What is a Flipped Classroom? My students define in their words...

It is always interesting for me to hear my students' opinions on things... that is why I have a "reflection" for them to complete every week during the semester (completely optional, but I do offer some participation points - ugh, I even hate saying that, but it's true...it's one way to have them do something that doesn't really benefit them in any way)

I usually get between 10-30 responses in a given week (out of 180 students), but many weeks I will put repeat questions on there so I will gt a broader set of answers as students choose to do the reflections one week and not the other.

I will continue to update this post as the responses come in.

We all have our own definitions of the flipped classroom... trying to find just the right words to make this amazing, transformational, learning process make sense to someone else in just a few concise sentences (which I honestly think is impossible to fully convey exactly what a flipped classroom is in words...).  I have come up with several different definitions over the course of the semester, and I don't even think I have one that I really like yet.  They all seem to be missing something.

So, I wanted to ask my students what THEIR definition was. 

 I had several purposes in doing this:

1. I wanted them to think about what it was we are really doing this semester.

2. I want to get ideas to formulate my own definition :)

3. I want to see if what I THINK I am conveying to them is actually getting across!!

Here are their definitions... some are rather simplistic, but some are REALLY GOOD... (I've put the ones I really like in BLUE)

• A flipped classroom is learning new stuff at home and doing homework in class, getting the help you need with the ones you don't understand.

• A flipped classroom is where a classroom is taught, so to speak, at home by watching videos of all their lessons while they take notes. When they come to class, they work on what they would've originally worked on at home, worksheets with problems and stuff like that. The teacher is there the whole time answering questions, helping someone with a problem, to make sure they understand each lesson.

• Flipped classroom is to get help in class and get help on videos.

• A flipped classroom is the other way around than a regular classroom. You learn the Concepts at home at come ready to work. You can watch the videos at your own pace if you dont get something or you get stuck on something you can go back at rewind the video or watch more examples of it.

• A flipped classroom is a different method of learning at home in a video and doing homework and other things during classroom. I think it's two different focuses at one time but there also all together.

• A flipped class room is when you watch a new lesson at home on your computer and then go to class and practice it with the help of Mrs. Kirch and your group.

• A Flipped Classroom is that instead of learning the lesson in the class you are going to learn it in the video and you can see it over and over again

• A flipped classroom is a class for homework and home for class work.

• A Flipped Classroom is one where students learn at home and then do homework in class but overall, is not much of a change from normal classrooms as sometimes students are required to read at home to do work later in class- essentially the same thing.

• Watching the video at home and doing the homework in class.

• A flipped classroom is a teaching method in which the students are in charge of learning the lesson at home, and bring any questions that they have to class the next day. After discussing them, they do their assigned homework in class.

• A flipped classroom is watching the normal "class lesson" at home and doing the "homework" in class, learning at home while cooperating and solving problems in class.

• A Flipped Classroom is when a student has material at home and has to teach the material to himself or learn the material through an online aid which clears up the classroom time for discussion and activities.

• A flipped classroom is when we do the home things in school for example homework and we do school things at home for example lessons. I honestly think that things done in class will be the complete opposite.

• A Flipped Classroom is a student's own responsibility to take charge on their education.

• A flipped classroom is where students take the initiative and learn the lesson. This process is similar to college and will prepare the student for future classes.

• A Flipped Classroom is a place where students take responsibility for their own education.  The students watch the videos, the students take notes, and the students ask questions if they do not understand something.  The students also reflect on what they have learned and can discuss challenging concepts with classmates instead of relying on the teacher for everything.

• A flipped classroom is when you watch a video for homework on a lesson. The next day you come into class and work on the classwork and get help on the lesson.