1.Flipped Classrooms – Dr. P. N. Ramani

What is a flipped classroom?

Reversal of traditional teaching and learning

· Students’ first exposure to new concepts/material outside of class, prior to the class period, usually through assigned reading or lecture audios/videos

· Class time used to help students assimilate and explore that content through active engagement and learning strategies, such as problem solving exercises,, discussions, debates, and so on

·Change in roles and expectations of teachers and students

· Teachers facilitate students’ active learning by engaging them in significant learning opportunities and guiding them in their learning, correcting misunderstandings and providing them timely and constructive feedback.

· Students assume more responsibility for their learning by studying core content before class either on their own or through group/team study. They then apply the knowledge and skills thus acquired to deploy higher order skills such as critical thinking and problem solving to perform in a range of activities set by the teacher in class (i.e., the learning opportunities).

• Promotion of deeper learning.

  • Development of higher order skills, equipping students for professional practice.

How can you get started?

·Preparing your students

· Inform students through various means such as SMS and email that they have to prepare before coming to your class and engage in active learning through a variety of activities during class.

· Explain how active learning through a flipped classroom will prove to be a more effective way of learning.

Explain how it is important for them to take greater responsibility for their own learning and claim ownership of learning.

· Set clear expectations about what you would like them to do in terms of preparation and participation in activities.

· Set ground rules for them to work individually, in pairs, or in groups. Make sure that they understand these rules and are committed to following them.

Preparing yourself

· Start small. Make a small change in instructional design – for example, asking students to do some reading before the class period and come prepared for class; then using some of the class time for pair/group/whole class discussion.

· Use the wealth of available, free resources (i.e., text, audio and video) to enhance student exposure to content. You may also gradually pre-record your content input using simple recording systems (e.g., your mobile phone). You may edit the material for future use.

· Plan and design short tests on content (e.g., quizzes) to monitor students’ understanding of key content. Review (or revise) areas that they find difficult.

· Design a variety of face-to-face and online learning activities (e.g., completing worksheets, solving problems and submitting short assignments) that require students to use higher order thinking skills, such as analysis, evaluation and synthesis. Some of these may be used for assessment, but students need to be informed that their work will be randomly marked.

Implementing and Monitoring

· Implement your flipped approach in a phased manner.

· Seek student feedback. Monitor students’ progress through this model of instruction and ask for suggestions for improvement and better learning.

· Share your ideas, experiences and resources with colleagues whenever possible.

· Summary

Key elements of a flipped classroom

· Providing an opportunity for students to gain first exposure to content prior to, and outside of, class

· Providing an incentive for students to prepare for class through appreciation and marks/grades as part of continuous assessment

· Providing a mechanism to assess students’ understanding of key content

· Providing in-class activities that focus on higher order cognitive skills.

Figure 1: Learning opportunities of the flipped classroom (adapted from Gerstein)

Role of Technology

· To capture key content and present learning materials: For example, in short lectures/talks, selected readings, and interactive multimedia (i.e., text, audio, video and combinations of these) (which students should be able to access at their own convenient time and place, and to suit their own pace of learning)

· To provide opportunities for interaction in and out of class: For example, use of tools for creating content, discussion and polling

· To disseminate timely information: For example, sending updates and reminders to students through a virtual classroom setting, micro-blogging, and so on

· To provide immediate feedback: For example, quizzes and polls, and suggesting areas or points for revision

· To monitor students’ progress and identify at-risk students: For example, generating activity and performance reports periodically, alerting at-risk students and planning additional support to such students.

Figure 2: Key elements of a flipped classroom (Strayer)

What are the key benefits of using a flipped approach?

Significant learning gains

• Active engagement of students in their own learning.

• Students’ ownership of their learning.