Educator Connection: Flipped Classroom Resources from the Teach 100 (by Jackie Gerstein)

The Flipped Classroom has jumped onto the education radar in recent years as a way to potentially alter pedagogical and instructional practices by utilizing emerging technologies.

In its simplest form, the flipped classroom is a model of learning where students watch content-related videos on their own time, freeing up classroom time for questions and discussion, group work, experiments, and hands-on and other experiential activities. The time spent on lecturing and lessons is literally “flipped” with the time spent on homework and projects. A lot of discussions have occurred, presentations have been made, and blog posts have been written about the flipped classroom: how to implement it; its potential to change educational outcomes and/or why it may not; it’s “fad” status; how it favors students of privilege; and so on.

A broad range of ideas regarding the flipped classroom can be viewed through our list of selected articles (see below) from the Teach 100 ranking of educational blogs.

If the flipped classroom is to become more than the educational flavor of the month, the following things should be considered:

The flipped classroom takes advantage of modern technologies. Technology, including content-focused video, is providing educators with the opportunity to change and enhance their instructional practices.

Administrators, curriculum developers, instructional designers, and educators should examine, reflect upon, and discuss how technology has and is changing the nature of teaching, learning, work, and play. This, in turn, should lead to evolutionary and revolutionary changes in the way instruction is provided, and in which learning occurs and is demonstrated in the classroom setting.

The flipped classroom gives teachers and students opportunities for their face-to-face time to be engaging, enriching, and exciting. The content that, in the past, was provided via lecture during class time can now be reviewed by students on their own time and at their own pace. Watching video lectures doesn’t necessarily have to take place at home; it can also be done during class time, study periods, or during after school programs.

The terminology related to the flipped classroom needs to fade as educators begin to transform their classrooms to be student-focused and cognitively sound (based on what we know about the brain and learning), with differentiated curricula based on student interests, learning preferences, and ability levels. Technological advancements can enable these processes to occur, and should eventually be looked on as just good pedagogy, not a new-fangled approach to education.

If you're looking to learn more about the flipped classroom approach, check out these selected articles from Teach100 bloggers:

"The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture" by User-Generated Education
"Top Ed-Tech Trends of 2012: The Flipped Classroom" by Inside Higher Education
"Five Ways to Flip Your Classroom With The New York Times" by The Learning Network
"What's A Flipped Classroom?" by Edudemic
"The Flipped Classroom: Pro and Con" by Edutopia
"Flipping Your Classroom With Free Web Tools" by Free Technology for Teachers
"Can the Flipped Classroom Benefit Low-Income Students?" by Mindshift
"Understanding the Flipped Classroom" by Faculty Focus
"‘Flipping’ classrooms: Does it make sense?" by The Answer Sheet
"A New Approach to Teaching? The Flipped Classroom" by Finding Common Ground
"We need to produce learners, not just students" by The Chronicle of Higher Education
"Flipped Learning Continues to Change Classrooms Nationwide" by Education News
"The Ultimate Guide to the Flipped Classroom" byTeachThought
"The ‘flipped classroom’ [WEBINAR]" by Dangerously Irrelevant
"TED-Ed: Lessons (videos) worth sharing" by iLearn Technology
"The Best Posts On The “Flipped Classroom” Idea" by Larry Ferlazzo's Websites Of The Day
"Flipping the Classroom" by Tech & Learning
"The “Flipped” Classroom and Transforming Education" by The Principal of Change
"Gathering Evidence that Flipping the Classroom can Enhance Learning Outcomes" by Emerging EdTech
"The Flipped Classroom: Students Assessing Teachers" by Teachers’ Leader Network
"Flipped Classroom: Students Assessing Teachers" by SmartBlog on Education
"Five Questions to Ask Before Flipping a Lesson" by edSurge
"Foundations of Flipping" by Kleinspiration
"Promise of the ‘flipped classroom’ eludes poorer school district" by The Hechinger Report
"Why The Flipped Classroom Is More Than Just Video" by Fractus Learning
"How the Flipped Classroom Turned Me into a Better Student" by Getting Smart
"The Truly Flipped Classroom" by A Principal’s Reflection
"Flipped Classroom: Beyond the Videos" by Catlin Tucker, Blended Learning & Technology in the Classroom
"Educators Answer Questions About the Flipped" by The Quick & the Ed
"How to Reach Struggling Students: Once You Flip, You’ll never go Back" by Flipped Learning
"Flipping out? What you need to know about the Flipped Classroom" by GradHacker
"Flipping The Classroom… A Goldmine of Research and Resources To Keep You On Your Feet" by 21st Century Educational Technology and Learning
"Flipped Classroom -- my thoughts on it, some other ideas, & infographic" by Educational Technology Guy
"Flipping For Your Faculty...It's Easier Than Videos" by Blogging About the Web 2.0 Connected Classroom
"Does Flipping Your Classroom Increase Homework Time?" by ASCD In-Service
"Changing Gears 2012: rejecting the "flip" by SpeEdChange
"The Flipped Classroom: Getting Started" by Copy/Paste

For the complete daily ranking of the best educational blogs on the web, visit the Teach100. To learn more about the Teach 100, or to work with Teach.com, email [email protected].

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