On a Southwest flight the other day, I noticed the feature article in their magazine was about flipping the classroom. I wonder how many teachers are doing this and what they think about it–really. I am rather cynical about new reforms (as is evident by my book title), especially when they have catchy names. But I’d already heard about flipping and decided to read more about it. After all, if you consider nothing new you are old. So sell me on this flipping business, I thought, and forged ahead reading the article and eating my honey roasted peanuts.
For one thing, having students do the heavy learning, and instructing themselves online, with a virtual instructor, at home, seems to be somewhat similar to, well, online learning.
Real classroom teachers set up projects/labs etc. in the classroom and move around and interact, but students are supposed to arrive at school having learned the information the night before.
The article had some objectivity explaining how, when students described in the flipped class in the description, arrived at school, only one had done the work the night before. Uh Oh. But the teacher seemed to continue with a little cool response to the students like “Hey guys!” I am not sure if that was exactly what he said because I didn’t write it down, nor did I swipe the article. I just remember he was pretty cool about it.
I still don’t know about flipping. I suppose, like online learning, sometimes it might be nice with older students to push them to be responsible at home and to find the information and teach themselves. That is, after all, what we want students to ultimately be able to do.
But with the current reforms, I get a little queasy thinking of the teacher manipulating the classroom to fit the assignment, but not being seen as the ultimate purveyor of knowledge. If I weren’t so paranoid about the ultimate predicted disruptive techy takeover with MOOCS and online universities all over the place, maybe I’d be more thrilled about flipping. But, I can’t help it. I like to see teachers teaching and students learning right there in the classroom. That way you can keep your eyes on them and know they are doing the work. Little things like that….
I had never heard of this term. ‘Flipping’ . Will have to research/ read more. I am a former private and public school teacher who now teaches online students -high school. I do see the benefits and hope that others do also but I don’t want to see it take over nor do I think it is for everyone. And I certainly still value the face to face, roll your sleeves up and dive in classroom experience. The problem I see in classrooms is by 4th g the teachers are losing the creativity and hands on to seat work and boring textbooks.
And trying to make kids grow up too fast…. But that part is not soley a teachers/educations fault. It is just the way of this world these days.
Enjoyed reading your blog. Will have to take time to do some more reading! 🙂
Thank you, Deanna. Flipping is a pretty new phenomenon. I quite agree with you about online learning especially for high school students. But I suppose I would only include it full-time under special circumstances. I also wonder about cheating…how you might control for that.
I took some online coursework for certification years ago and found it to be excellent. It was with a good university. But I still preferred the regular class interactions. My husband is a college professor and is teaching an online course. He has mixed feelings about it. Thanks for your input!
I do not believe in flipping for novice students and with good reason. I studied accounting, and most times students had to do the reading before coming to class in order to devote as much class time as possible to practicing problems. Although we were adult students, most of us did not study the lessons before hand.
I work as an Education Assistant and I see the disaster that a flipped classroom can wreak. Like the accounting students from my class most of the students do not follow the lessons. And the teacher still proceeds as if all has read the lesson and understood it. Most of the students have not, and they are lost when given the class assignments. The students with learning challenges are mightily confused because they are not capable of self-directed learning.
If you are an independent learner-which most novice learners are not- a flipped classroom may be appropriate to you; I am an independent learner and it is good for me. However, it is not appropriate for students in elementary or high school. And it is particularly harmful to students with learning challenges.
It is my humble belief that the use of flipping is a dereliction of the teachers’ duty.
Hi Arlene, I wrote that post early on. I have learned more about Flipping and believe it is tied to digital instruction. And I also agree with you completely.
Thank you for posting.