering the content and planning out how to best represent the content. The second week is all application. The great part about the second week is that the students are still focused on the material, but they are seeing how all of the pieces fit together to form a mastery of understanding. The students research, watch videos, e-mail professionals, write papers, collaborate with one another, and I am their "guide on the side". I have the privilege of pointing the students in the right direction, giving them the nudge they need to get into the content and explore, and finally being amazed at the work that they have done. In the following posts, I will introduce you to many of the amazing tools that I have found so helpful in the flipped classroom as well as in the development of the projects that the students create.
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