2014-01 Jason Tan Soon Peng

Instructions

Your personal page serves at least three purposes. It is a place for you to:

1. take notes

2. enable your flipped presentation

3. submit your individual assignment

Use the rough scaffold below as a guide. You may add headers and content, but not remove any.

Part A: Imagine that you are submitting a Wikipedia article on the flipped classroom. Draft your article here. Bear in mind that your writing will be public and subject to scrutiny and critique. What would you write to educate others like your school principal and colleagues about the flipped classroom.

Part B and C: You are a manager of other teachers, Suggest a plan for a group of teachers to flip their classrooms. Prepare a flipped presentation in Part C to get formative feedback on your plans.

Refrain from uploading presentation or other files to this space. Instead, host your files in the cloud and embed them in your page. For help on how to do this, refer to the iTunes U courses provided by CeL in the Resources section or search Google or YouTube.

Name: Jason Tan

School: Canberra Sec

Role: SH Chem

Part A: Article on Flipped Classrooms

1. Definition and origins of the "flipped classroom"

The flipped classroom is a teaching model that aims to transform the classroom from a place for content acquisition to a place for content application. This means that work which is supposed to be completed at home is now done in class in the teacher's presence while the learning of content knowledge which used to occur during lesson time under the teacher's guidance is now accomplished at home. As such, the ownership of learning the content lies heavily in the hands of the students. They will have to go through instructional materials on their own prior to the lesson and then prepare questions for clarification during class. Thus instead of spending class time to deliver content, teachers can now use the time to engage students in more meaningful activities during curriculum hours. Truly this is where the value of flipping the classroom lies. By freeing up class time, students get to inquire more on the subject matter, participate in activities that allow them to apply their knowledge, and interact with others through hands-on activities.

Precursors of flipping includes Peer Instruction (1997), JIT Teaching (1999) and The Inverted Classroom (2000). Flipping was made popular in 2007 by 2 high school chemistry teachers, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, when they started to record their live lessons and post them onto YouTube so that students who were absent from school can catch up on what they have missed. The absent students welcomed the idea as they could access the videos anytime at their own convenience. Both teachers were delighted too as they no longer need to spend time to re-teach lessons which the students missed. In addition, they also discovered that students who were present in class also joined in to re-watch the videos as part of their revision when they heard about the recorded lectures. Both teachers have since created a library of instructional videos which they now use to replace their direct instruction in class. Their students now spend more time in discussion, collaborative problem solving work and hands-on practical during lesson. Their attempt and success in flipping the classroom has since been gaining attention from educators all over the world.

2. What the flipped classroom is/is not

As mentioned earlier, the key objective of flipping the classroom is to create time and space for students to engage in meaningful activities during lesson so that they can apply and reinforce what they have learnt at home. This clearly helps to optimize learning both in and outside school. In additional, it also encourages and facilitates active learning among students and teachers as a result of greater engagement in various forms of classroom activities. And because the instructional materials can be accessed any time and any where repeatedly, students who need more time to grasp the content matters will be able to do so at their own pace. Flipping also allow differentiated instruction to be implemented as different materials can be channeled to different group of students based on their ability. The teacher can also offer more support to students in class as there is greater face-to-face interaction time.

Even though flipping was made popular by the use of recorded lectures, the focus is not on the use of instructional videos to replace content delivery in the classroom. It is therefore not an online course created for students. It is also not about creating more class time for teacher-centered teaching or drilling of practice questions during lesson. And while technology lends itself well in supporting a flipped classroom, it is not the reason why flipping is gaining popularity among educators today. Lastly, even though students are required to pick up the content knowledge on their own - be it independently or collaboratively before the lesson, the role played teachers in the classroom is not made easier. Instead they need to plan and facilitate activities which are relevant, meaningfully and engaging for students with different academic abilities.

