What's the flipped classroom?
Flipping
your classroom means reversing the traditional classroom method by exposing
your learners to the lesson content before the face-to-face period. This
entails either recording the lesson in the form of a video lecture or
downloading relevant online materials that are related the lesson you intend to
teach. Sharing these recordings, videos, or written materials will enable your
learners to watch them at home while completing homework, and to come to class
with questions if any. The teacher will then use class time to check
understanding and consolidate the received knowledge with more communicative
activities such as problem solving, role-playing or any task-based activity.
The origin of the Flipped classroom approach
In
2007, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, two Chemistry teachers at Woodland Park
High School in Colorado came up with the innovative idea of recording their
lectures in the form of PowerPoint presentations using a screen capture
software. The recorded videos served as catch-up lectures for students who
missed classes due to the inordinate distance they had to cover every day. As
YouTube was in its early years and posting online video was the new trend,
Bergmann and Sams started sharing their Chemistry video lectures online.
However, even regular students watched the videos, to better understand lessons,
and to review for exams. The teachers argued: ‘because our videos were posted
online, students and teachers from all over the world began thanking us for
them. Students just like ours who had struggled with chemistry found our videos
and started using them to learn’ (Bergmann and Sams, 2012: 4).
Despite
the growing popularity of their online-recorded lectures, they started flipping
their classroom when they realized that their students were becoming autonomous
learners. They decided to record all their lectures for students to watch at
home, and use class time for project and inquiry-based learning. The Flipped
classroom, flipped model, or flipped teaching method was born.
The benefits of the flipped method
There is a noticeable amount of literature
that underscores the advantages of using the flipped model. Bergmann and Sams
suggest that the primary reason for flipping the class is that ‘it speaks the
language of today’s students, because they grew up with Internet access,
YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and a host of other digital resources’ (2012: 20),
even though the digital divide is yet to be filled in under-resourced areas. Consequently
flipping benefits twenty-first century learners to a large extent.
Danker believes that the Flipped Classroom
promotes:
‘Personalized learning because students can pause, re-wind and re- watch
the online video at their own pace - one of the major, evidence-based
advantages of the use of video is that learners have control over the media
with the ability to review parts that are misunderstood.’
(Danker, 2015: 175).
The ability to pace themselves, ‘to pause,
rewind their teacher’ (Bergmann and Sams, 2015: 24), and take notes is a
significant element that is not feasible in the traditional classroom. Besides,
flipping creates a flexible learning environment that is suitable for students
with all learning styles.
Most
advocates of the flipped technique agree that it fosters learner-centeredness.
As F2F time is exclusively dedicated to self-directed learning through problem
solving, critical thinking and inquiry-based tasks, learners take the ownership
of the learning process. ‘The flipped model puts the responsibility for
learning more on the shoulders of the students while giving them greater
impetus to experiment’ (Danker, 2015: 174). Wallace et al further argue that ‘the flipped classroom transforms students from passive participants to
cognitive apprentices who are expected to take ownership of their learning,
become active members of the community of learners within the course, and
practice thinking like an expert (2014: 160-161). In this light, flipping
fosters what Prensky calls the partnering pedagogy which puts the onus
completely on the students, (alone or in groups) to search, make hypotheses,
find answers, and create presentations, which are then reviewed by the teacher
and the class (2005: 7).
Finally,
flipped classroom benefits foreign language classes because teaching grammar,
vocabulary, reading, speaking, listening, and writing becomes more flexible,
first with the online lectures, and second through interactive activities. According
to Bergmann and Sams, ‘in foreign language classes, teachers are
recording grammar lessons and conversation starters so as to create time in
class to use the language more practically’ (2012: 48).
Useful tips for a successful flip
•
Always double check the video before sharing it with
learners: (appropriateness- language grading – content – length )
•
Involve learners to foster a sense of ownership.
•
Choose accessible and user-friendly materials: Ready-made
or self-made materials.
•
Encourage sharing
to avoid frustrations.
•
Engage learners at home with a task to make sure they
will view the materials. Ask them to write down questions if they have any.
•
Use incentives (Bonuses) for learners to buy in.
Some limitations
Case
studies, or action research papers conducted in various contexts (Danker 2015,
Hoffman 2014) reveal that implementing the flipped learning method is not void
of challenges. These limitations are mostly related to teachers’ inability to
adapt and contextualize the new approach appropriately to meet their learners’
needs.
The
main challenge in flipping is to take teachers and learners on a new track that
requires understanding the reasons and the real purpose of embracing this
method. Shifting from teacher-centered methods to flipped teaching implies
preparing teachers to design or choose ready-made materials because using poor
quality videos might not lead to the desired outcomes.
Because
of English language teachers’ previous training, experiences and backgrounds,
it might be difficult for them to adhere to the paradigm shift from a
teacher-centered knowledge transmission approach to a more interactive one. It
is reasonable to mention that it will be unrealistic and pedagogically very
difficult to create a learner-centered environment in a classroom of more than
100 young learners. Direct instruction
methods are predominant in many EFL classrooms due to a fear of losing control
when learning is handed over to an uncontainable number of students. This paradigm
shift might be a long and overwhelming process that requires much effort on the
part of the instructor to cease being ‘the sage on the stage’ and become ‘the
guide on the side’, as classroom time is for learners to take ownership of
their learning. Steed (2012) suggests starting small and
moving away from lectures to more active-learning methods one lesson at a time (Cited in Phillips and
Trainor, 2014: 521).
Conclusion
If you
are flipping your classroom for the first time, it is important to start with
short video recordings from YouTube about topical themes such as global warming,
pollution, deforestation, social media ... While sharing these videos, it's crucial to make sure that your
learners will have an easy access. Use your class time for interactive
activities and try to play the role of a facilitator.
References
Bergmann,
J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in
every class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.
Bergmann,
J., & Sams, A. (2012). Before you flip, consider this. Phi Delta
Kappan, 94(2), 25-25.
Danker,
B. (2015). Using flipped classroom approach to explore deep learning in large
classrooms. IAFOR Journal of Education, 3(1), 171-186.
Prensky,
M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning.
Corwin Press.
Wallace,
M. L., Walker, J. D., Braseby, A. M., & Sweet, M. S. (2014). Now, what
happens during class? Using team-based learning to optimize the role of
expertise within the flipped classroom. Journal on Excellence in
College Teaching, 25(3&4), 253-273.
Phillips,
C. R., & Trainor, J. E. (2014). Millennial students and the flipped
classroom. Journal of Business and Educational Leadership, 5(1),
102.
