Flipped Learning

According to Concordia University "It’s called the “flipped classroom” because what was formerly class work or lectures has become online video presentations which students view outside of class; and what was formerly “homework” is now classroom interaction with the teacher and students". Students are to watch the lectures at home and then come to school ready to utilize what they have learned to complete activities and work. The video below gives a good overview of the basics of flipped learning and explains in detail flipped learning, which helped me to understand it a little better.

This approach to learning, like everything else comes with both pros and cons. According to Amanda King, the pros of flipped learning include: allowing students to learn at a pace that is suitable for them, the videos can be made especially for their specific needs, students are less reliant on the teacher and therefore are able to help their peers, and because students can work at their own pace they no longer feel "dumb" when it takes them multiple times to understand a concept. The cons of flipped learning include: student negligence (students failing to watch the videos altogether), and there is a decreased amount of interaction between the students and teacher. Edutopia also states that there are many students who do not have internet access at home and cannot watch the videos.

 

I believe that if students are responsible and take the initiative to watch the video at that flipped learning can or could be very helpful and useful to education. In this age of education standards, more and more is added to the list of concepts students must learn in each grade. I believe that flipped learning would make teaching each of the many concepts more doable in one school year because there would be more time inside the classroom for the students to explore and really know each concept. In the video above, it shows different teacher's lectures or lessons using flipped learning. I thought it was interesting because each teacher had a different approach and many differnt elements were incorporated into all of their lessons. Many of them catered to the many learning styles and interests of students. There were some things in the videos that could be put in the videos but could be done in an actual classroom, which I find would be helpful to the students.

There are many websites out there that explain flipped learning and there are even websites that have videos of lessons or lectures. Some of these include Khan Academy, Wired @ Heart, and Flipped Learning.