You are on page 1of 8

Author Biography: Dr. Jackie Gersteins byline is, I dont do teaching for a living. I live teaching as my doing . . .

and technology has increased my passion for doing so. She has been teaching face-to-face and online for several decades. Currently, she teaches Masters level online courses in Educational Technology for Boise State, Argosy, American Intercontinental, and Westerns Governors Universities. Her background includes a strong focus on experiential and adventure learning which she brings into her online teaching. She has had several books published on the subject: Metaphors for Living: Stories & Related Experiential Exercises for Individual, Group & Family Growth, Sticking Together: Experiential Activities For Family Counseling, and Work in Progress: Facilitating the Human Side of Experience-Based Training. She blogs at http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/. Activity Summary
The Flipped Classroom offers some powerful opportunities for integrating technology in the classroom environment. Flipped Classroom videos have a place in the models and cycles of learning proposed by educational psychologists and instructional designers. Providing educators with a full framework of how the Flipped Classroom can be used in their educational settings will increase its validity for educators and their administrators Class or subject area: All - Interdisciplinary Grade level(s): Kindergarten through Graduate School Specific learning objectives: To provide a theoretical framework for using the flipped classroom in ones own learning environment. To gain an understanding of how videos lectures fall within a larger framework of learning activities. To develop trategies for using technology to support a full cycle of learning and address a full spectrum of learning activities and learning styles. Ideas for using technology to support a broad range of student learning including reflection and demonstration of knowledge.

Anniversary Book Project

5th

The Flipped Classroom Model


A Full Picture

By: Jackie Gerstein Creative Commons License: CC BY-NC Author contact: jackiegerstein@gmail.com

Due to Khan Academys popularity, the idea of the flipped classroom has gained press and credibility within education circles. Briefly, the Flipped Classroom as described by Jonathan Martin is: Flip your instruction so that students watch and listen to your lectures for homework, and then use your precious class-time for what previously, often, was done in homework: tackling difficult problems, working in groups, researching, collaborating, crafting and creating. Classrooms become laboratories or studios, and yet content delivery is preserved. Flip your instruction so that students watch and listen to your lectures for homework, and then use your precious class-time for what previously, often, was done in homework: tackling difficult problems, working in groups, researching, collaborating, crafting and creating. Classrooms become laboratories or studios, and yet content delivery is preserved (http://www.connectedprincipals.com/archives/3367).. The advantage of the flipped classroom is that the content, often the theoretical/lecture-based component of the lesson, becomes more easily accessed and controlled by the learner. Cisco (2011) in a recent white paper, Video: How Interactivity and Rich Media Change Teaching and Learning, presented the benefits of video in the classroom: Establishes dialogue and idea exchange between students, educators, and subject matter experts regardless of locations. Lectures become homework and class time is used for collaborative student work, experiential exercises, debate, and lab work. Extends access to scarce resources, such as specialized teachers and courses, to more students, allowing them to learn from the best sources and maintain access to challenging curriculum. Allows students with multiple learning styles and abilities to learn at their own pace and through traditional models. Problems Associated with the Flipped Classroom One of the problems with the implementation of this model as it is being discussed is that educators know how to do and use the lecture. When educators are asked to replace their in-class lectures with videotaped ones (either their own or others) that learners watch at home, educators may not know what to do with this now void in-class time. Those who advocate for the flipped classroom state that class time can then be used for discourse and for providing hands-on, authentic learning experiences. In a recent interview Khan stated. If I was a teacher, this is exactly the type of class Id want to teach, I dont have to prepare in a traditional sense. But I do have to prepare for projects and all that, so I have to prepare for creative things (Barseghian, 2011). As Frank Noschese notes: Sal Khan is not showing any examples about what students and teachers are doing beyond Khan Academy. The news stories are not showing the open-ended problems the kids should be engaging with after mastering the basics instead they show kids sitting in front of laptops working drills and watching videos. The focus is on the wrong things. Khan Academy is just one tool in a teachers arsenal. (If its the only tool, that is a HUGE problem.) http://fnoschese.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/khanacademy-my-final-remarks/ In other words, the message being given is that teachers can do what they want to during class time. Now educators have time for engagement and interaction with the learners (#EdCampChicago presentation). A major roadblock or barrier to the implementation of this model is that many educators do not know

