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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

#FlipClass Experiment Series - Flip What?

As I've been writing a few posts about flipping my Algebra I class, it occurred to me that some in my audience might be a little lost on what a flipped classroom actually is, so let's break this down.  In a flipped class, students use classroom time to complete what used to be homework and time outside of class to receive instruction in the form of what used to be a classroom lecture.  The passive stuff, like lectures, are completed independently at home while classroom time is devoted to more active tasks like project-based learning, practice assignments, group work, etc.
My classroom operates in the following format:

  • Lectures are delivered in the form of streaming videos that I link to from a couple of sources.  I use a mix of videos from Khan Academy and my own screencast recordings explaining different concepts.  Students are expected to view these videos either at home or outside of our regular meeting times, and they are responsible for the content presented in much the way students are responsible for reading material from a text.
  • We start each Quarter with all assignments for the Quarter up front (see image below), and students can work through the material and assignments at their pace (with deadlines).  Assignments vary from completion of Khan Academy modules to paper and pencil assignments to collaborative problem solving activities to larger scale, long-term projects to Chapter Tests.

  • Class time is used predominantly for working through assignments while leaving loads of time for one-on-one help where students get stuck.  On any given day in my classroom, I may have students working on various Khan Academy Modules with a few taking their Chapter Test while another group is working on a project together in the corner.  It can seem chaotic at times, but you can feel the learning happening.

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