3. Designing, developing, evaluating, and managing flipped classrooms

Basically, there are 3 key stages in the implementation of a flipped classroom: Before Class, During Class and After Class. To flip a classroom successfully, proper structure and support must be put in place so that students can be actively engaged at all three stages. It is important that students know how the flipped lesson will be developed, what is expected from them at each stages and what will or might be assessed.

Before Class

When planning for this stage, it is important to consider students' readiness and ability to process information on their own. If students are newly exposed to flipping, the task students need to perform prior to the lesson should not too complex and challenging. In many cases, students are instructed to view recorded lectures online before attending the class. Tasks that require students to perform using higher order thinking skills are not common. This is to ensure that students are able to carry out the task on their own, be it individually or collaboratively with others. In addition, clear expectations and instructions must be communicated to students so that they know how to access the before class material, what to do with it and how it will be used in class later on. While the use of recorded lectures is a common way to deliver content, other means such as podcasts, comic strips, online games or social media platform can also be tapped upon. Regardless of how the material is presented, one key consideration will be the accessibility of the material by students. For example, if most students do not have internet access at home or outside school, printed copies of the materials might need to be given beforehand or access to the school's computer labs will need to be arranged. One other aspect to look into is the amount of time students need to spend on the task. If the task is too time consuming, students might lose interest half way. One way to keep students engaged is to get them to complete a worksheet as they go through the materials.

During Class

In a flipped lesson, in-class activities are meant to help students better understand what they have learnt at home through applying their knowledge and working with others collaboratively. For example, students can be asked to apply formulas to solve problems individually, carry out hands-on experiments in pairs to gather, manage and make meaning from new data, engage in class discussion to articulate their learning or solve problems in small groups. Whatever the activities are, they should be related and relevant to the task students perform prior to the lesson so that students get to apply and extend what they have learnt. And while students are actively engaged in class, the teacher can move around the class as a facilitator to offer guidance and assistance. Having said so, it is important for teachers not to offer students with solutions to problems. Instead, allow students to struggle or explore the content more on their own before guiding them through the problem. If needed, extra teaching assistants can be deployed to help in the facilitation. While it is idea for class time to be filled with student-centered activities, just-in-time instructions can still be provided during lesson to facilitate learning especially for students with lower academic ability.

In some instances, quizzes are conducted as part of the in-class activities to instill accountability in students. The results from these quizzes can also be used to generate feedback for both students and teachers to identify gaps in learning. Subsequent in-class activities can then be targeted at helping students to close these gaps. Lastly, like any other lessons, there must be proper lesson closure to help students summarize what they have learnt.

After Class

In a traditional setting, students will be assigned homework to complete at home so as to put to practice what they have learnt in class. However in a flipped setting, students should be given less traditional homework as part of their homework should be to learn the content needed for the next lesson. Hence the work assigned should be meaningful and concise.

Assessment

As flipping free up more time for student-teacher interaction, teacher should plan for more formative assessment in class. This will allow students to receive feedback in class to improve their performance before taking a summative assessment at the end of the module.

Evaluation

To evaluate the flipped lessons, we can examine how well it has helped students to achieve the desired learning outcomes. This can be based upon students' achievement in tests and quizzes. In addition, feedback can be gathered from students through surveys and FGDs to capture students' perceptions about the flipped approach and possible areas for improvement. This should be conducted during the course of flipping so that improvement can be made to benefit the students.

4. Flipped classroom issues and solutions

Some of the issues faced could be

1. Teachers' competency and readiness. It is important to provide teachers the support for successful implementation. For example, ICT training can be arranged for teachers who are not proficient in using ICT tools. White spaces can also be created for teachers to work collaboratively on a regular basis. And when implementing, allow teachers to try out with one or two classes on selected topics so that they will not feel overwhelmed. If possible, get teachers who have tried flipping to share the challenges they once faced and how they have overcomed them.

