This summer, I took a class on Flipping the Classroom – the idea is for students to watch videos at home before coming into school (for homework) so we can build on that learning in the classroom. It’s a neat idea, and it is being used in classrooms world-wide. I was very excited about signing up for this course, but I couldn’t help but wonder how I would be able to make it work in OUR classroom. I have noticed, over the past 8 years, that more and more students have access to computers at home. That’s great news! However, I still have yet to teach a class where every student has reliable computer access outside of school. It is the lack of access that makes me hesitant to “require” any type of flipped instruction for homework.
But how could I still use the benefits of flipped instruction with my students?? There are so many useful videos out on the Internet, and in my mind I have already created some amazing ones myself (ha ha). I decided that I would be using a different phrase in our classroom – “Spinning”. We are going to spin our instruction to better meet the needs of students. Thinking of it as “spinning” has freed up my thinking to include new ways of engaging my students. By sharing videos to introduce, teach and reteach concepts, my students will be well on their way to learning to mastery. As a bonus, for those students who do have access at home, they will be able to watch videos there, as well.
So, the journey starts here. Let’s see where this ever-evolving, spinny ride will take us!! Visit the Spinning the Classroom pages at the right ~~>