Five Ways to Motivate Unprepared Students in the Flipped Classroom In the previous article “Ready to Flip: Three Ways to Hold Students Accountable for Pre-Class Work,” I mentioned that one of the most frequently asked questions about the flipped classroom model is, “How do you encourage students to actually do the pre-class work and come to class prepared?” A few days after the article was published, a reader emailed me to ask a follow up question. It’s actually the second most popular question I hear from educators. The flipped classroom model—or any active, student-centered learning model—relies heavily on students being prepared and ready to engage in the learning activities. Your response to this question is based on your teaching philosophy and the type of classroom environment you want to create. So, what can we do to address the challenge of unprepared students? Have a conversation. When students are unprepared for the learning activities, it can cause stress for both you and the other students in the room.
Ready to Flip: Three Ways to Hold Students Accountable for Pre-Class Work - Faculty Focus One of the most frequent questions faculty ask about the flipped classroom model is: “How do you encourage students to actually do the pre-class work and come to class prepared?” This is not really a new question for educators. We’ve always assigned some type of homework, and there have always been students who do not come to class ready to learn. However, the flipped classroom conversation has launched this question straight to the top of the list of challenges faculty face when implementing this model in their classrooms. First, let’s clarify what we mean by a “flipped” classroom. Make your expectations clear The flipped classroom—or any active learning environment—often asks students to come to class “prepared.” For example, if you assign a chapter for your students to “read before class” or tell them to “come to class prepared to discuss the chapter,” what exactly are you expecting students to be able to do? Many instructors use video in their flipped classrooms.
How to Create Assessments for the Flipped Classroom It seems like everyone is talking about the flipped classroom. But how do you use this new model to construct lessons and assessments that reinforce student learning? “Flipping” involves turning Bloom’s Taxonomy on its head. Barbi Honeycutt, PhD, is the director of graduate teaching programs at North Carolina State University and the founder of Flip It Consulting. Imagine a course component for Healthy Cooking 101 that addresses childhood obesity. As the lesson progresses, the instructor can add what Honeycutt terms “layers” to take students deeper into their learning and higher in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Finally, students may be asked to create a healthy PB&J sandwich. Using this simple example, Honeycutt takes listeners through the process of creating formative and summative assessments from the flipped class. So, why go to all of this trouble to create robust lessons for the flipped classroom? View a brief clip from the seminar:
Flipping Assessment: Making Assessment a Learning Experience If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re already aware that flipped instruction has become the latest trend in higher education classrooms. And for good reason. As it was first articulated by Bergmann and Sams, flipped instruction personalizes education by “redirecting attention away from the teacher and putting attention on the learner and learning.” As it has evolved, the idea of flipped instruction has moved beyond alternative information delivery to strategies for engaging students in higher-level learning outcomes. Instead of one-way communication, instructors use collaborative learning strategies and push passive students to become problem solvers by synthesizing information instead of merely receiving it. The bottom line in flipped instruction is actively engaging students in higher-level learning during class. Create assignment/course rubrics with students. When I have used flipped assessments in my writing courses, students have responded positively.
Four Assessment Strategies for the Flipped Learning Environment Flipped learning environments offer unique opportunities for student learning, as well as some unique challenges. By moving direct instruction from the class group space to the individual students’ learning spaces, time and space are freed up for the class as a learning community to explore the most difficult concepts of the course. Likewise, because students are individually responsible for learning the basics of new material, they gain regular experience with employing self-regulated learning strategies they would not have in an unflipped environment. But because initial engagement with new material is done independently as a preparation for class time rather than as its focus, many things could go wrong. If students do the assigned pre-class work but don’t acquire enough fluency with the basics—or if they simply don’t do it at all—then the in-class experience could be somewhere between lethargic and disastrous. A key to achieving this kind of environment is assessment.
