There is no single solution to flip a classroom. The concept, in general, is grounded in eliminating or reducing class time spent lecturing by shifting the delivery of passive, lecture content online through mobile video files. But what this does not address is how an instructor will assess learning prior to class (to be sure assignments are completed) and how class time will be spent. Flipping a classroom effectively takes careful planning and a solid instructional and assessment plan. On this page, you will find narratives and videos demonstrating how I flipped my community college art history classroom.
This video provides a brief, 6-minute overview of the model I used to flip my classroom.
(formative assessment)
This 1 1/2 minute video includes a brief excerpt from one of the class's pre-class VoiceThreads. These activities provide an opportunity for students to apply ideas from their reading and lecture by sharing comments in voice, video or text. The prompts on each slide of the VoiceThread area aligned to the unit's learning objectives. The pre-class VoiceThreads focus on lower order thinking skills.
These activities were due prior to the first class meeting for each unit (typically two class meetings per unit). I would review the VoiceThreads in my office the hour prior to class (which used to be my lecture prep time) and take detailed notes about student contributions and identify topics that needed further attention. We would start class by viewing the VoiceThread projected on the screen. I would facilitate a discussion using my notes. This provided me with the ability to call upon students who had made excellent contributions and ask them to further discuss their thoughts or explain a topic. When comments were unclear, I would call upon a student, by name, and prompt them to expand upon their ideas through a socratic dialogue. This approach allowed class time to be focused on the topics that needed further clarification, rather than presenting the same information to everyone, regardless of their existing knowledge and understanding.
(formative assessment)
After the end of our last class meeting in each unit, students participated in a post-class VoiceThread activity. These activities were also aligned with the unit's learning objectives but focused more heavily on image analysis skills. The activities built upon in-class small and large group discussions about particular artworks and also included image comparisons. The post-class VoiceThreads, first, gave students an opportunity to further develop their ability to analyze and discuss the images but also archived these group discussions so students could access them later to help prepare for an in-class exam involving an essay comparison.
Additionally, I would include slides in the post-class VoiceThreads that supported particular topics of interest in the classroom. It was fun to be able to provide an outlet for further discussion and give more students an opportunity to share and discuss topics. The post-class VoiceThreads were key to scaffolding the students' learning, as the students had time to digest what they learned in class and then expand and polish their ideas in the activities.
This 6-minute video presents the results of the end-of-semester student survey which includes an analysis of the effect of the flipped classroom on retention and student success.
This is an 18-minute recording of an interview between me and three student volunteers at the end of the semester.
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