Dont Flip Out: A Critique on Flipped Classrooms

Dont Flip Out: A Critique on Flipped Classrooms Troy Moore University of British Columbia

Dont Flip Out: A Critique on Flipped Classrooms

Education has long held a fascination with trends. New ideas are trotted out as the next saviour in education. Charlatans selling snake oil will set up shop peddling wares promising increased graduation rates and higher engagement among learners. Some ideas are great, some temporary, but most are outright terrible. The educational highway is littered with the burned out shells of former ideas. Emerging from the husks of old concepts is the next big thing in educationthe flipped classroom. Simply put, the flipped classroom is an concept where homework is replaced by lecture through video and class time is spent on assignment. At best, this trend will help some students; at worst it will further ostracize the lower socio-economic students. What is a Flipped Classroom? A flipped classroom is a classroom where the students watch lectures or videos for homework, allowing them to work on meaningful assignments in class. As Ash (2012) points out, the idea seemed to follow the success of Salman Khan and the Khan Academy. The Khan Academy started when Khan began posting tutoring videos on Youtube. Johnathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, two Chemistry teachers from Colorado, are essentially credited with the idea behind flipped classrooms (Tucker, 2012). They noticed students needed teachers to answer questions which could not happen in the traditional model, so they began taping lectures and posting them online so students could view them prior to class. Bergmann and Sams believed this allowed students to engage on a deeper level and freed up class time for assignments and provided the instructors more one on one time with students (Bergmann and Sams, 2012b). They met with success and a phenomenon was born. A simple hash tag search on Twitter turns up countless articles extolling the virtues of the flipped classroom. So why are teachers not lining up to purchase cameras and equipment for posting lectures online? Much like the countless new models of education, flipped classrooms are not without fault, especially when economics are taken into consideration. Problems with Flipping No idea or paradigm shift is foolproof or without fault, however, usually, the good will outweigh the bad. Flipped classroom are rife with issues and troubles. Even Begrmann and Sams (2012a) acknowledge it would be difficult to implement without support. The question is how much support? The basic indelible fault of flipped classrooms is the disregard of socioeconomic levels. Of those who have had success with flipped classroom, a common thread occurs, a higher socio-economic grouping (Ash, 2012; Fulton, 2012b). The premise exists that in order for a class to flipped students must have computer access at home. As Starzee (2012) suggests, access at home may not be as widespread in lower economic areas. Already this limits the potential to enable learners with poorer backgrounds. Moreover, many proponents state that

Dont Flip Out: A Critique on Flipped Classrooms

students without access could receive a DVD of the lesson (Bergmann & Sams, 2012b) or the school could extend computer lab hours (Fulton, 2012a), but this does not help the lower economic student. DVD players may not be readily available (Nielsen, 2012) or the students may take a bus and not have access to the after-hours lab. Therefore, it is safe to assume that flipped classrooms may only be for the affluent. An additional socio-economic drawback could come from the school district. The amount of equipment and software needed can be quite large, it took the Byron School District an addition $16,500 to fund a project regarding flipping classrooms (Fulton, 2012b). What if the district is facing shortfalls or has more pressing needs? If choosing between a breakfast program to feed hungry children and equipment for flipped classrooms, hopefully hunger wins out. Many districts are constantly cutting from budgets just to keep schools open; therefore, the money needed for flipped classes just may not be there. It is another example of flipping appealing to the private and more affluent districts. So What Now? Flipping classrooms, begrudgingly, has many useful qualities. It can improve comprehension and give instructors extra time to address struggling learners. However, the cost is too high if even one student is left behind due to economic peril.

Dont Flip Out: A Critique on Flipped Classrooms

References Ash, K. (2012). Educators Evaluate Flipped Classrooms. Benefits and Drawbacks seen in replacing lectures with on-demand video, Education Week, 32(2), s6. Bergmann, J. & Sams, A. (2012a). Before you Flip Consider This, Phi Delta Kappan, 94(2), 25. Bergmann, J. & Sams, A. (2012b). Flip Your Classroom: Reach Evert Student in Every Class Every Day. Eugene, Or: International Society for Technology in Education ; Alexandria, Va: Ascd. Fulton, K. (2012a). The Flipped Classroom: Transforming Education at Byron High School, T.H.E. Journal: technological horizons in education, 39(3), 18. Fulton, K. (2012b). Upside Down and Inside Out: Flip Your Classroom to Improve Student Learning, Learning and Leading with Education, 39(8), 12. Nielsen, L. (2012). Five Reasons Im not Flipping over the Flipped Classroom, Technology and Learning, 32(10), 46. Starzee, B. (2012, April 4). The Flipped Classroom Model leaps to Long Island, Long Island Business News, no pg. Tucker, B. (2012). The Flipped Classroom, Education Next, 12(1), 82-83.

Dont Flip Out: A Critique on Flipped Classrooms

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