Teacher Education
Believe it or not, most classrooms around the world are alike. Whether they’re in Europe, North America, or Australia, “typical” classrooms filled with kids are remarkably similar globally. But what about the flipped classroom?
The concept of students watching lectures at home and doing homework in class has become increasingly widespread since its discovery in 2007. That’s the year when two high school teachers in Colorado introduced a new approach to education. By allowing students to learn material in their own way, the flipped classroom provides countless benefits to teachers and students around the world.
But don’t take our word for it. We’ve gathered a few examples of what the flipped classroom looks like worldwide.
At Stad & Esch in Meppel, Netherlands, every kid has their own MacBook. The concept of the school: ditch the books and go digital. Teacher Stefan van der Weide stated the flipped classroom was “love at first sight” for him. He explains that his students picked up the concept with amazing ease and quickly adapted as changes were made. Stefan believes that the flipped classroom approach gave students higher levels of motivation, creativity, and passion for education. In addition, his students’ grades have increased by an average of 10 percent.
On an episode of the “Flipped Learning Radio” podcast, professor Ken Bauer shares his experience with implementing the flipped classroom method in Mexico. He stated that fighting the culture of the traditional classroom is the biggest hurdle in applying the model. In Mexico, students and parents have been trained to believe that the teacher is the source of all knowledge. The flipped classroom approach is changing the mindset of what a teacher is. As they take a self-directed approach to learning, students in Mexico are slowly accepting the idea that learning doesn’t always need to happen under the watchful eye of an expert in the room.
Students across Australia are increasingly relying on technology for education and information. Rachel Lilley, director of teaching and innovation at Regents Park Christian School, discusses the benefits of the flipped classroom in an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald. Rachel believes the approach is more valuable for both students and teachers, allowing students to process ideas individually before diving deeper in class. The flipped classroom method encourages students in Australia to become more independent learners.
Erika Choe shares her results in a case study from Eulji University that explores the effectiveness of the flipped classroom. She discovered that the majority of students enjoyed the flipped classroom because it provided a new way of learning. In Korea, the main purpose of class is to relay a lot of information. This caused Korean students to feel uncomfortable with the flipped classroom structure at first because it was so counterintuitive to their typical learning style. But once they got the hang of it, the students had an overall positive reaction to the approach.
In San Diego, California, Michael Salamanca is watching his middle school students adjust the yield of a cookie recipe in the classroom. They know what to do because they watched his 10-minute lesson the previous night at home. Salamanca uses the flipped classroom model to promote hands-on lessons that encourage critical thinking skills and student engagement. His students take daily quizzes to assess whether they have watched his videos and understand the content. You can read more of Salamanca’s interactive learning ideas, including creating a garden and using algebraic equations to figure out finances.
The flipped classroom has become universal. No matter where you are in the world, the model provides benefits for everyone.
If you’re curious about how to flip your own classroom, check out 5 Simple Steps to Create your own Flipped Classroom.
