Some professors here at Bryant have started to “flip the classroom.” For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s when students learn material by watching lectures outside of class, and what used to be homework is now done in class, instead of lecturing. There are some pros and cons to this method, but some of us actually dislike it!
We have to watch lectures outside of class?
But some of the lectures come straight from the textbook. I could just read this instead:
Watching the lecture online is just asking for us to browse the web instead:
Then we have to come to class acting like we actually understand the online lecture and have to apply our knowledge to applications in class:
How are we learning anything?
There is also the concern that because flipped classrooms are dependent on student participation, one must trust students to watch the lectures at home. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee students will oblige or cooperate with the flipped model.
“When I first started learning about the flipped classroom model, my immediate reaction was, “This won’t work with my students.” This continues to be an argument made by a lot of rural and urban teachers. Our students just don’t have the access required for the model to really work. I’ve had people tell me, “They can use the public library.” To which I explain that there are usually three computers available and there is usually a 30-minute limit per user. I’ve had people tell me, “You can burn DVDs that they can watch in their DVD players.” To which I ask how much of the day can a teacher devote to burning at least 10-15 DVDs at a time? I’ve also been told that students can use the school computer lab after school to watch the videos. To which I explain that we have only 27 computers available for the whole school, and that it would require an after school program to be put into place. (This last option, by the way, is the most realistic.) Another tough sell for me is the fact that if everyone starts flipping their classrooms, students will end up sitting in front of a screen for hours every night as they watch the required videos. And as many teachers can tell you, not everyone learns best through a screen.”
The Flipped Classroom is NOT:
· A synonym for online videos. When most people hear about the flipped class all they think about are the videos. It is the the interaction and the meaningful learning activities that occur during the face-to-face time that is most important.
· About replacing teachers with videos.
· An online course.
· Students working without structure.
· Students spending the entire class staring at a computer screen.
· Students working in isolation.