Flipping the Classroom

As researched continued I adjusted my topic from using self-directed learning in the flipped classroom to flipping the classroom and using the teacher website.  The self-directed learning theory did not work well with the flipped classroom model, so I decided to add depth to my research on the flipped classroom.  The research on this subject is what I called a social analysis because to this point there is no formal research on the effectiveness of the flipped model or the methods that have proved most effective. That is not to say that there is not a large amount of strong anecdotal evidence from schools and teachers demonstrating great learning gains, improved test results and an overall improved school/classroom atmospheres. 

But before I wrote this paper I really didn’t know what the flipped classroom was, and I don’t expect any of my classmates to have a great understanding either.  In short, students will learn content before they come to class and class time is used to strengthen understanding, analysis, and application.  According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, pre-class learning involves low-level cognitive work while class time focuses on high-level cognitive work.  Rather than reading a chapter in the textbook, teachers are posting 10-15 lecture videos that they create and post to their teacher website for students (and parents) to view at home before class.   Even teachers trying this for the first time claim that any adaptations they had to make were well worth it as class was more enjoyable for both teachers and students.  One survey of 453 teachers who used the flipped model found that 99% of them planned to continue using the flipped model the following school year. 

Looking to become a high school social studies teacher I am looking for a way to maximize my time in the classroom.  Critical thinking skills and primary source analysis skills are going to be essential for my students’ success, and in this model my class time can be used to build those skills through independent and/or collaborative learning exercises that I am able to guide.  This is different from assigning homework assignments and projects that students may struggle with without their teacher’s support. I fully intend on using this model and creating my own teacher website in my future classroom, maybe even giving it a try during student teaching.