Flipping the Classroom
What is a 'flipped' or 'inverted' classroom?
The concept behind a flipped classroom is to have students watch or read lectures outside of class and then practice or apply that in the class time, rather than the traditional lecture-based classroom where students have to practice on their own (when they may not have support available).
I'd love to chat about my experience or help you flip your own class - just email me at
kspoon at sdccd.edu
My Motivations for Flipping
Too much content to cover in the allotted time: Introductory Statistics course is 3 units in our district, despite being 4 units in the majority of the California Community Colleges.
No time in the traditional lecture course to do worksheets, activities, or projects. Teaching a 4-unit version of the course at Grossmont, I found that time for students to practice in class was a great opportunity to check in on their understanding and provide feedback and guidance.
Videos allow students extra time to process information from lecture - especially useful for English-language learners.
Observations from My First Flip
- I had more students than usual pass the course, though I had a few more drop than usual.
- When I handed out worksheets in class, students were much more willing to work together than usual. I even found myself sitting around with nothing to do while my students worked collaboratively - which has never happened before!
- I'd normally see ~10 students in office hours for homework help, this semester, I would see 2 or 3 per assignment for shorter amounts of time.
- I saw a 5 point increase in final exam scores and an overall increase in course grades.
- I finished 25% more content AND finished TWO weeks early - giving me time for review, a final project, and project presentation.
Read this article on flipping the classroom from The Chronicle of Higher Ed: How Flipping the Classroom can Improve the Traditional Lecture
While you're here, consider checking out the MATH DEPARTMENT BLOG to see what we're up to!