CT 210 Flipping the Classroom

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Michael Davola
Dr. Roberto Joseph
CT 210A
5/1/15
Flipped Learning
ABSTRACT:
In the early 1990s, Harvard professor, Eric Mazur created the instructional
strategy, called peer instruction. This was the approach that moved
information transfer out of the classroom and allowed teachers to guide
students in their learning instead of lecturing. In 2000, Lage, Platt and
Treglia published the paper called "Inverting the Classroom: A Gateway to
Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment”. Their research shows that one
can optimize the time spent in the classroom when inverting or “flipping” the
classroom in order to meet the needs of students with a wide variety of
learning styles. In 2004, Salman Khan founded Kahn Academy based on
this flipped learning model. Kahn Academy has become associated with the
flipped classroom, however, these types of videos are only one form of the
flipped classroom strategy. In 2011, two centers at Wisconsin Collaboratory
for Enhanced Learning were created to focus on flipped and blended
learning. The classroom structure uses technology and collaboration-friendly
learning spaces, and emphasis for those involved in the program is placed
on individualized learning through non-traditional teaching strategies such as

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flipped classroom. The flipped classroom is a new pedagogical method,
which video lectures and practice problems as homework, and group-based
problem solving activities in the classroom. It represents a unique
combination of learning theories once thought to be incompatible—active,
problem-based learning activities founded upon a constructivist ideology and
instructional lectures derived from direct instruction methods founded upon
behaviorist principles. The purpose of this research paper is to explore what
flipping the classroom is, the pros and cons of flipping, the tools in which to
flip the classroom and tips in order to have a positive flipped classroom
experience.
FLIPPED LEARNING:
The best way to explain what flipped learning is, is by explaining the
traditional model of learning and comparing it to the flipped classroom. In a
traditional classroom, students walk into a room filled with around 25 to 30
students; they sit in rows of desks and take notes in their notebooks while a
teacher stands at a whiteboard, teaching a lesson. Regardless of ability
level, each student receives the exact same information at the exact same
pace. As the teacher presents this same material, students respond
differently: an average student, let’s call him, Al, understands the material
that is presented to him. Bobby, sees the material being presented by the
teacher and is getting bored because he knows everything about this topic

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already. While Christina, is very confused about what the teacher is saying
and is completely lost.
At the end of the day, Al, Bobby and Christina head home, and when
they get home, they sit at the kitchen table doing their homework, trying to
remember what the teacher talked to them about in front of the whiteboard
a couple of hours ago. Students like Al get through most of their homework,
while students like Bobby, find it easy and fly through it. At the same time,
students like Christina, get frustrated and need some extra help. The
teacher recognizes that students have different needs, and would love to
work with each student. But this requires time and resources that the school
does not have. However, there is a solution to this problem: Flipping the
classroom.
Flipped Learning is an approach that allows teachers to implement a
methodology, or various methodologies, in their classrooms. The formal
definition of flipped learning (according to the Flipped Learning Network) is
“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 the flipped learning environment, Al, Bobby and
Christina, would be at home, sit in their rooms watching videos of the lesson
in which the teacher assigned. Al is still able to work at his normal pace,

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Bobby is no longer bored because he can now use this new technology to
fast forward through the easy material, and Christina is no longer frustrated
because she can review the material she did not understand by pausing and
rewinding. When she really gets stuck she can get help from her classmates
using new technology platforms such as Moodle, Blackboard, Schoology and
Edmodo, which makes it easy to chat online with her classmates. Just like
homework is different, the classroom is different as well; instead of standing
in front of the room speaking, the teacher can walk around the room. They
can check in with Al as he works collaboratively with some students. They
can push Bobby further with some more challenging work, and can help
Christina with the pieces she still doesn’t quite get. In the traditional model,
the teacher stands between the students and the knowledge, but with the
flipped classroom model the students have direct access to the knowledge
and the teacher serves as a coach, mentor and guide, helping students
access this knowledge. The flipped classroom leverages technology in a way
which makes both the teacher and the students make the most of their time
and efforts.
According to the Flipped Learning Network there is a difference
between flipping a classroom and flipped learning. Flipping a class can, but
does not necessarily, lead to Flipped Learning. Many teachers may already
flip their classes by having students read text outside of class, watch
supplemental videos, or solve additional problems, but to engage in Flipped

