Flip Teaching and Flip Conferences

I've known about a new way of teaching for some time now. It's called "flip teaching", "reverse teaching" or "reverse instruction." The idea is simple:

• Kids watch lectures and videos at home.
• Class is for hands-on work and face-to-face interaction with teachers and peers.

Although this style of teaching does not seem to be without its problems, I love the idea. This is just what I and others have been saying about conferences and seminars.

But why did I not make the connection before today? Conferences are just a hang over from school days. Sit the students in nice neat rows in a classroom and talk at them!

• Speech is a bad medium for communicating information - so watch lectures and videos at home.
• Speech is a good medium for dialogue - so do hands-on work and face-to-face interaction with teacher/peers at school and speaker/peers at a conference.

Its such a simple but powerful way of working. Don't just flip teaching, flip conferences as well. I will leave you with favourite quotation of mine.

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

Credit: Plutarch (46 - 120) Greek Essayist