Why Teachers Must Switch from Conventional Classrooms to Flipped Classrooms?
The rapid technological advancement in communication has been changing trends in education regularly. At present, a flipped classroom is one of the hottest trends in education. A number of market research studies suggest a consistent increase in the number of educational institutions converting conventional classrooms into flipped classrooms to enable students to acquire knowledge at their own pace and convenience.
According to Wikipedia, “A flipped classroom is an instructional strategy and a type of blended learning that moves activities, including those that may have traditionally been considered homework, into the classroom. In a flipped classroom, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home while engaging in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of a mentor.”
Unlike conventional learning models, the flipped classroom does not require students to acquire knowledge through teachers by attending classes. The new-age learning model enables students to acquire knowledge in a flexible and convenient way by leveraging the power of the internet. In addition to attending classes, a student can acquire knowledge by watching online lectures, accessing online university notes, and collaborating in online discussions.
A number of web-based platforms make it easier for both educational institutions and teachers to convert conventional classrooms into flipped classrooms. Many teachers take advantage of these online platforms to make students acquire knowledge both inside and outside of classrooms. While taking classes, they focus on explaining the topic elaborately and facilitate classroom discussions.
At the same time, they use online platforms to help students to clear doubts and complete homework assignments. The online platforms enable teachers to flip conventional classrooms without putting extra time and effort. They further help educational institutions to bridge the gap between traditional and flipped classrooms. There are a number of reasons why teachers must take advantage of such online platforms to reap the benefits of flipped classrooms.
7 Reasons Why Teachers Must Consider Flipping Conventional Classrooms
1. Allow Students to Learn at Their Own Pace
Most students these days collect information from diverse sources using their smartphones and tablets. In addition to attending classes on a regular basis, they use the internet to acquire knowledge outside classrooms. The smarter teachers enable students to learn at their own pace and convenience by adopting flipped classroom models. They help students learn various topics elaborately and complete homework effectively by uploading university notes and video lectures.
2. Make Students Explore Subject Deeply
The conventional classroom model requires teachers to explain topics in a stipulated timeframe. The stipulated timeframe often makes it difficult for teachers to explain all aspects of a topic. Likewise, it does not allow students to explore a subject in a deeper manner. The flipped classrooms allow both teachers and students to explore a subject more deeply by allocating more time. The students can further clear doubts and complete homework by availing the assistance and guidance of teachers outside the classrooms.
3. Facilitate Classroom Discussions
A teacher cannot teach a topic effectively without facilitate class discussions and encouraging students to participate in the classroom discussions. The flipped classroom model makes it easier for teachers to facilitate classroom discussions. The teachers can allocate more time to make students discuss and collaborate by uploading lecture notes and creating online discussion forums.
4. Avoid Dictating Notes in the Classroom
While taking classes, teachers spend time on dictating notes to students. Also, the students have to put extra time and effort to take lecture notes. But there are a number of reasons why teachers must avoid dictating notes while taking classes. The online platforms enable teachers to share notes instead of dictating notes. A teacher can allocate more time to cover various aspects of a topic and answer questions asked by students by sharing lecture notes over the internet.
5. Make Students Come to Class Prepared
A teacher can easily keep students interested, engaged, and motivated by making them prepare for upcoming classes. The flipped classroom model helps students to prepare for upcoming classes by reading the announcements and information posted by teachers. The students can clear all their doubts and participate actively in classroom discussions by coming to the classroom prepared.
6. Improve Students’ Academic Performance
A number of studies have highlighted the effectiveness of the flipped classroom model in improving students’ academic performance and exam grades. According to FlippedLearning.org, “Flipped Learning is also being used in higher education, and results have been documented in student academic performance and student and instructor morale.” Hence, no teacher can impart knowledge and boost student performance effectively without converting conventional classrooms into flipped classrooms.
7. Reuse Lectures and Notes
The flipped classroom models enable teachers to reuse video lectures and university notes over a longer period of time. A teacher can make students access the lectures and notes seamlessly by uploading the content to a popular online platform. The uploaded content will help students to complete homework assignments and prepare for exams. Also, the teachers can use the same content to impart knowledge to students across colleges and universities.
The innovative online platform provided by LectureNotes helps teachers to bridge the gap between conventional and flipped classrooms. Many teachers join LectureNotes to impart knowledge to students both inside and outside classrooms. While taking classes, they focus on explaining topics elaborately, answering questions asked by students, and promoting classroom discussions. At the same time, they enable students to acquire knowledge outside classrooms by uploading video lectures, sharing university notes, and providing on-time guidance to students.
