Flipping the Classroom–A Next Step in Student-Centered, Inquiry Based Learning

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

Here’s an idea that is on the back burner this year. It’s an idea that I want to try, but not without some serious thought. I heard about it through Schoology, my classroom management system. Schoology has gone to the next level with the addition of teacher collaboration and public resources. As a result, I joined a Group called “The Flipped Classroom.” I’m still learning about this concept and thinking about its applications for my high school English classroom. (We are already a one-to-one school, but not all students have home Internet access.) I have already begun recording mini-lessons and sharing slide and document format resources with students in and out of class.  This seems like a natural next step, delivering lessons for individual viewing, so class-time is preserved for discussion and activity. However, I don’t think I’m ready to flip my instruction, at least not to the extent they describe above. My questions are practical: How do we reach the unmotivated learner? the learner without home Internet access? the learner with little after-school time because of job, sports, or family issues? the  game addict for whom Internet access is a lure to waste time?  I also wonder whether block scheduling with lab time for viewing followed by discussion/activity time would work better than the “watch it on your own” model.

Are there any English teachers who have tried the Flipped Classroom model out there? I’d like to hear from you.