Flipping Out

Aside from getting everything done before I leave for parts unknown in 36 hours, and living through a tornado warning, today was your usual boring Monday.  Except for the crazy seminar I was forced to attend on Flipping the Classroom.  Apparently when you work in education and training, seminars taught by teachers who teach teachers are a thing you're forced to live through.  I've been here and done this once before - Train the Trainer - and it was not my cup of tea.

Today's was no different.  What was worse was that I actually thought this one might be fun. But the "science" just didn't make sense.  If you're new to the Flipping the Classroom thing, it's the new hippy dippy trend in education. Teachers give actual learning (videos, powerpoints, etc.) for homework then students use what they learn in class, essentially doing old school homework with the teacher.  It's supposed to be a grand idea.  And in theory I suppose it makes sense.

However, by giving students videos and things to watch, you're still giving them homework, per se.  It doesn't sound much different than the homework I had.  And the part that really throws me is the skills part.  So, say you're in 1st grade and you're learning 1 + 1 and 2+2. Giving you videos about this and then working on worksheets in class, isn't really helping you memorize this fact.  It's one of those things that you just need to remember.  Doing the old school homework by writing these facts and solving these problems (multiplication tables, spelling words, etc.) are the best way for your sense memory to kick in.  

I also have a problem with the teacher.  She's a lovely woman and very sweet.  And I love activities such as writing on placemats or stretching mid class by doing semi-sorta jumping jacks, just as much as the next girl - or just as much as the next girl who also taught pre-school.  But something tells me if we were to throw these activities on the computer nerds we teach, they'd be giving us some major side eye.  

Also, and as a purely personal matter of taste - slides covered in orange with a Bad Moon Rising sort of theme (with grammatical errors and formatting errors on each slide) is not the best way to show how much you know.

Oh well.  It wasn't a total loss.  At least we get credit for the class and there were no ice breakers - truly the worst part of any class for an introvert like me.  I'll take the win!