in large groups. In flipped learning,
the direct instruction is delivered
individually, usually—though not
exclusively—through teacher-created
videos. This time shift then frees up
the face-to-face class time for richer,
more meaningful learning experiences
for students.
If a teacher is not using direct instruction in class, what does she do
instead? You can get to the answer to
that question by answering this one:
What is the best use of face-to-face
class time?
Flipped learning is not just about
using video as a direct instruction delivery tool. It’s about maximizing class
time for deeper student engagement.
Educators have only a fixed amount
of time with students and need to use
it as effectively as possible. We argue
that direct instruction to the whole
group is not the best use of face-to-face class time.
Perhaps the reason flipped learning
is really catching on with educators is
that it gets the teacher away from the
front of the room. Too many educa-
tors prefer to be their students’ central
focus. We both led teacher-centered
classrooms for years, but when we
got ourselves away from the front of
the room, we began to explore more
meaningful ways of engaging with our
students. The magic in this change
was not that we shifted the direct
instruction out of the classroom and
into the individual learning space.
It was that we finally made learning,
rather than teaching, the most important goal of class time.
Is flipped learning absolutely necessary for making a change like this?
No! However, flipped learning seems
to be a first step that most teachers
can take toward a learning-centered
classroom. Still, this simple change in
location can be scary for teachers. Releasing some of the control of the learning process to our students is not easy.
We encourage educators not to
simply stop at adopting Flipped Class
101. Instead, you should start at that
point and use it as a gateway to flipped
learning.
The danger of settling in at Flipped
Class 101 is that it doesn’t fundamentally change anything. A lecture,
whether it takes place in person or on
video, is still a lecture. Boring lectures
are bad, but boring lectures on a video
can be even worse. And if all you do is
worksheets in class, then nothing has
changed.
One of the mistakes we made when
we began flipping our class was to
focus too much on the creation and
use of video. We were enamored with
this content delivery mechanism and
spent much of our time training other
teachers how to make it. But since
then, we have realized that although
engaging videos are a key element in
flipping a class, the more important
benefit is what happens in class once
direct instruction is moved to the individual space.
What should you do with the additional class time? Again, ask yourself
what the best use of face-to-face time
is for your class. Each educator will
answer this question in his or her
own way. Flipped learning looks very
different in an elementary classroom
than it does in a woodworking or
math class. Your answers will lead you
to possible strategies.
Where Are We Going, and
How Do We Get There?
Though flipped learning classrooms
look different from each other, three
common elements tie them together:
relationships, content, and curiosity.
Relationships. Too often educational
reformers and curriculum specialists put their efforts toward fixing
the curriculum or helping students
prepare for tests. However, in the article “Attachment in the Classroom,”
Christi and David Bergin showed that
students who have positive relationships with their teachers do better on
standardized tests and have higher
grades ( goo.gl/JdtRLK). So, what if we
used some of the time we now spend
on preparing students for standardized tests to connect meaningfully
with them instead? We believe that
good teaching is built on solid relationships. We should spend more time
and resources on training teachers
how to relate to each student and how
to be mentors and coaches instead of
just content experts who have studied
Applying ISTE Standards to Flipped Learning
ISTE Standards for Teachers, 2c: Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’
diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
ISTE Standards for Teachers, 2d: Provide students with multiple and varied formative and
summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to
inform learning and teaching
When we first flipped our class, we provided only one way for students to learn our content—from
our videos. But one day we had a student who asked us if it was OK if he just read the book and
skipped the videos. We quickly realized we needed to provide more than one way for students to
access content. In an ideal flipped learning environment, students have choices about how they learn.
Some students access the content by watching videos, others read the textbook, and others use
interactive simulations to learn content.
Not only do students need more than one way to access or learn content, but they also need
multiple ways to demonstrate that they have mastered it. To that end, we took flipped learning
a step further and began to allow students to choose how they would be assessed. Instead of
allowing them only to take our standard exam, we let students do projects and design video games
to demonstrate mastery of specific content. This resulted in differentiation for every student and
personalized learning and assessments that met the needs of each child.
