The “Flipped School”: Should We Do It?

What is a "flipped course" or a "flipped school"?  The basic idea of a flipped course is to change the order of instruction.  In a flipped course, the student "views" the lecture at home before the class.  Then, during classtime, the students and instructor complete the homework in class.  To accomplish this requires a dramatic rethinking of the use of technology.  The teacher, the student, and the school must focus on how to integrate technology into the lessons and be open to change. 

Please watch this 7 minute video as PBS NewsHour reports on a Detroit-area school, Clintondale High School, that has abandoned the traditional classroom practices to become a “flipped school.

The video highlights several key points about the "flipped classroom".  These include:

• The Power of the Video
• Post lectures online
• Students can watch anytime / anywhere
• Rethink the Use of Technology
  • Use TedTalks -- +2 says, "I'm not all bad!"
  • Use social media tools
• Use the Classroom Time to support comprehension

Leading Universities are experimenting with this concept of "flipped classrooms". Justin Reich, a fellow at HarvardX, the Harvard's digital teaching and learning initiative that supports faculty innovation in the use of technology in teaching and research on campus, online, and beyond, and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, has been studying the flipped classroom.

As a leading researcher, Justin Reich is optimistic that the "flipped classroom" model could force schools to rethink how the precious time between teachers and students is being spent on a daily basis.  "I think we know very little about the efficacy of [the flipped classroom] so far," Reich said, adding that the teachers using these new methods should be given a few years to test what works before judgments are delivered on their merits.

References:

• How one school turned homework on its head with 'flipped' instruction, December 5, 2013, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/12/what-does-a-flipped-classroom-look-like.html
• Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion, May 2013, http://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion.html
• Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/
• Talking About Flipping with Rich Halverson, Justin Reich, Education Week, November 9, 2013, http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2013/11/talking_about_flipping_with_rich_halverson.html