Hi Eric,

I was not targeting this group of gifted learners due to the fact that they are a "gifted". I fully understand that this model benefits all learners. As I transition to a new role, I thought it would be more practical for me to work out the kinks with a smaller group than to try to tackle this with the class of over 30 while simultaneously learning this new position. As I said, I truly wish that I could figure out a way to implement this approach but given my given circumstances at this time I do not see it being done effectively. In the future, as we grow our own technology inventory and continue to work with our community I would love to transition to this model.

Ada,

Thank you for your argument. Although I initially responded on the other side for my own personal reasons given my school's circumstances, your argument has given me food for thought. Out of the 80 3rd graders that I had last year, I knew of less than 5 that had wifi at home and devices at home. When I responded, I did not think of opening up my classroom to students who would want to come in before or after school. I love this idea, I guess my two thoughts with this are: I only have 30 devices so having 80 3rd graders coming before or after school may not work. But also, how would you handle working through a student who was not completing the tasks time and time again? Would you stop providing this time of learning and do a 1:1 approach with this child or group of children? Again, I fully understand with little ones that it is out of their control and they should not be held accountable if the resources or time is just not there for them?

Although flipped learning has crucial benefits, I truly believe that it takes special learners to thrive in this type of educational set up. Speaking from my own experience, I find implementing flipped learning into elementary school could be extremely challenging, especially with the circumstances at my own school. First, I think that there must be complete buy-in from not only the students but also the parents. There are many students at my school who are either unmotivated themselves but also come from families that unfortunately do not value education. My team and I have struggled for years trying to problem solve to figure out how to get students to complete their homework but also involve parents in the process when possible. Another problem that my school encounters is that there is minimal access to technology at home for these children. The most access that students come into contact with is a smart phone. Most students do not have wifi, so I would see parents being very hesitant to use their data on letting their kids watch videos and such. Lastly, even if there were more technology at home I would be hesitant to implement this style of learning because at my school there is always a large group of students who do not complete their homework. I could see it causing many problem when a group of students did not do their learning at home and are not ready for the day to begin the critical thinking and development of the skill. Although I absolutely love this idea and wish that I could make it work, I just do not see it happening due to the above challenges. I am going to be working with a small group of students who have been identified as gifted next year. I could see myself trying the flipped learning style with these students so that when I do pull them out for enrichment, they would have previously had exposure to the concept and we could proceed from there.

Kelsey Elliott

Molly,

Thank you for your great posts. You state that flipped learning gives the opportunity for students to take responsibility for their own learning. One thing that I see teachers at my school struggling with is, is not allowing the students in their classrooms to productively struggle. When students are responsible for their own learning, and they are not constantly relying on the teacher, it teaches them to overcome their struggles. Great point!