Introduction
The flipped classroom / blended learning approach is becoming more popular in the educational world as time goes on. Flipped learning is the approach in which classroom-based learning is inverted, so students are exposed to material before class, and class time is used for interactive activities where students can gain a better understanding of the course material. The idea behind flipped classrooms is that students will be able to actively learn, rather than passively learn, and collaborate with their peers to gain the skills necessary to learn in today’s world. It may not be a breeze, but flipping your classroom can have many beneficial effects for all types of students!
Resources
There are many resources available online for teaching with flipped classrooms. The process may take work, but it doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think! The resources below will help you to flip your classroom!
Lesson Plans
- edutopia – Blended Learning: edutopia offers a series of various lesson plans and articles for flipped classrooms. The site provides pieces on four tools for a flipped classroom, making your flipped classroom more human, the pros and cons of the flipped classroom, five best practices for the flipped classroom, flipping your class with blogs, and more topics. There is a lot of useful information included in this resource that will help you make a smooth transition to the flipped classroom.
- PBS – Flipped Learning: PBS provides a “special collection of resources for you to integrate into your next flipped lesson. These resources will enable you to make quizzes, build lesson plans, and create storyboards.” Videos, documents, lesson plans, interactive activities, media galleries, and more are here for you to use when putting together plans for your flipped classroom. This is a great resource!
- Planning a Flipped Lesson – Step-by-Step Guide: The UNT Teaching Commons has put together a list of five different steps on how to flip a class before you flip your own class or course. This article recommends that educators identify where the flipped classroom model makes the most sense for your course, spend class time engaging students in application activities with feedback, clarify connections inside and outside of the classroom, adapt your materials for students to acquire course content in preparation for class, and extend learning beyond class through individual and collaborative practice. This piece outlines the steps you should go through before flipping your class and gives you some questions to consider before officially making the transition.
Articles
- Vanderbilt – Flipping the Classroom: Vanderbilt University has published an article giving educators general information regarding flipping their classrooms. The author describes a flipped classroom, inverted classroom, and peer instruction before providing the results suggesting flipped classrooms do work and the theoretical basis behind this method. Lastly, the key elements of the flipped classroom are given, which include providing an opportunity for students to gain first exposure prior to class, an incentive for students to prepare for class, etc.
- Why You Should Flip Your Classroom: ASCD provides an article detailing why educators should flip their classrooms. This (now archived) article is an excerpt from a book by the authors. Flipping speaks the language of today’s students, helps busy, struggling, and students of all abilities to excel, increases student-teacher interaction, allows teachers to know their students better, changes classroom management, increases student-student interaction, and more. Possibly the most important part of this piece is when the authors explain a few of the bad reasons for flipping your classroom, such as because you think it will create a 21st-century classroom or you will become cutting edge.
Informational Articles
- What, Why, and How to Implement a Flipped Classroom Model: Michigan State University has an informational page which explains what, why, and how to implement a flipped classroom model. The author provides readers with the four pillars of F-L-I-P, which include a flexible environment, learning culture, intentional content, and professional educator. In addition, a handful of reasons are given for why flipping classrooms is beneficial and the 6-step guide to flipping classrooms (plan, record, share, change, group, regroup) is supplied.
- W – Flipping the Classroom: The University of Washington offers a page of information on what flipped classrooms are and how to start your flip. The most beneficial resources on this site are the additional resources on the bottom of the page, which include quick start guides, flipping with group-based and peer instruction, examples of flipped classrooms, and in-depth discussions about flipping practices. Also, descriptions of common activities in flipped classrooms (collaborative learning, case-based learning, peer instruction, and problem sets) are linked, which will be useful when you are deciding how you want to teach and what types of activities you want to include in your classroom.
- Cornell – Flipping the Classroom: Cornell University gives detailed information on why educators should flip their classrooms, considerations for flipping the classroom, and getting started with flipping the classroom (strategies, learning opportunities, assessment opportunities). Links to explanations on different types of learning and suggestions are given, which will be a good source to look at before you flip your classroom.
Conclusion
Flipping your classroom is a very important job, as it not only changes the way that students learn but it also changes the classroom environment as a whole. Most important of all, flipping will help the students in your classroom that are struggling or have different abilities to succeed. In the “typical” classroom, the standard type of student is most likely to excel, but in the flipped classroom, all types of students, whether they are “book-smart” or not, can succeed with the model. There are many benefits to flipped classrooms, and the resources above will be very helpful when you are flipping your own!
Additional Resources
- 10 Pros And Cons Of A Flipped Classroom: This website provides a list of ten pros and cons of a flipped classroom. Some of the pros of the flipped classroom include the fact that students have more control and it promotes student-centered learning and collaboration, and a few of the cons include the fact that it can create or exacerbate a digital divide, it relies on preparation and trust, and there is significant work on the front-end. You should consider all of the pros and cons when deciding whether or not to flip your classroom because it does take a significant amount of work and commitment!
- In-class activities and assessment for the flipped classroom: The University of Waterloo provides in-class activities and assessment for the flipped classroom. This page includes suggestions for individual activities in a flipped classroom, such as iClickers/polling, word webs/concept maps, and individual problem solving, and group activities, such as Think-Pair-Share, affinity grouping, team matrix, case studies, and think-aloud pair problem solving. Each activity comes with a detailed explanation of how the activity works and why they may be useful.
- Myths and Facts About Flipped Learning: This site offers a list of myths and facts about flipped learning. Educators can learn a lot from reading through this list and may be able to get answers to the questions they have. Some of the debunked myths include that flipped learning needs to include videos for students to watch before class, flipped learning replaces face-to-face teaching, and flipped learning has no evidence to back up its effectiveness.