Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Flipped Classrooms

There is a new approach to education called "flipped classrooms," and there was a great article in the NY Times about it today - "Turning Education Upside Down." The assumption is that you make the best use of class time when it's interactive and hands-on... when kids can work together, ask the teacher for help, and do things they could not otherwise do at home and on their own.  On the 'flip side,' lectures from teachers can be watched from anywhere...so why not watch the lecture at home and then interact with the topic / material while at school?

I think it's a really interesting approach to education and I can see why it's taken off in some communities. 
I'm wondering how this 'flipped classroom' model  might be adaptable to Jewish education / Religious School, particularly since we don't assign homework.  How can we try to create 'flipped classrooms,' when we don't have an assumption that students will do work outside of class, on their own time?  Any ideas or suggestions out there in the blogosphere?

11 comments:

  1. I appreciate this so much, as I am in the midst of leading just this type of transformative, instruction in my own work... where technology can serve as a motivator for short term and also lifelong learning. Here is a great infographic:

    http://www.knewton.com/flipped-classroom/

    Even though secular school homework is "required," that doesn't necessarily mean it is intrinsically meaningful or providing students with opportunities to connect with content in a way they will remember or understand. Great teachers know how to do this, of course. And this is also why the emotionally-driven, community-building types of experiences our children are so fortunate to have at Temple Isaiah (hands-on gardening, movement, cooking, music, storytelling) are in some ways more powerful, or at least can be, in the long term.

    Essentially, there is something intrinsically motivating about technology that I believe all educators can and should capitalize on - kids don't think using technology is boring (neither do many adults). Technology is convenient, fun, and allows us to learn and teach things that are personally interesting, whether we are shy, in our pajamas, or looking for a creative outlet. That is why kids will watch Rainbow Loom how-to videos on YouTube over and over before asking a grown up for help, and why research shows that a significant number of boys write more and better when word processing rather than using pencil and paper. That is why adults like to shop online, read professional blogs, and skype with family far away. Some people believe this digitally-driven 21st Century can perpetuate isolation, and it definitely can. But it also can have a huge impact on our ability to connect with other people and access new information – in ways we have never been able to experience before. Like anything else, we need to find a balance that makes sense.

    I think Religious School curriculum can take advantage of this intrinsic motivation by encouraging students interact online with classmates or explore a little more freely, over longer periods of time, in order to reinforce the educational framework. A Flipped Classroom, over time, perpetuates a cultural understanding (not necessarily a top-down expectation) that by doing the online activity, a learner will intrinsically get more out of their time back in class, together with peers.

    Flipped classrooms that are "done right" engage students in ways that traditional instructional models could never do. Students are provided with guidelines for exploration but at the same time, there is also the cultural expectation that each learner - adult and child - is responsible for their own learning. Videos are certainly one way to reinforce this, as students can go over concepts (Jewish history, Hebrew writing, prayers, an interactive holiday book) at their own pace (recorded by the teacher or not), pausing as needed, skipping over what they already know. There are other ways to reinforce this as well - it sometimes feels safer to share your ideas after hearing or reading what other people think first - kid blogs (moderated, and private to the classroom) are great for building online communities with peers as those who are unsure can participate when they feel ready, but also may feel more comfortable writing ideas rather than saying them. Presenting topics that extend classroom discussions but are ongoing allow students to jump in at any time, even after months have passed, when something finally resonates. As well, the special dynamic around being able to create and share with others is a huge way to participate... taking digital photos of Jewish symbols from your own home (that are not easily brought into school - like a mezuzah on the doorpost, or family heirloom candlesticks, or even a vegetable garden) and posting them along with a written personal connection, allows kids to see there are many "ways to be Jewish."

    For Jewish learning, this could look like a lot of things... let's keep talking!

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  2. Hey - googling "flipped classroom" and "after school hebrew school" brought me here. Do you know anyone who's actually implemented this? We are looking at it for San Diego. We get the benefits, but our concerns are teacher acceptance and the ability to get students to do the work at home... If you can refer to anyone who's doing it, I'd love to hear their experiences. Thanks!

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  3. I don't know anyone who has actually implemented this... I am interested in the phenomenon of flipped classrooms, but I'm under no illusion that RS students will be likely to do any 'work' or 'homework' online at home. I'm actually more curious about how this model might translate into new models for adult Jewish ed! I like many of the ideas suggested by 'digital diva' above, but I'm not sure exactly how we would get families to do this kind of thing at home, given their busy lives and the low priority of adding more to their plates... but it's worth thinking about and exploring!

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  6. Nice idea. I thought about it not once. But it unbelievable, that some school begin this education. It good scheme not only at school, in college - too. I am writing papers for college and dream about this scheme of education in our college.

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