“So one of the basic problems with homework (at least how I implemented it), was that the students too often weren’t reinforcing skills they already had, they were struggling with skills they had yet to master (at least for those last two groups). What they needed was to be able to work on those problems when I was available to help, or when others were available to help, but not on their own where if they were confused they just ended up frustrated or, worse, cementing incorrect procedures in their brains,” Fisch writes in his blog, The Fischbowl.
Fisch says the flip concept is not his, but an idea he borrowed from fellow Colorado educators.
Embracing the Internet and social media, Fisch records lessons and posts them on YouTube for students to complete at home. He blogs what he covered in class and the homework, which includes the lesson videos, worksheet pdfs, and online worksheets, where students can check their own work. Fisch also posts food for thought—videos students might enjoy like I HATE PENNIES! and other stories that he has seen or heard.
He even has incorporated Skype lessons into his syllabus. He brought Erin Anderson of the Renewable Energy Laboratory into his classroom via Skype. To prepare, students were asked to read through online articles in local newspapers, and the New York Times.
Daniel Pink, bestselling author on innovative approaches in business, featured Fisch in his Sunday Telegraph (UK) business column, Think Tank: Flip-thinking—the new buzz word sweeping the US.
FYI, Karl Fisch, with Scott MacLeod, is the creator of the Shift Happens videos (“Did You Know?”) about technology changing the world, which have 11.4 million views on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY
