This entry showcases an innovation I have applied this semester to one of my Senior classes. My student's use of their laptops made this innovation possible.
I first came across the idea of the flipped classroom at the end of August this year; I even tweeted about my intentions:
The link I posted above is to an infographic which neatly summarises what the flipped classroom is all about.
That was me, at the top on the left with the bowl cut and the neat-freak outfit; the Sage on the Stage. Accounting is that kind of subject where concepts, principles and rules dominate. Often these are repeated and readdressed each topic. I would diligently and tediously go through these with my PowerPoint presentations. Days would go by and we still hadn't covered enough of the new work to get to the application, analysis, evaluating and creating end of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy. We were still concerned with remembering and understanding.
By the time we started applying the higher order thinking skills it was time for the exam. For this reason, the concept of the flipped classroom was very appealing.
The roll out of the 1:1 laptops at my school has made it possible for me to restructure my lessons. They each have their own laptop they bring to school and take home each day; we use them extensively in class. Coupled with this has been the implementation of our Learning Management System (LMS) - Moodle. I have been able to load on the LMS:
Each week I post the week's Activities which include a combination of those listed above. The students take on the responsibility to work through these and check their worked exercises against the solutions. Next, I plan to start them on a vlog, one they can keep on their phones. They are to record a reflection on their understanding - to think about their thinking; that is, become metacognitive. They will need to come back into the classroom, share their progress and ask a predetermined question to clarify their understanding. Previously, I would laboriously mark their homework, then in whatever time was left, progress to the next step. Now the lesson will commence with their reflection followed by either teacher or peer-led conferencing to clarify understanding.
What this has meant for us in the classroom is that I still go over the concepts, principles and rules but now it is in the context of the practical work where I am engaged in modelling the process and the students are engaged in doing. Students are also mentoring one another, they work collaboratively and I have more time to apply group work which includes them working together on the numerous whiteboards around the room. Once, I would have some students who would not have checked the LMS for days; most now visit almost daily. A good number of students are actively engaged in their own learning, they are taking responsibility for this and the variety of activities engage a variety of different learning styles.
In one of his TED talks, Salman Khan notes that flipping humanises the classroom. In this talk he recounts how Khan Academy first came about. He started tutoring his nephews in Maths and thought it might be convenient to video his explanations and load them on to YouTube so they could watch them. He points out that his nephews preferred the videoed tutorials to the live ones. They could stop their uncle, replay, listen over and over without feeling like they were wasting his time. This is another benefit of having such resources available online to students. Their access to these resources through their laptops has meant that each student can personalise his learning experience at home to cater for his needs.
I do not believe this approach is the answer to engagement and development of higher-order thinking skills. I do think, however, it plays a part in moving us in that direction. As a learner, I often need exposure to new concepts from a variety of sources before I feel I understand. Flipping allows me to expose my students to that variety, at home. Then, in the classroom, we can start to use that knowledge.
What experience have you had in flipping your classroom?
I first came across the idea of the flipped classroom at the end of August this year; I even tweeted about my intentions:
The link I posted above is to an infographic which neatly summarises what the flipped classroom is all about.
That was me, at the top on the left with the bowl cut and the neat-freak outfit; the Sage on the Stage. Accounting is that kind of subject where concepts, principles and rules dominate. Often these are repeated and readdressed each topic. I would diligently and tediously go through these with my PowerPoint presentations. Days would go by and we still hadn't covered enough of the new work to get to the application, analysis, evaluating and creating end of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy. We were still concerned with remembering and understanding.
 |
| Bloom's Revised Taxonomy |
By the time we started applying the higher order thinking skills it was time for the exam. For this reason, the concept of the flipped classroom was very appealing.
The roll out of the 1:1 laptops at my school has made it possible for me to restructure my lessons. They each have their own laptop they bring to school and take home each day; we use them extensively in class. Coupled with this has been the implementation of our Learning Management System (LMS) - Moodle. I have been able to load on the LMS:
- those PowerPoints;
- relevant YouTube clips,
- videos I have made of myself working through my PowerPoint presentations and eventually through the process of practical application; and
- worked solutions of both theory and practical work.
Each week I post the week's Activities which include a combination of those listed above. The students take on the responsibility to work through these and check their worked exercises against the solutions. Next, I plan to start them on a vlog, one they can keep on their phones. They are to record a reflection on their understanding - to think about their thinking; that is, become metacognitive. They will need to come back into the classroom, share their progress and ask a predetermined question to clarify their understanding. Previously, I would laboriously mark their homework, then in whatever time was left, progress to the next step. Now the lesson will commence with their reflection followed by either teacher or peer-led conferencing to clarify understanding.
What this has meant for us in the classroom is that I still go over the concepts, principles and rules but now it is in the context of the practical work where I am engaged in modelling the process and the students are engaged in doing. Students are also mentoring one another, they work collaboratively and I have more time to apply group work which includes them working together on the numerous whiteboards around the room. Once, I would have some students who would not have checked the LMS for days; most now visit almost daily. A good number of students are actively engaged in their own learning, they are taking responsibility for this and the variety of activities engage a variety of different learning styles.
In one of his TED talks, Salman Khan notes that flipping humanises the classroom. In this talk he recounts how Khan Academy first came about. He started tutoring his nephews in Maths and thought it might be convenient to video his explanations and load them on to YouTube so they could watch them. He points out that his nephews preferred the videoed tutorials to the live ones. They could stop their uncle, replay, listen over and over without feeling like they were wasting his time. This is another benefit of having such resources available online to students. Their access to these resources through their laptops has meant that each student can personalise his learning experience at home to cater for his needs.
I do not believe this approach is the answer to engagement and development of higher-order thinking skills. I do think, however, it plays a part in moving us in that direction. As a learner, I often need exposure to new concepts from a variety of sources before I feel I understand. Flipping allows me to expose my students to that variety, at home. Then, in the classroom, we can start to use that knowledge.
What experience have you had in flipping your classroom?
