Lesson 2 Reflection

I have mixed feelings about the use of flipped instruction in my teaching. On one hand, my classroom (and all English classes!) have been flipped classrooms for years. Students read assigned chapters or essays at home and and we discuss and apply what they read together in class the following day. I do very little direct instruction on most days. This is not to say there are no opportunities for flipping the instruction. I could see video explanations clarifying specific and difficult sections in the assigned reading. This is what I tried to do for the videos I uploaded. However, I do see a danger in this methodology as it applies to literature. While I would love to have a video to answer questions that would lead to a frustration level that would prevent my students from reading on, I do want to allow them to struggle with the ideas in what I am asking them to read - and especially to come to their OWN textually supported interpretations of what they have read. In terms of regaining instructional time, I think the gains would be minimal for me. I will still need to check my students' understanding, reteach or clarify if they are struggling, and eventually spend the majority of classroom time discussing what they THINK about what they have read. On the other hand, I could see flipped instruction being used for some of the grammar or literature terminology I teach, however, this makes up a small portion of the hours I spend with my students. Ultimately, I think like all other educational tools, there is a time and a place for using these kinds of lessons.