The idea of a flipped classroom is not new. It was being practiced even before the pandemic hit. Its positive effects on student learning have made it a popular trend in the education sector. But the question remains: is a flipped-classroom approach better than a traditional classroom?
In this blog, we tackle this issue. However, before we get to that, we explain the concept behind a flipped classroom and the role of technology in this approach. We will also shed light on the benefits of flipped classroom approach and more. So, let’s get started.
📚 What Is the Definition of Flipped Classroom Model?
A flipped classroom brings a new approach to the traditional learning experience. In a flipped classroom, the teacher shares lectures with their students. Meanwhile, students review these lectures as a part of their homework. Moreover, classroom time is used for discussions and other interactive projects. There are three main goals of a flipped learning approach:
- Making the classroom an environment for active learning
- Enabling students to learn different things at their own pace
- Giving the professors more time to give each student individual attention
Flipped classroom approach shifts the idea of passive learning to active learning. Since students can access all the lectures beforehand, they come to the classes well-prepared and participate more in interactive learning through various means.
The idea of flipped classroom was first introduced in 2007 by Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergman. Both of them were high school teachers of chemistry. They introduced this approach in their book, ‘Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. They mentioned various reasons why every teacher should consider flipping their classroom.
Since then, thousands of teachers worldwide have introduced the flipped classroom approach and succeeded in implementing it in their teaching approach.
This discussion brings us to another important topic: technology’s impact on student learning.
🌐 How Does Technology Impact Student Learning Skills?
Teachers aim to improve the performance of their students. And one way to accomplish this is to introduce technology to learning. While technology has both positive and negative impacts on student learning, we will focus here on the positives.
Technology has made it easy for students to access information from anywhere. Moreover, it gives them an opportunity for accelerated learning and makes it fun. Students can explore new subjects in addition to the ones they are learning. They can also use technology to enhance their learning and deepen their knowledge of difficult concepts. Students can learn the necessary skills they need for future occupations by using technology inside and outside the classroom.
However, as per the World Economic Forum, it is important to give students a direction to learn through technology, and the roles of teachers and a good coursework help service are very important here. Hence, not only students but also teachers should be well-versed in the use of technology. They should also find ways to help students use technology wisely and improve their learning and knowledge.
Technology in education can help improve and increase communication and collaboration between students and teachers. It also makes it easier for students to communicate and discuss anything about the lectures. Students can work together to solve problems even if they are not in the same physical space. Technology also provides more opportunities for personalized learning and improves teachers’ efficiency and productivity.
What Are the Benefits of Using A Flipped Classroom Approach?
The benefits of using a flipped-classroom approach are not limited to students only. Teachers can also enjoy its benefits widely. In this section, we have highlighted the various benefits of a flipped-classroom approach for teachers and students:
⌛ 1. It Requires Less Time to Introduce New Topics
Where traditional learning spends a large chunk of time disseminating information, students can get introductory information about their lectures beforehand with flipped classroom approach. This means teachers have to spend less time explaining the basics to the students and can spend the same time exploring the topic in detail.
📙 2. It Helps Students Learn Independently
Independent learning is important for students, and flipped classroom approach offers that. Students get used to self-studying with initial information about any topic available to them beforehand. It also helps them study at their own pace. However, teachers may need to support some students struggling with self-learning.
👩🏻🏫 3. It Helps Teachers Create Engaging Lessons
Adding a fun element to learning is essential if you don’t want students to get bored. It also helps improve recall and retention of knowledge. With a flipped-classroom approach, there is much more time to add that fun element to the classroom because teachers have much more time to interact with students than in traditional learning.
💯 4. It Reduces Learning Gaps as a Result of Absenteeism
Absenteeism is a common problem in schools. Being absent from school has serious outcomes on student learning. A flipped classroom approach can help students reduce the learning gaps that may result from being absent from school. With lectures, learning material, and an excellent research proposal writing service readily available, they can catch up at their pace whenever they have the time.
✍️ 5. It Allows Teachers to Reuse Their Content
While many teachers use third-party content to disseminate information in a flipped-classroom approach, many teachers like to create personalised content. So, they create their own videos optimized according to their needs. Teachers can use this content again and again. This helps them spend less time preparing each lecture from the beginning. They can spend more time creating tailored and personalized lessons to help students explore the topic more deeply.
When Does the Flipped Classroom Approach Work Best?
