Title: Case Studies and the Flipped Classroom
Author: Clyde Freeman and Nancy A. Schiller
Journal: Journal of College Science Teaching Vol. 42, Issue 5
Publication Date: May/June 2013
Response:
A flipped classroom, to many, may seem like a term used to describe what a classroom looks like after a pizza party. However, it is not. The term “Flipped Classroom” actually refers to a classroom model. In this model, “what is normally done in class and what are done as homework is switched or flipped.” Meaning, the teachers use videos, screencasts, websites, and podcasts to give students access to content prior to the school day. Students in essence are learning on their own time, and then coming into school where they conduct experiments, engage in active learning, play content specific games and have labs. This model gives teachers the freedom to utilize student-time working with students and meeting the diverse needs of the classroom.
According to the article, there are many reasons for the “flip”. The article listed 13 teacher given reasons for the flip. A few crucial reasons I hope to someday accomplish this are: homework in class gives teachers better insights into student difficulties, classroom time can be used more effectively and creatively, and students who miss school often aren’t left behind because the content is made accessible to them from any computer or media device. Yes, this includes iPods and tablets. There are many strategies that are implemented in this form of educating. Many teachers teach through digital media and then test the next day to find discussion and teaching points.
Aside from sounding highly effective, there is peer reviewed literature that supports the information given by teachers in the article both through data collection and SALG (Student Assessment of their Learning Gains) survey. “Results showed that RI (Reverse Instruction) students outperformed the standard lecture-based students, with higher final exam scores and overall success in the class.” Students enrolled in the RI classrooms were more interested in the content and felt less intimidated.
With so many positives, it is hard to think of any “pitfalls” as the article describes. But there are some. Two to be exact. The teachers who responded to the article’s poll stated two reoccurring problems within every RI classroom. The first is the idea that students must do work at home and if they come to school unprepared, it could throw off a whole day of learning. The second being that the homework must be carefully tailored for the students in order to prepare them for the in-class activities. The article goes on in length about how teachers solve these problems, but I feel that this case study was done in affluent populations. I can almost guarantee this to be true because I ask my students every year if they have computers at home. And most of the time I have about 50-60% with computers and of those, only 30-40% actually have internet hooked up. This may be another pitfall that many who worked in affluent areas would not be aware of.
When I started reading for this assignment, I originally chose a different article titled “Using Lean in the Flipped Classroom for At Risk Students” and found myself fantasying about the future of my teaching. What could I possibly do to get there? The original article was more about setting up a community of, and for, change, whereas the second article went into the detail necessary for this assignment. I see this article changing my teaching practices in a tremendous way. Though it may start small, I feel like I will implement a “Flipped Classroom”. Pause for a moment and think of all the effects of having a classroom of learners who are totally in charge of their own success and enjoy that responsibility. This article was my absolute favorite peer-reviewed article I have read to date.
The NETS standards which are mainly addressed in this article include:
NETS-S #3 Research and Information Fluency
In order to be successful, student apply the knowledge they learn on their own time through the creation of projects, labs, presentations, activities and experiments. Many of these require that the student be able to accomplish the two components of this standard.
NETS-S #4 Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
The students in this article are given the opportunity to learn content on their own time and then come to school and use their knowledge for experiments, presentations, labs, and more. All of which require a large amount of all three components of this standard.
NETS-T #1-5
This model is teacher’s dream. One of the greatest downfalls it has though is the overwhelming startup time. However, if one could get it going, every standard would be covered among the NETS-T.
The Wonderful World of Mr. B. 