Although the term “flipped learning” is almost universally recognized, teachers apply it in many forms, in all grades levels, and in various school environments. If you are a teacher using flipped learning, the chances are that you share some similarities with other teachers who flip—as well as some differences. However, the major commonality among all flipped learning teachers is that every one of them is creating personal learning experiences for each student.
We asked three flipped teachers — one from an elementary school, one from a junior high, and one from a high school — to describe what learning looks like in their world.
Beth Hobbs, third-grade teacher
Burkett Elementary, Pennsylvania
“Over the past few years, I have transformed my traditional classroom into a student-centered classroom. Through flipped learning, my students are able to complete weekly reading assignments and tasks at home to extend their learning beyond our regular curriculum.
Depending on the student’s role within each task, students question each other, share an interesting part of a reading passage, provide a summary, define new words, and connect the reading to their experiences or similar stories. Students become excited to meet and discuss their novels.
Before I moved to a flipped classroom, it would take weeks to read a novel together in class, and the discussion was led and influenced greatly by what I said. By completing the assignments at home, the students are able to form their own opinions and even challenge their classmates to look at the book through different perspectives.
With the help of exciting apps such as Chatterpix, iMovie, Adobe Voice, Touchcast, and ClassFlow, students can showcase their mastery of learning through a fun outlet. Without flipped learning, it would not be possible for me to integrate the use of such engaging apps within the classroom. Flipped learning has allowed me to go outside my comfort zone and put the learning into my student’s hands.”
