Are you "flipping" out, yet?

The other day, I came across the following image:

Let's face it.  Regardless if you are a first year teacher or a twenty year veteran like myself, the 2020 school year will be the first for all of us, a learning experience that I hope we can learn from but also never go through again!  Can I get an Amen!

I was not panicking too much about how my classes will be conducted until I thought about the students who will be asked to quarantine due to being around a student who tested positive.  This will cause much instability in a normal classroom setting.  Once I realized that, I knew I had to do something that would be somewhat consistent and stable considering students who may be entering and leaving the classroom.  What also caused a little "panic" was knowing I will be teaching AP Microeconomics this semester (for only the second time at that).  I knew I was going to have to find and/or create effective online lessons that would engage students and drive them into a deeper level of understanding.  If a student is quarantined at home for 1-2 weeks, how can they learn what they need to learn without falling behind (and being bored)?  

So...a flipped classroom may be my answer...a term that has been tossed around for the past few years.  A concept that many have tried successfully but also many have failed to properly implement. So what is a flipped classroom?  First, it IS NOT an online course!  It is not students pacing through a course, completing online worksheets and activities at their own pace.  It is not a teacher becoming disengaged where there is no dialogue with the students.   

A flipped classroom is one where students are first introduced to the content outside of class then move to a deeper understanding (and practice) in class with the teacher.  I came across an excellent website that provides teachers will many resources - Center for Teaching through Vanderbuilt University.  I came across an article that discussed how to properly flip a classroom.  In this article, it discussed the different variations that some have used.  One, for example, is an inverted classroom.  Around twenty years ago, three professors decided to "invert" an introductory economics course.  Students would watch videos or read through PowerPoints/text outside of class.  Students would also have worksheets to complete.  These worksheets may or may not be taken up in class for a grade.  During class, mini-lectures were used as a way to answer student questions.  Class time was also used to practice the economic concepts.  They found out students were more engaged and had a more positive experience than the traditional format of the introductory economics course.

So, how does one properly flip a classroom?

First, regardless of which resource you read online, majority will consistently say this: students must be introduced to the concept OUTSIDE of class (format doesn't matter - video, PowerPoint, reading text...).  If students do not do this, then a flipped classroom will just become an online class.  This is a must!

Second, as Brame (2013) states, students must be provided with an incentive to do the pre-class work.  Let's be honest.  Majority of students are not going to do an assignment if there are no points allocated to the assignment.  Some kind of accountability has to be included with the pre-class work.  How to do that is up to you.

Third, assess student understanding.  This assessment will provide the teacher with greater understanding of what the students know and do not know PRIOR to coming to class.  It can also provide for more in-depth classroom discussions.  These can be quizzes or discussion posts.

Fourth, class time must be used to focus on a critical thinking skills and application of concepts.  The entire basis of the flipped classroom is using the classroom time you have to move students to a deeper level of understanding.  

The "flip" part in a "flipped classroom" comes from this: students learn the concept at home and practice the concept ("do the homework") in class.  You are flipping the order of the traditional way students learn.

So now the question...how am I going to "flip" my regular Economics and AP Microeconomics course for this upcoming semester?  That is what I will be figuring out in the next three weeks.  I do believe this will be the only way some kind of stability and consistency can be attained during these unknown times.   As I find resources for my flipped classroom, I will be posting them on this site so stay tuned if you want a concise list of resources you may be able to use for Economics and AP Economics (and if you are an AP Econ teacher, please let me know what you will be doing this fall).

Econ Resources:

flipitecon.com - this is an incredible site that creates a flipped classroom for you.  I have registered and will now work on my course.  Granted, I have not had students work through this BUT this is a good place for me to start!!!! 

Brame, C., (2013). Flipping the classroom. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/.