Problems of Flipping and Possible Solutions

            Flipped learning, as outlined in my first blog, benefits learners in several ways.  In a nutshell, the instructional approach is effective because it provides access to instruction for all students and allows class time to focus on higher order thinking skills and projects that demonstrate students’ understanding of concepts.  However, like with most things, all that glitters is not gold.  Educators planning on implementing a flipped approach must also understand the potential issues and other negative aspects that can and will pop-up when using this form of instruction.  Since my first blog focused on the benefits of flipping the classroom, this blog will address the common issues with the approach as well as some ideas for how teachers and students can overcome these challenges.  

            The flipped classroom exacerbates the digital divide.  Is it fair to use an approach requiring students to access videos on the Internet when not all of them will have access to the web at home?  I decided to lead with this issue because it is typically the first to be brought up when discussing the approach and a point that is most certainly valid.  Although the percentage of students with Internet access is steadily rising and the gap between those with access and those without continues to close, an instructor using a flipped approach must prepare for this issue (Perrin, 2015).  Possible solutions include allowing students to watch videos during free periods at school such as study hall, lunch, or homeroom.  If these times are not available, a teacher could also allow for time at the start or end of class.  Although all students won’t have 24/7 access to the instruction, a teacher can at least guarantee that all students have the chance to view the content they need to be successful.  Fortunately, my students have daily access to iPads and laptops and schedules that provide the flexibility and time needed to view instructional videos at school if they have the need or want to do so. 

            What if students don’t watch the videos or spend enough time trying to understand the concept or skill?  How can a teacher manage a classroom when students are progressing at different speeds?  Student buy-in, motivation, and differentiation are factors to consider regardless of what approach is being used for teaching and learning.  To address the issue of pace, teachers should create reasonable timelines and deadlines for students to demonstrate that they have met the standard.  Students progressing rapidly can be challenged to deepen their understanding beyond what is expected for their grade level and can also use their extra time to assist other classmates.  The flipped approach also provides educators the freedom to intervene and help the students who need them the most.  Furthermore, when a student demonstrates insufficient understanding they can re-watch the instructional videos.  I also like that Schoology, which is where I will host my videos, allows teachers to lock certain content until students have met the prerequisite requirements such as watching a video or completing an activity.  In order to flip the classroom we must flip the student.  Many modern students have been conditioned to be passive learners and flipping shifts the accountability back onto the student.  This transition will be challenging for students and teachers but is one that is both necessary and worth the time.

            Some argue that at its core, a flipped classroom is not different from traditional learning because both approaches include direct instruction.  If educators truly want to transform education, they need to focus on problem-based instruction and learning by discovery.  My rebuttal to the statements above is that an inquiry-based approach can still take place in a flipped classroom and that flipping enhances problem-based learning.  Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with direct instruction considering it’s the way information is often gained in the real world.  Educators can still introduce concepts through inquiry and can use direct instruction to reinforce and explain the concepts students discovered.  At the turn of the 20^th century, John Dewey explained that learning should be centered around the student, not the teacher, and allow students to show mastery of the content in the way they prefer (Hertz, 2012).  Based on modern resources and student interests, I believe flipped learning is the best vehicle for achieving this goal.  It shifts the accountability for learning to the student, which is where it needs to be, and allows students to use class time to solve problems and create projects that demonstrate their understanding of the standards.  

            Another common complaint with flipped learning is that kids today already spend too much time in front of screens.  While I agree that this is a problem, so is the fact that kids spend countless hours a night doing homework.  As a father, I am willing to trade hours of homework for a few minutes of watching instructional videos.  Kids are going to spend time in front of screens regardless of whether they’re doing it for school so we might as well re-purpose this time into something more productive.  Furthermore, the modern student is likely to make a deeper connection with a flipped approach because it fits their lifestyle and preferences for learning new information better than that of a traditional approach.  Understanding will come much more naturally if students buy-in and are engaged.

            Although teachers may become enamored with the idea of flipping the classroom, the time commitment and technological skill necessary to plan and pull off a flip can be quite daunting.  Personally, I can relate to both of these challenges.  I have created two instructional videos and both took about three to four hours to create from start to finish even though the length of each one was only about five minutes.  Creating a flipped classroom will take a large amount of planning on the front end and the hope is that the time will be made up over a few years as your able to use the same videos.  My other advice is that there is no need to create everything at once.  My plan is to slowly integrate personally created videos with ones that are readily available on the web.  Over time I hope to incorporate and create more as I have the time and learn new skills to speed up the process.  For those fearing they don’t posses the technological ability, I can relate as I felt the same way a few months ago.  However, after a few classes and a bit of trial and error I’ve learned it’s not as difficult as I once thought and I assure you, if I can do it so can you!  Nevertheless, the reality is that flipping is not an easy process but one that is worth the time if it works for your students and helps accomplishes the goals you have for them.

