This past week, I have been formally introduced to the concept of Flipping the Classroom. A widespread practice, both K-12 school districts and higher education seek to use this kind of pedagogy to increase the success and achievement of mathematics students. My blog site is dedicated mainly to preparing students for careers in mathematics and math related professions, disciplines. The flipped classroom can be quite instrumental in producing future mathematics or STEM professionals.
In a flipped classroom, students will watch lectures outside of the classroom setting and use the classroom time for enrichment purposes, question and answer sessions, etc. While not practical for every classroom setting, flipped classrooms, it can help educators produce lectures that discuss complex topics and open the floor for discussion. This method of teaching could possibly create an opportunity for the teacher to focus on student engagement and have the time to integrate activities that may be of interest to the 21st century learner. The exposures, in turn, could potentially lead to more students increasing their interest in mathematics or math related subjects. Since the flipped classroom is a growing concept, there isn't any real data that supports my wishful thinking.
As math educators (or any educator), we have to continue to create data based on the experiences that other education professionals share. Scores of teachers are turning the the flipped classroom concept to overcome math anxieties, improve annual test scores, prepare students for AP exams, and help students to grasp collegiate math concepts.
The Khan Academy is one of the sites that I use regularly. Although I have not completely subscribed to the flipped classroom methodology, I have found that assigning lecture readings, using the Khan Academy's resources has enabled me to spend more time in the classroom to focus on enrichment. Hopefully, this enrichment time will lead to more students desiring to branch out into professions that rely on individuals with strong STEM backgrounds.
To learn more about the Khan Academy and how it impacts our classrooms, please read Online video lesson flipping classrooms left and right.