As mentioned before, teachers have used the flipped classroom approach for many years. However, it did become mainstream during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The flipped learning approach is found to be much more effective as compared to lecture-based learning. And the results are the same across most of the subjects and disciplines. However, there are certain fields where the benefits of a flipped learning approach are very commendable.
The disciplines where the flipped learning approach works best include health science, technology, and language. This approach is ideal for skill-based learning. The class time can be used to polish their practical skills while the students can read and learn from their lectures as a part of their homework. On the other hand, engineering and math students have the smallest gains from using a flipped-classroom approach.
The students ‘ geographic location also affects the benefits of a flipped-classroom approach. A study found that the benefits of flipped learning were far greater in Asian and Middle Eastern countries. On the other hand, the same courses in Australia, North America, and Europe didn’t perform that well through flipped learning and the classroom approach. The findings of the same study suggest that the idea of flipped learning works better in the courses that strictly adhere to a lecture format in the absence of flipped learning.
The effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach also depends on where your students are physically located. There are many courses in which students enrol from all over the world. Students have different geographical locations, but they all learn the same thing. Flipped classroom approach can work best in these cases. The lectures are provided to the students beforehand, and they go through it learning the basics. Then when the time comes for actual class, they can share their knowledge and understanding of the topic with the rest of the students. The discussions that take place in these classes are worth listening to.
This approach also works great when students with different schedules attend the same courses. It usually happens in executive courses where most of the students are also working full-time. With a flipped-classroom approach, students can access digital lesson content from anywhere and at any time. The time and location constraint is eliminated. It makes education much more flexible than a traditional classroom setting where all students must be present to listen to a lecture being delivered by the instructor.
Flipped vs. Traditional Classrooms, Blended and Hybrid Classroom
Flipped classroom approach is widely different from the traditional learning approaches and methods we have used for centuries. Let’s look at the differences between flipped and traditional classrooms to help you understand the phenomenon better.
✔ Traditional Classrooms
- In traditional learning, students get knowledge through one-on-one lectures from the teacher.
- Students come to the class with little or no knowledge about the subject.
- Students usually only get basic knowledge about the subject in class.
- There is lesser time to get in-depth knowledge about the subject.
- There is also less time for practical work.
- Meaningful discussions about the subject hardly take place.
- It doesn’t use a lot of technology.
✔ Flipped Classrooms
- In flipped learning, students can access knowledge directly through online lectures.
- Students come well-prepared and know the subject.
- Students get a deeper understanding of the subject in class.
- Students and teachers have more time to get in-depth knowledge.
- Students have more time for practical work.
- There is always an in-depth discussion about the subject.
- Technology is a major component.
These were some basic differences between traditional and flipped learning approaches. You can clearly see that the idea of flipped learning is much more effective and result-oriented than the traditional learning approach.
While we are at it, let’s also find out the differences between hybrid and blended classrooms and whether they are more effective than traditional and flipped classrooms.
✔ What Are Blended Classrooms?
Finding the difference between flipped and blended learning can sometimes be difficult. As the name suggests, blended learning is a blend between face-to-face and online education. It combines the traditional learning approaches with eLearning technology. So, you get a combination of traditional classroom approaches and online courses, quizzes, lectures, games, presentations, and more. It works in collaboration with traditional classroom approaches. Online learning tools and teachers work in compatibility with one another to get the best of both methods. Many higher education institutes use this approach to learning and teaching to optimise the education process.
✔ What Are Hybrid Classrooms?
Although they are not the same, hybrid and blended classrooms are terms often used interchangeably. In hybrid classrooms, a portion of one-on-one class time is replaced with online components. The online interactions in these classrooms can be synchronous. So, students can interact with one another online through Zoom meetings etc. Or, the online interactions can be asynchronous – students can interact with one another and their teachers online at different times. They may use applications such as VoiceThread or conduct online discussions through other platforms. This approach is ideal for students who live in different geographical locations or work at different times and cannot appear together at the same time for their classes. It is a convenient approach for both teachers and students.
Now that you know the difference between flipped classrooms, traditional classrooms, hybrid, and blended classrooms, you can easily figure out the ones being implemented for your classes. Teachers can either use a single approach out of these or use a combination of these. The idea is to help students improve their learning through various approaches. What suits one class setting might not work for another. So, it is at the discretion of the management and the teachers to pick what will be the best for the students.
