You'll FLIP for this Idea

Perhaps you have heard of the idea of a "flipped classroom". It can be a great way to engage your students, incorporate technology, and differentiate your instruction. In a "flipped" classroom, students are held accountable for completing readings and watching online lectures at home (Chen, 2016). The class time is then used for review, collaboration, application, extensions, and projects. The in class activities can be differentiated- different groups of students can work on different projects. The teacher will be able to act as a facilitator as the students work and construct their own understandings.

If I were going to use this strategy with my students, I would use Google Classroom to deliver the "at home" content for my students. I could create presentations and then post them to our classroom home page, which the students could access from any device. Of course, some students simply do not have access to such technology. Gimbar (2011) suggests giving these students time to watch the videos during homeroom. I have a set of Chromebooks in my classroom that would be available during homeroom as well as study hall. 

Chen (2011) reported an increase in the test scores of students in flipped classrooms. Have you tried this strategy? How did it impact your students? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section!

References:

Chen, L. (2011). Impacts of flipped classroom in high school health education. Journal of Educational Technology, 44(4), 411-420. 

Gimbar, K. (2011). What about students with no access? FAQ- Katie Gimbar's flipped classroom. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoNlL3Plx-g