            Have you ever tried flipping your class?  If so, what did you like and dislike about the experience?    Did the positives outweigh the negatives?  What tweaks and changes did you make to improve the process?  Here’s a video on scatter plots I used to flip my classroom.

 The student feedback was really positive and the majority reported that they’d like more opportunities to learn like this in the future.  It’s encouraged me to continue on my journey of flipping my classroom and I’m excited to see where it goes.

Benefits of Flipping the Classroom

Sick. Vacation. Sports. All-state choir or band. Daydreaming.  Whatever the reasons, the reality is students will miss classroom instruction and learning opportunities.  When students do return, teachers, including those who are the most organized and skilled in classroom management, often find it difficult to ensure the absent students receive the same quality instruction as their peers.  In 2007, two chemistry teachers at Woodland Park High School set out to solve this problem and the result was the flipped learning movement (Johnson, 2015).

Before proceeding any further, I think it is first important to define the term flipped classroom.  According to the Flipped Learning Network,

Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct learning moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter (What is Flipped Learning, 2016).  

Also, I’d like to share that I am an 8th grade math teacher and understand that flipped learning applies to certain subjects and grade levels better than others.  I teach with a team of teachers that shares a laptop and an iPad cart and work for a district that has a 1:1 student to iPad ratio at our high school.  Finally, for the purpose of this blog we will focus on the positive aspects of flipped learning and will save the negatives for a future blog.  

Flipped learning first caught my attention while I was searching for an answer to the problems mentioned in the introduction.  For my grade and subject, flipped learning is a great solution to this problem because it guarantees that all students have equal access to the same quality instruction.  Whether a student is homebound, participating in another school activity, or absent for whatever reason, using a flipped approach allows students to never miss instruction.  Besides having access to instruction, students are able to view the lessons as many times as needed and can pause and rewind the video to ensure they understand the material. Therefore, the accountability for learning shifts from teacher to student, which is where it should be if our goal is to create lifelong learners.  The other major benefit is that classroom time becomes much more meaningful.  Students can spend their class time collaborating to solve problems and creating projects that demonstrate their understanding of the content.

As I continued looking into flipped learning, it struck me that this approach is similar to how many adults and students learn outside of school.  Whenever I engage in conversations with students about their interests outside of academia, such as sports, video games, video production, etc., I often ask them how they learn to do such amazing things.  The most common answer?  They watched videos online of course.  If this is true, why wouldn’t educators want to reproduce this style of learning in the classroom?  

Ever been to a party and seen adults high-five and bond over the fact that neither of them is “good” at math?  I’ve never understood this phenomenon; however, my guess is that it is rooted in a lack of mathematical confidence.  Another common thing I overhear parents say is that they don’t get this new “common core math.”  While I believe they are confusing “common core math” with new methods in math instruction, which is a conversation for another day, a flipped learning approach is still a solution to these problems.  By allowing parents to have access to their kids’ instructional videos, parents would be able to offer more support to their children because they would now know what, how, and why their kids are learning certain things.

Another positive aspect of flipped learning is that it can help students become college and career ready.  The flipped classroom was included as an emerging trend with an adoption time of one year or less in the 2015 Higher Education Edition of of the NMC Horizon Report.  The report suggests that 29% of higher education instructors are currently using flipped learning and another 27% plan on using it within a year (Johnson, 2015).  If over 50% of colleges plan on using flipped learning in the next couple years, don’t we owe it to students to familiarize them with the process?  Click here to learn more about how flipped classrooms are being used in higher education.

So what would my flipped classroom look like?  First, I’d have students watch a teacher created instructional video.  Why teacher created instead of using one from a site like Kahn Academy that is already available on the web?  I think Katie Gimbar says it best in her video Why it Has to be Me so I’ll let her explain.

 Unlike Katie, however, I prefer to use a narrated screencast video because it allows me to use Smart Notebook which is the same thing I’d use for instruction in class.  Next, I’d have students take a small quiz through a learning management system such as Schoology to allow me to get a snapshot of student understanding before they get to class.  Once in class, I would offer small group face-to-face instruction to students needing intervention as identified by the Schoology quiz.  Other class time would focus on sharpening skills and understanding through the use of responders or apps such as Kahoot It which most students find engaging.  Students would also spend class time solving problems that involve higher order thinking skills while collaborating and creating projects such as instructional videos that demonstrate their understanding of the standards.  

In the next blog we will discuss the potential limitations to flip learning.  What issues do you see with flipped learning? Do you have any experience with flipping?  Would a flipped approach work for your content and grade level?   Please feel free to share any experiences you have with using a flipped approach whether it be positive or negative.  For more information, visit the Flipped Learning Network.