Does the flipped classroom work?

So it has been a long time since I have posted, but I wanted to revisit the flipped classroom and some research I did about it...

I’m sure by now most teachers have heard about the flipped classroom. If not, it is a new way of teaching by having students watch videos that are “lectures” at home and then all of the homework type activities or projects are done in the classroom. It allows the teacher to get more one on one time with students and allow for more projects in the class. Last fall I did a case study about the flipped classroom discussing what it is and the advantages/disadvantages for implementation. Back then the idea was still gaining popularity and there weren’t many teachers who were implementing it into their classroom yet. As time went on I keep seeing teachers post about it in my twitter feed, so I wonder if it is really effective in raising student achievement. I wanted to research this, especially with a new school year coming up and the possibility of implementing it.

The science teacher in me wants to see data. I researched some results of student achievement using this strategy. The first article I came across was from edweek which showed positive results. It is from a school in Detroit in which the whole school implemented the model. After doing the flipped classroom they found a decrease in the failure rate from 50% of freshmen failing English to 19% and in math it went from 44% to 13%. There is a great infographic that sums up what the flipped classroom is and the results of the study. The next article I found from edudemic showed results from a survey of how teachers felt about using the flipped classroom and who is using it. It does not show student achievement, it is more focused on the attitude of teachers and students toward the concept which I think is important for successful practice. Again the results were positive showing a positive attitude towards the flipped classroom, here’s another infographic of the results.

However, there are challenges to using the flipped classroom that are also noted by educators. In a blog post by Charles Perry, he points out that the structure of the flipped classroom may confuse students, or the accountability of students “doing their homework” or staying on task in class may be difficult to assess. But he points out that there are organizations trying to overcome these potential issues such as MentorMob and Kahn Academy.

The challenges of using the flipped classroom are also not just about logistics or engagement, but the overall paradigm of what we want to teach our students. When implementing the flipped classroom, it cannot be just about using your old homework worksheets in class and sending the lecture home with them. The students need to be working on 21st century skills. In a blog by Jackie Gerstien Ed. D, she points out two problems with using the flipped classroom:

           1. If video lectures drive the instruction, it is just a repackaging of a more traditional model of didactic learning. It is not a new paradigm nor pedagogy of learning.
           2. Educators need to be re-educated as to what to do with the class time that previously was used for their lectures.

If teachers are not trained on how to use the extra class time effectively, then the paradigm of education stays the same, which is not advantageous for our students who need to be learning 21st century skills and not just given more class time to focus primarily on content.

Overall, the flipped classroom is an improvement on current practices in education if the right tools are available. If a school can help students who do not have internet at home get access to the videos (some use DVD’s of the videos), then the flipped classroom does have the potential to change education for the better. If the teacher learns how to use the classroom time effectively and engages students in using the time to focus on problem solving, collaboration, and research skills, then the flipped classroom can improve student’s performance and potentially reduce the amount of students who are failing in school.

Socrative: Why use this free teacher clicker?

Here is a report I did about socrative.com, a free teacher clicker you can use to get instant feedback on student's progress in an engaging way. Check it out!

(sorry if there is awkward pausing, I tried to fix it, if the talking stops, just click on the next button)

Why use Socrative?

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