Flipped Classroom as an
Experiential Learning Model in Higher
Education with Blended Learning Technology
E K JIJAN
Asst. Professor, Mount Tabor
Training College, Pathanpuram
Kollam Dist, Kerala -689695
Email:ekjijan@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
The flipped classroom is an exciting
new instructional approach. The flipped classroom describes a reversal of
traditional teaching where students gain first exposure to new material outside
of class, usually via reading or viewing lecture videos during one’s own time. The
precious face-to-face class time is used for assimilating that knowledge
through strategies such as tackling difficult problems, working in groups,
question and answer sessions or debates. Classrooms become laboratories or
studios by researching, collaborating, crafting and creating, and yet content
delivery is preserved.
The flipped classroom falls under
the big umbrella of “blended learning.” It also combines flipping and blending
because the work happening online must be continually woven back into the
physical classroom to create a cohesive learning experience for students.
We are no longer limited
to a class period or a physical classroom. The instructional activity we
provide should match with the environment that makes learning more meaningful
and productive. Technology has the potential to be so transformative in
education owing to the flexibility of its use. Students today must be
generators and constructors of knowledge. They must be able to question,
problem solve, think outside of the box, and create innovative solutions to be
competitive and successful in our rapidly changing global economy. Students should learn at their own
paces. The classroom should be a place for active interaction, not
passive listening and daydreaming. The role of the teacher should be that of a
mentor or facilitator as opposed to a lecturer, test writer and grader.
THE
EXPERIENTIAL FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL
Active
learners take new information and apply it, rather than merely taking
note of it. Firsthand use of new material develops personal ownership. When
subject matter connects directly with students’ experiences, projects, and
goals, they care more about the material they seek to master. Taking active
learning seriously means revamping the entire teaching/learning enterprise - even
turning it inside out or upside down. For example, active learning overthrows
the “transfer of information” model of instruction, which casts the student as
a dry sponge who passively absorbs facts and ideas from a teacher.
There
is no single model for the flipped classroom. It incorporates the use of videos
and other online content in the flipped classroom fashion described by current
proponents but also includes methods, strategies, and activities for the
face-to-face and/or synchronous class time. The core idea is to flip/blend the
common instructional approach. With teacher-created videos and
interactive lessons, instruction that used to occur in class is now accessed at
home, in advance of class. Class becomes the place to work through problems,
advance concepts, and engage in collaborative learning. It is not the
instructional videos on their own, but how they are integrated into an overall
approach, that makes the difference.
Flipped Classroom Model, a model
where the video lectures and podcasts fall within a larger framework of
learning activities. It really is a cycle of learning model. It provides
a sequence of learning activities based on the learning theories and
instructional models of Experiential Learning Cycles. This model has
experiential learning at the core of the learning process with the content
videos supporting the learning rather than being the core or primary
instructional piece.
Simply put, experiential learning is
learning from experience. Experiential learning can be a highly effective
educational method. It engages the learner at a more personal level
by addressing the needs and wants of the individual. For experiential learning
to be truly effective, it should employ the whole learning wheel, from goal
setting, to experimenting and observing, to reviewing, and finally action
planning. This complete process allows one to learn new skills, new attitudes
or even entirely new ways of thinking.
Often the homework
described in the flipped classroom model only engages the lower level thinking
skills described in Bloom’s Taxonomy – remembering and understanding. The
application, analysis, evaluation and creation are rarely engaged at home.
There is an opportunity to get students thinking at a higher level at home if
we pair content with extension activities that require that they think
critically about what they have viewed. The important element is to connect
students online outside of class so they have a support network of peers to ask
questions, bounce ideas around with and learn from.
TRADITIONAL VS FLIPPED CLASSROOMS
·
In
a traditional classroom, the teacher delivers material face-to-face and the
students listen and begin to applying. In a flipped classroom the teacher
delivers material asynchronously with video-tutorials, podcasts, web-CT, wikis,
blogs etc. the students watch, listen and read and post a summary of what they
learned.
·
In
a traditional classroom, the students do homework on their own and the teacher
generally waits until the next class to connect with students. In a flipped
classroom the students apply concepts and the teacher facilitates hands-on
experience, discussions, presentations and interviews. There is more time and
scope for formative assessment.
·
In
a traditional lecture, students often try to capture what is being said at the
instant the speaker says it. They cannot stop to reflect upon what is being
said, and they may miss significant points because they are trying to
transcribe the instructor’s words. By contrast, the use of video and other
prerecorded media puts lectures under the control of the students: they can
watch, rewind, and fast-forward as needed.
BENEFITS OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL:
§ The advantage of the flipped
classroom is that the content, often the theoretical/lecture-based component of
the lesson, becomes more easily accessed and controlled by the learner.
§ One of the major, evidenced-based
advantages of the flipped classroom is that
learners have control over the media with the ability to review parts that are
misunderstood, which need further reinforcement, and/or those parts that are of
particular interest.
§ Establishes dialogue and idea
exchange between students, educators, and subject matter experts regardless of
locations.
§ Lectures become homework and class
time is used for collaborative student work, experiential exercises, debate,
and lab work.
§ Extends access to scarce resources,
such as specialized teachers and courses, to more students, allowing them to
learn from the best sources and maintain access to challenging curriculum.
§ Enables students to access courses
at higher-level institutions, allowing them to progress at their own pace.
§ Prepares students for a future as
global citizens. Allows them to meet students and teachers from around the
world to experience their culture, language, ideas, and shared experiences.
§ Allows students with multiple
learning styles and abilities to learn at their own pace and through
traditional models.
USE AND IMPLEMENTATION
ISSUES WITH FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL
1.
