Friday, 16th October

Even though today we didn't have a class with Francisco, I met him at 9 o'clock before Kathy's lesson. He told me he had something to give me, and we agreed on meeting during the break. Apparently, we both were quite busy during the break, because we only had time to exchange a few words, but he gave me a very interesting document, pointing out that it was connected with some of the issues I had raised in our previous lesson planning sessions. What he gave me happened to be a brief and very clear introduction to the flipped classroom teaching approach. Flipping the classroom means moving direct instruction from the classroom to the individual learning space, and using the group learning space to develop other kind of activities, in a dynamic, engaging and interactive environment. It sounds quite nice. As a matter of fact, I had heard about it before. The teacher can upload a video with his or her explanation to the Internet, so that students can watch it at home. This makes it possible that, during the class, the pupils can focus on practising what they have previously learnt at home. It also favours a student-centered approach, which gives more autonomy and independence to students. According to the document that Francisco has given me, the flipped classroom approach has four basic pillars: 1) The teacher manages the spaces in order to create flexible learning environments, 2) The centre of the educational process is no longer the teacher, but the student, 3) Pays great attention to the contents, 4) Requires involved, enthusiastic teachers which are willing to evaluate their performance.

It sounds really appealing, but so different to the traditional teacher-centered approach to which I am acquainted that I don't really know if I would be able to implement it. Is it really feasible? Can it be done with our older students, who are pressed with their examinations and are eager to get into university?