Instructional strategies to support a flipped classroom
Small Group Instruction
Whole-class instruction is an important way to introduce concepts and new lessons to students in order to address learning expectations as a whole. However, a sea of blank faces in a whole-class setting prohibits the teacher from understanding what the students really understand. Often, the whole-class instruction takes up too much of the class period. Teachers are also not able to formatively address immediate learning needs of individual learners effectively, therefore interactivity and hands-on, inquiry-based experiences can often take a back seat.
What needs to be considered is....what is the most efficient use of your classroom time?
Using a flipped classroom approach takes the whole class instruction to a technology based format, allowing the students to watch, listen, learn, question, communicate, and collaborate from either home, a library or media center, OR from their handheld phone or device. Then different forms of small group instruction can target student learning needs through hands-on concept mastery, student discourse of content, student collaboration, or teacher conferencing. Students can work at their own pace through mastery learning, or simply through a collaborative, small group setting. The teacher is then able to effectively differentiate by using the time more efficiently as a facilitator and coach and not as the "sage on the stage."
Benefits are:
~ based on differing levels of student understanding of the content, the teacher can create differing learning opportunities for concept mastery.
~ a specific focus can be addressed to a target audience.
~ students feel more comfortable asking questions in a small group rather than a whole-class setting.
~ differentiated groups can be formed by level, skill, interest, or learning style for true differentiation.
~ many activities can be going on simultaneously when students work in small groups.
~ students have the opportunity to use collaboration in the learning process as well as opportunities to teach each other.
~ teachers can also focus on individual students' concerns.
~students not able to attend class, can engage in the class instruction.
~parents have access to class instruction
Some different teacher-led groupings that can be arranged are:
Strategy Groups - Heterogeneous groups that are formed based on specific skills that several students need further introduction, review, or practice of a strategy to support that skill. The teacher leads the strategy groups.
Guided Groups -
Homogeneous groups based on level to address targeted scaffolding for a particular topic. The teacher leads the guided groups.
While teachers are leading particular groups, the rest of the class can take part in independent work or other small groupings:
(graphic organizers can be used to help synthesize information as well as monitor progress and accountability):
Learning Centers
Groups that are homogeneous or heterogeneous, allowing students to rotate to lesson-based activities that are usually differentiated, addressing different interests, learning styles, or level. The teacher acts a facilitator and can be a center for reteaching or conferencing. Templates can be used for planning.
Stations
Stations differ from centers in that the groups of students who visit the stations can be flexible groups, students do not have to be at stations for the same amount of time, Students can choose stations or the teacher can assign, and stations can change based on student needs. This example shows how stations can be used when students identify their own learning goals.
Cooperative Learning
Groups that are heterogeneous (1 high, 2 middle, 1 low) with students working as a team taking part in individual work as well as team work and discourse to support higher-order thinking skills. The teacher acts a facilitator. Cooperative learning activities focus on individual accountability with specific roles as part of a team - not "group" work. Graphic organizers can be used during the flipped lesson at home and then in class to springboard student discourse - such as this Collaborative Questions example or this Reciprocal Teaching example.
Lab Groups
Whether for math, science, or any discovery-based lesson, the flipped classroom concept can be yet flipped again....Instead of the lesson being presented before the class, students can work in inquiry-based lab settings to use the discovery approach to "discover" a concept through hands-on, collaborative activities and discussion. Then the concept can be further explained through a teacher screen cast for that evening's homework after the class where students can then expand their concept mastery, make further connections, and continue class discussions through collaborative tools - solidifying their "ah-ha" moment.
Another method is to provide a discrepant event video demonstration for students to view for homework - creating a mental conflict and curiosity. Students come to class armed with questions, ideas, and predictions - ready to take part in a lab activity that helps them to further understand through inquiry.
-HOW TO FLIP Resources
-Example letter to parents explaining the process.
@JamieSaponaro
Whole-class instruction is an important way to introduce concepts and new lessons to students in order to address learning expectations as a whole. However, a sea of blank faces in a whole-class setting prohibits the teacher from understanding what the students really understand. Often, the whole-class instruction takes up too much of the class period. Teachers are also not able to formatively address immediate learning needs of individual learners effectively, therefore interactivity and hands-on, inquiry-based experiences can often take a back seat.
What needs to be considered is....what is the most efficient use of your classroom time?
Using a flipped classroom approach takes the whole class instruction to a technology based format, allowing the students to watch, listen, learn, question, communicate, and collaborate from either home, a library or media center, OR from their handheld phone or device. Then different forms of small group instruction can target student learning needs through hands-on concept mastery, student discourse of content, student collaboration, or teacher conferencing. Students can work at their own pace through mastery learning, or simply through a collaborative, small group setting. The teacher is then able to effectively differentiate by using the time more efficiently as a facilitator and coach and not as the "sage on the stage."
Benefits are:
~ based on differing levels of student understanding of the content, the teacher can create differing learning opportunities for concept mastery.
~ a specific focus can be addressed to a target audience.
~ students feel more comfortable asking questions in a small group rather than a whole-class setting.
~ differentiated groups can be formed by level, skill, interest, or learning style for true differentiation.
~ many activities can be going on simultaneously when students work in small groups.
~ students have the opportunity to use collaboration in the learning process as well as opportunities to teach each other.
~ teachers can also focus on individual students' concerns.
~students not able to attend class, can engage in the class instruction.
~parents have access to class instruction
Some different teacher-led groupings that can be arranged are:
Strategy Groups - Heterogeneous groups that are formed based on specific skills that several students need further introduction, review, or practice of a strategy to support that skill. The teacher leads the strategy groups.
Guided Groups -
Homogeneous groups based on level to address targeted scaffolding for a particular topic. The teacher leads the guided groups.
While teachers are leading particular groups, the rest of the class can take part in independent work or other small groupings:
(graphic organizers can be used to help synthesize information as well as monitor progress and accountability):
Learning Centers
Groups that are homogeneous or heterogeneous, allowing students to rotate to lesson-based activities that are usually differentiated, addressing different interests, learning styles, or level. The teacher acts a facilitator and can be a center for reteaching or conferencing. Templates can be used for planning.
Stations
Stations differ from centers in that the groups of students who visit the stations can be flexible groups, students do not have to be at stations for the same amount of time, Students can choose stations or the teacher can assign, and stations can change based on student needs. This example shows how stations can be used when students identify their own learning goals.
Cooperative Learning
Groups that are heterogeneous (1 high, 2 middle, 1 low) with students working as a team taking part in individual work as well as team work and discourse to support higher-order thinking skills. The teacher acts a facilitator. Cooperative learning activities focus on individual accountability with specific roles as part of a team - not "group" work. Graphic organizers can be used during the flipped lesson at home and then in class to springboard student discourse - such as this Collaborative Questions example or this Reciprocal Teaching example.
Lab Groups
Whether for math, science, or any discovery-based lesson, the flipped classroom concept can be yet flipped again....Instead of the lesson being presented before the class, students can work in inquiry-based lab settings to use the discovery approach to "discover" a concept through hands-on, collaborative activities and discussion. Then the concept can be further explained through a teacher screen cast for that evening's homework after the class where students can then expand their concept mastery, make further connections, and continue class discussions through collaborative tools - solidifying their "ah-ha" moment.
Another method is to provide a discrepant event video demonstration for students to view for homework - creating a mental conflict and curiosity. Students come to class armed with questions, ideas, and predictions - ready to take part in a lab activity that helps them to further understand through inquiry.
-HOW TO FLIP Resources
-Example letter to parents explaining the process.
@JamieSaponaro