To Flip or Not to Flip?

Michael Ayala

Bergmann, J. & Waddell, D. (2012). To Flip or Not to Flip? Learning and Leading with Technology, 39 (8), 6-7.

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An opinion piece from Learning with Technology, two teachers face off and talk about the virtues and vices of flipping classrooms - leaving lectures to be reviewed at home while class time is used for projects and labs. Jonathan Bergmann, a science teacher, explains once he flipped his class he never went back to the traditional class lecture times. Eliminating lectures in the class results in a more focused curriculum, he explains, and frees up time for teachers to take a close look at their projects
and determine if they are really worthwhile. He concedes not all subjects are good flipping candidates, as math, science, and foreign language would likely benefit more from a lecture format.

Teacher Derrick Waddell argues flipped teaching isn't an advancement in education - it's a side-step. Students are still submitted to lectures, but the difference is they have to wait to go to class to have their questions answered rather than receiving immediate feedback. Flipped teaching also contradicts the push for greater teacher accountability, he argues, as it shifts the responsibility of teaching to students. Finally, flipped classrooms may serve to widen the digital divide, as only students and communities with the finances to support it will be the ones to benefit.

Evaluation:

A good article focusing on the pros and cons to flipping classrooms. This shouldn't be the first article for students new to the concept to read, however once they are familiar with the subject it is a great one to read to understand both sides of the issue. Many articles talk about the virtues of flipped teaching, so exposing oneself to the other side of the matter is highly beneficial.