Flipped classrooms are classes that have the notes assigned at home in the form of a reading or video lecture and worksheets and activities are done in class. They offer many benefits that aren’t very well known, including helping kids who find it hard to sit still learn in an environment catered to them. Slowly, many classes, specifically science classes, have switched to flipped classrooms.
Mrs. Burge, who teaches both science and agriculture classes, is the only teacher in Monticello High School to fully switch to a flipped classroom model. Pertaining to the benefits of flipped classrooms, she said, “We get to do more activities in class. Students get more hands-on activities with what we are looking at. It helps us have deeper discussions and opportunities to research. It is more engaging for students.” Flipped classrooms give kids more opportunities to ask questions to their teachers, instead of listening to long lectures, maybe not catching all of it, and then being lost on their homework.
Regarding the biggest downside to a flipped classroom, she said, “If students don’t do their part outside of class, it is very hard for class to run smoothly and get done what you want to get done.” It is very important that the students do their notes in a flipped classroom. If the notes aren’t done, they don’t get the benefit of a flipped classroom. The teacher is there as a resource of sorts, but if they have to reteach the entire lesson to a student, it defeats the purpose.
Regarding whether she endorses the flipped model, she responded, “I do. I do definitely. I think it’s engaging for students and for teachers. Mostly because of the interaction we get with eachother and the ability to discuss the topic. It also gives the student the ability to think [on] their own such as asking questions, researching topics, and empowering learning.”
Flipped classrooms also promote authentic questioning, forcing students to come up with complex questions that can either be answered by the teacher or through deep research. These skills become very helpful in the real world, whether it be in an office building trying to troubleshoot a computer problem or on a job site trying to figure out how to loosen a stripped bolt.
Flipped classrooms give students the ability to be curious and creative, and not just listen to a lecture for the whole class. They can truly give students a spark for the subject by being able to get hands-on and witness it instead of just hearing about it or watching a video of someone doing it.
Noah Hettinger, Staff Writer
hetno28@sages.us
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