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?
