Journal #3: Upside Down and Inside Out (Nets-T 2 & 3)

Fulton , K. (2012). Upside down and inside out: Flip your classroom to improve student learning. Learning    and leading with Technology , 39(8), 12-14. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Upside_Down_and_Inside_Out.aspx. 


Summary: This journal article discusses the new idea of what is called the “flipped” classroom, which means that students view or listen to the teacher’s lessons at home and complete their homework in the classroom. This fresh idea was founded at Byron High School, in Minnesota, by Math teachers searching for a new approach to classroom teaching. The school had a lack of funds for school books and established the need to innovate a non-traditional approach that would still effectively demonstrate the class material. This new approach has been successful so far, allowing teachers and students to work collaboratively. Teachers are able to work in partnership to create lesson plans, while students are able to discuss course material in class along with the guidance of the teacher. This new-found approach has been very promising thus far and has influenced other schools to partake in this "educational innovation". I found this article to be very enlightening and informative; it is especially useful for future educators and those who are passionate about the educational system. Parents, and those alike, should read this article and be informed of  new effective approaches, like this one, of education that will take the place of the traditional approach. 


 Question #1: If I was an elementary school teacher, would I use this approach? 

Answer #1: Well, it would depend on the grade level of the classroom of students that I was teaching. Clearly, children have different developmental periods that affect just how and what they are able to learn. I would use this approach with upper grade level students, utilizing this method to highlight the importance of technology in our world today. I love the idea of allowing the time in class to be dedicated to student collaboration. This would allow for me to leave time in class for any lingering questions to be answered after the students worked in groups.

Question #2: As a teacher, would this be my only approach in the classroom?

Answer #2: I would like to acknowledge the diverse learning methods within my classroom, so I would say that this would not be the only approach that I would use in the classroom. I would like to use this approach to emphasize technology in the modern world, but I would also use traditional approaches to classroom teaching. I would want each and every student to get the benefits of their preferred learning style, and the only way to do this would be to blend the “old” with the “new.”