Students shouldn’t flip over classrooms

New teaching trend causes questions, unrest

Although my days here at the Gonk are numbered and the effect that a potential shift to flipped classrooms would have on me is minimal, I feel it is my duty to defend what is right for the future education of the Tomahawks.

The idea of a flipped classroom is simple; you listen to lectures online (whether made by the teacher or someone else) at home and do homework or activities in class

Many teachers are starting to embrace this concept including some at ARHS, but this system puts too much responsibility on the student. Flipped classrooms make it the duty of the student to learn the material, and it is the teacher’s job to give the students the information necessary to understand all the concepts they need to know.  It is unreasonable to think that the student should be responsible for the job of the teacher as well.

Here at Algonquin, we are blessed with many fantastic teachers, so why not utilize them?  Furthermore, it is no secret that many students struggle to stay motivated and complete homework during the year.  Teaching yourself something requires a great amount of focus and determination, so if many students aren’t doing the mindless worksheets assigned to them for homework they certainly will not be taking the time to try to learn the material on their own.

  While this system might work in a perfect world where every student goes home and takes the time to thoroughly go through and try to grasp the concepts taught in the video, most high school students lack both the time and the motivation to teach themselves.

Many experts point to the success of sites like Khan Academy, which has become increasingly popular for its tutorials on various subjects.  However, students usually use this resource to supplement their learning in class for especially tricky topics.  Sites like Khan Academy wouldn’t be able to teach kids everything that is taught to them in school, and if they could they would make the job of a teacher unnecessary.

  Flipped classrooms are the latest education craze, but I say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  The conventional teaching method has worked at Algonquin for years, and unless that somehow changes there is no reason to take this risk and change the way classes are taught.