Flipped Classroom Controversy

What’s the best use of time in the classroom?” Is it delivering face to face lectures to your students? Or is it doing hands on activities and homework where your students are able to ask questions? This educational controversy is known as the Traditional vs. Flipped Classroom debate (Gobry.) I will argue that the flipped classroom method should be implemented into school classrooms because of the increased one on one time for students and teachers, its benefits during absences, and because students can guide their own learning.

The traditional classroom is what most have us have experienced where we are lectured by our teacher during class and we do homework outside of class. The flipped classroom method, however, is the complete opposite of the traditional classroom which is

why it is called the flipped classroom method (Brame, CTF Assistant Director.) In the flipped classroom, “teachers shift direct learning out of the large group learning space and move it into the individual learning space, with the help of one of several technologies” (Hamdan et al. 4.) In other words, students watch lectures outside of class and do homework and activities during.
The notion of a flipped classroom has been around for decades, however, with an ever expanding range of technologies available, it has been more heavily incorporated into classrooms over the past few years.

Flipped classrooms rely on technology because teachers must record themselves teaching the lecture and post the videos online for students to access. It then becomes the responsibility of the student to watch the lecture and take the time to comprehend the information. This method “enables educators to make the shift from teacher driven instruction to student-centered learning” (Hamdan et al. 4.) The teacher’s role is very important as they plan the class’ aspects but the success of a flipped classroom, however, depends on the student’s ability to take control of their learning. Many people have strong opinions about both sides of the debate causing strong controversy amongst educators. Even though the flipped model is relatively recent, there is quantitative and qualitative research available supporting the key aspects of the flipped model (Hamdan et al. 6.) Hopefully with more classrooms using this method, we will have more scientific evidence supporting the use of a flipped

