Teachers record their lessons and lectures then post them on either YouTube or a school based website if the district has one. Students then, on their own time either at home or on their Smart Phones, watch the video lessons or lectures. The students then come into class the next day having already learned the skill or topic which allows them to practice that skill while in the classroom with the teacher there to assist... that is the essence of the flipped classroom:
Students listen to lecture at home, then do the practice work (normally the homework) while in school so the teacher can correct errors as they happen rather than having the students struggle for hours at home not really understanding the skill.
Some schools are moving to having all classes run this way and the early results are promising. Test scores are rising and students seem more motivated. It may be too early to tell if this could really chang the way education works in our country, but at least there are educators out there thinking outside the box as to how to best help their students.
Thoughts?
Click here to read the NYtimes article about the Flipped Classroom.