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To Flip or not to Flip


The Article: 

This week brought me back to Google scholar to find an article that would interest me. The article I landed on was Exploring the Impact of Blended, Flipped, and Traditional Teaching Strategies for Teaching Grammar on Iranian EFL Learners by Farzaneh Khodabandeh and Mohammad Hassan Tahririan. This was another 41 page article, so I skimmed through the article and tried to make sense of the information presented. 


The Summary: 

The article was a study to compare the different types of teaching in an online class setting. In the article they compared the flipped classroom to the blended learning environment and the traditional learning environment. There was a pretest and post test of grammar skills. In the Traditionally taught group, there wasn’t a significant difference between the pretest and the post test. On the other hand in the blended and flipped classroom there was a significant improvement between the two tests. So which method was the best? Well, when we look at the data presented, there was no statistically significant difference between the two methods (Khodabandeh Tahririan 2020). 


My Thoughts: 

So to get right to the point, I’m not a huge fan of the flipped classroom. I get the benefits, but I think there is a different way to go about it. I honestly am not a fan of homework. I think the problem with both of these things is that it doesn’t take into account the discrepancy of student circumstances. Sure a school could supply a hotspot to a student who needs internet access so they could watch the lessons needed at home. The school could also supply a device for that student to be able to complete that work. What the school can’t do is prompt that student at home to get started on their homework. The school can’t help that student watch their younger siblings, or make dinner for them. If a student is expected to do work at home, but they just can’t make it work, then they won’t get to reap the benefits of the flipped classroom. 


My Suggestion: 

While I don’t think the flipped classroom takes enough information about the student into account, I have used a model in school that I think is a great teaching model: Hybrid Learning. In Hybrid, Students rotate between 3 stations: independent, collaborative, and small group. Hybrid uses the same principles as the flipped classroom, but it allows the work to be done in class. Students work independently to build a base of knowledge about the unit. Students work collaboratively on project based learning to apply what they are learning in that unit. The small group piece is there to have the teacher fill in the gaps of each group. This method was great for trying to get students to take accountability of their learning. 


Wrap it up: 

Basically, you can’t argue with the data presented in the article. Blended learning and the flipped classroom yielded better results for students. I do stand by the idea that there is a way to bring the flipped classroom to the physical classroom to bring a little more equity to the student situation. 


References

Hertz, M. B. (2015, December 22). The Flipped Classroom: Pro and Con. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/flipped-classroom-pro-and-con-mary-beth-hertz


Khodabandeh, F., Tharirian, M. (2020). Exploring the Impact of Blended, Flipped, and Traditional Teaching Strategies for Teaching Grammar on Iranian EFL Learners'''' through English Newspaper Articles. Teaching English as a Second Language Quarterly (Formerly Journal of Teaching Language Skills), 39(3.1), 89-129.

Comments

  1. BrettOctober 8, 2021 at 12:41 PM

    I have similar feelings regarding the flipped classroom model. In a perfect world, I think it has plenty of benefits. I would say most of my college classes were similar to a flipped classroom model, (we researched a topic and then brought what we learned to discuss as a class) but as you pointed out, not all student situations are perfect. For example, what if students just choose not to do the assignment? Some students might not be motivated or have time at after school and now you are discussing or working on something that they have no familiarity with, so you've wasted their in-class time as well.

    In an ESL scenario, I don't think the flipped classroom model is ideal either. I think L2 students would need the additional context and guidance that a teacher can provide and while doing a small amount of activities in a flipped classroom style might be beneficial, teaching an entire class that way would probably not be efficient.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nicole H.October 10, 2021 at 3:02 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Nicole H.October 10, 2021 at 3:03 PM

    I also share in your feelings about the "flipped classroom". I teacher 10 and 11 year-olds and I think they are more "tech savvy" than ever, but I still don't find it to be the best mode for most of them. We all teach "imperfect" situations daily. We are constantly putting out fires, being flexible, and finding detours to help allow for success. I think our L2 students live this way daily and in many parts of their lives. As their educator, I want to help provide the detours ahead of time and give them a personal connection to give them a reason to keep at it and come to for help. I am all for using technology to enhance our teaching for these students and giving them added tools, but that is different than a "flipped" classroom.

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