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Learning, teachers must incorporate the following four pillars into their
practice: Flexible Environments, Learning Culture, Intentional Content, and
Professional Educators. For flipped learning, flexible environments mean to
have the teacher be able to rearrange the classroom to accommodate the
lesson or unit which will most likely involve group work or independent
study. This creates a space in which students can choose when and where
they learn. If you think about the way classrooms have been traditionally
set up they have had a chalkboard in the front of the classroom, and then
those chalkboards become whiteboards, which turn into overhead projectors
which then turn into LCD projectors with SMART Boards. In actuality, the
classroom in all of those situations is just a presentation station; it is not a
center of learning. When we rethink the space of the classroom, we're
reorienting how the classroom is used, where the front of the classroom is or
where the front of the classroom isn't. This leads us to the next step of
flipped learning, creating the learning culture.
Since traditionally, the classroom is set up where the teacher is the
center of the attention, when implementing flipped learning we see that
there is a shift from teacher-centered work to student-centered work.
In-class time is meant to explore topics in detail and create rich learning
opportunities through various learning styles. Teachers should think about
ways in which to get their students engaged in the work and apply some of
the higher order thinking skills of Bloom’s Taxonomy. According to Bloom’s

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Taxonomy, human thinking skills can be partitioned into six categories:
Knowledge - the ability to recall previously learned information,
Comprehension - being able to understand the meaning of information,
Application - taking learned knowledge and using it in a new situation,
Analysis - examining information and being able to classify and break
information into parts, Synthesis - taking prior knowledge and skills and
using them in a new combination, and Evaluation - being able to make a
decision according to a set of requirements where there might not be a
definitive right or wrong answer. These higher tiers, the analysis,
application, evaluation, and synthesis components are all a part of the
content that the students have already learned before coming into class.
Students can learn these methods in better ways with a, a content expert
and a learning expert; the teacher.
In the next piece of flipped learning, intentional content, educators are
encouraged to think how to use their flipped learning strategies to help
students understand the concept of their material as well as how to go about
exploring information on their own. When teaching, we want to show
thought provoking content that can lead us to socratic method questioning,
as well as project based learning and constructivist discovery. Flipping the
classroom is a way for teachers to transition into the role of a facilitator
rather than a lecturer. This requires an educator to be, according to the
FLIP model, a Professional Educator who is not only reflective in their

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practice, but can also connect with the students, as well as be able to
tolerate controlled chaos in the classroom. Flipping the classroom can be
viewed as a transitional tool for educators to move away from being the
center of attention in the classroom and move that attention onto students
and onto the learning that's happening in those classrooms.
One of the common problems that goes on when thinking about
flipping the classroom is making sure that student can have access to all of
the content you provide. Not all students have access to the Internet at
their home, so as educators, we have to come up with some other solutions.
Some ideas to fix this problem are to purchase a set of flash drives, and
check them out to students; burn the video content onto DVDs; or write a
grant that asks for a class set of some digital device that can be checked out
to students that they can take home and use. Another con is that you have
to make sure that students are watching the lectures at home and watching
the videos (or the materials provided) in the proper way. As teachers of the
flipped classroom, we have to make sure to teach our students how to watch
a flipped learning video. There is a difference between watching an
educational video versus watching a movie or television show.
When watching an educational video, we want to teach our students
how to interact with the video content in a meaningful way that causes them
to reflect and think through what they’re being exposed to. If the student
still does not want to do the work at home and misses a video to watch, we

