UP VOTE for all the great things you mention about diverse needs and parent inclusion. I am especially interested in your opinion on flipped classrooms because you also teach younger kids. I am intrigued by the idea that parents would watch the flipped videos with them. That sounds like an ECE or K-2 notion, but I assume upper elementary kids, like mine, would be expected to do this themselves. I have not been successful in getting my 4th graders to have reliant access to their parents devices.

Some of these articles come at flipped learning like its a transformative approach. I can’t say the flipped classroom model is destined to transform the 21st century learning. I wouldn't label it as a fad, though. As others have pointed out, it seems to lend itself easier to certain contents and later age ranges. Most of the benefits and techniques are performed and packaged in other teaching ways.

In my brief experience teaching and in graduate school, I am constantly evaluating the benefits of moving away from the traditional lecture model of classwork. This banking model (Freire, 1970) is stymied in convergent thinking and is, frankly, boring and uninspiring. I teach fourth grade and try to limit my lecturing time anyway. The “I do” portion of my lessons are brief, and make room for more group or independent work. My point is, the flipped model seems like a great gateway method away from passive learning, but I would put all my eggs in this basket of teaching. If you are still ranting in front of an audience, then, flipping the classroom could be effective, possibly even transformative, but for many educators already aware of 21st century teaching styles and philosophy, the pedagogy of flipping is not revolutionary. These methods and benefits can be expressed in other ways.

The philosophy that flipped classrooms cater to is the more important rub. The flipped classroom sets students up for setting ”their own goals and manage their own time” (Schuman, 2014). This is a hallmark for what is more buzzworthy sometimes called personalized learning. Another element that I love about the flipped model is its use of blended methods. This is not exclusive to flipping though. The use of other media to front load content is a technique that is often used for differentiation, and to pique engagement. Students can get a gist of the lecture so they can not get lost as readily.

I don’t want to count it out, but I have not overcome the hurdle of a significant number of my elementary students not having access to online resources at home. I like the mention of the flipped model being way that parents can see in depth what students are working on in class. But this is not exclusive to the flipped class either. I post all my lessons online for students to preview or catch up with if they missed class. I have a website and a youtube page that students can supplement their class time. But I have not assigned it as a requirement for the next day’s class. That may be the push that I need, even for elementary students.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the oppressed. [New York]: Herder and Herder, 1970. Retrieved from: http://www.osea-cite.org/class/SELTmaterials/SELTFreirePedagogyOppressedch2-3.pdf

Schuman, R. (2014). The flipped classroom: A disruptive revolution in pedagogy, or yet another educational fad?. Slate. Retrieved from:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2014/02/flipped classroomsincollegelecturesonlineandproblemsetsintheclassroom.html

All of our CON arguments seem to have a conditional element. “The flipped classroom strategy has advantages...but…”My argument will be in the same vein, as I am looking at the pros and cons and writing my argument based on my job position, and needs as to whether I will be setting this strategy up next year. So, is the flipped classroom an effective instructional strategy for me? I’m just not sold yet.

First, to clarify, if we are considering effectiveness of flipped learning, not necessarily flipped classrooms, acknowledging F-L-I-P™ (FLN, 2014), then I am certainly in favor of these four pillars that FLN outlines. I especially identified with takeaways like “continually observing students, , providing them with feedback relevant in the moment, and assessing their work,” and tolerating “controlled chaos in the classrooms.” But I think this post is gravitating towards the flipped strategies of a flipped classroom. I can not envision my classroom, this upcoming year, as a flipped classroom, but this could very well be different if not for my students’ age group.

I teach 4th grade. This is the main barrier to successfully implementing a flipped classroom. In addition to the issues of the digital divide (Nielsen, 2011), my students don’t have access or even permission to their parents’ mobile or internet devices. I’ve flipped lessons, to where there is blended learning happening in the classroom, then a switch, but this is not the traditional homework and instruction flip. So, my nine/ten year olds just have not proven that more than a few, let alone the majority, could routinely complete the homework lectures, I welcome disputing ideas, so that I may give it another flippin try this year.

Flipped Learning Network. (2014). What is flipped learning? The four pillars of F-L-I-P. Retrieved from http://flippedlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FLIPhandoutFNLWeb.pdf

Nielsen , L. (2011, October 8). Five Reasons I'm Not Flipping Over The Flipped Classroom [Web log post]. Retrieved July 10, 2017, from https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/ 10/five-reasons-im-not-flipping-over.html