Kids and adults alike, every one of us thinks differently. Some people can think abstractly and conceptually, some think visually. Many people can understand easily and retain the information well by reading text and some need visual aids to help retaining information. There is no right or wrong answer or the doubt of who is smarter, just every one has his/her own way of absorb information.
In regular school, the primary method is using textbook, teachers teach and students read. Kids who assimilate information well abstractly can absorb the knowledge by reading the text. If a kid who is a visual thinker, without having the knowledge presented in a different way (visually), it often presents the challenge for these kids to learn or retain the information well. If the information can be presented in a different way (i.e., visually), then, I am sure this kid would learn just as fast and just as well.
This is what part of the flipped classroom is about. It's about utilizing the most effective way to assist a student to absorb and retain knowledge and information. That's why flipped classroom has been a buzz word in the education field lately. At the end of the day, students are the ones who benefit. Many times, teachers are afraid of not having enough time to prepare since they have a classroom of 20 or more students, however, if we let the students pre-study what is going to be taught at home by watching instructional videos, during class time, kids can be divided into groups and work on what they need to learn by using the method of how they learn best.
For the teachers out there, I dare you, try it, you might find the your students would be more engaging, more excited about what they are learning, and retain the information better!
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