The Flipped Classroom

In yet another effort to engage students in the classroom and to integrate technology into the teaching/learning process, a number of classroom teachers have turned to a technique known as “the flipped classroom.” In this scenario, students complete their “homework” in the classroom under the mentorship of their teacher and explore their class assignments at home. Teachers employ YouTube to post lessons s well as iPod lectures. While the flipped classroom technique has not caught on with a majority of the teaching population, the concepts do raise the issue of the use of technology on the classroom. Have we as educators resorted to using as much tech as possible just to use tech? Is it yet the latest ploy to get students interested in education?  The program fails to consider those students who cannot afford to purchase the latest high tech devices. This is just another case of the latest educational fad and school districts throughout the country, desperate to improve student performance, are more than willing to jump on the latest bandwagon without a thorough review of the empirical research.

For more information you may wish to read some of the following:

“The Flipped Classroom” by Bill Tucker (http://educationnext.org/files/ednext_20121_BTucker.pdf)

http://www.ourstringsrock.com/uploads/1/6/1/8/16180852/flip_class_basics.pdf

Five Best Practices for the Flipped Classroom” by Andrew Miller (http://ticharter33.org/library/TIarticle36.pdf)

As always your feedback is welcome. Best wishes for a successful 2013-1014 school year.

C.2013 J. Margolis

Common Core Issues

Common Core Pressure

A recent article in USA Today addressed the issue of the added pressure on schools and students to improve test performance under the new federal Common Core Standards. The New York State Commissioner of Education recently released student test results in Reading and Math for students in grades 3-8. The reported results showed a significant decline in student scores. “Only about one in three in the tested grade levels met or exceeded the designated proficiencies.” The Common Core program has established a new baseline of what is considered proficient. New York and Kentucky are the only two states to release their results.

We are dealing with an oft discussed issue here. One the one hand statistics indicate that American school students are falling behind their contemporaries in other countries. Business executives complain that graduates are under prepared for today’s work force. On the other hand political scientists note that this yet another federal government incursion into public education, something that has been relegated to states under the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution.

In some states student promotions are keyed to performance on these tests and of course this opens up additional argument are about teaching skills, student readiness and socio –economic factor in school performance. As the new school year begins, the Common Core issue is just an additional issue for teachers to deal with.

On Line Education

On line Education

By now most educators have realized that is the possible to complete a K-12 educat6ion, a BA degree and a number of master’s degrees totally on line without ever having to set foot in a classroom.

The social implications of this realization are staggering, for I have believed for a long time that education is as much of a social experience as an academic one. That being said, I had the opportunity to review the web site www.k12.com, a resource  for students and parents seeking an on line public or private elementary and secondary education. Such programs are suitable for a wide variety of situations. They include advanced students, athletes and performing arts students, military families, home schooled students and home bound students (illness or injury).

Students who need summer school remediation or credit recovery may also find these programs useful.

The programs enlist the aid of parents who act as “learning coaches” along with the online teachers to help students achieve success. These programs may be useful for students with specific needs but in the final analysis, we need to define the additional benefits of  being in an actual classroom setting.

C. 2013 J. Margolis