Flipping+The+Myths+and+Facts

While there is no one model, the core idea is to flip the common instructional approach: With teacher-created videos and interactive lessons, instruction that used to occur in class is now accessed at home, in advance of class. Class becomes the place to work through problems, advance concepts, and engage in collaborative learning. Most importantly, all aspects of instruction can be rethought to best maximize the scarcest learning resource—time.

Flipping the Classroom Myths:

Myth #1: All content should be taught through videos. Fact: Video should only be used if it lends itself to the standard being taught. Everything does not need to be taught through video.

Myth #2: Flipped classroom relies on homework. Fact: Video becomes homework, homework becomes classwork is an oversimplification of what flipping really is.

Myth #3: Teacher can relax during class. Fact: Teachers will be working harder. Students working in small groups or individually will be asking questions at different levels requiring the instructor to be interacting with students at all times. Talking with students will allow the instructor to see where students may need some remediation or be ready to move ahead. If a teacher is relaxing they are not engaging the students and modeling good learning practices. Teachers should be questioning and posing challenges to students.

Myth #4 : There is only one way to flip a classroom. Fact: Flipping the classroom has many different variations based on learning types and instructor abilities. Flipping in one classroom can look completely different in another classroom.

Myth #5: Flipping the classroom and using videos for instruction will replace the teacher in the classroom. Fact: Teachers using the flipped classroom can not be replaced by video. If used properly, the teacher will be facilitating, questioning, instructing, and engaging the students everyday in the classroom. Teachers will have more time to work with the students in small groups or one-on-one to reach better understanding and mastery of concepts.

Adapted from Brian Bennett's webinar on SimpleK12 "The Flipped Class and Mastery Learning: A Snapshop of Methods and Tools".

Brian Bennett is a science teacher at Harrison High School in Evansville who uses a type of flipped classroom in all his classes. To find out some of the things Brian is doing in his class you can follow him on twitter @bennettscience or on his website [|www.brianbennett.org].