Kindergarten through high school education is beginning to resemble college-style learning through the “flipped classroom” teaching method.
The flipped classroom approach overturns traditional teaching methods and presents the in-class lecture in the form of an online video or Power Point presentation, using classroom time for assignments that would otherwise be homework.
Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams are credited with coining the term for the new style of teaching in 2007 at Woodland Park High School in Colorado. According to knewton.com, the flipped classroom method of teaching has a number of benefits for students, including instant feedback and less frustration for students when working on homework. Teachers are able to provide more support to students in class and focus on concepts students have trouble understanding.
San Diego State School of Teacher Education Director Scot Danforth said it’s too early to tell if this blended style teaching will become the future of education.
“Most of the reforms that teachers find useful, that parents and families feel comfortable with, that school districts can afford and that researchers ultimately support often never gain widespread use,” Danforth said. “It is very difficult to know which new, big idea will gain traction and broad utilization.”
Last year, “Flip Your Classroom” by Bergmann and Sams was introduced at the San Diego Convention Center during the International Society for Technology in Education. Methods are being introduced in San Diego classrooms.
The San Diego County Office of Education now offers an eight-week course in blended teaching and last year, state legislators approved new funding for schools offering the flipped classroom method.
One criticism of the blended teaching method is access to technology, which can often be expensive and isn’t always readily available for all students.
“I think the biggest hurdle is not the technology,” Bergmann told U-T San Diego. “It’s the flipping of the minds of the teachers.”
Danforth agreed that technology in the classroom will remain a prominent factor in the practices of teachers and the activities of learners.
