Article Review #3: Microflipping

This review is on an article publish April 21 2014 in the Digital Campus 2014 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. The article is entitled Microflipping: a Modest Twist on the ‘Flipped Classroom.

                In this article the author, Sam Buemi debates the merits of the Flipped Classroom.  The Flipped Classroom as the author defines it, means that students learn content outside of the classroom and then actively engage with that same material during class time.  According to the author, advocates of the Flipped Classroom see it as a substitute for the traditional way of education.  Advocates of the Flipped Classroom consider the traditional way of education to be standard off-the-shelf type of education.  He goes on to say that the Flipped Classroom type of education is frequently viewed as an all or nothing at all venture that does not help students as much as it could.  His view is that educators who endeavor to get the most out of the Flipped Classroom style of instruction typically invest in the all of the bells and whistles (social media, video-editing software, and other educational technology) or they don’t invest at all.

                In his article Mr. Buemi advocates a different approach to the Flipped Classroom he calls the Microflipped Classroom.  In his scenario, the Microflipped classroom is a combination of the traditional way of instruction and the Flipped Classroom.  It combines the best of both manners of instruction.  His observations have been that faculty members and student alike are either apprehensive about adopting new technologies in the classroom or they are eager to adopt new technologies in the classroom.  Either way, students either come to class prepared or some students don’t.  He feels that requiring students to complete work outside of the classroom is not the total answer to this age of problem.  His outlook is that the Microflipped Classroom instruction model is designed to engage the students who do the required assignment for class and also the ones that don’t.  In the Microflipped model of instruction, the instructor uses a mix of lecture and technology integration throughout the class lesson.  His lesson plan would include a script that would alternate between lecture and technology engagement.  The script he outlined in this article uses five minutes of lecture time followed by engagement with materials such as clicker-type questions, mobile app engagement, and small or large class activities.  He states that Microflipping complements traditional teaching by emphasizing that class engagement and critical thinking are a central priority in helping students learn.

I found this article by Mr. Buemi to be very intriguing and enlightening.  I am very fascinated by the idea of combining traditional instruction with technology in a way that integrates the two.  His method of engaging the students who do not come to class prepared would seem to be quite effective.  I will add this to my toolbox in hopes of being able to use it one day as an instructor.

Buemi, Sam (2014, April 21). Microflipping: a Modest Twist on the ‘Flipped’ Classroom. The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Digital Campus 2014. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Microflipping-a-Modest-Twist/145951/?cid=wb