I have been hearing things about flipped classrooms from several people in several places this semester. It seems to be one of those "all the rage" topics in education right now, at least for a certain community of flipped classroom enthusiasts. The basic idea is that the students watch video lectures (whether traditional teacher-in-front-of-the-whiteboard style or something more creative) at home to learn new material the day before they use it in class. What used to be done while sitting in a classroom becomes homework, and what used to be homework moves to the classroom where the students can work with their peers and ask questions of their teacher. The first time I heard about it, I believe my reaction was, "Wait...what?!"
Perhaps it goes hand in hand with my old lady-esque resistance to new technology (which I'm trying to get over), but the idea just seemed crazy to me. I must admit, though, that I wanted to learn more about it. As it turns out, three of my fellow math majors are student teaching in flipped classrooms for Algebra 2 and Geometry. They have had different experiences and challenges with it, and what worries me the most is how realistic (or not) it is to flip a classroom in a school district that doesn't provide access to computers or tablets for all of its students and doesn't have a serious issue with students not being accountable for doing their homework. If the students don't have access to the proper technology to watch the lectures or just plain don't do their homework, they will never learn the material in the first place, which prevents them from being able to use it in the classroom.
After thinking about this at different points over the past couple of months, we ended up having a guest speaker in class who flipped his Physics classroom and has created some pretty amazing videos that would be the homework. He was beyond passionate, beyond enthusiastic, and he had me with one foot firmly on the flipped classroom bandwagon and the other close behind until one of my classmates started to ask some really important questions. What if the students just don't watch the lectures? What if they don't respond to you when you express the importance of doing so? What if your class isn't an advanced course full of highly motivated upperclassmen who chose to take it? What if your students have a lot of trouble getting their hands on the technology to watch the lectures at home? What if, what if, what if?
Alas, off I jumped from the bandwagon, but my exit may not be permanent. What I need is more information about how best to implement a flipped classroom style, as well as more comprehensive data on the impact of doing so on student learning and performance. I'm still very interested in how it might be effective in some of my future math classrooms, but I'm cautious (if not a bit skeptical) for now. I do think that a flipped model could work with my accelerated Pre-Calculus students in my field placement. They're motivated, they all have access to the proper technology, and they work well in partners and small groups when asked. Quite to the contrary, I think the flipped model would fail miserably for a good portion of the ninth graders in my Algebra 1 classes. There are so many of them who don't do their homework, and I don't think that would change under the flipped model. When the homework is learning the material for the first time, as opposed to applying the material that was learned in class earlier that day, I think the stakes are too high to risk a decent portion of my students not watching the videos.
Erin, I think you have some very practical concerns about flipping a classroom. I have one observation about the flipped model that might make it worth trying: students also don't pay attention to lecture material in the classroom. The difference between the flipped model and the conventional model then becomes this: in the conventional model, the teacher can feel confident that they have taught the material, even if nobody has learned it.
ReplyDeleteThe flipped model might present an opportunity that the conventional model doesn't: the teacher will have a bit more time to check up on student learning while the student is right in front of them; if the students are moving straight into practice, it should be tolerably clear which students are ready to practice and who students aren't. There might even be time enough to start figuring out why the student doesn't watch the videos at home: access? motivation? prefers to read the lecture material?
Point being: the flipped model might give a teacher a chance to both notice and remedy the attention problems in class, precisely because the safety net of "well, I gave you a lecture on that" is no longer available.
Your comments have certainly provided me with some food for thought. It's true that there are going to be students who don't really listen to in-class lectures, even if they are physically present. Why should I feel any better about the fact that they are in the same room with me as I present new material if they are completely tuned out? Perhaps a condensed lecture that they view at home with the sole purpose of watching it provides a better opportunity for them to really listen to the material. I also like your point about how a flipped model can provide teachers with a better chance of identifying the students who are not watching the lectures at home and, more importantly, get to the bottom of why. I mentioned that the stakes seem too high if there is a big risk that the students won't learn the material at home in the first place. Your comments have me thinking that the stakes may be too high to give them the chance to tune out my in-class lectures and struggle at home with their assignments on top of that. I've lost track, now, of how many times I've considered and reconsidered the flipped model. I would love an opportunity to observe (or experience firsthand) a flipped math classroom running successfully.
DeleteI was all ready to jump in and agree with you... then I read Michael's comment! As usual, he provides a thoughtful, reflective perspective that makes me think very hard... Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI definitely have students who don't hear a thing when I lecture. If everyone had supposedly listened to the lecture at home, the students who actually did listen could work mostly independently while I spent my time working one on one or in small groups with the students who either didn't even try to listen or didn't comprehend the material on the first go. This gives you a better chance of getting through to certain students. All students learn better with a lower student-to-teacher ratio - we've all experienced this. That could be a very valuable experience for those kids.
That said, I still have concerns. A video recorded lecture is vastly different from an engaging, interactive lecture done in class. I would hope that none of us MACers would ever stand up in front of a class and just talk and talk without checking for understanding or responding to questions. Watching a video lecture is entirely passive. In a real lecture, I frequently pose questions to the class, and based on the response, I judge how I need to further shape the lecture. The information is thus dynamic and responsive to the needs of students. Students also get a richer experience by hearing each others' contributions. It's simply not possible to replicate this cooperative learning environment with one student at home with a video.
Another concern is that, in devoting your in class time to helping the struggling students, do you end up spending no time with the sharp kids who are flying through everything? Sure, if you had a self-paced model, those kids could fly ahead and fulfill the requirements of the course. But I am dubious of how rich this learning would be. Learned from a video, regurgitated alone into assignments, rinse and repeat. The human aspect of teaching is entirely missing there. Of course that student wouldn't get NO time with you, but I'm willing to bet they'd get less than those struggling students who don't do any of their work outside of class.
I think there is no clear cut answer. Each model has its own pros and cons. It's worth noting that the flipped model takes a LOT more work, as I've heard from multiple people. As teachers, we're pretty busy as it is... I can only imagine that with an increased workload we could become completely exhausted and less effective. No one wins in that scenario.
So, in conclusion, I have no conclusion. I am curious and intrigued as you are, but I certainly don't see flipping as some kind of panacea. Like you I wish I could see a good model in action. That said, I heard from one of the TAs of our methods course, Sylvie Kademian, about the time she flipped a chemistry class to great success. I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you! Her email is smkademi at umich if you want to reach out to her.
Wanted to add... Sylvie's class was a group of motivated students who chose to take the flipped model, so again, your question of population is relevant. I have the very same question.
DeleteAlso, access is still a huge issue! I have at least 18 kids without computer and/or internet at home. Do I tell them, tough luck, we'll just have to go over it tomorrow? That's unacceptable. It's hard for me to see a way around that particular obstacle.
Every time I hear someone talking about flipped classrooms I get excited about the possibilities. Imagine all the school science I could do if I didn't have to lecture my students everyday! What if they came to class with the content and we just got to spend the hour deepening the understanding and showing the students the work of scientists!
ReplyDeleteBut unfortunately then I worry, how can I get my students, who barely turn in homework, to be responsible enough to watch lectures every night? Frankly I think that there are students who just aren't going to do it, and that worries me. My mentor teacher and I talked about this and she said she even tried it, but the students just didn't do the work. If I'm ever in a school district where this seems more plausible, I'll be all in. But I just don't foresee it working in my placement.