Flipping the Classroom
Strengths & Weaknesses
What is a 'flipped classroom'?
What you used to do at school you do at home, and what you used to do at home you do in school. (a, b, e, g, h)
Strengths of the Flipped Classroom Model
2. Since the classroom is a work-space, students have access to the teacher when completing work (as opposed to the home environment where students may become confused or frustrated), and the teacher is able to provide quicker, individually tailored feedback. (a, b, e)
3. Students move through the curriculum at their own pace, and if a student is absent he or she does not fall extensively behind the rest of his or her classmates. (d, e, f, g)
4. The flipped classroom model is flexible making it suitable for any type of school, classroom, or schedule; teachers can flip one lesson, a unit, or the entire class. (a, b, e, g)
5. The flipped classroom model saves instructional time. Because content videos are concise and viewed at home, more class time can be devoted to higher-order thinking skills (tiers 3, 4, 5, 6 in Bloom's Taxonomy). (a, e, f)
6. Promotes collaboration among teachers, especially when creating videos. (f)
7. Provides a method for scaffolding material to close the learning gap. The flipped classroom model is helpful for struggling students because they can go back and re-watch videos to clarify content. (f)
8. Multiple technologies exist to help teachers with the recording and dissemination of the videos to their students. (h)
Weaknesses of the Flipped Classroom Model
2. Students who do not watch the videos come to class ill-prepared to participate in the application/extension phase of the flipped classroom model. (c, h)
3. Creating the videos can be a huge learning curve for teachers and can be extremely time-consuming in the beginning stages of flipping a classroom. (a)
4. Some teachers may experience push-back from parents or administrators who are unfamiliar with this non-traditional way of teaching. (f)
5. The flipped model does not appeal to every type of learner in the classroom (as is the case with any instructional strategy. (g)
6. Students may not have internet access at home or a way to view the videos. (a, b)
Why does it matter?
Resources
Check out these resources below for more information on "flipping the classroom."
Video Resources
(a) Cisco. (2012, July 20). Flipped class 101 [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9MY92TM0hM.
(b) Flipped Learning. (2010, December 16). The flipped classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc&feature=player_embedded#at=55.
(c) McCammon, L. (2011, December 28). What if students don’t watch the videos – faq – Katie gimbar’s flipped classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1MKpyVPilI&feature=related.
Text Resources
(d) Butrymowicz, S., & Zhao, E. (2012, June 13). ‘Flipped classroom’ model’s promise eludes poorer school districts. Retrieved October 9, 2015 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/13/flipped-classroom-models-_n_1594279.html.
(e) Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2011). Flipping the classroom. Educational Horizons, 90, 1, 1-5.
(f) Fulton, K. (2012). The flipped classroom: Transforming education at byron high school. THE Journal, 39, 3, 18-20.
(g) Seven things you should know about flipped classrooms. (2012, February 7). Retrieved October 9, 2015, from http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-things-you-should-know-about-flipped-classrooms.
(h) The flipped classroom: Exploring the flipped classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2015, from http://assets.techsmith.com/docs/pdf-landingpages/flippedclassroom-explore.pdf.