REACTION TO FLIPPED CLASSROOMS (MOD#8)
These two articles (one found here and the other here) are not much different from other articles I've read about flipping one's classroom. It seems to be a good way of trying to have students get the most out of their class time at school by having them initially learn the material and concepts at home and then come to school to practice what they had learned with their peers while the instructor facilitates the interaction of the students' usage of the concepts. In this way, the students are able to use the class content in a more meaningful way, and the teacher gives advice, asks engaging questions, and makes sure that the students correctly understand the material and that they are on task. When you add all of these elements together, they give us those perfect stereotypical photos of the teacher and the students all smiling together in the merriment of learning with the educationally dramatic atmosphere such as these:
However, many times, the reality is much different than this. In a flipped classroom, the learning goals are often not clear. The sign posts of when the lesson has begun and when it has finished, along with the expectations of the lesson, become vague. This can often lead to students feeling directionless, and confused as to what they should know and be getting out of the lesson. Many times, even though students may know the content and participate in the discussions and peer work, they might not truly understand the expectation, intention, or the goal of the discussions and the peer work. They may leave class feeling very unsure of themselves and/or feel like they really didn't gain anything.
This is the reason that I don't enjoy these articles that promote such trends as they project these methods to be the "be-all-end-all" of education practices or the "perfect solution" to education. They don't dive into the challenges that both the teachers and the students face in these situations let alone how to overcome them. I believe I would gain more insight into how flipped classrooms can be beneficial for students if the articles discussed these challenges and the ways to handle them. I don't want to be reading something that just talks about a particular method as being all 'unicorns,' 'rainbows,' 'smiles,' and 'cookies.'
I do believe that learning should not be only 'teacher-centered' as 'student-centered' learning is extremely important, but some 'teacher-centered' learning is necessary, especially at the beginning of a lesson. Students need to know what the expectations and learning outcomes are when they begin a class. They need to know the direction of where their learning is going. Implementing a fancy 'flipped-classroom' or using the latest educational technology doesn't automatically make you a good teacher. Knowing which method would be best to implement with your particular students for that particular lesson, how to implement it, which tools you'll need to effectively carry it out, and making clear the expectations and goals of the lesson to the students makes you a good teacher.
A 'flipped-classroom' is as useless as an expensive 'Smartboard' in a classroom if the teacher is not aware of the challenges of using it and how to overcome those challenges in order to most effectively teach his/her students.
SOURCES:
Graney, John. "Flipping Your EL Classroom: A Primer." Newsmanager.commpartners.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2017.
Marshall, Helaine. "THREE REASONS TO FLIP YOUR CLASSROOM." Newsmanager.commpartners.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2017.
These two articles (one found here and the other here) are not much different from other articles I've read about flipping one's classroom. It seems to be a good way of trying to have students get the most out of their class time at school by having them initially learn the material and concepts at home and then come to school to practice what they had learned with their peers while the instructor facilitates the interaction of the students' usage of the concepts. In this way, the students are able to use the class content in a more meaningful way, and the teacher gives advice, asks engaging questions, and makes sure that the students correctly understand the material and that they are on task. When you add all of these elements together, they give us those perfect stereotypical photos of the teacher and the students all smiling together in the merriment of learning with the educationally dramatic atmosphere such as these:
However, many times, the reality is much different than this. In a flipped classroom, the learning goals are often not clear. The sign posts of when the lesson has begun and when it has finished, along with the expectations of the lesson, become vague. This can often lead to students feeling directionless, and confused as to what they should know and be getting out of the lesson. Many times, even though students may know the content and participate in the discussions and peer work, they might not truly understand the expectation, intention, or the goal of the discussions and the peer work. They may leave class feeling very unsure of themselves and/or feel like they really didn't gain anything.
This is the reason that I don't enjoy these articles that promote such trends as they project these methods to be the "be-all-end-all" of education practices or the "perfect solution" to education. They don't dive into the challenges that both the teachers and the students face in these situations let alone how to overcome them. I believe I would gain more insight into how flipped classrooms can be beneficial for students if the articles discussed these challenges and the ways to handle them. I don't want to be reading something that just talks about a particular method as being all 'unicorns,' 'rainbows,' 'smiles,' and 'cookies.'
I do believe that learning should not be only 'teacher-centered' as 'student-centered' learning is extremely important, but some 'teacher-centered' learning is necessary, especially at the beginning of a lesson. Students need to know what the expectations and learning outcomes are when they begin a class. They need to know the direction of where their learning is going. Implementing a fancy 'flipped-classroom' or using the latest educational technology doesn't automatically make you a good teacher. Knowing which method would be best to implement with your particular students for that particular lesson, how to implement it, which tools you'll need to effectively carry it out, and making clear the expectations and goals of the lesson to the students makes you a good teacher.
A 'flipped-classroom' is as useless as an expensive 'Smartboard' in a classroom if the teacher is not aware of the challenges of using it and how to overcome those challenges in order to most effectively teach his/her students.
SOURCES:
Graney, John. "Flipping Your EL Classroom: A Primer." Newsmanager.commpartners.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2017.
Marshall, Helaine. "THREE REASONS TO FLIP YOUR CLASSROOM." Newsmanager.commpartners.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Oct. 2017.
I think the take-away here needs to be "everything in moderation". A little bit of traditional and a little bit of flipped isn't bad. We as teachers need to know our population. In some cases, flipping just won't work and we have to be mindful our our students' needs, not just what technological idea comes our way. I also agree that there is too much of the "puppies and rainbows" mentality when it comes to some of these articles. A little reality would be nice. Although puppies and cookies are nice. And now I want cookies...
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