what to do within the classroom, what to do with that whatever they want to do time. For educators, who are used to and use the didactic model, a framework is needed to assist them with the implementation of the Flipped Classroom. In other words, the message to teachers to do what they want during classroom is not enough to make this transition. In order to minimize the flavor of the month syndrome (recall character education, phonics movements, multicultural education, Reading First, powerpoints in the classroom), the use of video lectures needs to fall within a larger framework of learning activities within more establish models of learning, providing a larger context for implementation. This was reinforced by Harvard Professor Chris Dede when he stated in his Global Education 2011 keynote in response to a question directed about the flipped classroom . . . I think that the flipped classroom is an interesting idea if you want to do learning that is largely based on presentation. You use presentation outside of the classroom. Then you do your understanding of the presentation and further steps from the presentation inside the classroom. I think it is a step forward. It is still, in my mind, the old person. Its still starting with presentational learning and then trying to sprinkle some learning-by-doing on top of it. I am interested more in moving beyond the flipped classroom to learning by doing at the center than a kind of the intermediate step that still centers on largely on tacit assimilation. What follows is an explanation of the Flipped Classroom Model, a model where the video lectures and vodcasts fall within a larger framework of learning activities. (Note: I am titling it the Flipped Classroom Model to get folks attention given the Flipped Classroom popularity right now. It really is a cycle of learning model.) It provides a sequence of learning activities based on the learning theories and instructional models of Experiential Learning Cycles http://reviewing.co.uk/research/learning.cycles. htm and Bernice McCarthys 4MAT Cycle of Instruction- http://www.aboutlearning.com/what-is-4mat/ what-is-4mat. The Flipped Classroom Model

Experiential Engagement: The Activity The cycle often begins with an experiential exercise. This is an authentic, often hands-on learning activity that fully engages the student. It is a concrete experience that calls for attention by most, if not all, the senses. According to McCarthy, learning activities are designed that are immersive. Learners experience the now. They become hooked through personal connection to the experience and desire to create meaning for and about that experience. Students become interested in the topic because of the experience. They have a desire to learn more. This is in line with John Deweys thinking regarding experience and education. The nature of experiences is of fundamental importance and concern in education and training. People learn experientially. It is the teachers responsibility to structure and organize a series of experiences which positively influence each individuals potential future experiences (http://wilderdom.com/experiential/elc/ExperientialLearningCycle.htm). Examples of Experiential Engagement include Experiential Learning Activities, Science Experiments, Simulations, Games and use of the Arts. Setting: These activities are designed for in-class time and often occur in a group setting. In a blended course, these are synchronous activities conducted during face-to-face instructional time. In online course, students could be asked to go to a community event, museum, . . or the creative educator could provide some type of hands-on activity or simulation for students to complete during a real-time synchronous webinar session via Adobe Connect, Elluminate or through a 3D Learning experience such as Quest Atlantis. Conceptual Connections: The What Learners are exposed to and learn concepts touched upon during the activities connected with the initial Experiential Engagement. They explore what the experts have to say about the topic. Information is presented via video lecture, content-rich websites and simulations like PHET and/or online text/readings. In the case of the flipped classroom as it is being currently discussed, this is the time in the learning cycle when the learners view content-rich videos. This is where and when videos such as those archived by Khan Academy, Neo K-12, Teacher Tube, or other video services are used to help students learn the abstract concepts related to the topic being covered.

McCarthy reinforces that concepts should be presented in accessible form. By providing learners with online resources and media, learners can control when and how the media is used. This is the major value of flipping the classroom . . . content-based presentations are controlled by the learner as opposed to the lecturer as would be the case in a live, synchronous, didactic-driven environment. Part of this phase can include an online chat for asking and addressing questions about the content presented via the videos, podcasts, websites. Through a chat area such as Etherpad or Google Docs, learners can ask questions with responses provided by co-learners and educators. Videos could even be embedded into a Voicethread so students can post comments/reactions to the content. Obviously, in a face-to-face setting, students can bring their questions into the real time environment. Setting: These materials are used by the learners in their own setting on their own time. In other words, students have the opportunity to access and interact with these materials in a personalized manner. They can view them in a learning setting that works for them (music, lighting, furniture, time of day) and can view/review information that they find particularly interesting or do not understand. It is asynchronous learning and as such permits the learner to differentiate learning for him/herself. Meaning Making: The So What Learners reflect on their understanding of what was discovered during the previous phases. It is a phase of deep reflection on what was experienced during the first phase and what was learned via the experts during the second phase. Learners can articulate and construct their understanding of the content or topic being covered through written blogs or verbal-based audio or video recordings. Within the standard school system, this would be the phase when students are tested about their understanding of the content. If this is the case, it is recommended that the tests target higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy evaluation, applying, synthesizing (Forehand, 2005). Setting: If possible, learners should be given the opportunity to reflect upon and make meaning of the content-related concepts within their own time schedule . . . both at a time when they feel ready to do so and taking the time they personally need for producing self-satisfactory work. Demonstration and Application: The Now What During this phase, learners get to demonstrate what they learned and apply the material in a way that makes sense to them. This goes beyond reflection and personal understanding in that learners have to create something that is individualized and extends beyond the lesson with applicability to the learners everyday lives. This is in line with the highest level of learning within Blooms Revised Taxonomy of Learning, Creating, whereby the learner creates a new product or point of view (Foreman, 2005).

