We are entering an interesting time in education... rather we've been here for the last 20 years or so. In the grand scheme of things, 20 years is not that long, and we're still discovering how fast things move in this new digital age. Although computers have been around for quite some time, the cost and availability to schools and in classrooms is a relatively new phenomenon, allowing schools the opportunity to teach to digital learners for the first time over the last several decades. This impact cannot be undervalued, and will have a lasting impact on our students for generations to come.
Technology has been a divisive tool for teachers, some teachers wanting as much of this new medium as possible, while others wish to stick to traditional classroom protocols and designs which have been followed for several thousand years. However, the influence of technology has been rapid and full of impact, allowing students new avenues to information and ways to learn, and teachers new ways to feel left behind knowing many students are way ahead of the curve on technology. This thought process prompted a new way of thinking in my teaching, creating a new approach to student learning which allows student input, activity within the classroom, and my role changing from the traditional lecture social studies class to a more engaging, student centered model of teaching.
Through my discovery I found the Flipped Classroom model of learning (www.flippedlearning.org), and it has revolutionized my class. We don't have the abundance of devices which would enable my class to become a full flipped class, so I've scrounged up four nasty computers from around the school, allowing students to watch the flipped lesson. These once a week lessons allow for better in-class instruction, allowing higher level thinking skills to be the center of instruction, instead of the lower level skills included in a traditional lecture. The student's excitement for the flips is contagious, and every week they are clamoring for more and constantly asking when the next flip will be posted. This excitement spreads all over, and many students are asking other teachers in the school to start flipping lessons.
Many of the issues have been answered in implementing the flipped model in my classroom. Students now have access and time to get my flips done with the availability of computers in my class, however I still feel like the bare minimum is being accomplished. My student's learning using the flipped classroom will only be fully realized when the student access question is addressed through more devices in our schools. Until then, flipped lessons will be the best I can do for my students, even though their excitement wants this experiment to continue.
