Flipped Classrooms

“An intentional shift of content which helps move students back to the center of learning rather than the products of schooling.”

Flipped classrooms began when Woodland Park, Colorado –based teachers Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann started using videos for students to watch at home to deliver lecture and direct instruction, while class time was spent on inquiry-based learning which would include what would traditionally be viewed as a student’s homework assignment.  So, the “lecture” and “homework” components of the class are, well – flipped.  They have since started a network of “flippers” from across the US and Canada through www.flippedclass.com, and are now starting to document their methods through a series of Professional Development segments for other teachers at www.flippedlearning.org.

Flipped classrooms actively transfer the responsibility and ownership of learning from the teacher to the students, who have control over how they learn content, the pace of their learning and how their learning is assessed.

By delivering lesson content (lectures) asynchronously, teachers can make the best possible use of face-to-face instructional time with students by engaging in learning application activities for which there is rarely adequate time in a traditional classroom.

Outside of traditional class time, students receive instruction via videos, which they can watch and re-watch at their own pace.  While in class they have access to tutoring, small group work, collaborative learning, and interactive activities which allow students to learn in different ways, at different paces, and with different supports.

See Flipped Classrooms in action: