As more classrooms integrate technology into the curriculum, the flipped classroom model continues to become more popular among educators, students, and parents. In the flipped classroom, students watch lessons, traditionally taught in the classroom, on YouTube or their school website and then do work, traditionally done at home, in the classroom. This learning method allows for students to learn in a self-paced environment and bring their questions to their peers and instructors where there is more time for one-on-one instruction.
High school algebra teacher Vito Ferrante took the flipped model one step further; he made the students the on-camera instructors. According to the article “BYOD Class Takes Their Learning to YouTube,” Ferrante was using YouTube to post his own instructional videos, but only saw true gains when he handed the instruction over to his class. Students in the BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) class pair up to “create, critique, and collaborate” on “think-aloud” videos filmed using cameras or smartphones. In the video, students choose a homework problem and verbally communicate how they’re solving the problem on paper. Then, they upload their best video to their YouTube channel every Friday for students, parents, and educators to watch.
Ferrante is already seeing the program help students learn to self-correct their mistakes, according to the article. “It seems like they’re catching their problems a lot more quickly,” said Ferrante. “And they’re not just doing the same things over and over again incorrectly.”
There are many ways educators can use technology to drive learning. Some use the flipped classroom model, some adopt e-textbooks, others use video, audio, and open-source materials to supplement the traditional classroom. At LifeBound, we started a YouTube channel to share our academic coaching sessions I conduct with real students talking about real issues. Below is the first video of Michael DeSantiago getting coached for success in college math. Later this month, Michael and I will have another coaching session to discuss his follow-through on seeing a math tutor. Let us know what academic coaching topics you want to see on LifeBound’s YouTube channel.
