This past week we had the World Flipped Class Open House.  Thirty flipped teachers opened their doors and allowed visitors in.  The visitors had the chance to visit with teachers about why they flipped their classes.  They had a chance to visit with students about what they thought of the flipped class.  We then took a quick survey of their first impressions.  Below is a few of their comments….

I thought it was great to see a teacher who has practiced flipping his classroom for years.  The classroom was one of the most engaging ones I have observed.  Students were working, and the teacher was able to give individual attention to students that needed it.  It was probably one of the more effective classrooms I have observed in a while.

It was an amazing experience.  He admits he has a great group of kids.  There were at least four different activities going on in the room at one time.  There were multiple small groups, but also individuals.  There may have been more than four activities, but I'm grouping the students who were working on seat work as the same thing.  I was amazed at the students.  A couple of them asked him if he had any more worksheets to help them understand the concept (THEY ACTUALLY ASKED FOR MORE WORK!!!!! TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND)  He was very organized and very flexible.  I want to try this because it seemed to work so beautifully in his class, but I also know it will take time to accomplish something like this.

My visit was to a 10 th grade algebra 2 class. The room was inviting and encouraging. It was clear community was established. The students were focused on asking questions, teaching and coaching one another. The teacher worked as a collaborator and facilitator

I really like the flipped model. I started doing a similar thing on my own this year, but felt I was missing a component I did not know how to fix. Now I know. This is the type of classroom I need for my visually impaired students. When they go to the dorm or home after school, they often make a lot of mistakes on their work and no one knows if they are not doing it right. With this model, work is done in class and I have more opportunities to make sure the students are successful and learning.

I think as a teacher there is a tremendous value in creating videos for your students. It allows for differentiation, students who are absent can see the videos, students can watch at their own pace.  I can see how this can throw teachers for a loop but if they look at the benefits for the students- its a no brainer. 

Seeing the strategy in action was refreshing and inspiring. The emphasis was on using it as a tool in the arsenal, not a be all end all. The teachers are able to use class time very efficiently to best benefit students' needs.

I really enjoyed seeing the students and their response to the Flipped approach.  They love it and they feel like they are learning using this model.  Teachers seem to be interacting with students much more than they are often able to using a traditional model.

I was really impressed with how well it was working. At first, I doubted the reality of the students actually going home and listening to the "vodcasts," since they rarely complete their regular homework, but I was wrong. They listened, then in class they completed the homework. Plus, by doing the homework with the teacher right there to answer questions, I feel you eliminate the need for coming in for extra help. The only downside I see is, for me in particular, I ask a lot of questions during lectures, and without a teacher while I'm learning, I wouldn't learn the material as well. And even if you write down the question to ask later on, the probability that you will remember what you were wondering is slim. However, you really learn by doing and that's when you need the most help, right? So, all in all I think it's a great way to teach, definitely the way of the future, and the improvement in scores at least for Ms. Duncan's class speaks for itself.

I really appreciate the focus on student learning in the flipped classroom model.  It is a way to give teachers the gift of time with students and the prep time is so much different.  I am excited about the transformation of the teacher in this model.

I was inspired by the concept and by what I saw happening in the classroom.  The students were engaged and every student I spoke to said they like the flipped approach of learning math better than traditional math.

The sign on my door saying "Teachers are not dispensers of information but mediators for learning" really has meaning now.  Thank you flipped classroom.

Students were engaged, and the teacher was free to provide one on one feedback and instruction….AMAZING!

"I thought it was fantastic and definitely a model to consider implementing!  I noticed that teachers were able to direct their time to individualize instruction.  All the students were actively engaged and all students that I talked with really liked the idea of a flip.

I would like to see some type of assessment information that shows an increase in student learning associated with the flip though.  I work in a district that values and invests in technology.  Student assessment data would make a stronger case for implementation."

 

5 thoughts on “What Educators think of the Flipped Class

  1. Yep. It's a really great model. At the elementary level, I've found it more effective to have one group of students watch a video in class while I work with another group or two.
    My rationale has to do with something you said – when watching videos at home, students are not able to ask questions or "bounce" their understanding off others. When students watch videos in class, I can insert areas for pairs of students to "stop and talk" to one another about their understanding. Lectures, whether in person or by video, need to be broken into 7-8 minute chunks and then allow for processing.
    Janet | expateducator.com

    1. Janet: Great thoughts: I have been thinking about how the flipped class works at different levels. when I was a high school science teacher it worked to flip the whole class. But now that I am working in a K-8 school and am working with my staff, I see that flipping works better in the younger grades as another teaching strategy. It isn’t an all or nothing thing, but rather another tool in the process of learning.

  2. Flipping at the elementary level can indeed be done, though it will not look like it would in high school.  In my flipped math class (5th grade) my students spend time oworking collaboratively on projects, playing math games designed to enhance skills as well as learning new skills.
    It is the "seven – ring" circus, as all of this is happening at once.  I, as a teacher am freed up to work with individual students as well as with small groups. Putting the instruction where it is needed.
    Math works differently than language arts, but the idea of targeting instruction and gaining time for individual students is still the cornerstone.

    1. As someone who kills lresehf to send her daughter to a private school because the NYC public school system is such a mess, I’d have to agree with the original Waiting for Superman documentary. No, it didn’t go into every single issue that contributes to the education problem, but focused on the elephant in the room. I think it’s crazy that teachers are tenured. Why wouldn’t they want to up their game and be recompensed for it? Why wouldn’t they even take it to a vote in DC give up tenure and be rewarded for success? I don’t have tenure at my job. I have to perform to get paid my salary. There’s no rubber room to be sent to (and I’d have too much pride to sit there and accept a salary for playing cards!). My daughter started off in the public school in our neighborhood. She had a very dedicated and capable teacher in kindergarten who recommended that she go to private school if at all possible. The kids all bright wouldn’t live up to their potential because there were too many kids in the classroom, not enough capable teachers, and not enough support at home for the students. Yes, it’s a complicated situation, but why be afraid to start taking steps???

  3. Using video in a classroom has been a real success for teachers and students alike. An extension of this has been the use of video conferencing for remote students. What I have found interesting is that recordings of classes held using video conferencing has been a real help for local teachers and their students.
    In countries like Australia, the use of video conferencing has been an important aid to long distance learning. Flipping has also been used successfully in conjunction with video conferencing, a merging of the two technologies. Teachers can 'visit' each student while other students are watching a video, or working on other subject matter. It's has been fascinating to watch how technology is making inroads into education.

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