Teacher-as-Flipper (without dorsal fins)
Flipped School vs. Online School
This is of particular interest to me, in light of what seems to be a rise in online schools. It seems that online schools are at the pendulum-swing of the flipped model; everything is done from a student's home: the instruction, the practice, and the application. I spoke extensively last year with a few teachers who work with California Virtual Academy (CAVA), as well as a few of my students who have spent portions of their schooling online, and it made me analyze the aims of project-based instruction. Here's why: I've seen an incredible paradigm shift in student agency and teacher-as-coach with some of my colleagues at SMS, and it's impressive to see students walk into their classrooms, pull up their agenda online, and get straight to work with their groups. I strive to have my projects and and classroom culture so clear, that this would be the norm for my classroom- all instruction and logistics would be readymade online, and I would just get to do the fun part during class, working with small groups on their research and writing. But if my class were so perfectly streamed, how would students benefit from doing what they're doing in my classroom, instead of directly from their couch? Further reflection on this has led me to conclude that face-to-face collaboration, and a daily, personal interaction with teachers and peers is a signifcant point of separation from online schools. The flipped model plays to the strengths of both online and face-to-face schools.
The value of F2F
Pondering flipped classrooms also got me thinking about a message we've heard repeatedly in our grad program: technology is best used when it enables us to do something that was impossible without it. What if we applied that thinking to the valuable face-to-face time we get with students? What if we only used face-to-face teaching when it was the strongest, most meaningful way to teach? Any time I am sage-on-the-stage'ing it, I inevitably have students zone out or act out (think middle school boys: fart sounds, hyperbolic sneezes, crunching water bottles). However, that behavior disappears when I'm working my way around the room to "coach" small groups of students; they know what I'm talking to them about pertains specifically to them. Likewise, when Bergman and Sams flipped their school, discipline cases went from 736 to 259. When I flipped a lecture earlier this school year by using VoiceThread, even my most volatile students responded well. They liked that they could go at their own pace.
Flipping before the 3 o'clock bell
One element that cannot be overlooked in the flipped model is homework. My kids don't do it. While the Explore-Flip-Apply model seems perfect for PBL, I'm reluctant to rely on my students doing their part at home. However, my VoiceThread experience showed me that a flip, within the school day, can be valuable. I'd be interested to try more flipping within the school day.
Teacher-as-Activist
Instrinsic motivation
In light of Dan Pink's research, CBL offers the perfect platform for intrinsic motivation; students go deeper with their learning because they know it's something important to others, and also important to them.
Just a consonant away from PBL
To me, it looks like CBL takes the "authenticity" tenet of PBL and gives it an ethical/moral impetus. The research on CBL looks nearly identical to the research that's been collected on PBL: in both cases, students use technology frequently, collaborate, apply themsleves to a "real world" situation, all the while gaining 21st century skills, bridging the achievement gap, and- let's not forget- mastering the standards. This one is a point of interest for me; BIE founder Bob Lenz claims, in his recent book, that his Envision schools were Common Core-aligned before there were even CCSS standards, because PBL is dependent on deeper thinking and analysis. CBS proponents also see a positive correlation between their learning model and content mastery. The archived CBL website states:
"As the teachers in the pilots found, the Challenge Based Learning process lends itself to content mastery. ... Your task as a teacher is to facilitate this by starting with standards-based content and connecting it to 21st century content and skills throughout the process. Build basic skill practice into the activities and students will see a purpose for gaining the skills."
Mere mortals
I believe in the potential for PBL and CBL to do all they propose... but we teachers are mere mortals. I am still wrestling with how to get my students to translate what they do in a PBL unit to the language and setting of a CAASPP test. Also, when I think of all the planning that goes in to developing a PBL unit for my students, I cringe at the idea of CBL: If I'm going to plan a "Resilience"-type challenge, there had better be a natural disaster every year so I can keep using and refining what I've planned. That particular part of the model doesn't seem sustainable to me, given our limited amount of planning time. It is encouraging to see numerous Challenges described on websites; ideas are out there.