It is also important to remember using online tools to enhance the learning and knowledge of students is essential these days. There are so many online technologies one can use, and one should take full advantage because, ultimately, it is beneficial for the students.
📖 What Makes the Flipped Classroom Learning Unique?
Flipped learning is becoming more common these days than ever before. Teachers and students both understand its importance, and many people are willing to try this approach. Many things make a flipped learning approach unique and different from other learning and classroom approaches. Let’s take a look at these factors to see what makes this approach so powerful and unique:
- Flipped classrooms make it easier for students to learn new things at their own pace. They don’t have to stay with the class even if they don’t understand something. It takes a lot of stress off their minds because they have lectures they can return to at any time.
- Flipped classrooms allow students to take breaks as they please. It is a self-paced learning approach that is ideal for students with different learning styles or the ones with special needs.
- Flipped classroom approach allows students to get a deeper understanding and knowledge of the subject. There is much more time for detailed and meaningful discussions in flipped classrooms than in traditional ones. This gives students a better understanding of what is being taught in the lectures.
- Flipped learning makes the students more responsible. They are provided with the lectures beforehand and must come prepared in class. This makes them responsible, and they take charge of their studying habits. They know they will fall behind if they don’t go through the lecture before coming to the discussion class. This improves their outlook on learning.
- Flipped learning approaches and flipped classrooms are much more fun than traditional ones. Online tools, exercises, and games make this approach more interesting for students and teachers. It makes learning and teaching fun.
All these things make flipped classrooms a unique learning experience.
Examples of Flipped Classroom Activities
Here are some examples of flipped classroom activities teachers can use for their classrooms:
✅ Think-Pair-Share
These activities are great for students as they use the perfect combination of both collaborative and independent learning. Students think about the learning material individually. Once they are done, they are paired with another student and asked to discuss their ideas. After that, both the students share their ideas with the whole class. This gives the teacher a good opportunity to ask questions. Other students can also ask questions and improve their learning and knowledge.
✅ Games and Quizzes
Students are found to learn better when they are having fun while studying. This example uses the same approach. Teachers introduce games and quizzes into the classroom to give the teachers a sense of how much students have learned about the subject. It also makes the lesson and class much more engaging. Teachers can use online tools to create quizzes and games to make the lessons enjoyable and enhance the students’ learning experience.
These are some common examples of how different activities can be used in a flipped-classroom approach to enhance the students’ learning experience.
❌ What Are the Disadvantages of a Flipped Classroom?
While we have been discussing the benefits and advantages of the flipped learning approach, there is also a flip side to flipped classrooms. Let’s take a look at some cons of this learning approach:
🖥️ 1. It Requires Technology
Flipped learning relies heavily on technology. Students need access to high-speed internet while they are off-campus. Moreover, students also need devices where they can access their lectures and study. Most lectures are video-based, and students must go through them before they come to class. Some students may not have access to high-speed internet or a computer when not on campus.
⏱️ 2. It Requires More Preparation Time
A flipped classroom approach may sound great for students but means more work for the teachers. Compared to traditional learning, flipped classes require much more time and upfront planning for content creation. It becomes even more difficult when planning online classroom activities or moving the course content.
🎓 3. It Assumes that Students Will Come Prepared
The idea of a flipped classroom is based on the assumption that all students will go through the lecture and develop a basic understanding of it when they come to class. Not all students are that efficient. Some of them will not complete the required readings or not watch the digital content teachers have created for them. This makes them unprepared to participate in the class. Teachers can conduct short quizzes when the class begins, giving the students an incentive to come prepared.
⌛ 4. It Increases Screen Time
One of the biggest disadvantages of flipped learning is that it increases screen time for both students and teachers. The nature of activities, discussion, and research required in flipped learning requires using electronic devices like mobile phones, tablets, or computers. Hence, they are much more used in flipped learning compared to the traditional classroom approach. This can increase screen time dramatically for students and teachers.
Final Thoughts
Flipped learning is a comparatively new approach, but many disciplines have now started using this approach. In this blog, you learned about flipped learning and how it differs from traditional learning. We also touched on the advantages and disadvantages of a flipped learning approach. Flipped classrooms are a great way to improve student-teacher interaction. It improves self-learning and encourages students to do their best. However, the approach may not work as well in some circumstances as it does in others. Therefore, trying it out is the best way to determine its effectiveness.
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