tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26118490931635184362024-02-20T10:56:27.351-08:00DECworkAt the intersection of technology and instructional designDavid Chaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01209012901361773697noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2611849093163518436.post-70235623882043001632016-05-05T16:56:00.003-07:002016-05-05T16:56:17.460-07:00Making Sense of the Flipped Classroom<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If
you’ve been following education news the past few months, you may have
heard or read about the flipped classroom. In the
flipped classroom, students watch content presentations outside of class
(via online modules, audio, and video), while ‘homework’ and other
activities are done in class with guidance from the teacher. This
structure is in contrast to the traditional model where teachers present
information in the classroom and then assign homework for students to
complete on their own, at home. I’ve just finished reading a number of
articles about the flipped classroom and made some intriguing
discoveries. </span><br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What pulled me into this topic initially was a blog entry from Tina Rosenburg in the New York Times (<a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/turning-education-upside-down/4" target="_blank">Turning Education Upside Down</a>).
That, in turn, led me to an article by Justin Reich, an education
researcher at Harvard University, who was quoted in the New York Times
piece. Reich blogs at Education Week and wrote an informative response
to Tina Rosenburg’s post (<a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2013/10/flipping_the_new_york_times.html" target="_blank">Flipping the New York Times</a>) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What
kinds of changes happen in the flipped classroom? How does the
educational experience change, both for instructors and students? The
instructor takes on a whole new role in the flipped classroom. In
class, there is much less emphasis on the instructor as the expert,
conveying information to students via lecture and direct instruction.
Instead, instructors become more of a facilitator, guiding individual
and group assignments, and providing individualized attention to
students. The instructor still has a role in providing content and
teaching concepts and skills, but that work is focused on creating the
online or video materials that students watch outside of class.
Instructors might simply identify presentations that are already
available online. Or they could create their own presentations and
online content. Consider the amount of time, energy and dedication
that’s required for an instructor to make such a shift. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The
terrain of the flipped classroom is different for students, too. The
major shift they have to make is in working with the online content.
First, they must be able to access the online content, via computer,
tablet, or smartphone. That means having their own device and high
speed connection, or a place to go that will provide that for them
(e.g., a library or computer lab). This is a potential limitation for
some students. Then once they have access to the material, they need to
figure out how to make that experience meaningful for them. Just as
students have to learn to read for information, they also need to learn
how to watch or listen for information in an audio or video clip. This
may take some practice and some coaching on strategies that could help
them in this task. Once they are able to navigate this new territory, a
major benefit is that they can watch video presentations multiple times
as part of the process of learning and mastering content—something that
can’t happen in the traditional classroom. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In
terms of results, the jury is still out on the flipped classroom. And
there are questions about how we even measure the success of this new
approach. Since it has been emerging only in the last few years, there
are no longitudinal studies giving an indication about the long-term
benefits to students. Most of the evidence we have currently is
anecdotal, and focuses on failure rates and grades in particular
classes. Practitioners indicate that it’s students at the bottom of the
class who stand to benefit the most. In the flipped classroom,
students work on their assignments in class, with help from classmates
and a lot of guidance from the instructor. With that kind of support,
students have a higher success rate than in a traditional classroom.
Still, teachers who are experimenting with a flipped classroom approach
report this doesn’t necessarily translate into better grades for all
students. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What
about the quality of instruction? The real promise of the flipped
classroom approach seems to be in the time that is freed up in the
classroom. This shift is giving teachers the opportunity to explore new
teaching strategies to help students gain mastery of the content and
enrich learning. From my quick read of the topic, here are a few of the
in-class activities that were being used by flipped classroom
teachers: </span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">students work on written assignments or problem sets (individually or as group)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">instructor circulates to help students as they work on their assignments</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">time for questions and facilitated discussion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">active learning activities </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">group projects and presentations</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">quick assessments (quizzes, worksheets) with immediate feedback from the teacher </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What’s
interesting about that list is that they are all strategies that many
instructors in traditional classrooms already use to improve instruction
and learning. So the flipped classroom is no silver bullet or
guarantee of instructional quality. Imagine a flipped classroom where
the students still learn primarily from direct instruction via video
presentations, and then come in to class and just do homework
assignments at their desks all class period. (And what if, in addition,
the videos they are watching are boring or just poor quality?) This is
an extreme example, but it serves to highlight the issue. As with any
teaching strategy, it’s more about the insights and skills the
instructor brings to the task, than anything inherent in the flipped
classroom approach. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nonetheless,
the flipped classroom seems to provide a strong impetus for rethinking
what happens in the classroom, and how we can help students learn. My
own personal interest in this topic, as a curriculum designer, is its
application to adult professional and extension education. All the
articles I read were about the flipped classroom for K-12 instruction.
But the strategy is just as relevant to adult learning. I’m currently
involved in a project at Oregon State University where we’re doing just
that: flipping the traditional extension classroom. I’ve been working
with the <a href="http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank">OSU Small Farms Program</a>
to completely redesign their course for beginning farmers and ranchers.
What has always been delivered in a traditional workshop format
(in-class presentations plus field trips) is now being offered as a
hybrid course. The direct instruction component is provided in a series
of interactive online modules that students complete at home, while the
in-class sessions are being reworked to incorporate more interaction,
community-building activities, active learning, and development of each
individual’s own whole farm plan. This is completely new territory for
the faculty involved in the project, but they are excited about the
opportunity to create a more significant learning experience for the
participants.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It
strikes me that perhaps the flipped classroom is really just a
variation of the hybrid course model. In that model, curriculum and
instructional designers are looking to create an optimal blend of online
and face-to-face instruction that will be synergistic and to the best
advantage of both learners and instructors. I’m looking forward to
working with the Small Farms Program faculty to achieve that balance,
and the flipped classroom experience offers some key insights. I'll
keep you posted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For
those of you involved in K-12 education, one final source you have to
check out: Jon Bergmann’s blog, which is entirely dedicated to the
flipped classroom concept (<a href="http://jonbergmann.com/" target="_blank">Turning Learning on its Head</a>).
</span>David Chaneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01209012901361773697noreply@blogger.com0