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If we flipped the lecture/homework system upside down it would first solve some of the major issues with how we deliver education, but as a side effect prevent

If we flipped the lecture/homework system upside down it would first solve some of the major issues with how we deliver education, but as a side effect prevent the appearance of doing the work while really it's just the student mindlessly copying prompts and responses. Assign the material for outside the classroom. Use the in-person contact time to work through the problems, with a mix of small group, pairing and mentoring. I believe Sal Khan is a big promoter of this approach, and it also largely mirrors how people work in their jobs too.

hluska 2y ago
Assigning the material outside of class is a great idea, but it only works when caregivers are involved in education. Unfortunately, not all children have that advantage and they will just fall even more behind. It’s already amazing to me how much time teachers spend reviewing the prior year’s material to stop kids from getting lost in the system.
Leherenn 2y ago
I think this works well with at least somewhat interested students (like in university), but I'm not so sure before. My experience when I was younger is that a significant proportion of students don't do anything outside of school. So you're trading not doing the homework with not reading the material. And then you'll essentially have to repeat the material during class hours, unless you're willing to leave half the class totally clueless. At least with the homework at home, the ones not doing anything are only penalising themselves. I totally agree though that homework at home is dying. It already wasn't great before for a variety of reasons, and now it's basically totally useless.
MetaWhirledPeas 2y ago
This is good. I've never understood the value of watching a live lecture without interactivity. You might as well watch a video. It works on multiple levels: it mitigates the cheating, but also takes advantage of the vast array of learning options available to replace the traditional lecture. I cringe at the "small group" suggestion, although I acknowledge it's probably good to learn to coordinate with others. Rarely does it work out well though, in a classroom setting. I feel like what you're really learning is how to tolerate partners who are unwilling to cooperate.
- crote 2y ago
  > I've never understood the value of watching a live lecture without interactivity. Because you're rarely just watching. It isn't a movie, you are supposed to ask questions. Similarly, the lecturer will ask the audience questions to gauge their understanding and tweak the lecture on-the-fly. There's also a huge value in interacting with classmates after the lecture, allowing you to discuss and refine your understanding of it while it is still fresh.
  - eviks 2y ago
    The video lecturer might just as well ask some question and unlike the theater of the real one, get a response from every single viewer instead of getting a "gauge". And I don't know what mythical school most students spend the few minutes break getting huge value "discussing and refining" (which, by the way, could also be arranged with an alternative)
- kaikai 2y ago
  I went back to school as an adult and struggled with “flipped” classrooms, where we watched video lectures on our own time and worked through problems in class. I don’t process information well from video, and struggled to hold focus. In-person lectures worked much much better. I could read the text book for things I missed. Some of the flipped classes didn’t even have textbooks, so I resorted to finding other resources to try and learn the material. It’s true that classes in giant lecture halls might as well be a video in some ways, but the delivery really does hit different for some people.
- tayo42 2y ago
  those large lecture hall classes also have TA sessions that went along with them
ruraljuror 2y ago
I went back to school about 7 years ago and took freshman physics. It was taught in this "flipped classroom" style. The practice is definitely catching on.

hluska 2y ago

Assigning the material outside of class is a great idea, but it only works when caregivers are involved in education. Unfortunately, not all children have that advantage and they will just fall even more behind. It’s already amazing to me how much time teachers spend reviewing the prior year’s material to stop kids from getting lost in the system.

Leherenn 2y ago

I think this works well with at least somewhat interested students (like in university), but I'm not so sure before. My experience when I was younger is that a significant proportion of students don't do anything outside of school. So you're trading not doing the homework with not reading the material. And then you'll essentially have to repeat the material during class hours, unless you're willing to leave half the class totally clueless. At least with the homework at home, the ones not doing anything are only penalising themselves. I totally agree though that homework at home is dying. It already wasn't great before for a variety of reasons, and now it's basically totally useless.

MetaWhirledPeas 2y ago

This is good. I've never understood the value of watching a live lecture without interactivity. You might as well watch a video. It works on multiple levels: it mitigates the cheating, but also takes advantage of the vast array of learning options available to replace the traditional lecture. I cringe at the "small group" suggestion, although I acknowledge it's probably good to learn to coordinate with others. Rarely does it work out well though, in a classroom setting. I feel like what you're really learning is how to tolerate partners who are unwilling to cooperate.

crote 2y ago
> I've never understood the value of watching a live lecture without interactivity. Because you're rarely just watching. It isn't a movie, you are supposed to ask questions. Similarly, the lecturer will ask the audience questions to gauge their understanding and tweak the lecture on-the-fly. There's also a huge value in interacting with classmates after the lecture, allowing you to discuss and refine your understanding of it while it is still fresh.
- eviks 2y ago
  The video lecturer might just as well ask some question and unlike the theater of the real one, get a response from every single viewer instead of getting a "gauge". And I don't know what mythical school most students spend the few minutes break getting huge value "discussing and refining" (which, by the way, could also be arranged with an alternative)
kaikai 2y ago
I went back to school as an adult and struggled with “flipped” classrooms, where we watched video lectures on our own time and worked through problems in class. I don’t process information well from video, and struggled to hold focus. In-person lectures worked much much better. I could read the text book for things I missed. Some of the flipped classes didn’t even have textbooks, so I resorted to finding other resources to try and learn the material. It’s true that classes in giant lecture halls might as well be a video in some ways, but the delivery really does hit different for some people.
tayo42 2y ago
those large lecture hall classes also have TA sessions that went along with them

ruraljuror 2y ago

I went back to school about 7 years ago and took freshman physics. It was taught in this "flipped classroom" style. The practice is definitely catching on.