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will have to hold that student accountable for their actions and tell them that
they have to watch the video in class while the other kids are getting help on
the more advanced material (the homework / activity).
We also want to make sure that the videos/materials that we are
making for flipped learning are the appropriate length for our students as
well as try to keep them engaged. Depending on the grade level, students
may have a smaller attention span to want to watch a video, so it is
beneficial for you keep that in mind when creating your flipped learning
videos. One method is to limit yourself to creating videos that are
approximately 1.5 times the grade level of your student. For example, if
you student is in third grade, make sure that the video is anywhere from
three to five minutes but if you’re teaching to a tenth grade class you can
have it be anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. Another method to make sure
that students are doing the work at home is by uploading the content to
their own teacher website and then embedding a google form or other
interactive media that collects data from the students by having them
answer questions and then have the students bring their answers into the
classroom the next day as an entrance ticket. Another tool for assessing
and interacting with videos is by using a website called EduCanon. This
website pauses the video and allows the educator to embed questions and
links right next to the video as the students are watching.

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So now that we know a lot about flipped learning, lets talk about what
tools there are out there for teachers to use in order to create a flipped
learning environment. Teachers should look into interactive classrooms as
a mode of discussion between the students and the teacher outside of the
school in order to spread and share ideas. Some websites that may be
helpful with creating this discussion are: VoiceThread, Blackboard, Edmodo,
Moodle, Schoology or even creating your own forum on a website created
with Wordpress, Squarespace, Wix or Weebly (ordered in difficulty from
most difficult to least difficult). After establishing a discussion center for
your flipped learning experience you have to then create the actual videos.
If you are unfamiliar with technology, or even afraid to use it, one idea to try
is to ask a student that is struggling in class to film you teaching the lesson
after school, and then ask him to upload the video to the correct spots. This
is a great method of helping your struggling student because they have to
listen to the lecture while it’s being recorded as well as when they get home.
If you are more familiar with technology and are comfortable shooting video,
using software such as Windows Movie Maker for Windows or iMovie would
be an easy way to start with creating videos for your classroom. Another
method of flipping the classroom is by creating an animation video. This can
be a challenge for some teachers if you’re using software such as Adobe
Flash, but an easier alternative is using a website called PowToon that
creates very easy animations for free. Along with this, a big movement that

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has been going on in flipped learning is the use of screencasting.
Screencasting is the way in which to record your own computer screen while
talking about your content. This style of learning was popularized by creator
Salman Khan of Khan Academy. Some great screen recording apps for you
to try are Screenflow or Quicktime player for Mac, or Screencastomatic,
Camtasia Studio, and Cam-Studio if you’re on a PC. Another method of
screencasting is by using an iPad; some apps for this are: ExplainEverything,
ShowMe, EduCreations, Doceri, ScreenChomp and Teach by Knowmia.
Flipping the classroom is a great way for teachers to transition into the
role of facilitator; becoming the educational guide for their students. We
really see the shift of learning from teacher-centered to student-centered.
Flipped Learning allows for teachers to enact a methodology, or various
methodologies, such as Bloom's Taxonomy, project based learning, universal
design, constructivist learning and inquiry learning that can all be
implemented into the classroom in order to create a positive learning
experience.

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Works Cited
Bishop, Jacob Lowell, and Matthew A. Verleger. "The flipped classroom: A
survey of the research." ASEE National Conference Proceedings,
Atlanta, GA. 2013.
"Bloom's Taxonomy." Bloom's Taxonomy. Web. 11 May 2015.
.
Herreid, Clyde Freeman, and Nancy A. Schiller. "Case studies and the flipped
classroom." Journal of College Science Teaching 42.5 (2013): 62-66.
Jinlei, Zhang, Wang Ying, and Zhang Baohui. "Introducing a New Teaching
Model: Flipped Classroom [J]." Journal of Distance Education 4
(2012): 46-51.
Miller, Andrew. "Five best practices for the flipped classroom." Edutopia.
Posted online 24 (2012): 02-12.
Network, Flipped Learning. "The Four Pillars of FLIP." (2014).
Tucker, Bill. "The flipped classroom." Education Next 12.1 (2012): 82-83.