Robert,
Anything we can do to improve their level of motivation and enthusiasm is a benefit to the student. They are unmotivated for a reason. We need to figure out how to work through that.
Dr. Moody Crews
Joseph,
I'm not too sure I agree with that. My question would be this - Why are they not motivated and how might we be able to change that?
Dr. Moody Crews
Dale,
Excellent points. There are many students with additional barriers. The idea of tuition limiting some of those barriers is well worth discussing.
Dr. Moody Crews
I think that student's not being motivated and not being accountable could be an issue along with IT barriers. Unfortunately, every student does not have access to a computer at home.
One of the issues that has been discussed is student motivation. I have not used the Flipped classroom method but I was wondering if the students were given a short quiz at the beginning of each class session to evaluate what they have learned on their own how that my motivate them to work hard to learn the materials presented out of the classroom setting. I think if I personally were being quizzed when I arrived in class, I would be prepared!
Some students would argue that they are unable to get online or don't have a working computer. Some schools provide laptops or tablets to fix this problem. Has anyone actually taught in an enviornment like this? How did it work for you in terms of equipment being returned and cared for? I see many students that do not take care of their own things and I'm wondering if this is any different with school property.
I believe this is true with my students as well. They are not motivated to read the assigned chapters ahead of time. Most of them have other commitments in addition to attending school, and so don't have the time to be proactive. The classes I teach are part of an accelerated program which demands a lot from the students.
If assigning chapters from big old textbooks worked, students would be ready for anything in class. It's a motivation and a campus-culture question whether enough advance reading OR video-watching gets done. But lack of preparation by students can be spotted faster in a flipped classroom.
Robert,
There will very likely be some resistance in the beginning until the students realize just how beneficial this is to their learning.
Dr. Moody Crews
The time management is a issue for students. 24/7 environment does help students catch up on lessons, motivate them to move forward, and to assess the newly learned knowledge.
There are many issues and barriers to the flipped classroom. First, students become creatures of habit. They are used to one learning technique and switching to another one can be difficult for them. To overcome this, it is important that all part (students, teachers, and administrators) are working together to implement this across the board.
Another barrier is lack of technology. The proper technology needs to be readily available for both instructors and students. The technology also needs to be working. To many times technology is available, but not working to the level needed for appropriate learning. It can be discouraging to both students and instructors, especially those new to the process.
An issue that may occur with the change to a flipped classroom is fear of technology. I'm currently teaching several non-traditional students at the college level who are not so optimistic about technology. By relying on technology to view course lectures and content, some students may shy away and therefore be turned off from learning. Implementing a positive attitude toward technology and also instilling confidence in those students who may be hesitant regarding technology could greatly reduce any barriers.
We have a sort of flipped classroom when we have the lab course. The students are given handouts online which also has links to lectures and other helpful sites. They have to read it before coming to class, and we have a quiz to ensure that they have done so. However, it appears that many students don't read it, and try to get help from others when they are doing the lab experiments. Then they get weird results, because they don't know what they are doing.
So one of the issues is how to ensure that they have tried hard enough to use the online material before coming to class.
It is seen time after time that an unmotivated student will not complete the assigned home work or lecture prior to the next days class time. Working with the student and showing them the benefit of review and stopping to take notes brings about a renewed enthusiasm.
I agree with the statement about those students who aren't motivated. These students I believe wouldnt like the flipped classroom or benefit from it unless they have set deadlines and in-class lectures.
A small, but significant, percentage of students in my classes do not have home access to the internet, thus totally engaging in the flipped classroom strategy requires them to use our school's on-site technology. This helps defeat the change, since many of those students - because of child care,work schedules, and other home responsibilities - are the very ones who cannot afford the cost of internet service. I think this issue was glossed over when barriers to implementation were discussed.
Should schools provide notebooks and internet access as part the tuition?
Student resistance to viewing lectures and related learning materials at home; they may feel that instructors are not "doing their job" by providing this information during class.
Jeff,
Agreed. "That is how I learned" or "That is how we've always done it" are equally irritating.
Dr. Moody Crews
To me the two biggest barriers are Faculty and Administration. Too often people who are in education get stuck in their ways. The worst thing I can hear out of an instructor's mouth is, "That is how I learned." This tends to be the call of people trying to be protective of the traditional ways of doing anything. I know that students and parents could also be barriers. I deal solely with adult learners so seldom are there parents to deal with. The students are usually more willing then faculty to try new things.
Soneka,
These are very good points. One point that I would argue is the "home life" as a barrier specifically for the flipped classroom. I do believe that home life is a barrier for education in general; however, I don't know if it really makes any difference if it is the review of material prior to class or homework after class. I think the same problem will exist.
Dr. Moody Crews
