Flipped classrooms are having a significant effect on teaching and learning, according to a national research project surveying over 400 000 USA schools. The Speak Up National Research Project established that interest in flipped classrooms had surpassed all other digital learning trends. What is a “flipped classroom” and is this trend taking place in any SA schools?
The flipped classroom is a teaching model in which the typical classroom and homework elements of learning are reversed. So students view ‘lectures’ or teacher input at home before class, and class time is used solely for discussions, practice, and personalized coaching. Pre-class lectures may be created by the teacher and posted online, or selected from an online source of videos posted by others.
The flipped classroom concept draws on notions of active learning and student engagement, with class time better used for inquiry, application of knowledge and skills, and hands-on interactive activities. The fact that students can view the required input/information beforehand on a video format also allows for them to ‘pause’ the teacher, rewind and listen again for extra clarity if required.
The US survey has identified flipped learning as having a major effect on the teaching and learning process, with increasing numbers of teachers regularly recording lessons for students to watch online. The research shows that “the flipped learning model is gaining the attention of educators who are interesting in improving student achievement and teacher effectiveness by leveraging digital tools to enable innovation” (Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow). More individualized learning can take place, for students of all abilities, and both student-student and student-teacher interaction is visibly increased, with its constructivist learning benefits.
The survey also highlights some of the barriers to implementation, namely student access to digital content at home, and the need for teachers to learn how to create or find good quality videos and how to make the best use of the added classroom time. Professional development in this regard is essential, as are logistical alternatives for students lacking digital access at home. If these are provided, the concerns are quickly allayed.
To know more about the research findings, the full white paper “Speak Up 2013 National Research Project Findings: A Second Year Review of Flipped Learning,” can be found on Project Tomorrow’s site. The original creators of the flipped learning concept, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, have also published a comprehensive book called “Flip your classroom – Reach every student in every class every day” (ISTE, USA, 2012). Anyone tried the concept in SA classrooms yet? If so, share some of your experiences by commenting below …