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.
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.