The benefits of a flipped classroom and its activities during Covid-19 pandemic periods.

Annotation. This article aims to clarify the benefits of a flipped classroom for distance learning in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and other educational establishments were forced to shift their teaching online, in many cases without advance warning or training for educators. Now that it’s been a couple of months, teachers and students are getting into the. . . In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and other educational establishments were forced to shift their teaching online, in many cases without advance warning or training for educators. Now that it’s been a couple of months, teachers and students are getting into the rhythm of teaching and learning from home. And, it’s a great time to take a look at some new teaching techniques – especially ones that work well with distance learning. Key words: flipped classroom, flipped learning, teacher-student communication, distance learning, differentiated instruction, peer-to-peer, collaboration. What is flipping the classroom? In a traditional classroom, the teacher is the main focus of the lesson. They are traditionally the people who present new information through a lecture or presentation, and guide students through practice activities. Students then answer questions, write essays or create projects as homework. Flipped learning is different. It’s defined as “a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter. ” In other words, flipping the classroom turns the traditional learning structure on its head. Instead of presenting a new learning concept in class, teachers prepare the presentation of the information and give it to students to watch or read on their own before the class. Then, class time is used for group activities, class discussion and peer-to-peer collaboration. What are the benefits of a flipped classroom? There are numerous benefits to the flipped classroom technique. This student-centred approach allows more time for teachers to check comprehension, answer queries and clear up any confusion that students may have around a new topic. It means that instead of using your class time to explain the basics of a new topic or idea, you can spend your contact time on helping students with the practical application of their new knowledge. Moving direct instruction outside class time also means that you can focus on making the classroom a dynamic learning environment, with lots of opportunity for differentiated instruction. And there are lots of benefits for students, too! Instead of being passive recipients of knowledge, they will become active participants in their own education. Flipping the classroom encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning, developing the kind of independent skills needed to be lifelong learners. A flipped classroom has also been shown to improve exam results, student engagement and teacher-student communication. Why flipped classrooms work for distance learning Distance learning provides the ideal opportunity for trying out the flipped classroom, as students are doing so much learning from home anyway. It will build on and improve your relationship with your students, as the teacher-student dynamic shifts from a less instructional model to a more collaborative one. And this can help with motivation, too. When your class time is all about practical application of ideas, supporting student understanding and peer-to-peer collaboration, it makes for a more dynamic and engaging online class. And with distance learning set to continue, it’s never a bad thing to try out pedagogical approaches which encourage independent learning among your students. How to flip your classroom in three easy steps So there are compelling reasons to try out the flipped classroom technique – but what is the best way to go about it? Here’s a brief overview to get you started. We also recommend you check out some of these detailed guides online. 1. Get your subject matter ready for independent study Prepare the material you want your students to study in advance of your online class. It’s important to consider the best way of delivering this material. Is it by video? Through a text extract? As an infographic or a podcast? Or maybe it’s a combination of the above. There are lots of different options, although video is the most popular method of direct instruction. The most effective video length is between five and ten minutes. Think about how you can make your presentation engaging, funny and creative. If the thought of recording yourself on screen makes you nervous, don’t worry! There are lots of tips online to help you create great educational videos – and you’ll end up with a fantastic bank of your own video resources. 2. Motivate your students to prepare for class The success of a flipped classroom depends on your students preparing properly for the class – and this can lead to reservations among teachers. However, there are a few strategies you can employ to get your students motivated. You could check in the day before the class to remind students to review the material in advance of the lesson. Another option is letting students know that the class will start off with a short quiz on the material that they have learned. You could also ask them to prepare a set number of questions to ask about the subject matter. Or, if the direct instruction is explaining a concept, you could ask your students to think of some concrete examples to bring to class and share with their classmates. Once students are more familiar with the flipped classroom technique, they’ll understand that doing this preparation in advance of their lesson is important and relevant to their time in class. 