Flipping Out: How To Turn A Grammar Class On Its Head

This post is NOT about venting the many frustrations surrounding the teaching and learning of English grammar. Rather, the focus here is on how to flip your classroom. What is flipping the classroom? In many learning environments, the teacher lectures during class and students are sent home with homework. In a flipped learning environment, students watch online videos in preparation for class, and then engage in active learning opportunities during class time when the teacher can help guide them through particular challenges of applying their knowledge.

Flipping is catching on. There have been several articles about it in The New York Times. In addition, several websites are promoting and coordinating efforts toward the initiative, including flippedlearning.org, ed.ted.com, flippedclassroom.com/, and flippededucation.com. For further reading about the method, you can check out articles here and here. To me, one of the best academic articles out there, one that launched a renaissance in education, is Alison King's article From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side.

The dynamic works particularly well for English Language Learners studying grammar because it gives students opportunities to repeat the concepts of the target structure as necessary without exhausting class time on lengthy and repetitive explanations. Furthermore, it allows students to pinpoint specific questions that they might have. It also makes Q & A time  much more effective and efficient.

I experimented with this teaching dynamic in the Summer of 2013. My YouTube channel where I posted most of these videos can be found here. An example of a typical flipped lesson involved students watching a video about "whatever, wherever, whenever, however, whoever" at home. The next day, we did an interactive role play in which one student was a "Bratty Teenager," telling the other student who was roll playing an "Overprotective Mom" that she could do "whatever" she wanted. It was a smash!

I didn't always create my own videos. There are plenty of wonderful resources already out there. Two You Tube channels I frequently utilized in my class were AlexESLvid and JenniferESL.

How could you utilize this teaching format? I'd love to hear from people who have tired or are trying this method. The following are three videos that will help hurdle the initial technical and practical set up of this fun and engaging teaching style.

How to make an iMovie...

How to upload a video to You Tube...

How to create a New Screen Recording using Quicktime...