What is a flipped classroom?

Webster University Teaching Resource Center

What is a Flipped Classroom?

Flipped Classroom? Flipped learning?  Just what is this concept?flipped learning

There are a multitude of descriptive definitions in the literature. Is it a new pedagogical approach to teaching and learning? A different instructional strategy? Is it another name fo active of blended learning? Well, yes, it is a bit of all of these.

Flipped Learning IS a pedagogical approach in which first contact with new concepts moves from the classroom space to the individual’s learning space (online)  in the form of structured activity. Now, the resulting "group" space, the traditional classroom, is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the instructor will spend time guiding students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter. So, that is a different instructional strategy that involves both active learning with a blended learning approach.

What determines flipped learning is not the technology being used but what activities take place in the individual (offline) versus group (online, synchronous) spaces that students encounter. 

One of the key elements of Flipped Learning is for you, as the instructor, to

Provide an opportunity for students to gain first exposure to the topics PRIOR to class.

The materials that are provided in the online portion of the class should be created and curated with direct connection to the learning objectives that have been set at the beginning of each weekly module. The textual information, images, tables, and videos should be put in place to ensure that students gain knowledge about the topics before you meet in class. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to have an in-class discussion about a complex topic when the students just learned about it 30 minutes before?

Flipped learning provides the opportunity to:

  • Change the learning environment to better serve students
  • Better prepare students for later courses (that require the ability to apply concepts)
  • Increase a student's ability to engage in deep discussions during the face-to-face meetings
  • Encourage students to enter the class meeting more prepared for active and engaged learning environment

Student Engagement

The content for your course should be intentionally designed for maximum student engagement. Engagement is crucial to student learning and satisfaction in the online environment.student studying

Student engagement is defined as “the student’s psychological investment in and effort directed toward learning, understanding, or mastering the knowledge, skills, or crafts that academic work is intended to promote” (Newmann, Wehlage, & Lamborn, 1992, p. 12).

The content in your course can consist of lecture-type notes, videos, and diagrams to enhance learning. These materials are presented to your students BEFORE your class meeting so you can start the meeting engaging with the students by asking questions, clarifying concepts, and working on activities. 

Active learning is a strategy that will further engage your students as they work together with you and their colleagues to synthesize the information and new knowledge from the online portion of the course. 

Some ideas to use in class include:

  • Deepen understanding
    • Recap
    • Answer questions
    • Pose a question
    • Student problem solving
    • Discuss
  • Applications of the concepts
    • Evaluate with real life examples
  • Extensions of material
  • Sequence of questions and activities that have coherent theme
    • Start simple, layer on complexity

Below are a few articles with ideas for engaging, active learning ideas to use in your class time together.

 

Resource: Talbert, R. (2017). Flipped Learning : A Guide for Higher Education Faculty. Stylus Publishing.