Inverting the Linear Algebra Classroom

Abstract

The inverted classroom is a course design model in which students’ initial contact with new information takes place outside of class meetings, and students spend class time on high-level sense-making activities. The inverted classroom model is so called because it inverts or “flips” the usual classroom design where typically class time is spent on information transfer (usually through lecturing) while most higher-order tasks are done outside the classroom through homework. The inverted classroom model is particularly well-suited for linear algebra, which mixes relatively straightforward mechanical calculation skills with deep and broad conceptual knowledge. In this paper, we discuss how the inverted classroom design can be applied to linear algebra in three modes: as a one-time class design to teach a single topic, as a way to design a recurring series of workshops, and as a way of designing an entire linear algebra course.

Keywords:

• Inverted classroom
• linear algebra
• flipped classroom
• screencast
• course design

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert Talbert

Robert Talbert holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University, where he was a Master Teaching Fellow at the Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. His mathematical interests include cryptography and computational geometry. His interests in mathematics pedagogy include the use of technology to support active learning environments, particularly through the use of screencasting, classroom response systems, the fusion of math and computer programming, and peer instruction. He blogs on these and other subjects at Casting Out Nines (http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines). Having taught previously at Bethel College (Indiana) and Franklin College, he is currently an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Grand Valley State University, where he has been on the faculty since 2011. He lives in Allendale, Michigan with his wife, three children, and a cat.