Flipped Learning

In bygone days, students had to be in a classroom to learn. That is where the teacher was, that is where the books were. The only time a teacher had to explain concepts to his students was when all together in the classroom.  Accordingly, certain types of learning activity were conducted in the classroom, and other types were set as homework.

But the constraints on which the current model were based are no longer real. Any student with a computer or smartphone now has access to the same pool of information as their teacher. Likewise, teachers and students can now communicate about the learning, using simple, free tools at any time whether in the classroom or out. This profound change in when and where we access information and communicate, gives us the exciting opportunity to decide afresh which learning activities will be most beneficial if assigned for “homework” and which are most beneficial in class time.

In this workshop, Andrew will explain the “flipped classroom” model. In this model, students listen to their teacher’s explanations and participate in online discussions at any time of day or night (instead of completing “homework”). This frees up more class time for learning activities infused with human interaction. The result is a class of students that is more connected; more collaborative; more human.

One focus of this workshop will be on simple, effective tools for communicating via podcasts, screencasts, vodcasts, and social media. But a second, equally important focus will be on the effective use of the class time that is made available.

It is expected that all participants in this workshop bring their own PC orMac laptop, and have the authority to install software on it.