Shifting the focus from pencils and paper to digital screens, Haddonfield Memorial High School science teacher Griffin Kidd and assistant principal in teaching and learning Charles Zimmerman presented the benefits of a “Flipped” classroom at the Nov. 14 board of education meeting.
Unlike traditional classrooms, the “Flipped” classroom provides a more digital-based form of learning, implementing videos and online assignments into the classroom itinerary, providing more time for the teacher to coach students as opposed to lecturing.
Superintendent Richard Perry said the new classroom model was something he had discussed internally with Haddonfield Memorial High School about piloting the model.
“We looked at their two dynamic classrooms and decided that we wanted to start there,” Perry said.
Perry added that this is one of the many advancements the school district has made to stay abreast with the ongoing evolution of technology in a school setting, as he explained that the district recently acquired 300 iPads.
Opening the, presentation, Zimmerman explained that the “Flipped” classroom implemented into Kidd’s accelerated physics adheres to four tenets, which include flexible environment, learning culture, intentional content and professional educators.
Providing a brief overview of the benefits to the model, Zimmerman explained that the “Flipped” classroom provides project-based learning, which makes for more one-on-one time between the teacher and the students.
In addition, since students work on assignments online, teachers can watch the students’ progress in real time from their own computer screen and see how far every student is progressing and which questions they are answering incorrectly.
“One of the more interesting tenets of the model is the students can revisit content whenever they wish,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman added that this provides a clearer picture of where the student stands in the learning process and whether more time is needed with that one student.
“It’s been more of a collaborative process between me and my students, since I’ve started this,” Kidd said.
Kidd added that he would rather see the kids struggle in the classroom with difficult problems, than do so at home. He added that he now intentionally gives his students harder problems in class to engage and challenge them.
“These are the kinds of challenges and critical thinking that I hope to inspire in my classroom,” Kidd said.
Kidd also said that in addition to being able to monitor the students’ progress on online assignments, another benefit of digital-based coursework is its ability to let the students know whether their answers are right or wrong and give the student additional chances to resubmit an answer.
As another component to the “Flipped” classroom model, Kidd records five- to 10-minute videos that he posts to his own YouTube channel and provides the YouTube links onto his EBoard.
“I got to tell you, the students were very excited to go home and have to watch videos for homework,” Kidd said.
Board President Glenn Moramarco inquired as to the potential consequences if a student does not have the proper technology at home to support the assignments. Kidd said that, so far, all students have been able to access the learning materials at home, but if a problem did arise down the road, the school would be able to provide that student with technical support.
Showing an example of a video Kidd made on Newtonian physics, Zimmerman explained to the board that the common misconception about video-based teaching models is that all videos are around the length of 45 minutes. He explained that is not the case, with the majority of Kidd’s presentations being 10 minutes at the most and assigned one to two times per week.
“It’s not a time-intensive piece,” Zimmerman said.
However, Kidd did explain that creating the videos are at times labor intensive.
In addition, Kidd said feedback from other teachers in the school has been very positive, with approximately 30 other teachers excited to make videos of their own. He added that several have already informally adopted some of the “Flipped” model.
“The feedback we’re getting is really powerful,” Zimmerman said.
Kidd said that he is satisfied with the depth of instruction provided to the students with videos after an inquiry made by board member Steve Weinstein.
“It’s been really exciting for me,” Kidd said.
Weinstein also asked whether the two believed this model could expand to other disciplines, such as literature. Both Kidd and Zimmerman agreed that such a model could be applied. Zimmerman also called literature “the original ‘Flipped’ classroom.”
Zimmerman also added that they would continue to monitor the class throughout the year.
“He has all sorts of data that he never had before,” Zimmerman said, referring to Kidd.
Following the meeting, Perry said the school district would use the data on Kidd’s “Flipped” classroom as a guide to implementation on a greater level.
“We’re intending to expand the program to many other disciplines in not just the high school and middle school, but also in the elementary schools,” Perry said.
