Difference between revisions of "Flip"

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(How to Flip a Classroom)
(How to Flip a Classroom)
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#Instructors and students spend class time using the concepts in problems and analyses.  
 
#Instructors and students spend class time using the concepts in problems and analyses.  
 
This is the most important part of flipping the classroom. There are many ways of structuring class use. Here are a few suggestions and links to sites that explain each further.
 
This is the most important part of flipping the classroom. There are many ways of structuring class use. Here are a few suggestions and links to sites that explain each further.
1. Small group activities
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1. Small group activities [http://www.diversifyingecon.org/index.php/Cooperative_learning_groups]
 
2. Think-pair-share-compare [http://www.diversifyingecon.org/index.php/Think-pair-share]
 
2. Think-pair-share-compare [http://www.diversifyingecon.org/index.php/Think-pair-share]
 
3. In class experiments
 
3. In class experiments

Revision as of 11:34, 14 January 2014

"Flipping a classroom" means the instructor uses class time for problem-solving, analysis, and discussion, after students have first learned basic concepts outside of class via reading or lecture videos. The "flipped classroom" model is a teaching style where the lecture component of the material is transferred to an out of class setting while the synchronous, in-classroom, time is used for non lecture based learning components that can be grouped together under the category of active learning. The interest in the flipped classroom has grown recently and is likely due from a synergy between two recent trends. The first is the growing availability of out of classroom lecture resources such as recording of lecture available with textbooks, on publicly available web sites and in MOOCS as well as easy do it yourself methods of recording pre class material. The second, pedagogically more important trend, is the increasing understanding that lecture is not the best way of sharing information and that active and peer based [1] learning lead to better learning outcomes in the short run as well as to better long run retention.

Background: Much of the literature in active learning was developed in teaching physics. Eric Mazur was an innovator in this area and his research showed that learning gains nearly triple when content is transferred from a traditional lecture approach to a students based interactive learning (Science 2 January 2009:Vol. 323 no. 5910 pp. 50-51 [2]

). For an inspirational introduction to this area see his video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwslBPj8GgI&noredirect=1

These early results have since been confirmed in medicine, pharmacology and science. A nice summary of the literature can be found at the Vanderbilt University’s Center of Teaching http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/teaching-activities/flipping-the-classroom/ and in the web site on Team Based Learning [3] Evidence from teaching introductory physics course shows that interactive engagement helps reduce the gender gap (M. Lorenzo, C. H. Crouch, E. Mazur, Am. J. Phys. 74, 118 (2006)).

How to Flip a Classroom

  • Typically, flipping involves three critical steps:
  1. Students learn basic concepts before the class meeting that will be using those concepts.

The first step can be satisfied by encouraging old style use of the textbook. Consider assigning a chapter to be read ahead of class and starting off each lecture with a short fact or definition based quiz that assesses students reading, rather then mastery, of the textbook material. Another option is to record short lecture segments and make them available to the students to use ahead of lecture. The advantage of this strategy is that you can tailor the contents and level to your specific audience. You can then design these segments to be stand alone and short (the suggestion is about 5-8 minutes per segment) so that students can watch them one by one and use them to review as needed. The disadvantage is that this is the most demanding preparation, though of course you need only develop this resource once and can re use it over many semesters. Some lecturers recorded their in class lecture one semester and then based their flipped classroom the following semester on these recordings. Note that in this case the recordings will not be the suggested stand alone short format and their length as well as possibly lower quality may reduce students’ attentiveness at this out of the classroom stage of learning. A compromise may be to use pre made lectures that are becoming available. Many of the new iterations of textbooks are coming out with these. You can also look at (cite links that are already on the wiki page) The advantage of this method is that you have high quality segments that are formulated to be watched online and have the right mix of clarity, brevity and entertainment. You can mix and match across lecturers and sources and can introduce students to multiple points of view, prior to class, to encourage in-class debate. The disadvantage is that you need to watch a lot of videos to find the best ones for your students and you may find yourself compromising in terms of the precise level, terminology or examples that are covered. Remember though, that the pre classroom lecture are just the first step in the learning process and should only be an introduction- your in class activities will complement, enhance and fill in any gaps in these pre lecture recordings. You may prefer non encyclopedic coverage so that class activities can easily build on them and provide the opportunities for reflection, application and analyses.

  1. Instructors quiz students on these concepts right before class.

This is done both to motivate the students to prepare for class and to assess their level of understanding before the active learning is initiated.

  1. Instructors and students spend class time using the concepts in problems and analyses.

This is the most important part of flipping the classroom. There are many ways of structuring class use. Here are a few suggestions and links to sites that explain each further. 1. Small group activities [4] 2. Think-pair-share-compare [5] 3. In class experiments 4. Debates 5. Service Learning 6. Research papers


The first three are closest to a direct flipping classroom model in that the traditional homework is indeed brought into the classroom there by achieving the flipping of in and out of classroom time. The latter examples have a different approach- suggesting that students will engage with the material better if they can apply the material and even bring learning to level of creating new knowledge. Of course you may choose to combine a few of these techniques together over the semester.


  • Check with your institution to determine whether assigned videos must include ADA compliant captions. Captions ensure equal access to opportunities and benefits for students with disabilities.
  • Other economics-specific guides to flipping the classroom will be posted soon!

Evidence

Examples

  • Dr. Jose J. Vazquez Cognet (Clinical Professor, Department of Economics, and Coordinator of E-Learning, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is "currently running two studies on Flipping the Classroom; one field experiment using my large principles of economics course; and also a clinical study (randomized control trial study)." He is trying to replicate some of the findings from Physics courses.

See the literature review by Goffe and Kauper [6]