Khan Academy vs. FIZZ

The Khan Academy piece on 60 Minutes was indeed very impressive.  It portrayed the “flipped classroom” concept in a positive light.  This can only help some of the advocates, who, like me, believe in this strategy for improving instruction.  Before widespread implementation can take place, though, many will attempt to discredit this philosophy.  Some will label “flipping” as a fad that will be quickly forgotten.  Hopefully, this high profile national exposure will open some of the minds of our current school administrators.  

For those of us who are familiar with FIZZ, it was hard not to draw some comparisons with the Khan Academy.  FIZZ is the “flipped classroom” approach that is headed by Dr. Lodge McCammon of the Friday Institute, located at North Carolina State University.  Dr. McCammon is also a proponent of having students view lecture videos at home, then applying the knowledge under the guidance of the classroom teacher.  The big difference would appear be, who should create the videos?  Dr. McCammon is adamant in his opinion that the videos should be created by the classroom teacher.  He believes that it is important for the classroom teacher to engage the students through his/her videos.  The same type of bond is just not possible through a video presented by a stranger.

I would agree that the teacher-made videos have the potential to enhance the student/teacher relationship.  This is especially crucial with the younger students.  However, we should acknowledge that all teachers may not be capable of producing engaging and interesting lecture videos, a la Sal Khan.

Going forward, It will be interesting to see if the “flipped classroom” can be proven to improve student achievement and which platform will be implemented into mainstream public education.