What is Flipped Learning’ (or a ‘Flipped Classroom’)
Flipped classroom, flipped teaching and flipped learning are terms used to describe a pedagogy in which, in its earliest iteration, lectures were removed from their traditional in-class space and delivered via narrated PowerPoint recordings to be viewed by students prior to class meetings, thus freeing up in-class time for higher order cognitive tasks.
These recorded slideshows later gave way to recorded video lectures as more instructors adopted the pedagogy. Students viewed the recordings when and where they chose, in their entirety or in chunks, once or multiple times, depending on their need. Pause and reflect activities, comprehension exercises, notetaking, quizzes and other types of engagement activities accompanied the recordings, depending on the instructor. The classroom became a space dedicated to a dynamic, student-centred process which allowed learners to clarify information and engage in application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of the content of the video lecture. This was achieved through individual and group participation in cognitive activities aligned with the higher dimensions of The Taxonomy Table (Anderson and Krathwohl 28), with the instructor providing individualised assistance as needed. Thus, in a flipped teaching space, lecturing and traditional homework type activities switched their traditional places.
FAQs about Flipped Learning (FL)?
For any instructor thinking of flipping a FL class, there are several questions to consider, some of which follow.
1. What do I understand flipped learning to be and why do I want to adopt it in my FL class?
If the answer revolves around a desire to stop lecturing in class and deliver content via assigned videos to facilitate additional exchange of information in the classroom, one is not adopting the flipped method. In the Flipped Classroom Trends Report, 79.3 % of the respondents cite increased student engagement as their objective, and 75.8% say their aim is to improve student learning. First steps in answering this question involve research on the pedagogy and identifying ways to adopt and adapt it as needed to engage students, focus on interactive learning and improve learning in the context of their FL/L2 class.
2. What do I wish my students had time to do in class, but they cannot do due to lack of time?
The author’s response is that I want students to speak the language, not speak about it; have ample opportunities to explore the histories, cultures and current events associated with the FL they are studying; have opportunities to build linguistic fluency in different contexts and apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired to complete personally meaningful communicative tasks; provide them activities which respond to their interests, and encourage their curiosity and independence; and give them choices in the ways they demonstrate their learning for assessment purposes.
3. What resources do I have access to, and which do I need to source to become knowledgeable about the flipped model?
Consider whether you and the students have access to any technology required, seek advice on best practices from colleagues or teaching support staff and, seek out opportunities to attend training workshops and presentations.
4. Which class(es) will I flip?
While the types of activities associated with a flipped classroom can be easily implemented in a class of 25 students, will it be effective in a class of 50 or larger? In the Flipped Classroom Trends Report, almost 50% of respondents flipped or planned to flip classes of less than 25 students. A mere 20% would consider or had tried flipping in classes larger than this. For Correa, the flipped class should be small enough to allow the instructor to interact with each student at every class meeting (124).
5. Must I flip my entire course?
Flipping is not an all or nothing proposition. Many instructors flip small portions of their syllabus, or even one aspect of one topic in one class (Bergmann et al. 40; Correa 122). Mok reiterates this, advising, “It may also be preferable to convert part of a course instead of gunning for a “big-bang” revolution when rolling out a pilot” (10). Consider, too, whether some content might be best suited to an in-class lecture.
6. What design principles must I observe in preparing the lecture content?
Will I use technology to flip or not? If I choose to use video, is it essential that I make my own or is it acceptable to use video from other sources?
Some practitioners suggest that assigning videos already available online is a valuable timesaver (Correa 123). Others do not recommend it, saying that videos featuring the instructor help to build a relationship between student and instructor (Bergmann et al. 15). FL videos featuring other speakers may discourage student engagement and mastery if the speakers have different accents from their teacher or speak too quickly (Yang 7). Consider also that the difficulty level and the scope of the discussions in pre-made videos might not align with the coverage of content in other course materials (textbooks, manuals, practice activities). The author recommends using videos commonly provided by textbook publishers, as they are well synchronised with textbook content. However, if an instructor selects other sources of videos, he or she should carefully preview them to be sure they are well aligned with other course content and activities.
