2. Flipping the Classroom
Pioneered by Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams in the spring of 2007, the idea of a flipped classroom is straightforward: rather than asking students to listen to lectures in class and complete homework in the evening, the process is reversed. Students in a flipped classroom listen to a video lecture in the evening and then work on problems during class time, allowing the teacher to be present to answer questions as students work. This flipped classroom method also allows students to work together more effectively on the task at hand. While this method certainly has generated a lot of press, both positive and negative, it remains an excellent option for students who each have Internet-connected devices available to them at home.
3. Quit Purchasing Calculators, Textbooks, and Manipulatives
From a pure cost-savings perspective, students in 1:1 classrooms no longer need to purchase graphing calculators, as free online graphing calculators can take their place. Similarly, teachers no longer need to purchase manipulatives like fraction tiles and base ten blocks, as sites like the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives contain a vast collection of free virtual manipulatives for students to use. School districts no longer need to purchase textbooks, either: sites like IXL and Khan Academy are easily detailed enough to become a student’s everyday source of problem sets. For schools worried about the cost of implementing a 1:1 programme, these savings can certainly help to offset the costs of the tech devices themselves.
1:1 technology has the potential to revolutionise virtually all school subjects, but maths in particular can be completely transformed.
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