Setting: This phase of the cycle is best when it occurs in a a face-to-face, group setting within the classroom. The reasons for recommending this type of synchronous learning are (1) the educator can guide the learner to the types of projects and tools best suited for him/her, and (2) an audience of peers and mentors increases motivation and provides opportunities for feedback. Obviously, in an online course, students can work on their projects and present them to peers/educators during a synchronous, interactive online forum. Flipped Classroom Full Picture: An Example Lesson The following lesson describes a type of flipped classroom. This lesson did not center around the content media, in this case some videos and Slideshare presentations, but on the students personal experiences, interactions with other students, and acquisition of tangible life skills. The Lesson: Listening Skills Experiential Engagement: The Activity The cycle often begins with an experiential exercise. For this lesson, the learners started off with the Lighthouse activity, where in partner teams, the sited person led his or her blindfolded partner through a series of obstacles. The goal of this part of the lesson was to provide an experience that overtly demonstrated the importance of listening especially when the sense of sight is taken away.

Conceptual Connections: The What In this lesson, the learners were asked to view and review several Slideshare presentations via their own computer terminals: Mindful Listening and Improving Communication. Note that in this case, the media can was an online presentation not a video. The learners had control of the media so they could view it at their own pace spending more time on the concepts they needed to further review or of which had special, personal interest.

Meaning Making: The So What

For this lesson, the learners made a personal connection with the content as they were asked to identify the 10 listening skills they believed they needed to further develop. Learners made a mind map of their identified 10 skills that included: (1) the skill, (2) normal and current behaviors associated with the skill, and (3) goals and steps for improvement. Demonstration and Application: The Now What Part One. The learners practiced their active listening skills during class time. Feedback was provided to the listener via their mobile devices using Celly. See the full description at Students Own Mobile Devices and Celly Provide Peer Feedback. Part Two. The learners located a professional in their area of study to interview. Their interview questions focused on the communication skills expected of those in that profession. Their homework was driven by real-life experiences going out to speak with a professionals in their communities. Homework was designed to further promote the applicability, transferability, and relevancy of

this lesson.

Summary The Flipped Classroom offers a great use of technology - especially if it gets lecture out of the classrooms and into the hands and control of the learners. As it is being discussed, it is part of a larger picture of teaching and learning. The Flipped Classroom videos have a place in the models and cycles of learning proposed by educational psychologists and instructional designers. Providing educators with a full framework of how the Flipped Classroom can be used in their educational settings will increase its validity for educators and their administrators.

References About Learning. (n.d.). What is 4MAT? Retrieved from http://www.aboutlearning.com/what-is-4mat/what-is-4mat Barseghian, T. (2011). Meet Sal Khan: the Seinfeld of the Education Revolution. Mindshift. Retrieved from http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/05/meet-sal-khan-the-jerry-seinfeld-of-the-education-revolution/ Cisco. (2011). White Paper - Video: How Interactivity and Rich Media Change Teaching and Learning. Forehand, M. (2005). Blooms taxonomy: Original and revised.. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved <insert date>, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/ Greenway, R. (n.d.). Experiential Learning Cycles. Retrieved from http://reviewing.co.uk/research/learning.cycles.html Neill, J. (2010). Experiential Learning Cycles: Overview of 9 Experiential Learning Cycle Models. Retrieved from http:// wilderdom.com/experiential/elc/ExperientialLearningCycle.htm

You might also like