A Technology Book Review

I read a lot of books on technology in the classroom and implement many of the ideas I learn about, but one thing I haven't really attempted in earnest yet is a flipped classroom.  I found a great guide for teachers starting this practice, called The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture, by Jackie Gerstein.  Dr. Gerstein is an instructor at several universities, having earned her Ed.D. at Northern Illinois University.  She has written several books on classroom instruction which are very popular among educators.  This book is licensed under a NonCommercial Creative Commons license, so it can be found at a very low price from sellers such as Amazon, and is well worth the purchase.

The book starts out with a simple section on what the flipped classroom is, and how websites like Khan Academy have steered education away from they typical teacher/student format that has been around for many years.  Video has always been very popular in classrooms, so why not harness it to create a classroom where more learning and less lecture takes place?  Why do we teach, then assign homework when the students can learn at home and practice in the classroom?  Time, perhaps our most precious aspect of teaching, can be saved and utilized most efficiently.

The book then embarks on how to rethink our ways of teaching and its effectiveness.  Dr. Gerstein cites several other experts in this section and introduces their ideas on flipping classroom.  It clearly lays out the types of teaching that flipping accommodates best, and that it is certainly not a fix-all to issues we face as teachers in the classroom every day.  Perhaps the key detail in this section is that flipping the classroom gives teachers the opportunity to do what they feel is most effective during class time, and not focus on trying to lecture/present all the material they have to cover.

There are many theories contained in this book and how flipped learning assimilates with them.  It focuses on Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, which is currently thought of as a highly effective teaching tool, and demonstrates how flipping can be used to great effect.  They key of Experiential learning is that learning is based on concrete experience and formation of concepts based on that experience, which plays right into the wheelhouse of the flipped classroom.  I found this section the most intriguing part of the book, and could already formulate ways to use this in my own classroom.  It breaks lessons down into fthree parts which are essential to effective flipping.

1. The What - Any lesson/section should begin with exposure of the learners to the concepts of focus.  This can be done with video lectures, podcasts, websites, chats, or other tool that allows the student access outside the classroom.
2.  The So What - Learners reflect on their understanding of concepts and articulate through blogs, generated videos, podcasts, or other creative technology tool
3. The Now What - Learners go beyond reflection, and create something that has applications to their lives.  This is usually done in the classroom setting when the teacher is present to guide the students.

I noticed right away that this approach mirrors Bloom's ideas of going from basic to creation, and I can see how effective it would be in the classroom.

There are many other ideas put forth in this book, along with sample lessons of differing levels that illustrate just how these concepts can be integrated in ones own classroom.  I personally learned a lot in a short time from this book, and while the audience of this book seemed to be educators who already have some background in classroom theory, I could see it also being useful for a complete novice.  It put the steps and theory of classroom theory in simple enough terms that any teacher should be able to follow it and implement their own vision of a flipped classroom.

More of Dr. Gerstein's ideas can be found at http://jackiegerstein.weebly.com/

Citation:

Gerstein, Jackie. The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture. Amazon Digital Services, 2012.