I read the article about the flipped classroom by Mary Beth
Hertz (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/flipped-classroom-pro-and-con-mary-beth-hertz)
and I thought she made some excellent points.
First off, I LOVE the idea of have the lectures at home and
the homework at school. I remember many times I’d be at school and we would
finish the lecture and a few example problems or questions and then would sent
home to practice the material. Going home confident and then being confident
with the material and then being at home confused material was one of the most
frustrating thing I felt as a student. By flipping the classroom, I feel that
more practice can be done with more guidance from the teacher.
I do agree with Mary Beth Hertz when she brings up the fact
that sometimes, technology is still not readily accessible to all students. I
can end up being more time of the students and the teachers trying to figure
out how to make it work for a few individuals.
Finally, she states that she learned that flipped classrooms
are nothing new. True, how is having a child coming to class prepared by
watching a lecture or video different from having a child coming prepared by
reading their text book? Consider the number of times a teacher would be
disappointed to learn that a reading they had assigned had not been completed
by the classroom. How do we ensure that not covering the material before coming
to class does not happen is this generation?
Though the concept of flipping the classroom where lecture would be at home and homework would be in class sounds like a good idea in theory. I think this is where we would have differing opinions. It’s hard for me to see this idea as being fully successful for a class as a whole. Just knowing how I am as a learner and a student throughout life; I have never been a fan of reading. So, I am most likely not going to look at a lecture or read chapters at home unless it’s necessary for an assignment or an upcoming test. There are many other students like myself with the same struggle of reading when an assignment isn't attached. I find lecture in class to most beneficial, if a student isn't fully understanding what a teacher is saying in class, they can always ask questions for clarification. whereas at home, when reviewing a lecture/or reading a chapter in a math book for example, it can lead to frustration, unanswered questions, and possibly a student quitting even before they try.
ReplyDeleteTo attempt to answer your question, I think it’s important to spark student interest and desire to read ahead. Perhaps simply one or two questions in response to what they read, possibly making it extra credit or valued points. It’s creating desire in students to read ahead, to go beyond what’s expected. Students are more likely to put in extra effort when there’s personal interest.