Flipped classrooms : advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of a practicing art teacher

Abstract

The following case study investigates the advantages and disadvantages perceived by a practicing art teacher who has used the “flipped classroom” method. Flipping the classroom is the practice of providing online lectures which students can watch from home as a way to replace lecturing in the classroom. Ideally this practice allows more class time to be dedicated to active learning rather than instruction (Bergmann & Sams, 2014). Proponents of the flipped classroom method believe that it provides many benefits including improvements in classroom efficiency and student engagement; others argue that it is difficult to implement and that unequal access to technological resources disadvantages certain populations (Smith, 2016; Tomlinson, 2015). Despite limitations which restricted the participant to a partially flipped classroom the data was interpreted as generally supportive of flipping. This case study suggests that the advantages of flipped classroom practices outweigh potential disadvantages. It also suggests that issues concerning student access to technology can be successfully mitigated through the use of a partially flipped classroom. In the future a comprehensive study of art teachers who work with different demographics could be conducted to include a wider range of opinions.