Something to Flip About!

I've been hearing about flipped classrooms for the past few months in my graduate classes. I glanced over this idea the first few times, but recently have grown more interested in the topic. This article got me really thinking about a flipped classroom and how it would work for me in my position. The article is an interview with a teacher who has flipped their classroom. The teacher goes through the reasons for flipping and tips for other teachers. It's a great read, so check it out!

First, a flipped classroom is a classroom where students watch/listen to presentations, lectures, videos, etc. at home. Classroom time is then used for hands-on activities, questioning, explaining, modeling, etc. Check out this infographic from Knewton:

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

I love the idea of a flipped classroom for Social Studies because so much of my classroom time could be devoted to discussion and actual real thinking. I found this list of resources that can help in the flip classroom. Ironically, I use many of them even though my classroom is currently still traditional.

So, that brings us back to my original question. Would a flipped classroom work for me? Currently, I do not think I could have a flipped classroom even though I badly wish to have one. I live in a rural community where many students do not have Internet connections and even those who do, many times do not have DSL or a fast enough provider for streaming. So for now, I'll keep dreaming!

To find out even more about this growing trend, watch the video below from Khan Academy developer Salman Khan. It is quite long, but very good.


What do you think? Can you flip?