Education innovation is sometimes derided as not much more than a fad. In the 1970s, it was the open-classroom concept, and in the 1980s whole-language learning was popular. Nobody is talking about those concepts today.

But the Internet and online learning are not fading away. Online learning has already had an impact through cyber schools for secondary education, and is more and more becoming a part of traditional college classes.

Another education innovation, known as “flipping the classroom,” uses online learning to change what happens in class.

Already working in increasing numbers of classes around the country, Mars High School has begun to experiment with the concept, which involves having students watch an instructional online video on their own at home, then complete homework assignments and work in small study groups the next day while in class and with the teacher available for assistance.

Three teachers at Mars — Janet Adams, Nicole Avon and Rebecca Winek — began their own experiment using the flipped-classroom concept for chemistry and physics at the start of the school year.

The advantage of watching an instructional video instead of listening to a teacher lecture in the classroom is that students can learn at their own pace. They can stop, pause, rewind and replay sections of the video to make sure they understand the material.

Then, during the next day at school, they can work on assignments related to the lecture they just watched. Having the teacher available to guide them through their assignments has proven to make a difference.

The flipped classroom offers the students time to work on problems while having their teacher available to help, as needed. The students working on problems at school work at their own pace, getting as much or as little assistance as they need.

With teachers observing students working on problems, it’s easier to gauge what issues students are grasping and what issues remain a problem.

It’s not surprising that the old-school tradition of having students sit through a lecture during the day and then work on homework problems on their own should be challenged. Just because that’s the way things have been done for 100 years is not necessarily a reason to continue the same method, especially with the evolving technologies of online learning.

The flipped-classroom concept was the subject of a recent public forum at Mars, offered to help parents better understand the concept. To their credit, Seneca Valley Superintendent Tracy Vitale and assistant superintendent Matt KcKinley attended the forum to learn about the flipped classroom, with the idea of possibly introducing it at Seneca Valley.

Teacher Aaron Sams, credited as the co-creator of the flipped classroom, spoke at the Mars forum. Working with another teacher in Southern California, Sams launched his first flipped classroom in 2007 and has since guided teachers in schools across the country to help them flip their classrooms.

Sams says one of the most important changes is increased interaction — between students and teachers and also among students. The learning that happens in the classroom working on problems has produced better results than the traditional model of lectures in class and homework at home. Sams says that the in-school time has fostered real learning or deeper understanding with students working at their own pace and learning in small groups or working one-on-one with the teacher or a fellow student.

Sams said teachers observing a classroom, and noticing more than a few students struggling with the same concept or problem, can quickly respond with a mini-lecture or instant seminar to address the common problem facing the students. If the students were struggling on their own at home, the teacher would not be able to respond in the same way.

Sams told the group at Mars that in his experience with flipped classrooms, the students become independent learners, which is a skill that will serve them well in college and in life.

The flipped classroom is an exciting innovation in education, and Mars deserves credit for allowing it to be explored. For now, the program is limited to a few teachers and a few courses, but over time it could expand.

Kudos to those teachers and administrators willing to try something new in the classroom.