So you may be asking yourself what a flipped classroom really is, and what it entails. To be honest I had to do a little research myself. A flipped classroom refers to a classroom in which all the lecture and teaching is done via video or podcast at home, and the inquiry based learning is done in the classroom. The video portion of the lesson is essential however, because if the students do not know the lesson, they will not be able to participate in the activity when they come to class. The video at home can be only a few minutes long, with a short quiz at the end to ensure the students are understanding what is being taught. The teacher can then gauge what will be done in class the next day, whether it be a discussion on the topic or having the students work in groups to problem solve an activity. The idea of a flipped classroom is becoming more and more practical since everybody seems to have some sort of technological devise. Therefore, we see more online courses and flipped classrooms coming to life in the college level.
The pros of a flipped classroom, are the students at home get to pause and rewind the videos to hear what is being taught as many times as possible. They also get more time to have hands on activities with the material, therefore soaking in the information more. However a con that would go along with a flipped classroom is there is no one making sure that the students actually do their work at home and watch the video lecture. The students also may feel as if it is a waste of time and money to get lectured online rather than in class. Finally, the teacher must put in more effort and planning, which they may not be used to.
I am very indifferent about flipped classrooms. I think it would be a good learning experience for the students who actually put in the time and effort to do all of the work at home. However, it is unlikely that a student would actually watch everything given, and do all of the outside work. Although if all students did do the work, I love the idea of having students work on the inquiry part of the lesson in the classroom, without the time being spent not the actual content. I think that inquiry is a large part of learning, therefore if the students were to do what they were supposed to, this could be very beneficial.
Flipped classrooms do not necessarily benefit me as a teacher. I am working at an elementary level, where the students do not come from the best of homes. Therefore, I believe that although the inquiry is needed just as much, if not more than the lecture, being able to slow down the lesson and answer specific questions the students have is more important to do in person. While the students can slow down the lesson, and listen to the video over and over, it is the same thing being said each time, therefore it might not make the material any clearer than the first time. Also, the students may not have the ability to watch a lesson online at home, therefore they would not receive the content for the next class period. Thus, I do not think that a flipped classroom is very beneficial in an elementary classroom.
One of the things I'm mentioning to the elementary teachers is that flipped classrooms are part of a broader taxonomy of 'blended' learning situations. Try to skim pages 8-15 of this document (http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Classifying-K-12-blended-learning2.pdf) to see if one of these models could fit your classroom's (and anyone who comments here) needs.
ReplyDeleteOhh! That is very interesting. I think this would be a great way to teach with a upper elementary classroom. I do agree that these classrooms are more easily managed in college courses. Personally, as a college student I would love to be in a flipped classroom. I think having the class be at my pace is something I would really benefit from.
ReplyDeleteOverall I'm in agreement when it comes to elementary classes. When I'm trying to give directions or model something in the fourth grade class I work with they get distracted super easy and I frequently have kids ask me questions about what I literally just spent ten minutes explaining as if they hadn't heard a word. How well are those kids going to do when they can view me through a screen where they stand no chance of having their wayward attention redirected? I just don't see that happening. Also, is this meant to reduce time spent in school on the lecture part (thus putting the time pressure at home instead) while preserving school day length for inquiry, or would this come with shortened school days? I don't see it going well either way. Many parents view elementary school just as much a babysitter as an educational institution. Where are the kiddos going to go when everyone else is at work? Also, I don't know when this happened, but at some point it became a perfectly legitimate excuse to not do your homework because there was no time between extracurricular activities. What's the likelihood these videos will be watched and understood at home when parents write notes asking to excuse lil so-and-so from completing the four assigned math problems because there was no time between chess club, gymnastics, and going to grandma's house?
ReplyDeleteI think the concept of flipped classrooms is pretty interesting! I definitely understand your point that it might be hard for elementary students, but do you think it would be possible to do a partially flipped classroom? By this I mean if everything worked out well and all of your students have time and access to view the videos, to do them and allow for students to have insight on what is to come the next day for class. You would still need to do your regular class lesson, but maybe there's potential to gain some ground and move faster through the content. Just an idea. I think flipped classrooms at the high school level are definitely doable, but it's the obstacle of making sure all students have access and time at home.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Kristina, having a flipped classroom in college is super beneficial. However, it is like an online course almost which is harder to keep up with at times. Therefore, I see the ups and downs of having one.
ReplyDeleteChris-this is exactly why I thought it would be dumb to have a flipped classroom for elementary students. Modeling takes FOREVER, and students still do not understand. Also, we know that some parents are not involved at all, so if the student has questions during the lecture, they have to wait until the next day to figure out what the answer would be, thus they wouldn't understand what is happening throughout the rest of the lecture. Also I completely agree with what you said about students already not even doing 3 problems worth of homework, let alone watching an hour lecture online. The students are way less likely to watch a video at home.
Giselle- I never thought about a partially flipped classroom, that would be a great idea if all the students were willing and able. However, it is not always unicorns and butterflies when it comes to the students in the classroom. I feel like there would be those one or two students who did not do any of the work outside of the classroom and we would have to recap on everything we learned anyway, therefore taking just the same amount of time as a regular classroom.
Overall, I think that the idea of a flipped classroom is doable from high school above if the students have access to internet at home, but it would be too hard to pull through in an elementary class.
This is a concept that I was unfamiliar with but think it could potentially be great idea. I like the idea of focusing class time more on inquiry based learning and allowing students learn the lesson prior to the class when is convenient for them. One con I can see with this is that watching a video only provides one form of instruction or explanation of the topic. A student may watch the video repeated times and still not understand. Teaching in person however, allows the teacher to adapt their instruction if students are not getting it and can adjust their explanation to answer student’s questions. I think this would be a good tool to use in a classroom but not as the only form of instruction. Rather than having all lectures be web based, maybe have them available as an aid to use to review the lesson or a study tool.
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