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Keys to Making a Flipped Classroom Work
posted by: Melissa | August 30, 2013, 06:25 PM   


Have you considered flipping your class this school year?  Perhaps even for a lesson or two?  Flipping has now been around long enough that we have some idea of things that do and don’t work in a flipped classroom.  If you’re going to attempt to incorporate this innovative technique at some point during this school year, consider the tips below:

 

 

  1. 1. Consider homework timing guidelines. This is something that can easily be forgotten.  It’s easy, when assigning a video for homework, to forget that your student has other classes and other assignments to do as well.  Keep the length of the video in mind and make sure that it’s both age-appropriate in content and in time spent.  Also, if you’re expecting students to do some front-end work on an assignment, consider that as well.
  2. 2. Choose content of value. Make sure that the video you’re choosing your students to view gives additional value over plainly reading the textbook.  In other words, don’t choose a video just because it’s a video rather choose the form of content most appropriate for the topic.
  3. 3. Provide students with a way to focus in on content (and you to check for understanding). Just like when readings were assigned when you were at school, students are tempted to speed through something just to get it done – or not do it at all and say they did.  Provide guided questions or graphic organizers that will help students focus on what they’re watching.  You can then collect and check for understanding.  If you want to be really savvy, you can provide these questions via a Google form and know before class even started who did the assignment and when.
  4. 4. Use groups. Especially if you’re pairing a flipped environment with proficiency-based learning groups can help you manage who is learning what and when.  You can pair students who are on the same ability level so that you can work with them all at the same time, or you can use pair students who have already shown proficiency with students who are still struggling.
  5. 5. Change the way you assess. If you’re trying a completely new way to teach content, you need to change the way you’re assessing it as well.  Flipped classrooms often have either more frequent or more open assessments, depending on the subjects.  Consider how and why you’re using flipped learning and change the way you assess your students to reflect your goals.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about flipped learning, you can read this insightful article by T.H.E Journal, this report by the Flipped Learning Network, or what has become the definitive book on flipped learning, and don’t forget, Flip Your Classroom Day is coming up next week on September 6th!

 

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