7. What happens when students do not complete the pre-class activities?
Instructors at post-secondary level should stay true to the model; going to class and repeating the content will not encourage students to take ownership of the material, or of their own learning. It is worth the time to model in the classroom the behaviour that students are expected to embrace in their out of class activities (Benton qtd. in Muldrow 30; Bergmann et al. 47). To increase students’ engagement in the pre-class learning phase, the preparatory materials should be accompanied by activities requiring interaction with the content. Pause and reflect moments, content-based questions requiring simple responses, note-taking and creation of questions for in-class discussion are some strategies that may positively impact student completion of the preparatory materials.
Where intrinsic motivation is lacking, some instructors assign points to pre-viewing and pre-class quizzing activities as a percentage of the student’s final grade (Harvey 122). Enfield reiterates the usefulness of regular quizzing, saying, “The use of daily quizzes appeared to be a strong motivator for students to watch the videos” (17). Mohan, Denise. “Flipped Classroom, Flipped Teaching and Flipped Learning in the Foreign/Second Language Post–Secondary Classroom.” Nouvelle Revue Synergies Canada, N°11 (2018).
8. What kinds of assessments will I use in the flipped classroom?
Student-centred learning, by nature, is not preoccupied with grades (Miller), although assessments and grades are a reality in most university classrooms. Assessment can be situated anywhere on a spectrum from completely differentiated assessments which give each student the opportunity to prove mastery in a way he/she chooses when ready, to a single standardised assessment that everyone must complete simultaneously. Stiggins et al. provide useful principles of assessment, suggesting that classroom learning itself can be considered assessment, a sentiment which aligns well with flipped classroom pedagogy. They also list specific assessment targets that go beyond knowledge assessment and include assessing reasoning and skills, as well as “Product targets” (assessment of a product created by the student) and “Dispositional targets” (“characteristics that go beyond the academic… such as attitudes … [and] feelings”) (73-74). The University of Waterloo’s Centre for Teaching Excellence provides assessment tips which align well with the flipped model of teaching: make assessments interesting, challenging and creative; assess the knowledge and behaviours you value most; when evaluating student work, establish a balance between evaluation of key content and error correction.
The examples above provide a brief introduction to the list of potential questions and issues to consider when contemplating adoption of flipped learning. Each instructor will decide which issues are relevant to his or her students, courses, learning outcomes and institution when building a solid rationale for implementation of flipped learning.
What the Research Suggests
In the approximately two decades since the term “flipped classroom” made its way into discussions on student-centred learning and embedded itself in the consciousness of instructors, many have enthusiastically supported this approach, citing the multiple ways in which it facilitates active learning, leads to increased achievement (grades), and promotes “guide on the side” in-class facilitation by instructors.
Referencing the results of the “Flipped Classroom Trends” report:
79% of respondents say they decided to flip to achieve increased student engagement
76% cited improved student learning as their goal.
Further responses in the report show that overwhelmingly, the respondents confirm positive results relative to their goals in adopting the flipped model specifically:
90% agree that students in flipped classrooms are more engaged
77% agree that students’ grades are improved
77% say that students ask more questions
83% report that students are more collaborative
80% say students build more relationships with other learners
Still, not everyone is convinced about the usefulness and ease of application of the pedagogy:
27% of respondents consider it a fad
20% would not adopt it because it is too time consuming and almost
40% say a lack of knowledge about the pedagogy prevents them from adopting it.
Others take issue with flipped learning being called a “new” pedagogy, saying only the label is new, and the pedagogy has been in use in learner-centred, activity-based classrooms for a much longer time.
Conclusions
Despite these reservations, flipped pedagogy will continue to be an important one as instructors respond to the demands for students to acquire the skills they need in the world beyond the classroom. In that world, information is available just the click of a mouse away in multiple formats, from a dizzying array of reliable as well as unreliable sources. As instructors, our role has changed from “transmitter of knowledge” and “sage on the stage” to that of “pedagogical architect” (Raschke 33) as we provide opportunities for students to critically assess the information they access, apply it to create new knowledge, work collaboratively, and build real-world skills. The flipped classroom goes a long way to meeting these objectives.
For the full article, including references, please visit Record. Flipped Classroom, Flipped Teaching and Flipped L… – Nouvelle Revue Synergies Canada – Érudit (erudit.org)
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