Dr. Douglas L. Ragland
Retired Superintendent of Schools
Flipping Classrooms is a very interesting innovative online instructional tool to be used by teachers and students both away from school and in the classroom environment at school. This type of learning tool provides flexibility in learning, self-discipline, and enhances communication and critical thinking skills. Teachers can create course structures and modules via models on you tube, post assignments for discussion boards, create videos pertaining to assignments, and create resourceful links pertinent to assignments. Students can learn and complete their assignments at their own pace and participate in depth study in the classroom based on the materials completed and knowledge gained from the online studies. Teachers can provide opportunities via the flipping class concept for students to review instructional content online at home, watch lectures at home via online technology, engage in healthy instructional dialogue via the discussion boards, and use class time for higher order thinking skills to be manifested by students. Teachers can post assignments, create links for research, set up test questions, files, and due dates, add videos, create course syllabus or content, set up blogs and discussion boards, utilize tutorials in accessing information from You tube, and explore coursesite.com as a tool for enhancing the learning environment for students. From my perspective of being a Retired School Superintendent, these are ideas, perspectives and resources that can be utilized and implemented in Flipping the Classroom in an educational environment.