Advantages and Disadvantages of the Flipped Classroom
Proposed by Bergmann and Sams in 2008 (Bergmann & Sams, 2012), the flipped classroom is the idea that traditional activities completed in class and at home are swapped, or flipped: ‘that which is traditionally done in class is now done at home, and that which is traditionally done as homework is now completed in class.’ (Bergmann & Sams, 2012, Chapter 2).
The concept grew out of the observation that students do not need their lecturer present while they digest course content, but rather when they are working through problems. Prior to the lesson, students are required to study the course content, normally via a pre-recorded video prepared by the teacher, then the concepts are practiced and skills developed during the lesson, when the lecturer is present.
Whilst flipped classrooms are becoming more mainstream, there is much debate on the advantages and disadvantages of this educational approach.
Advantages
A flipped classroom gives students the control to personalise their learning experience according to their individual needs. Students are able to work through content at their own pace, review the topics when needed and easily catch up on any missed lessons.
The approach also promotes student-centred learning and collaboration: due to the class discussions students are encouraged to work together and learn from each other. The lessons are centred around the student and not the teacher, allowing the student a much more active learning experience.
In addition to these, the lecturer is available during teaching time to help the students work through problems and is able to give individual help where necessary. When the lecturer is present during problem solving, they are more able to identify mistakes in thought processes, which may be hard to identify through the more traditional homework model.
As well as benefitting the education of the students, it has been highlighted that the flipped classroom approach may also take some workload off the teacher as the amount of homework they mark will be reduced or could be removed entirely.
Disadvantages
The flipped classroom also has some potential weaknesses. One major concern is that a flipped classroom relies heavily on preparation and trust: the lecturer must trust that the students will watch the videos in advance of the lesson. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that students will cooperate. However, this may not be as big of an issue as some teachers may imagine. A study by Kay and Kletskin (2012) developed 59 video podcasts as an online self-study tool for their first year mathematics undergraduate calculus students and found that the majority of students watched the videos a number of times.
A flipped classroom also requires a lot of initial work from the lecturer in making the podcasts. Additional time and effort is needed to set up the online material, as well as preparing the questions to be discussed in the lesson. However, once the material has been established it could easily be reused for other classes.
Leaving the material for the students to cover in their own time relies on students having access to technology, which, in some cases, may be unrealistic. Relying on students having access to technology may create or exacerbate a digital divide. However, it could be argued that this is less of an issue in Higher Education, where a growing number of students have access to technology and the University facilities offered are ever increasing.
Although there is currently no conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of the flipped classroom, the existing research shows how the model can be one way to achieve a student-centred classroom. The flipped classroom should not be thought of as a remedy to all educational issues, but a tool that can be used by educators to increase student’s conceptual understanding and confidence with their subject (Hamdan & McKnight, 2013).
Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.
Hamdan, N., McKnight, P., McKnight, K., & Arfstrom, K. M. (2013). A review of flipped learning.
Kay, R., & Kletskin, I. (2012). Evaluating the use of problem-based video podcasts to teach mathematics in higher education. Computers & Education,59(2), 619-627.
Tucker, B. (2012). The flipped classroom. Education Next, 12(1), 82-83.
Proposed by Bergmann and Sams in 2008 (Bergmann & Sams, 2012), the flipped classroom is the idea that traditional activities completed in class and at home are swapped, or flipped: ‘that which is traditionally done in class is now done at home, and that which is traditionally done as homework is now completed in class.’ (Bergmann & Sams, 2012, Chapter 2).
The concept grew out of the observation that students do not need their lecturer present while they digest course content, but rather when they are working through problems. Prior to the lesson, students are required to study the course content, normally via a pre-recorded video prepared by the teacher, then the concepts are practiced and skills developed during the lesson, when the lecturer is present.
Whilst flipped classrooms are becoming more mainstream, there is much debate on the advantages and disadvantages of this educational approach.
Advantages
A flipped classroom gives students the control to personalise their learning experience according to their individual needs. Students are able to work through content at their own pace, review the topics when needed and easily catch up on any missed lessons.
The approach also promotes student-centred learning and collaboration: due to the class discussions students are encouraged to work together and learn from each other. The lessons are centred around the student and not the teacher, allowing the student a much more active learning experience.
In addition to these, the lecturer is available during teaching time to help the students work through problems and is able to give individual help where necessary. When the lecturer is present during problem solving, they are more able to identify mistakes in thought processes, which may be hard to identify through the more traditional homework model.
As well as benefitting the education of the students, it has been highlighted that the flipped classroom approach may also take some workload off the teacher as the amount of homework they mark will be reduced or could be removed entirely.
Disadvantages
The flipped classroom also has some potential weaknesses. One major concern is that a flipped classroom relies heavily on preparation and trust: the lecturer must trust that the students will watch the videos in advance of the lesson. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that students will cooperate. However, this may not be as big of an issue as some teachers may imagine. A study by Kay and Kletskin (2012) developed 59 video podcasts as an online self-study tool for their first year mathematics undergraduate calculus students and found that the majority of students watched the videos a number of times.
A flipped classroom also requires a lot of initial work from the lecturer in making the podcasts. Additional time and effort is needed to set up the online material, as well as preparing the questions to be discussed in the lesson. However, once the material has been established it could easily be reused for other classes.
Leaving the material for the students to cover in their own time relies on students having access to technology, which, in some cases, may be unrealistic. Relying on students having access to technology may create or exacerbate a digital divide. However, it could be argued that this is less of an issue in Higher Education, where a growing number of students have access to technology and the University facilities offered are ever increasing.
Although there is currently no conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of the flipped classroom, the existing research shows how the model can be one way to achieve a student-centred classroom. The flipped classroom should not be thought of as a remedy to all educational issues, but a tool that can be used by educators to increase student’s conceptual understanding and confidence with their subject (Hamdan & McKnight, 2013).
Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.
Hamdan, N., McKnight, P., McKnight, K., & Arfstrom, K. M. (2013). A review of flipped learning.
Kay, R., & Kletskin, I. (2012). Evaluating the use of problem-based video podcasts to teach mathematics in higher education. Computers & Education,59(2), 619-627.
Tucker, B. (2012). The flipped classroom. Education Next, 12(1), 82-83.