2. Teachers', Parents' and Students' Perception. It is important to articulate clearly to teachers, parents and students the rationale behind flipping the classrooms. As such, the impact flipping has on teaching and learning must be clearly highlighted together with the changes that comes along. Expectation of teachers and students must be spelled out clearly to help them succeed. For parents, it will be good to advise them on how they can support their child in learning in a flipped setting.

3. Students' accessibility to computers and the Internet. Teachers should find out if students are facing difficulty in accessing computers or Internet outside school. Alternative arrangement should be made to cater to students who are facing such problem. Access to school's computer labs might need to be given to this group of students. Even so, it is important to give clear instructions to students. When getting students to use new ICT tools, basic training should also be provided.

4. Students' accountability. For lesson in class to be effective and engaging, students need to exercise self-discipline in completing the before class task. One way to instill discipline could be to promote positive peer influence in class or conduct short quizzes which are based on the before class task.

5. References

Teaching for Tomorrow, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a7NbUIr_iQ

7 Things You should know about flipped classroom, http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7081.pdf

Flip Your Classroom, http://www.techsmith.com/education-flipped-classroom.html

Part B: Flipped Classrooms in My Context

Outline a plan for mobilizing a group teachers who will flip their classrooms. You might:

• • Describe your context (what levels, what content areas, how many teachers, etc.)

  • Devise plans for communication, buy-in, professional development, evaluation, etc.

  • Provide a timeline

PROPOSAL FOR A FLIPPED CLASSROOM

Context

Plans and Strategies

(1) Communication

. Identify who and what to communicate. Be clear Be concise Be open. Speak their language.

· Share the plan for flipping (WHAT, WHY, HOW) with clarity to teachers, students and parents.

Focus on how flipping impact teaching & learning with emphasis on students' benefits.

· Unpack what flipping the classroom is and isn't for the different stakeholders -be mindful of lingo used esp for parents

· Set clear expectation for teachers and students.

· Share training plans, support given (PD, white spaces, hardware) and timeline.

· Get inputs from different stakeholders to clarify doubts and concerns.

For example:

· Teachers need to know that flipping is not about creating more class time for instructional teaching and drill-and-practice. It is to free up class time for more student-centered learning and face-to-face interaction.

· Parents need to know that flipping is not about getting their child to complete assignments at home using the computer. Instead, it is for their child to acquire content knowledge needed for lesson in class. Parents can render support by reminder them to do so at home.

· Students need to know that in order to be actively engaged in class, they need to complete the task assigned to them before the lesson. Unlike in the past, the ownership of learning the content now lies heavily on their shoulders.

(2) Buy-in from Teachers

· Focus on benefits of flipping on teaching & learning.

· Align how flipping can address current learning issues (relevant & authentic)

· Get teachers who have flipped to share experiences (greater confident)

· Practice inclusion by listening to teachers' feedback and acting on them.

· Empower teachers to co-make decisions (training needs, how whitespace is to be used, etc)

· Provide strong support (PD, white space, hardware, software, etc); tap on internal and external sources.

· Promote team effort through collaboration. Walk the Talk. Lead the Talk. Role model a flipped lesson and invite trchs to observe and give feedback.

· Talk about flipping at various school platforms to show importance of flipping

(3) Profession Development

Soft Skills

· on design and crafting of flipped lessons

· on facilitation of flipped lessons esp in class (Questioning Techniques especially)

· on managing students' expectations (Conditioning, Rules and Consequences, etc)

· on evaluating flipped lessons (What to assess - engagement, tasks at various stage, etc) (How to assess - survey, FGD, AAR)

Technical Skills

· use of hardware (digital cam)

· use of software (PowToons, Toondoo, Screencast-O-matic, video and audio editing programs, etc)

· use of different online platform (Socrative, Padlet, TodaysMeet, Edmodo, etc)

(4) Timeline

· set clear time frame with deliverables

· allow time for planning, training, execution and review

(5) Evaluation

· academic impact: test score

· students' perception (engagement, learning): surveys and FGDs

· overall program review: AAR

Part C: Flipped Presentation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_J4wB46xE8