I'm in my 2nd year of flipping all my math classes. I was hesitant to start, after 8 years of teaching in a traditional classroom, but after seeing the benefits I don't think I'll ever go back! Below are my top 5 reasons for LOVING the flipped classroom model... starting with #5....
5) Less Homework Frustration
In my flipped classroom, most of the practice is done in the actual classroom. This means that all the nights of my students being frustrated by difficult problems, with little support or feedback, are gone! Students are relieved of that frustration, while I'm relieved of the frustration of not knowing whether or not the work that is turned in really belongs to the student. Which brings me to #4...
4) Easy Informal Assessment
Traditional homework can NOT be used as an assessment tool for student knowledge. There are too many factors that make this unfair (and inaccurate). Did the student have a parent/tutor doing the work with them? Did they use a calculator even if the instructions said not to? Did every student have a quiet and calm environment where they could focus?? Unlikely. However in the flipped classroom, I can get an accurate assessment about where each student is at. Through observing my students work, talking with them, and having my students present their work and reasoning, I can know who is on track, who needs extension challenges, and who needs additional support.
3) Increased Engagement
In my flipped classroom, students are active and engaged 80-100% of the time (depending on the day and what is planned). Prior to flipping the classroom, there was a lot of lecture time where students were bored and disengaged. By eliminating lecture time, students are required to engage their minds in thinking activities, often combined with actual physical movement. This increased engagement actually results in MORE learning in LESS time. More on all that saved time in a minute...
2) Instant Feedback
In my traditional classroom, students would do 10-20 practice problems and not know until the following day (hopefully) if they were practicing correctly. In the flipped classroom, feedback on practice is happening at all times. When a student starts making errors, it is quickly addressed and corrected. This saves me so much time from having to break bad habits that are created through bad practice (from homework at home). I also sometimes realize that 10 minutes into student practice, they are ready for something more challenging. In a traditional homework situation, I would not have this information until the following day, and what could have been done in 1 class period, will now stretched into two. Bringing the number 1 benefit of the flipped classroom to...
1) All the Extra TIME!!!
What's the number 1 thing we wish we had as teachers? ... MORE TIME. Time with our students! Time to talk with them. See their work. Assess them appropriately. Watch them practice. Give more feedback. The flipped classroom makes all of this so much more attainable. Not only is our precious class time NOT being eaten up with lectures, but we actually gain time back because the students can get further, faster, because of all the continuous feedback and support during workshop class time!
What's your favorite thing about the flipped classroom?!
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