Ideas for flipping your classes
Quote from Debbie Young, MSL, LCCE, ICCE, ICBD, CLC on February 14, 2020, 2:06 pmFlip Your Class
In our ever-busy world, pregnant families seem to have less and less time for full in-person classes during pregnancy and after the baby is born. When I was pregnant, 30 years ago, I attended and taught classes that were 12 weeks long. That is a sweet but distant memory!
As educators, we understand the benefits of learning during these phases of life. So how can we make sure that families get the information that they need in a way that meets their current lifestyle? There are hospitals and organizations offering very abbreviated classes to address this challenge, but they usually do not have enough time to cover all the information that parents really need for an empowered birth, breastfeeding, or early parenting experience.
Offering an online course that parents take at home, coupled with a short, in-person interactive session may work ideally for some busy families—and is in line with how adults learn best. They get all the academic learning in the online course and will spend some time (often 2-4 hours) with an instructor who will answer questions that are relevant to their situation, demonstrate concepts, and practice hands-on activities like comfort measures. A tour can be included with this class.
As an educator, I was initially against this type of class because I felt it would reduce the number of students in my classes. But when I flipped my classroom, it turned out to be a win-win that enhanced the quality of our in-person time together and reduced tune out. I love being able to be hands-on with the students and give that extra confidence of being able to practice and to get their questions answered.
See the attached white paper for some additional information and best practices for implementation that you can use in your own facility. Feel free to post a reply here if you have tried flipping your classes. I’d love to know what successes and challenges you have faced.
Flip Your Class
In our ever-busy world, pregnant families seem to have less and less time for full in-person classes during pregnancy and after the baby is born. When I was pregnant, 30 years ago, I attended and taught classes that were 12 weeks long. That is a sweet but distant memory!
As educators, we understand the benefits of learning during these phases of life. So how can we make sure that families get the information that they need in a way that meets their current lifestyle? There are hospitals and organizations offering very abbreviated classes to address this challenge, but they usually do not have enough time to cover all the information that parents really need for an empowered birth, breastfeeding, or early parenting experience.
Offering an online course that parents take at home, coupled with a short, in-person interactive session may work ideally for some busy families—and is in line with how adults learn best. They get all the academic learning in the online course and will spend some time (often 2-4 hours) with an instructor who will answer questions that are relevant to their situation, demonstrate concepts, and practice hands-on activities like comfort measures. A tour can be included with this class.
As an educator, I was initially against this type of class because I felt it would reduce the number of students in my classes. But when I flipped my classroom, it turned out to be a win-win that enhanced the quality of our in-person time together and reduced tune out. I love being able to be hands-on with the students and give that extra confidence of being able to practice and to get their questions answered.
See the attached white paper for some additional information and best practices for implementation that you can use in your own facility. Feel free to post a reply here if you have tried flipping your classes. I’d love to know what successes and challenges you have faced.
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