Flipped Classrooms

Flipped classrooms are a totally new concept to me. They intrigue me because I think the way most classes are taught now is archaic and not the most effective method. The inertia of tradition seems to be the only reason we continue to teach in the lecture format. Flipped classrooms offer new ways for students to learn and for teachers to teach. The basic idea behind them is that through collaboration with other students and coaching from their teachers, students can achieve more. Students in flipped classrooms are able to engage more with each other and with the teacher. Students get significantly more one-on-one time in the classroom, and have the ability to start, stop, and rewind the lectures at home. I think there are a few important things to know about flipped classrooms and these should be considerations in changing one’s classroom over from traditional to flipped. First, there is immense responsibility for the student to do work on his/her own. If students aren’t mature and able to focus for an extended period of time, flipped classrooms may not work. It’s also a lot of work on the teacher’s part to prepare a lesson, film it, and edit it. Additionally, parents are required to be involved to ensure that the student is watching the lectures daily. After reading the two articles on flipped classrooms, I don’t think I would use this in my own classroom even though the concept offers a number of appealing advantages and solutions to problems. For instance, the specialized, one-on-one time that the student gets in the classroom with the teacher allows for advanced students to really be challenged while the slower kids have a pace that also suits them. However, the pros are outweighed by the cons here. Although the Forbes article snarkily mocks the downfalls of flipped classrooms, I thought that some of them were credible. For instance, this would drastically increase students’ homework load. They would have to watch hours of video a night. Flipped classrooms also seem like they benefit wealthy people disproportionately. They’re great for students who go home and have an ipad or computer waiting for them at home. However, many low-income students don’t have this luxury. With flipped classrooms inherently favoring technology equipped students, it will only exacerbate the achievement gap between rich and poor. Moreover, many high school students have to work after school or play sports. They would have no time to watch hours of videoed lectures. In conclusion, I do not see flipped classrooms as a possible tool for my own classrooms because students don’t all have time or access to the same technology, which creates unfair advantages for some (usually wealthy) students.