Flipping the Meeting

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The flipped classroom approach has taken some by surprise, although educators have been "flipping" their classrooms for quite some time. Here is how some have described it:

EdLab's Misconceptions about the Flipped Classroom Model:The Flipped Classroom model is the shifting of the classroom paradigm, so that lectures can be seen at home, while homework activities are done in class. This is to allow more time for applying the knowledge and receiving more personal help from the educator.

As exciting as flipping the classroom is for some, why not think about "flipping the meeting?" Yes, those meetings we have with adult learners. Some experts provide some insights into exactly how to go about flipping our meetings (and classrooms).

Dr. Mazur's work certainly is worth watching, as well as November Learning's discussion a companion work on the subject...Consider Dr. Eric Mazur on the Flipped Classroom and what it is:

Dr. Mazur has a video describing his integrated Flipped Learning and Peer Instruction methods, but the major points are:

1. Students prepare for class by watching video, listening to podcasts, reading articles, or contemplating questions that access their prior knowledge.
2. After accessing this content, students are asked to reflect upon what they have learned and organize questions and areas of confusion.
3. Students then log in to a Facebook-like social tool [such as Edmodo], where they post their questions.
4. The instructor sorts through these questions prior to class, organizes them, and develops class material and scenarios that address the various areas of confusion. The instructor does not prepare to teach material that the class already understands.
5. In class, the instructor uses a Socratic method of teaching, where questions and problems are posed and students work together to answer the questions or solve the problems. The role of the instructor is to listen to conversations and engage with individuals and groups as needed.

There are lots of possibilities. . . are you ready to try this?

 Here's what the steps might look like for flipping your next team meeting:

1. Prepare content in video form and make it available online as a link from GoogleSites page or your SchoolFusion web site.
2. Invite staff to review content in advance of the meeting (make sure you allow for time to review).
3. After reflecting on the content, team members share any questions they have in the Edmodo Group the organizer has created for this purpose. These questions team members ask focus on what was confusing or items that they would like more information about. 
4. The meeting organizer will sort through the items and questions, then develop the Meeting agenda, scenarios, content to address those questions.
5. During the meeting, the organizer uses a Socratic method, where questions and problems are posed and staff collaborate to answer questions and/or solve problems. The role of the meeting organizer is to listen to conversations and engage as needed.