by Sara Meurer

Some STA science and English teachers have adopted a new method to teaching known as the flipped classroom approach, which involves students watching recorded lectures for homework and completing assignments, labs and tests in class. According to science teacher Renee Blake, this approach was begun by two chemistry teachers in Colorado.

Teachers using this method include Blake as well as science teachers Mary Montag, Mary Rietbrock and Terry Conner and English teacher Carrie Jacquin. Montag, who is trying the flipped classroom approach for the first time this year, has had a positive experience with it and believes it allows better use of class time.

“I love [the flipped classroom approach],” Montag said. “I absolutely love it. Before, there was a lot of class time spent needlessly. I would notice that when I was teaching I would look out and some students were already done but some student weren’t. We weren’t using our time to the best of all of our advantage. It really truly is less about the teacher and more about the student.”

According to Blake, the flipped classroom approach is also helpful for when students miss class.

“There has always been a problem with students missing lectures,” Blake said. “What I’m finding is that girls in sports that miss school can do all that at home.”

In Blake’s classes this approach allows students to work on homework for other classes if they are up to speed with the lessons, according to Blake.

“If the girls are finished, they can work on another class,” Blake said. “If they have an English project, they can work on that.”

Junior Sabrina Salerno is taking two science courses this year that use the flipped classroom approach–ecology with Blake and chemistry with Rietbrock. According to Salerno, the lectures she is required to watch vary from 15 to 20 minutes. Salerno likes the flipped classroom approach because it lessens her amount of homework.

“[The flipped classroom approach] is pretty nice because it’s so much easier to get my homework done in class and I don’t have to sit through a boring lecture in school,” Salerno said. “I don’t have homework at all.”

Aside from having less homework, Salerno believes the flipped classroom approach is helpful because it allows students to learn at their own pace when listening to a lecture.

“I really like [the lectures] because you can pause it and rewind and make sure you know what’s going on,” Salerno said. “Especially because watching the videos and taking notes at home is way easier. It makes learning a lot easier for me.”

Blake believes this approach is effective because it allows for more individualized attention in the classroom and more self-guided teaching.

“I’m able to help girls that need more one on one help,” Blake said. “I think it’s really going to help with getting to college because it is self-guided.”

After researching this method with Conner and Montag, Blake found that there are different levels to the approach. According to Blake, there are simple levels that involve videos as well as a more complex level called the mastery level.

“What I’m doing is the mastery level,” Blake said. “That’s where I give them an organizational guide and they have to complete so many objectives for each chapter and the homework is optional. They will complete the homework in class and I check it to make sure they completed it, and I give them the answer keys. It’s kind of an honor system.”

Montag is certain that she will continue this approach in the future.

“I will absolutely continue [the approach] in the future,” Montag said. “There are so many fun things that you are able to do. There are so many different ways to incorporate the technology.”