AliyahNM,

I agree that the traditional way of learning is not enough for today's students. Flipped learning does grant students a bit more flexibility and prepares students for questions to get answered the next day in class. However, you fail to acknowledge the inherent difficulties of not only teaching students how to access, use, and interact with a new, online platform, but also the fact that many of our students may not have regular access to technology or internet. To truly allow students the freedom, independence, and differentiation possibilities for a flipped learning model, students need the basic resources. in addition, I think if we continue to have students even watching lectures online, we may lose them and learning becomes a chore rather than what it actually is. If the lectures are extremely engaging, comparable to popular videos we may see on Facebook, then I can see lectures succeeding as homework given that technological needs are already met. However, if the lectures are very boring, then I do not think we are really solving any problems. Perhaps, group projects or activities may be a more engaging homework task that we could explore and discuss!

Anyway, thank you for your post!

Annie Yin

At first, I loved the idea of flipped learning in the classroom. I thought it would be a great way for students to get more interactive and one-on-one attention from teachers during school. However, upon further reflection and after reading other perspectives on the flipped classroom as well as seriously thinking how the flipped classroom might play out with my students, I think it might not be as effective as we initially thought. I do think that actual learning and practice should occur in the classroom where there is more accountability. However, I also think that truly engaging with the lectures and preparing for the next day may be somewhat of a stretch for students. In addition, many students may not have access to technology and in order to ensure those students are on pace, teachers will have to accommodate for this which may take extra time. In addition, just as Lisa Nielsen (2011) states, "Lecturing doesn't = Learning... The flipped classroom is built on a traditional model of teaching and learning. I lecture - you intake. While this method of teaching works for some learners, many others thrive with a model that takes a more constructivist approach." Through a flipped model, students have a marginal difference in how they are learning at school. The main difference is that they may have the teacher accessible to aid them with any questions they may have. However, who is to say that this is better when there is still only one teacher and 30 students? Granted, having a more activity and practice-based lesson is definitely better than a lecture-based lesson. I wonder if it would be possible to eliminate the lecture aspect of teaching completely and all learning that takes place is solely exploratory and hands-on. I think this would be most effective in teaching our students and it is definitely more engaging. However, requiring students to watch lectures that are potentially boring and require technology may not be the most effective or even viable, especially within my school's community.

References:

Nielsen, L. Five Reasons I am Not Flipping Over the Flipped Classroom, October 8, 2011. Retrieved from.https://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/ 10/five-reasons-im-not-flipping-over.html