My middle-schooler has a lot of YouTube videos as homework. He says it’s because the school has “flipped instruction.” Can you please explain what this is?

Flipped instruction is a new teaching strategy. Traditionally, teachers present new material during class time and assign students homework and group projects to do on their own.

But flipped instruction switches the model: Teachers introduce new content through videos or podcasts that are assigned as homework. They ask students to take notes and answer questions. In class, the teacher discusses those questions with students and works with them on individual and group projects, such as labs, to put their new knowledge to work.

For instance, let’s say your son is learning about the Earth’s structure and plate tectonics in science. In flipped instruction, the teacher might assign online videos (including the teacher’s own lectures) that tell the story of how continents were formed and where earthquakes and volcanoes occur. Once students have viewed the videos, the teacher uses class time to answer questions, coach students in experiments and check their understanding through tests and activities. (For a short tutorial, go to youtube.com/watch?v=26pxh_qMppE.)

What are the benefits? Colorado educators Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergmann, authors of “Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2012), believe that flipped instruction personalizes learning, increases student-teacher interaction, holds the attention of students who struggle during class lectures and leads to a deeper understanding of concepts.

Mary Beth Hertz, a K-8 technology teacher in Philadelphia, says that the model provides a way to “individualize learning for students, so they can move at their own pace and review what they need when they need it. It can free the teacher to work one-on-one with students who need the most support. Students who miss lessons can catch up through video and online course tools like Edmodo or Moodle.”

For flipped instruction to be successful, says Hertz, teachers must make and choose videos and podcasts carefully.

“Materials should include a variety of approaches in the same way a face-to-face lesson would,” she says. “In math, for instance, students must see different ways to solve an equation. The videos must have good sound and image quality so that students can follow along and stay engaged. They must also match the curriculum and the activities the students will complete in class.”

One drawback is that students who don’t have online access at home can’t rely on public libraries, where computers have time limits, says Hertz. “Plus,” she says, “if everyone flips their classrooms, students will be in front of a screen for hours every night. Not everyone learns best through a screen.”

Parents should make sure that kids aren’t watching a string of videos without corresponding class activities to lock in the learning, says Hertz. “We know that students achieve best when learning is centered around the student, not the teacher,” she says. “Flipped instruction works best when it allows that to happen.”

My daughter just entered a “cliquey” suburban high school, and she’s having a hard time fitting in. She came from a small K-8 school where she was popular and everyone was “family.” Do you have any suggestions on how she can make the adjustment to her new school?

Transitions often present challenges for young people — and adults, too! Starting high school is no exception.

“The additional hurdle of tackling a completely alien environment only adds to the stress she feels,” says Stephen Wallace, associate research professor and director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., and author of “Reality Gap: Alcohol, Drugs and Sex — What Parents Don’t Know and Teens Aren’t Telling” (Union Square Press, 2008).

He suggests these ways to offer constructive support:

– Relax your rescue reflex. All kids this age are confronted with three difficult, but important, developmental tasks: establishing an identity all their own (Who am I?); becoming more independent from their parents (I can do this on my own!); and establishing more adult-like relationships with their peers (I have support outside of my family.). “It’s important to provide empathy and emotional support,” says Wallace, “but let your daughter begin to navigate her own way down this new path.”

– Serve as a sounding board. Do more listening than talking. “Listen to what your daughter has to say about her new environment and peer group, then ask open-ended questions,” says Wallace. “In doing so, you help her clarify what types of activities and friends she is looking for and practice approaches to finding them.”

– Share your stories. Young people don’t necessarily have the “institutional knowledge” that helps them see the light at the end of the tunnel. By letting your daughter know about some of your own social struggles and how you persevered, you will help her to find the confidence she’ll need in this new situation.

– Encourage her to find an adult mentor. Making a strong connection to a teacher, coach or administrator is a big plus during the high school years. A mentor can be instrumental in guiding her to specific courses and extracurricular activities and offer helpful advice when it comes to college applications.

– Support her involvement in the school community.“Schools are like small towns,” says Wallace, “and things run more smoothly when people get involved. Young people want to make a difference in the lives of others. Encourage her to join groups or clubs that contribute to the community.”

– Stay close. In study after study, teens say their relationships with their parents make them feel good about themselves. “While this may surprise some parents, a majority of teens say they want to spend more, not less, time with their parents. And that’s a really good thing!” says Wallace. “Research shows that teens who spend time with their parents, talk with them and feel close to them are overwhelmingly less likely to drink or use other drugs or become depressed than those who don’t.”

I’ve been toy shopping for kids ages 3 to 14 and am discouraged by the poor quality and lack of educational value in what I’ve seen. With money tight, I’d like to invest in toys they’ll love and learn from. Any reliable resources to help me choose?

Even Santa checks these sites before loading the sleigh.

Common Sense Media (commonsensemedia.org) helps parents manage and enjoy family media use. The site is packed with “Holiday Gifts You Can Say Yes To.” Look for the 2009 Recommended Lists of: Best Video Games for Kids and Families; Best TV on DVD for Kids and Families; Best DVDs for Kids and Families; Best Music for Kids and Families; Best Books for Kids and Families.

Recommendations come with reviews, kid and parent ratings, and suggested age levels. You’ll also find guidance from experts on topics ranging from avoiding violent content to setting Internet filters.

Greatschools.net, a site that helps parents become involved in their children’s education, features a special section this month, High Tech Holiday Guide, accessible from the home page. “Toys with three qualities — educational, fun, and inventive — are less likely to be banished to the back of the closet,” says Bill Jackson, president of GreatSchools. “We suggest a range of guilt-free gifts that will inspire without breaking the bank.” Look for The Best Educational Toys of 2009; reviews of do-it-yourself science kits and cool gadgets to tinker with; software that encourages reading development, DVDs that teach and entertain, and even a list of iPhone apps for toddlers.

If handing off your “smart phone” to a 3-year-old child wouldn’t occur to you, think about it, says Warren Buckleitner, founder of Children’s Technology Review. Buckleitner, a respected guru when it comes to kids’ technology, cites a Joan Ganz Cooney Center study showing that 60 percent of the 25 top-selling paid education applications in the iTunes App Store are for toddlers and preschoolers. Buckleitner says kids learn from the iPhone and iPod Touch, a version without a phone function, because it allows them to “manipulate abstract symbols in way that they can control.” Buckleitner cites the $2 app “Itsy Bitsy Spider!” from Duck Duck Moose Design as an example. “It’s like handing your child a bushel full of hidden surprises, where each touch or swipe can lead to an associated action. It’s anywhere, anytime learning.” Teachers and parents subscribe to Children’s Technology Review (www.childrenssoftware.com) to check reviews of nearly 8,000 products, including the latest children’s apps.

Worried that techie gifts will isolate kids? “It’s a concern only if you let it happen,” says Jackson. Media and technology tools and toys can and should bring families together. What’s more fun than making a family video together or a holiday slide show to send to a cousin far away? Or choosing a game three generations can share? Wii Sports Resort, named Best Family Game of 2009 by editors of Common Sense Media, provides hours of entertainment that will keep grandparents and grandkids laughing and talking throughout the year.