Flipped Classrooms

Flipped Class Room

The “flipped” classroom, a more recent coinage, refers to classes that are structured almost exclusively around a reversal of expectations for lectures and homework. Students are expected to watch lectures online at home, and do homework while they are in class.

Flipped Classrooms (The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions.)

Students complete the learning/lecture part outside the classroom and apply the knowledge in the classroom

Flipped Classrooms

Flipped classroom is an instructional strategy and a type of blended learning that reverses the traditional educational arrangement by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom. It moves activities, including those that may have traditionally been considered homework, into the classroom. In a flipped classroom, students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home and engage in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of the instructor

Traditional vs flipped teaching

In the traditional model of classroom instruction, the teacher is typically the central focus of a lesson and the primary disseminator of information during the class period. The teacher responds to questions while students defer directly to the teacher for guidance and feedback. In a classroom with a radically traditional style of instruction, individual lessons may be didactic and content oriented. Student engagement in the traditional model may be limited to activities in which students work independently or in small groups on an application task designed by the teacher. Class discussions are typically centered on the teacher, who controls the flow of the conversation. Typically, this pattern of teaching also involves giving students the task of reading from a textbook or practicing a concept by working on a problem set, for example, outside school.

The flipped classroom intentionally shifts instruction to a learner-centered model in which class time explores topics in greater depth and creates meaningful learning opportunities, while educational technologies such as online videos are used to deliver content outside of the classroom.

In a flipped classroom, content delivery may take a variety of forms. Often, video lessons prepared by the teacher or third parties are used to deliver content, although online collaborative discussions, digital research, and text readings may be used.

Flipped classrooms also redefine in-class activities. In-class lessons accompanying flipped classroom may include activity learning or more traditional homework problems, among other practices, to engage students in the content. Class activities vary but may include: using math manipulatives and emerging mathematical technologies, in-depth laboratory experiments, original document analysis, debate or speech presentation, current event discussions, peer reviewing, project-based learning, and skill development or concept practice. Because these types of active learning allow for highly differentiated instruction, more time can be spent in class on higher- order thinking skills such as problem-finding, collaboration, design and problem solving as students tackle difficult problems, work in groups, research, and construct knowledge with the help of their teacher and peers. Flipped classrooms have been implemented in both schools and colleges and been found to have varying differences in the method of implementation.

A teacher's interaction with students in a flipped classroom can be more personalized and less didactic, and students are actively involved in knowledge acquisition and construction as they participate in and evaluate their learning.

Limitations of Flipped class room

Critics argue the flipped classroom model has some drawbacks for both students and teachers.

For students there exists a ‘digital divide.’ Not all families are from the same socio-economic background and thus access to computers or video-viewing technology outside of the school environment is not possible for all students. This model of instruction may put undue pressure on some families as they attempt to gain access to videos outside of school hours.

Additionally some students may struggle due to their developing personal responsibility. In a self- directed, home learning environment students who are not at the developmental stage required to keep on-task with independent learning may fall rapidly behind their peers.

Others argue that the flipped classroom leads to increased computer time in an era where adolescents already spend too much time in front of computer screens. Inverted models that rely on computerized videos do contribute to this challenge, particularly if videos are long.

Additionally, flipped classrooms that rely on videos to deliver instruction suffer some of the same challenges as traditional classrooms. Students may not learn best by listening to a lecture, and watching instructional videos at home is still representative of a more traditional form of teaching. Critics argue a constructivist approach would be more beneficial.

Teachers may find challenges with this model as well. Increased preparation time is initially likely needed, as creating high quality videos requires teachers to contribute significant time and effort outside of regular teaching responsibilities. Additional funding may also be required to procure training for teachers to navigate computer technologies involved in the successful implementation the inverted model

Flipped Classrooms, LMS, and Moodle

Flipped Classroom

• Concept: A pedagogical approach where traditional lectures are moved outside of the classroom, often in the form of videos or online modules, while class time is used for more interactive activities like problem-solving, discussions, and project-based learning.

• Benefits: Allows for more personalized learning, deeper engagement, and better understanding of concepts.

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

• Definition: Software applications that provide a platform for delivering, managing, and tracking online courses.

• Features: Typically include course content management, student enrollment, grading, communication tools, and analytics.

• Purpose: Streamline the administration and delivery of online courses.

Moodle

• Definition: A popular open-source LMS widely used in educational institutions.

• Features: Offers a flexible and customizable platform with features like course creation, assignment management, quizzes, forums, and reporting.

• Benefits: Free, open-source nature, large community support, and extensive customization options.

Relationship between Flipped Classrooms and LMS:

• LMS platforms are often used to deliver and manage the online components of flipped classrooms.

• Teachers can upload pre-recorded lectures, videos, or other materials to the LMS for students to access outside of class.

• Class time can then be dedicated to more interactive activities, facilitated by the LMS.

In essence, flipped classrooms and LMS platforms work together to create a more engaging and effective learning experience for students.