Is the Flipped Classroom the Answer to Our Changing Education Landscape?

Last year, Education Week reported that the nation's high school graduation rate is in its highest in 40 years. Although this feat definitely calls for a celebration, the problem is far from solved.

In fact, ever since the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test started in 2000, 15-year-old students in the United States have been lagging in math, science, and reading. They are behind other students in at least twenty countries such as Singapore and China. Test results of the PISA indicate that American students are "average" in reading and science and "below average" in math. The PISA test is a trienial exam measuring students' proficiency in the above-stated subjects.

Recently, there have been calls for education reform to address such issue. Alongside these demands are a wide range of solutions, and one novel idea that is gaining momentum is the flipped classroom approach.

In a nutshell, a flipped classroom is a novel pedagogical model that literally switches the schedule for homework and lectures. Traditionally, students attend lectures in the classroom and do their homework after, usually at home. With the flip approach, the reverse is true. Students listen or watch pre-recorded materials at home and then do their homework in class.

As you can see, this method is technologically-driven, and putting everything together, the resulting class can be called a "smart classroom."

Knewton, a popular learning technology provider, says that the flipped classroom has its origins back in 2007. It started when Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams posted videos and PowerPoint presentations online for those who missed their lectures. Since then, the lectures started spreading and other teachers followed suit.

PBS News Hour reports Clintondale High in Michigan is the country's first completely flipped school. This is an initiative of Principal Greg Green who got the idea when he posted Youtube videos coaching his son and his team how to be better baseball players. As the report says, Mr. Green was struck at how much time is left to focus on individual players on the field. He then saw the educational potential and eventually adopted the method for the whole school.

Did it work?

According to Mr. Green, the approach has gained positive results when taken all together. As far as the ACT gains, the school's results double that of the national average. For the SATs, the school has mixed results. In addition, graduation rate has gone up to almost 90%. College acceptance rate has also increased to 80%.

Clintondale High is not the only one enjoying positive results. In fact, even the health profession is also praising its effectiveness. In reports published at different medical journals such as the Nurse Educator and Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology indicate that the flipped classroom approach is an overwhelming success.

Why does the flip model work?

For one, this strategy promotes asynchronous learning. Meaning, students are given as much time as they need to go over the available materials -- in this case, the uploaded videos and presentations -- and are provided with a high-degree of face-to-face interaction. Because of this, students have more time to absorb the materials given to them. Plus, they can better respond to real-world activities.

Slowly, the flip model or smart classroom approach is revolutionizing education. But experts at Harvard University say that flippping alone is not enough. For it to work, teachers should be cautious about what they upload and the direct instruction that they can provide to equip students and enhance learning.