Last week I brought up the innovative pedagogy of flipped classrooms.
Flipped learning is aimed at encouraging students to develop the ability to learn in a self-directed manner.
It changes the traditional order of teaching, asking the students to study online at home first and then revising the knowledge in the classroom with the teacher.
This week I want to investigate further the pros and cons of flipped learning and the value of teachers in the flip.
Educational psychology professor Hau Kit-tai says Hong Kong's teachers have one of the hardest jobs and longest hours. They are busy marking homework.
No extra time is available for teachers to follow up with each individual student, to know what or how the student is left behind, or even do other teaching, such as STEM education or classroom activities.
With the flipped classroom, it shifts instruction to a learner-centered model. It offers a hands-on, passion-driven learning environment that defies the inflexibility in most conventional schooling.
Students can self-learn the topics at their own pace at home by accessing e-learning resources such as online lectures, video lessons and text readings before class.
World Economic Forum research shows students retain 25-60 percent more when learning online compared to only 8 to10 percent in a classroom. This is mostly due to the students being able to learn faster online; e-learning requires 40-60 percent less time to learn than in a traditional classroom because students can do it at their own pace, going back, skipping or accelerating through concepts as they choose.
Based on students' performance, the e-learning platforms can generate reports that enable teachers to diagnose the learning capacities among different students.
With the data and statistics shown in the reports, teachers can focus on each student's problems. Their interaction with students can become more personalized and with differentiated instructions.
Flipped classrooms can free up class time for the exploration of topics in greater depth, and create meaningful learning opportunities, and also individual help.
Teachers can use class time to engage in more meaningful discussion and complete activities more efficiently.
If students have already mastered the basic knowledge in advance, teachers are able to use face-to-face class time to offer extensive teaching on higher-order thinking skills such as problem-finding, collaboration in group projects, design and problem solving.
But the flipped model has its detractors.
First, in practice, it is difficult to make sure all students, especially young learners, will watch the flipped videos at all.
Second, there is a concern that implementing a flipped classroom adds an extra workload on teachers, as there are several elements that must be integrated carefully to allow the class to flourish.
Responsibilities include taping and uploading condensed lectures, which takes time and skill, and introducing activities in the classroom that enhance the subject matter and motivate students. These will require additional time and effort from teachers.
Third, some students with special education needs may require extra support at home - which might not always be available. For example, some underprivileged students may have a weaker motivation to study and online learning makes it even more challenging for them.
Technology can play a part in the flip. But teachers are still the most important element to achieve learning.
The arrival of powerful new tools, such as data mining, adaptive learning and metaverse, in support of games and immersion will free up class time.
With flipped classroom approach, teachers are facilitating that learning by de-emphasizing passive lecturing and emphasizing active problem-solving.
This wave of EdTech looks promising to offer the possibility of breaking a logjam and seeing a vision of the future education.
Dr Jolly Wong is a policy fellow at the Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge
