Education is about meeting a child’s learning needs through creative and flexible instruction. That is why Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams developed the flipped classroom model. This is a method designed for those who understand that education cannot be reduced to any one strategy or be restricted to a rigid framework. Initially termed reverse instruction, this method essentially flips the current paradigm by sending kids home to attend lectures and the like in an environment much like an online school, and then spending actual classroom time in interactive review that has previously been reserved for homework.
Normally, students are required to bring hours of schoolwork back home, where it then must compete with all the distractions there such as the television and the computer. The student works on the problems and assignments entirely on his or her own, without peer review, interaction, or teacher feedback and correction. This can become a struggle for students everywhere, with unanswered questions turning into bad habits and malformed ideas.
According to Bergmann and Sams’ The Flipped Class Blog, the reasoning for this innovative new strategy was developed with these observations in mind. The flipped classroom model addresses these problems as a twofold cure. First, instead of a competition pitting homework against the draws of the Internet, the flipped classroom model embraces this common medium of our generation. Students get to “watch TV” for homework by viewing podcast lectures, power-point presentations, content-rich websites, and educational videos, all at their own pace. If they are the interactive type, they can then discuss what they are learning from home through chat rooms, blogs, and vlogs.
Secondly, the classroom environment changes drastically. Suddenly, instead of boring lectures and busywork, the classroom is alive and active. The students are engaged in what would have otherwise been homework. Hands-on and tactile students especially benefit, as they do not have to struggle to sit still and listen for any length of time. As students apply learned material to their work, they have the support of peer discussion and teacher instruction. If students have questions about the material, there is much more time for the teacher to clarify and give examples. David Truss of the acclaimed Connected Principles education blog agrees that when this strategy is well-done, it is a great use of time for collaboration, problem-solving, practice. However, he does warn that quality must not be sacrificed for the convenience of this model, as would be the temptation for some. This does not transform the teacher’s role from teacher to mere facilitator. Instead, production quality has the chance to increase due to the increased accountability as students have the opportunity to put pencil to paper under the direct tutelage of the teacher.
The relationship between a parent and the teacher is changed as well. The question becomes not “how is my child behaving in class?” but rather “is my child learning?” Bergmann and Sam discovered that this type of questioning is more profound, and allows for a much more nuanced treatment of children and their education, rather than focusing on how to discipline them and get them to sit still in class. Parents and teachers can work together to clarify what may be frustrating a child and figure out ways to solve it, both during home instruction and class time.
The flipped classroom is still a new method, and it may yet take time to fully flesh out any problems that there may be with it. But at the current point in time, parents, teachers, and students involved with the program are all giving rave reviews. Now that educational reform is becoming more and more important to everyone, this model may be one we can turn to to revolutionize education.
