NMC Horizon Project

The purpose of the Horizon Project is to identify emerging technologies that could potentially affect educational structures. The 2013 report explores twelve different technologies that could be adopted in the next five years, but I am going to focus on the idea of "flipped classrooms".

The article defines "flipped classrooms" as a "model of learning that rearranges how time is spent both in and out of class to shift the ownership of learning from the educators to the students". Class time in flipped classrooms is primarily spent on project-based learning based on information accessed by students outside of class time. This information may occur in the form of video lectures, podcasts, e-books, online communities, etc. This way, teachers can spend their time assisting students and guiding them through the critical thinking process. 

I believe that this method of learning has both its advantages and disadvantages, many of which are summarized in the article "Pros and Cons of the Flipped Classroom". 

Pros:

1) Students can access resources at any time, allowing them to review areas they find challenging, without stalling the rest of the class. This method also enables students to work at their own pace. Those who need more time to grasp concepts can do so without being left behind and those who easily pick up information can push ahead.

2) Students who are absent can access the materials and keep up with the rest of the class.

2) Teachers have more time to attend to individual student needs. Instead of spending their time dispensing information, they can circulate around the class and help students while they work on problem solving.

3) Flipped classrooms encourage collaborative learning in which students work together to solve problems and understand the material. This helps them to become independent learners.

Cons:

1) Students may feel unmotivated to access resources outside of class time, especially if they are generally disinclined to complete homework. Incorporating tracking software into the materials or having the students complete a quiz or a worksheet while they access the materials may alleviate some of these problems.

2) Teachers and students are unable to contribute to lectures as they are occurring. I would argue that a lecture becomes more engaging when examples and stories are added to enhance the content. Furthermore, teachers are also unable to answer questions while students are accessing the material. Questions have to wait until the next class. Teachers also do not receive the immediate feedback from their students that they normally would in a regular classroom.

3) Students who do not have regular access to the internet will have difficulty going through all the material.

4) My concern is that as more classes adopt this method of learning, the workload may begin to overwhelm students. For students to cover all the information outside of class that would normally be completed during class time may prove to be time intensive. 

I believe that this method of learning is definitely a step in the right direction. It emphasizes the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills that have real world applications. Students, rather than just absorbing information are encouraged to apply their knowledge through project-based learning. Developing online communities (ex. blogs or twitter) may help to reduce the problems associated with the lack of interaction when accessing materials outside of class time. The qualities of an effective flipped classroom are outlined in the article "Flipped Class Revealed" which emphasizes students as active learners.

Do you feel that the benefits of the "flipped classroom" outweigh the traditional lecture-based teaching methods?