Written by Adam Mateske
The use of technology is commonplace in the lives of today’s students. Consider the dramatic change these students endure after they step into their elementary or secondary schools and are asked to sit in desks and focus on traditional teacher-led instruction. In response, classrooms around the world are introducing flipped learning to students. A flipped classroom model provides teachers the opportunity to effectively focus on student achievement while allowing student learning to excel and grow.
The flipped classroom had its beginnings in 2007 when Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, rural Colorado high school chemistry teachers, recorded lessons and uploaded them to YouTube as a way for absent students to review material presented in class. According to Bergmann and Sams (2012), “Flipping the classroom has transformed our teaching practice. We no longer stand in front of our students and talk at them for thirty to sixty minutes at a time. This radical change has allowed us to take on a different role with our students.”
In a flipped classroom approach, students watch lesson material outside of the classroom and use class time for completing work assigned to them. This allows teachers to circulate around the classroom and talk with students about their work rather than standing in the front of the classroom and talking at them.
Flipped classrooms do have their drawbacks. To set up a flipped classroom takes time. The teacher must manage a website or content management system for hosting the content. That same teacher must also find the time to record the individual lessons and upload them, or find quality videos online that someone else has already created. Students also need to learn how to work in a flipped classroom. Students are expected to be more actively engaged, which may result in some initial pushback.
Despite the drawbacks, flipped classrooms speak the language of today’s students who are accustomed to turning to the Internet for information and interaction. Goodwin and Miller (2013) claim, “There may also be another, deeper, reason students find video lectures more engaging: Brain research tells us that the novelty of any stimulus tends to wear off after about 10 minutes, and as a result, learners tend to check out after 10 minutes of exposure to new content.”
The benefit of a flipped classroom is that lessons are available online in smaller video clips to offer more engaging bites of learning. Flipped classrooms also offer students the option to pace their own learning according to their perceived abilities. Potentially, a flipped classroom allows a teacher to place an entire set of content and lectures online, enabling students to accelerate through the material at his or her own pace.
Does a flipped classroom work for every subject? Probably not. Phillips and Trainor (2014) state that a flipped classroom may work best with subjects that teach procedural knowledge, which is knowledge about how to do something. In this way, lesson videos are available to students whenever they need them. Students can watch and review lesson videos whenever they want and as many times as needed to understand the concept.
Does flipped learning benefit students? Absolutely. LaFee (2013) mentions the results of Clinton High School in Clinton Township, Michigan, where every classroom is a flipped classroom. Not only have test scores increased dramatically, but the school has also seen a decrease in failure rates as well as a significant decrease in disciplinary problems. LaFee (2013) also mentions a study done by research firm SRI International which found that in a survey of 453 educators who used the flipped approach to learning, 67% reported improved student test scores.
Society is changing in how information is gathered and communicated. Education must do the same. Williamson (2012) says, “For schools to remain effective would, therefore, require them to cope with change.”
Effective teachers and schools look for ways to better the educational experience for students. McAleavy (2013) states, “Effective teachers strike an appropriate balance between opportunities to work independently, the use of focused collaboration in pairs or groups, and direct input from the teacher.” (p. 2) An appropriate balance may mean different things in different contexts for a teacher. Effective teachers are able to structure lessons to meet the outcomes set ahead of time. McAleavy (2013) states that sometimes teachers will take risks by using unusual methods to maximize student learning. Increased usage of technology in schools plays an important role in helping teachers maximize student learning.
Effective teaching strategies enable students to learn without barriers. A flipped classroom makes effective use of available technologies and provides teachers an opportunity to make connections with students while allowing students to be active participants in their learning.
Adam Mateske currently serves as a staff minister at Mount Olive Lutheran Church-Appleton WI. He is also enrolled in MLC’s Master of Science in Education program with an emphasis in educational technology.
References
Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012, April 25). The Daily Riff – BE SMARTER. ABOUT EDUCATION. Retrieved June 24, 2015, from http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/how-the-flipped-classroom-is-radically-transforming-learning-536.php
Goodwin, B., & Miller, K. (2013). Research Says / Evidence on Flipped Classrooms Is Still Coming In. Educational Leadership, 70(6), 78-80.
LaFee, S. (2013). Flipped learning. Education Digest, (3), 13.
McAleavy, T. (2013). Taking schools to the next level. Education Journal, (159), 14-16.
Phillips, C. R., & Trainor, J. E. (2014). MILLENNIAL STUDENTS AND THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM. Journal of Business & Educational Leadership, 5(1), 102-112.
Williamson, B. (2012). Effective or affective schools? Technological and emotional discourses of educational change. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 33(3), 425-441.
In NSTA’s Journal of College Science Teaching, Heyborne and Perrett conducted a study of 2 sections of identical course material, one section being taught via lecture and the other via flipping. After all the statistics, the results were inconclusive at best. Statistically, student performance was nearly identical. Their conclusion was that further study is needed. To quote their article, “To some degree, the development of textbooks represented a flip, as the teacher was no longer the sole source of information. However, anyone who has taught knows the challenge associated with convincing students to spend worthwhile time with a textbook.”
Flipping a classroom makes certain assumptions. I assume that students will spend time with my materials outside of class. I assume that all the students have access to online materials when not in school.
I remember my father (a long-time WELS educator of almost 50 years of experience) telling me of how the overhead projector was hyped as the tool that would revolutionize education. Useful tool? Indeed, yes! Many are still in use today. Revolutionize education? A bit of a stretch.
I have been using aspects of this model, but have not completely made the jump. I put this method into the category of “useful tools.” Overhead projectors and flipping classrooms will not change education. Only quality teachers will do that.
Let me be the devil’s advocate here: Go back through the argument and substitute textbook for the tech. Would anyone consider that effective instruction?
The order needs to be:
1. Identify learning objectives
2. Determine the evidence of learning
3. Select appropriate methods
The “flipped” classroom model “flips” this around and goes in the wrong order and selects the method first. Can flipping be effective? Sure– for certain lessons or topics. However, it will never be effective for every and all situations. Additionally, there needs to be a lot of forethought into the instructional and logistical design of the “flip”, otherwise it is just a digitized version of “Go home and read the textbook, and we will discuss it tomorrow”.
Final thought:
Flipping a specific lesson can be effective; flipping a classroom will not.
Adam wonderfully written piece presenting pros and cons of flipping. A great encouragement for more teacher to try flipped lessons!
Just a reminder, that, like anything, variety is the spice of life. A variety of lesson presentations will better reach all types of students.
https://www.nde-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Learning_Styles.htm
Adam, thank you for your insightful article. I would argue that the flipped classroom has existed before 2006. For example, the paper “Inverting the Classroom: A Gateway to Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment” (Lage, et. al, 2000), discusses research on flipped classrooms at the college level. Bergmann and Sams, who’ve I’ve seen present are working on making it work for every classroom teacher.