So many people describe the flipped classroom as a model where
teachers must record
videos or podcasts for students to view at home. There are many teachers
who do not want to record videos either because they don’t have the necessary
skills or equipment, their classes don’t include a lot of lecture that can be
captured in recordings, or they are camera shy.
Tackling the Issue - Teachers should not feel
pressured to create their own material, Take advantage of the ready-to-use content available. There is so much ready-to-use content on the web that
teachers shouldn’t feel pressure produce videos (unless they want to or it
works for their subject area). Let’s use what is out there and save time when
we can. It is not proper to limit the potential of the flipped model by telling
teachers they have to record their own video lectures. Instead, I encourage
teachers to flip all kinds of ready-to-use media. There are sites with great
resources for media ranging from documentaries, interviews, demonstrations,
tutorials, primary/secondary sources, articles, biographies, photography,
graphs, artwork, etc. (History.com, PBS.org, NationalGeographic.com, KhanAcademy.org)
2.
Flipped
classroom is being discussed in terms of mere watching videos and making videos
at the core of the learning process. If video lectures drive the instruction, it is just a repackaging of a more
traditional model of didactic learning. It is neither a new paradigm nor
pedagogy of learning.
Tackling
the Issue - The
videos should not be the focus or at the core of learning in the flipped model.
Videos and other online content support the learning process and they are way
to create time and space. Let’s focus more on the strategies we use as teachers
to maximize that class time we have created to engage more students. Make them do something with that information that requires
higher- order thinking. I encourage teachers to wrap the content presented at
home in dynamic online discussions, debates, and/or collaborative group work.
This way students must think critically about the content, engage with their
peers, and produce something (an argument, a clear analytical explanation,
formulate questions, synthesize information from multiple sources, etc.).
3. A major roadblock or barrier to the
implementation of this model is that many educators do not know what to do
within the classroom.
Educators
need to be re-educated as to what to do with the class time that previously was
used for their lectures.
Tackling
the Issue – For
educators, who are used to and use the didactic model, a framework is needed to
assist them with the implementation of the Flipped Classroom. Our attention should be focused more on what actually
happens in a flipped classroom. If we move lecture or the transfer of knowledge
online to create time and space in the physical classroom, how are we using
that time to improve learning for students? Use the flipped model to create a
student-centered classroom. Focus class time on getting
students practicing where there is a subject area expert in the room. Get
students actively engaging in the learning process, like lab experiments,
fieldwork, creative writing assignments, collaborative research projects, acting,
dramatic readings, project based learning, debates and model
construction
4. What is the role of a
teacher in the flipped classroom? How are we maximizing the potential of the
group when students are together to design collaborative, creative,
student-centered activities and assignments?
Tackling
the Issue - The
flipped classroom constitutes a role change for instructors, who give up their
front-of-the-class position in favor of a more collaborative and cooperative
contribution to the teaching process. During class sessions, instructors function
as coaches or advisors, encouraging students in individual inquiry and
collaborative effort. Instructors might lead in-class
discussions or turn the classroom into a studio where students create,
collaborate, and put into practice what they learned from the lectures they
view outside class. As on-site experts, instructors suggest various approaches,
clarify content, and monitor progress. They might organize students into an ad
hoc workgroup to solve a problem that several are struggling to understand. Teachers
bring expertise, life experience, humor, variety and compassion to the
classroom that can never be replaced by a computer.
5. Role of the learner in
the flipped classroom
The flipped model puts more of the
responsibility for learning on the shoulders of students while giving them
greater impetus to experiment. Activities can be student-led, and communication
among students can become the determining dynamic of a session devoted to
learning through hands-on work.
6. Scope of Flipped classroom in Higher
education.
There are a number of higher
education initiatives that are seeking to go beyond the lecture and flip the
classroom. As the flipped class becomes more
popular, new tools may emerge to support the out-of-class portion of the
curriculum. In particular, the ongoing development of powerful mobile devices
will put a wider range of rich,
educational resources into the hands of students, at times and places that are
most convenient for them. Greater numbers of courses will likely employ
elements of the flipped classroom, supplementing traditional out-of-class work
with video presentations and supporting project-based and lab-style efforts
during regular class times. At a certain level of adoption, colleges and
universities may need to take a hard look at class spaces to ensure they
support the kinds of active and collaborative work common in flipped classes.
A growing number of
higher education faculty have begun using the flipped model in their courses. At Harvard
University, one physics professor not only employs the flipped model but has
also developed a correlative site, Learning Catalytics, that provides
instructors with free interactive software enabling students to discuss, apply,
and get feedback from what they hear in lecture.
CONCLUSION
The education system as it is today
is far from perfect. It has been shown in many studies that enthusiastic
teachers are one of the most important criteria for success. When teachers
testing new models they really believe in, we often get enthusiastic educators
and effective learners. Innovative and excited teachers should be encouraged to
try new teaching methodologies and break new ground! It is important to analyze
the research around educational trends to make sure the strategies we are using
with students are actually working. Teachers who try new things will discover
the benefits and drawbacks with their students, which is the best evidence for
whether a teaching model or method is truly effective. We should laud flipping
for giving us the ability to rethink our class time and learning models with
students, and having more hands on work for them.
REFERENCES
1)
J. Bergmann and A. Sams. Flip Your Classroom:
Talk to Every Student in Every Class Every Day. International Society for
Technology in Education, 2012.
2) Ki, K.J. and Bonk, C.J.
(1999-2012). The Future of online teaching and learning in higher education: Educause
Quarterly November, 23–38.
3) Berrett D (2012). How ‘flipping’
the classroom can improve the traditional lecture. The Chronicle of Higher
Education, Feb. 19, 2012.
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