classroom.
The flipped classroom method should be implemented into school classrooms because of the boost of one on one time that the students and teachers gain. During traditional lecture settings, students spend a majority of the class sitting in front of a teacher who gives a long lecture. The short period of time that the teacher is not lecturing leaves insufficient time for the teacher to answer questions regarding the material. With the use of a flipped classroom, the teacher has the opportunity circulate the room and engage in conversation with the students as they do hands on activities or work on assignments. This time is a great chance for the teacher to help answer questions over concepts that were covered in the lecture and to assist those who need extra help (Gobry.) This not only helps the student to understand that the teacher wants his or her students to succeed but also allows the teacher get to know the student’s individual needs and strengths. According to a study done by Hamre and Pianta of the University of Virginia, “Teachers who recognize and respond to students' social and emotional needs is at least as important to academic development as specific instructional practices are” (Goodwin and Miller 79.) As noted in this study as well as many others, it is quite beneficial for the student to have a comfortable relationship with their teacher and it allows teachers to use appropriate methods to help individual students meet their fullest potential which may not be possible without the extra time that the flipped classroom provides (Goodwin and Miller 79.)
The flipped classroom method also should be used because of the benefits during absences. Throughout the course of a school year, there are many instances when students miss school for a variety of reasons. When a student misses a class, it can be easy for a student to fall behind fellow classmates. In a traditional classroom setting, if a student misses class it is nearly impossible for the student to be informed of everything that was covered during lecture. With the use of a flipped classroom, however, the student doesn’t have to worry about missing the valuable pieces of information covered in lecture because he or she can watch the lectures at home. While student absences are far more common, there are instances when the teacher has to miss a day of school as well. The flipped classroom keeps teachers from having to have a wasted study hall day for their students as well as having to try to inform substitute on what topic to lecture. When gone, the teacher can post information online for the students as well as a teaching video to play for the class when he or she is not at school (Gobry) These benefits for both the student and teacher prove that the flipped classroom method is valuable during absenteeism.
Another reason that the flipped classroom method should be implemented into school classrooms because it allows the students to learn at their own pace. In a traditional classroom setting, students are forced to move along in the lecture regardless of whether they understand the material. Many times students are too embarrassed or shy to ask questions in front of their peers so they quietly listen to the rest of the lecture even though they are confused. The flipped classroom method, however, allows the students to take their questions from the lecture to the teacher the following day so they can be answered as a group or one on one. As the students watch the lectures that the teacher has recorded, they are able to pause and rewind the videos as many times as necessary until they grasp the concept. While some students can watch the full lecture recording once with the ability to gain complete understanding, it may be necessary for a student to rewind the video several times until he or she fully understands the material. This allows the students who understand the material to move along quicker avoiding waste time reviewing the trouble spots with the students who struggle with that particular topic (Gobry.) The flipped classroom method offers many different options for the student to learn the material in a way that was never available in the traditional classroom.
While there are many positive aspects of flipped classroom, some people argue that there are some aspects of the method that make it unappealing. One of these reasons is because of the digital divide. According to Judy Block from the University of West Georgia, “The digital divide has generally been defined as the gap in access to technology by socioeconomic status, race, and/or gender” (Block.) This issue has given rise to problems for teachers as more technology is used in education. Those opposed to flipped classrooms claim that it is unrealistic to think that all students will be able to access online lectures, however, this problem could be solved with a variety of easy fixes. While the digital divide could be a downfall to flipped classrooms, it is important to remember how far technology has come. With technology expanding all around us and becoming cheaper by the minute, soon the digital divide will be just a small issue. According to the United States Census Bureau, “In 2013 83.8 percent of U.S. households reported computer ownership compared to 8.2% in 1984” (File and Ryan 1.) In just a few years’ time, we may be quite surprised on how much higher that percentage goes. With a little creative thinking for the flipped classroom teachers of students who do not have internet and computers readily available, they can find places for the students to watch the lecture like at the school or public libraries. Many teachers also have made their classrooms available afterschool for students can come in to watch the lectures. If none of these other options provide a solution, teachers can also save the lectures to flash drives or burn them on DVDs. As you can see there are many different options for students to watch the lectures regardless of the digital divide.
The flipped classroom method should not be implemented into classrooms because of the extra work for teachers. The transition from a traditional to a flipped classroom can be quite a change because a teacher no longer does all of the teaching within a classroom. In a flipped classroom, the teacher must tape and upload lectures outside of the days that they spend in the classroom. Also, the teacher must plan new labs or activities that the students do during the class time that would be used for lecturing during a traditional classroom ("THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM: THE PROS"). During a semester of flipped teaching, teachers will have to put in a substantial amount of work to transition from the traditional to flipped classroom, however, once the video is made it can be reused every semester eliminating extra time used making videos. Similar to your first time teaching, the first semester or so requires extra work to make sure you are prepared for class each day but after the first semester the preparation can be much less work.
Other people opposed to the flipped classroom claim that it should not be used because of the increase of screen time. The increase of time that children spend in front of televisions and computers has become more prevalent as more children spend their free time indoors. Many people opposed to flipped classrooms are quick to note that it involves more screen time (Gobry.) While this is a true statement it does not mean that it is bad screen time. There is a big difference between using screen time to watch pointless YouTube videos verses watching educational lecture videos for school assignments. According to Patricia Greenfield, a Psychology professor from UCLA, "You're not substituting screen time for interaction time, you're substituting alone time with the screen for alone time with your paper and pen” (Kids And Screen Time.) The time that the students are using to watch the videos isn’t taking any more time than a traditional classroom’s night of homework which is why screen time isn’t the greatest point for avoiding flipped classroom.

This paper has discussed the main reasons for supporting and rejecting the Flipped Classroom Method. I am more persuaded by the reasons supporting the argument because the positive aspects far outweigh negatives. The fact that students can take control of their learning was the strongest point for flipped classrooms while the digital divide was the strongest against. I was not persuaded by the reasons against it, however, because educational screen time is different than regular screen time and a little extra time on lectures and accommodating students is well worth it when the outcome gives students more opportunities.
The flipped classroom debate brings up the lesson that there is always another way to teach students. Whether you completely flip your classroom or just use a different teaching style there is always a different way to teach students until they comprehend a subject because each and every student learns differently. In my opinion, the use of a flipped classroom does not require policy changes because it should not be used in every subject at every level. The flipped classroom should not be used every day rather only a few times a week and it is important that it is used correctly in order to work.