2.1 Flipped classrooms

‘Flipped learning’ reverses the traditional classroom approach to teaching and learning. At home, learners watch videos, listen to audio recordings, read books or worksheets. These resources allow learners to work at their own pace, pausing to make notes where necessary. Some learners – though not all – will be able to access help and support from their peers or family members. This independent study means there is time in live sessions with the educator for activities that encourage learners to think critically about the information they have studied. Live sessions become a time to explore subjects with the support of the educator and fellow learners.

The flipped learning approach has two parts: direct instruction at home and an interactive element in the seminar room or lecture theatre. The direct instruction can focus on readings or audio recordings, but often consists of videos. These may be ones made by the educator, or they could be ones that have been shared online.

Activity 2.4 The flipped classroom

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

This video synthesises the benefit of a flipped classroom approach.

Watch the video, or read the transcript, and make a note of three benefits of the flipped classroom.

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Transcript

NARRATOR:

Every day, 7.2 million students walk into classrooms throughout the United States. These classrooms generally look the same. 30 students sit in rows of desks taking notes in their notebooks while the teacher stands at a whiteboard teaching a lesson.

Regardless of ability level, each student receives the exact same information at the exact same pace. As Ms. Jackson presents this same material, the students respond differently. Tommy gets it, while Allison is bored, and Maria is lost.

At the end of the day, these same students head home. While at home, they sit at the kitchen table doing their homework and trying to remember what Ms. Jackson said. Students like Tommy make it most of the way through the homework, while others, like Allison, find it easy and fly through it. At the same time, students like Maria get frustrated and need some extra help.

Ms. Jackson recognises that students have different needs and would love to work individually with each student. But this requires time and resources that her school does not have. One solution to this problem is the flipped classroom. Here’s what it looks like.

While at home, students sit in their rooms watching videos of the lesson that Ms. Jackson assigned. Tommy is still able to work at his normal pace. Allison is no longer bored because now she can use this new technology to fast-forward through the easy material. And Maria is no longer frustrated because she can review the material that she didn’t understand by pausing and rewinding. When she really gets stuck, she can get help from her classmates. New technology platforms like Moodle and Edmodo make it easy for her to chat online with her classmates.

Just as the homework is different, the classroom is different as well. Instead of standing in front of the room speaking, Ms. Jackson walks around the room. She checks in with Tommy as he works collaboratively with some students, she pushes Allison further with some more challenging work, and she helps Maria with the pieces that she still doesn’t quite get.

In the traditional model, the teacher stands between the students and the knowledge. But with the flipped classroom model, the students have direct access to the knowledge, and the teacher serves as a coach, mentor, and guide, helping the students access this knowledge. The flipped classroom leverages technology in a way that lets both Ms. Jackson and the students make the most of their time and efforts.

End transcript

 

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Comment

This activity is intended to introduce you to the concept of the flipped classroom approach, and to help you to identify the benefits it may have for you in your own context.

The benefits suggested for the flipped classroom approach include the ability for students to work through materials at a pace that suits them, and a reduction in boredom for students who are finding the material easier. The educator can spend class time addressing individual needs.

There is a wider theme that can be found in this video and elsewhere in this course. This is the way that the role of an educator can change in response to a change in approach using technology. In the case of the flipped classroom, the educator is seen to become more of a ‘coach, mentor, and guide’, rather than acting primarily to deliver knowledge. You might see this as a benefit, depending on your point of view on what the role of an educator should be.

Now that you have been introduced to some of the unique aspects of online education, the differences between synchronous and asynchronous elements, the possibilities of blended learning and the notion of the flipped classroom, the next activity prompts you to reflect on your own practice and how it might fit with what you have learned so far.