“Flipped Classroom” in Elementary Education

CEBU, Philippines —  In a curriculum that focuses on learners’ performance, the limelight moves from the teacher to the pupils. One of the significant effects of this shift of focus in education is the birth of the “flipped classroom” approach.

Contrary to the traditional setting where pupils would sit, listen to and watch the teacher as she lectured and showed them what to do, learners in the flipped classroom are the ones performing and showing the teacher how things are done.

In the time past, teachers were like fountains of knowledge. Pupils went to them with empty cups waiting to be filled. Information was literally fed in the classrooms. Teachers served as a bridge between the pupils and the things they wanted to know. Parents did everything to send their children to school in the hope of meeting a good teacher for them to become learned individuals. There was too much pressure on the teachers. They had to dance to their own music. They had to entertain their students. They had to showcase what they could do so that the students would know how to do these. Education then was teacher-centered.

In the 21st century, a lot has changed. The teacher-centered approach has been flipped and now becomes learner-focused. Some parents who are not well-informed of or willing to adapt to these changes complain why the children they send to school “to learn” are asked to perform tasks that teachers during the parents’ time used to do for them. From that experience, parents still expect teachers today to feed the students with information and then give tests to measure how much of the information the learners remember.

According to studies, flipped classrooms are effective for graduate-school students, college students and even high-school students. This approach is also possible for elementary school pupils, especially in the Science classes. But it requires a lot of preparation in the teacher’s part, while it also needs pupils to invest a lot of personal time before class to do research. Pupils need to come to class prepared with the necessary knowledge, which they should have mastered beforehand to be able to perform activities that require them to apply what they have learned outside the classroom.

The teacher’s task is to carefully plan performance-based activities that will not only gauge how much of the lesson the learners are able to apply, but also how much the learners have learned. These activities will clearly expose which parts of the lesson the pupils have clearly understood and those that they still need clarification on. Because feedback is promptly given during or after each activity and questions for clarifications are answered on the spot, comprehension is easier for learners.

Nowadays, almost everyone has access to the Internet, where they can visit e-libraries or browse for specific information. Because of this convenience, learning may be student-initiated and more meaningful. With the right guidance and motivation, the children’s inquisitive nature will fuel their desire to learn things in their own time, in the comfort of their home. They will look forward to coming to class where they get a chance to use what they know through meaningful activities with their classmates.