3. Plan your class time to support and deepen student understanding It’s a good idea to review content at the very beginning of your lesson, creating an opportunity for students to ask any questions that came up while they were preparing for class. Then, fill your class time with activities that promote active learning – such as group work, discussing examples, presenting student-created content, debates and project work. In addition to making your online classes more engaging, active learning activities also develop 21st century skills, allowing lots of time for critical thinking, communication and creative collaboration, as well as improving information and technological literacy. Flipped classroom activities: In a flipped classroom students engage with lectures or other materials outside of class to prepare for an active learning experience in the classroom. For a more detailed description of what a flipped classroom is and what in-class activities are possible see CTETeaching Tips, “Course Design: Planning a Flipped Class” and “Online Activities and Assessment for the Flipped Classroom”. After the preparation and design of activities for the in-class portion of your class, your primary role will be to monitor, guide, and support the learning process of your students. Students will have varied levels of understanding and comprehension after having completed the out-of-class work. After assessing their understanding in the online environment, you may approach the in-class activities in one of two ways: individual or group-based activities. Individual activities Individual activities can be most beneficial and relevant if your students have demonstrated difficulty with understanding the content or material introduced to them out of class. Individual exercises can be used in advance of group ones to help students navigate a “higher-risk” group activity and can be helpful for students who need more individual reflective time to learn. iClickers/polling Time on task: 5 to 10 minutes; Group size: 1 to 2 • Ideally used to provide immediate feedback to students about concepts learned outside of class • iClickers are one method of polling a class, others include asking students to hold up a piece of paper with a letter on it to indicate their answer, or a different coloured piece of paper • In order to determine whether or not students have read and fully understood the out-of-class material, pose multiple-choice questions and poll students to gauge the variance in answers Word webs/concept maps Time on task: 30 to 45 minutes; Group size: 1 to 4 Done either individually or collaboratively, concept maps can reinforce concepts learned out of class and build connections between various topics • Students map out how concepts, ideas, or theories are thematically related in a visual manner • Any gaps can be useful inspiration for discussions either at a group or class level Individual problem solving: Time on task: 5 to 10 minutes; Group size: 1 to 4 • In-class problem solving activities allow students to tackle problems during class with their peers and the instructor on hand to discuss challenges • Ideally used to increase practice time on problem solving and provide immediate feedback to students about misconceptions. Group activities Group activities are often the goal of the in-class portion of the flipped classroom. Each student will bring their own individual understanding of the content to the lesson, and together, in small groups, they will be able to draw on each other’s knowledge and understanding of the material to forge new understandings and better recall the content. Group activities for larger class sizes Think-Pair-Share Time on task: 5 to 15 minutes; Group size: 2 • Take a central concept presented in the out-of-class material, or a particularly controversial quiz question from a prior assessment, and have students reflect on it individually and then discuss it further • Think phase: students work independently and flesh out their thoughts/arguments and may write their thoughts down • Pair phase: students discuss their response with a partner • Share phase: the instructor elicits responses from all members of the class and begins to engage students in a wider discussion demonstrating the many different perspectives • iClickers may be useful in the share phase; instructors may wish to incorporate a peer instruction model Affinity grouping Time on task: 30 to 45 minutes; Group size: 3 to 5 • Students individually write down ideas on a piece of paper and then in a group attempt to classify them while discussing why certain items deserve to be categorized together • This activity helps ensure students are on the same page before embarking on a more complicated in-class activity Team matrix Time on task: 10 to 20 minutes; Group size: 2 • When new concepts have been introduced that are quite similar to one another, a team matrix can help parse the most salient features of each concept while differentiating between each • Present pairs of students with a list of characteristics that may or may not be shared between concepts and have the students determine which characteristics belong to each (or both) concept(s) • Discuss answers with the entire class afterwards to check comprehension As well Think-aloud pair problem solving, IF-AT cards, case studies, Group activities for smaller classes: round robin, fishbowl discussion, three-step interview, role play, reaction sheets, dyadic essays, critical debate, group investigation Conclusion: Nowadays pupils are able to use technology mostly, so this way makes our job easier and comfortable to teach our pupils more effectively in learning distance during pandemic periods. Therefore, in “Flipped classroom” student learning can be self-paced to help them learn at their own pace and in their own time. This can be particularly effective for slower learners. Many educators have had to adapt quickly to new online learning platforms and video conferencing tools during Covid-19, all while figuring out new ways to keep students engaged and motivated remotely. The flipped classroom can be a highly effective teaching method for students learning online, providing them with the freedom to access learning materials and study independently in their own time, while still benefiting from live teacher support. Using “flipped classroom model” enables educators to get creative and plan flexible, personalized lessons, which encourage students to take charge and, more importantly, enjoy the learning experience.