Flipped Classroom
Flipped classroom is an instructional strategy and a type of blended learning that reverses the traditional learning environment by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom. It moves activities, including those that may have traditionally been considered homework, into the classroom. In a flipped classroom, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home and engage in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of a mentor.
Many people have promoted the concept of flipped classroom over the years but nobody has become as synonymous with flipped classroom model as Salman Khan of Khan Academy. Khan Academy provides free videos of educational topics online. The child can see the videos at home and do active learning activities with the help of the teacher in classroom.
I think flipped classroom is a good option if properly implemented. Also it can be helpful for remote areas where the quality of teachers is not that great. If you have a bad teacher lecturing than the kid is certainly going to dislike the subject. Online videos can obviously mitigate that problem.
The problem with online videos is that even though trainers try to make them fun to watch many kids find them boring. So without active involvement of parents or pressure of teachers the kid may not see the video at home.
The issue of high speed internet access and access to computers is another. Also some parents are not comfortable leaving kids alone on a computer. Thus there are challenges in the flipped classroom model.
Then there is a another issue with online videos. I strongly feel that kids should be actively involved in learning. Even though watching videos is useful I myself get sleepy while watching long video lectures. Thus flipped classroom should only be implemented as part of a wholesome plan to impart quality learning to kids.
Teaching especially at the primary and secondary level is not a high paid job around the world. If the teacher is not good then the kids will dislike the subject. Thus a lot of design thinking is required to make the life of teachers easier while at the same time making learning experience better for kids.
I have founded an open education project called Fun2Do Labs. To know more about it visit : http://fun2dolabs.org . Subscribe to me on Medium to read my posts on education and technology.
