The Flipped Classroom
Wikipedia defines the flipped classroom as: "an instructional methodology and a type of blended learning that delivers instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom and moves activities, including those that may have traditionally been considered homework, into the classroom. In a flipped classroom model, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home and engage in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of the instructor." The idea of this resonates for me as I think about the idea of student engagement. So many students today are "checking out" as a result of having a lack of interest in the subject matter. The Net Generation (as Tony Wagner calls today's students) have so many demands on their attention (for better or worse) that they are no longer learning in the traditional ways of the past. Students are constantly surfing the internet, texting, listening to music, and studying all at the same time. By "flipping the classroom" students can learn in the style that works best for them. Gone are the days of sitting in a dull classroom (think of the teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.) Instead students can apply what they have learned in a way that helps make meaning for them. Dr. James Paul Gee says that students shouldn't first read the biology book then apply what they have learned, but that students should do biology and then read about it to help make meaning of what they encountered. The flipped classroom speaks to this idea. Student engagement increases with this model due to the hands-on time in the classroom. Learning is now discovery based and can move at each students' unique pace.
I never thought about teaching in a flipped classroom (as a primary level teacher). As I look forward to next year, though, I think I will have opportunities to try this. I will be teaching the ALPS class for 4th and 5th graders at my site. Our time together will be limited to 45 minutes per week. Not very long. If I want students to do more than just projects (that mainly occur outside of class) I will need to look into resources like Khan Academy for guidance. We lost ALPS students this year due to a lack of interest. It breaks my heart that our students who should be thinking outside the box are "dropping out" because they don't want to do "more work." They weren't inspired. I think I "flipping the classroom" is our key to success.
CBL
Challenge Based Learning=real world application, 21st century skills, the 4C's, college and career ready. This is what we should be striving for in all our classrooms. Watching the Resilience video, I see how engaged students are. They not only had a vested interest, but it made them feel worthwhile. So many times children are told they are to be seen and not heard. What if our children today started making a difference at an early age? What kind of accomplishments might be possible? The student engagement would skyrocket just by nature of the fact that students are designing their own learning. Students are required to problem solve in a CBL classroom and learn by doing, the best way for today's student to acquire skills. An important piece to the CBL process is the reflection piece. Students are required to reflect not only on the product but also the process. From the beginning students are devising the entire process on their own, and developing a rubric by which to judge the progress, process, and product. The fact that all pieces are open to assessment, reflection, and change is a key component to the CBL model and one that many teachers can learn from for their own instructional practice.
I see that I would be able to implement CBL with my ALPS students just as I think I can incorporate the flipped classroom model. By finding out what is important to the students and letting them guide their learning is a way to encourage independence in our students. This is a model for the teacher as a facilitator not as the main event in the classroom. Education is ever changing and this model is the wave of the future.
Wikipedia defines the flipped classroom as: "an instructional methodology and a type of blended learning that delivers instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom and moves activities, including those that may have traditionally been considered homework, into the classroom. In a flipped classroom model, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home and engage in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of the instructor." The idea of this resonates for me as I think about the idea of student engagement. So many students today are "checking out" as a result of having a lack of interest in the subject matter. The Net Generation (as Tony Wagner calls today's students) have so many demands on their attention (for better or worse) that they are no longer learning in the traditional ways of the past. Students are constantly surfing the internet, texting, listening to music, and studying all at the same time. By "flipping the classroom" students can learn in the style that works best for them. Gone are the days of sitting in a dull classroom (think of the teacher in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.) Instead students can apply what they have learned in a way that helps make meaning for them. Dr. James Paul Gee says that students shouldn't first read the biology book then apply what they have learned, but that students should do biology and then read about it to help make meaning of what they encountered. The flipped classroom speaks to this idea. Student engagement increases with this model due to the hands-on time in the classroom. Learning is now discovery based and can move at each students' unique pace.
I never thought about teaching in a flipped classroom (as a primary level teacher). As I look forward to next year, though, I think I will have opportunities to try this. I will be teaching the ALPS class for 4th and 5th graders at my site. Our time together will be limited to 45 minutes per week. Not very long. If I want students to do more than just projects (that mainly occur outside of class) I will need to look into resources like Khan Academy for guidance. We lost ALPS students this year due to a lack of interest. It breaks my heart that our students who should be thinking outside the box are "dropping out" because they don't want to do "more work." They weren't inspired. I think I "flipping the classroom" is our key to success.
CBL
Challenge Based Learning=real world application, 21st century skills, the 4C's, college and career ready. This is what we should be striving for in all our classrooms. Watching the Resilience video, I see how engaged students are. They not only had a vested interest, but it made them feel worthwhile. So many times children are told they are to be seen and not heard. What if our children today started making a difference at an early age? What kind of accomplishments might be possible? The student engagement would skyrocket just by nature of the fact that students are designing their own learning. Students are required to problem solve in a CBL classroom and learn by doing, the best way for today's student to acquire skills. An important piece to the CBL process is the reflection piece. Students are required to reflect not only on the product but also the process. From the beginning students are devising the entire process on their own, and developing a rubric by which to judge the progress, process, and product. The fact that all pieces are open to assessment, reflection, and change is a key component to the CBL model and one that many teachers can learn from for their own instructional practice.
I see that I would be able to implement CBL with my ALPS students just as I think I can incorporate the flipped classroom model. By finding out what is important to the students and letting them guide their learning is a way to encourage independence in our students. This is a model for the teacher as a facilitator not as the main event in the classroom. Education is ever changing and this model is the wave of the future.