Prompt: Students were asked to design a flipped lesson and then write a blog post that showcases their flipped lesson and reaction to designing it.
I think that the flipped lesson has a variety of benefits for teaching students. This concept is becoming more and more feasible as technology develops. The beauty of the flipped lesson is that it allows time in classrooms to achieve higher levels of learning with teacher scaffolding. In normal classrooms, teachers instruct in class and then homework is often students’ only opportunity to apply their knowledge and achieve higher learning. In this system, the teacher is not there to scaffold or assist with higher level learning, nor can students collaborate with their classmates. Nor is it guaranteed that students complete their homework, thus falling further and further behind in higher learning.
However, my concern with the flipped classroom is this same thing. What is to guarantee that students perform the task before they get to class? Those students who normally don’t complete their homework or don’t have time will most likely not watch the assigned video or do the assigned reading either. However, I am not sure if there is anyway to fix this problem. No matter what we assign as homework, there is no guarantee that students will complete the assignment.
On the other hand, teachers in the flipped classroom can become a greater source of knowledge and help in the classroom.There is a wide range of resources that teachers can use to instruct their students in their flipped lesson. They can find educational videos, visuals, and put readings online. Students can then come up with their questions and begin to think and reflect about the instruction before they come to class.
I made a flipped lesson using TEDEd. Check it out! Election of 1964
Photo: Cecil Stoughton, White House Press Office (WHPO)
July 2, 1964