Four Assessment Strategies for the Flipped Learning Environment Flipped learning environments offer unique opportunities for student learning, as well as some unique challenges. By moving direct instruction from the class group space to the individual students’ learning spaces, time and space are freed up for the class as a learning community to explore the most difficult concepts of the course. Likewise, because students are individually responsible for learning the basics of new material, they gain regular experience with employing self-regulated learning strategies they would not have in an unflipped environment. But because initial engagement with new material is done independently as a preparation for class time rather than as its focus, many things could go wrong. A key to achieving this kind of environment is assessment. Join Robert Talbert for Assessment Strategies for Flipped Learning Experience. Here are four strategies for flipped learning assessment that can help provide this kind of support. Start with good learning objectives.
Five Time-Saving Strategies for the Flipped Classroom A few months ago, I heard a podcast by Michael Hyatt, a best-selling author and speaker who helps clients excel in their personal and professional lives. This particular podcast focused on how to “create margins” in life to reduce stress and avoid burnout. Quoting Dr. Richard Swenson’s work, Hyatt defines a margin as “the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. . . . Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion. . . . As I listened to this podcast, I realized that the idea of creating margins also applies to the flipped classroom. If these comments sound familiar, it might be helpful to create margins in your flipped classroom. Recommendation #1: Find flippable moments.Faculty interested in the flipped classroom get really excited about the flipped classroom. Recommendation #2: Make small changes.Once you identify the flippable moments in a course, focus on a specific lesson. Let’s keep the conversation going. Resources:Hyatt, M.
Flipped Classroom Survey Highlights Benefits and Challenges Perhaps no other word has been as popular in higher education during the past few years as the term “flipped.” As a result, there is no shortage of ideas and opinions about flipped learning environments. Some faculty consider it another way to talk about student-centered learning. Others view flipped classrooms as an entirely new approach to teaching and learning. Still others see flipping as just another instructional fad that will eventually run its course. Faculty Focus recently surveyed its readers to gain a better understanding of their views on flipped learning. Key findings Results from the survey are based on the responses from the 1,089 Faculty Focus readers who completed the survey. More than two-thirds (69.5%) have tried flipping an activity, class, or course, and plan to do it again. A mostly positive experience A psychology professor from a four-year public institution reiterated that idea. However, not all experiences were positive. Challenges to flipping
Flipped Classroom: Engaging Students with EdPuzzle The flipped classroom model is a blended learning strategy I use to present my vocabulary, writing, and grammar instruction online. Students watch videos at home where they can control the pace of their learning, then they come to class prepared to apply that information in collaborative student-centered activities. One thing I emphasize when I lead professional development for teachers is the importance of flipping and engaging. Instead of simply consuming information, I want students to think critically about that information. This requires that I design flipped lessons that encourage students to ask questions, analyze the information, and discuss concepts with peers asynchronously online to begin making sense of the information they are receiving at home. A newer tool I’m excited to use with students come fall is EDpuzzle. Step 1: Find the Perfect Video Once you’ve created an account, you can search for videos using keywords or a URL. Step 2: Preview Your Video Open-ended Questions
Course Redesign Finds Right Blend of Content Delivery and Active Learning Introductory courses are packed with content. Teachers struggle to get through it during class; students struggle to master it outside of class. Too often learning consists of memorizing material that’s used on the exam but not retained long after. Faculty know they should use more strategies that engage students, but those approaches take time and, in most courses, that’s in very short supply. Blended-learning designs can be used to help with the problem. A variety of interesting classroom activities was used, including a version of the time-tested muddiest-point strategy. Outside of class, students had the option of using instructor-created crossword puzzles to help them become familiar with terminology and spelling they needed to know for the exam. Virtually all of these in- and out-of-class activities were graded. The instructor who authored the article is honest about what this course redesign involved. Was redesigning the course worth the effort? Reference: Bergtrom, G. (2011).
Flipped Courses: A Few Concerns about the Rush to Flip I have some concerns about flipping courses. Maybe I’m just hung up on the name—flipping is what we do with pancakes. It’s a quick, fluid motion and looks easy to those of us waiting at the breakfast table. I’m not sure those connotations are good when associated with courses and that leads to what centers my concerns. I keep hearing what sounds to me like “flippant” attitudes about what’s involved. In theory, I couldn’t be more supportive of the idea—it’s learner-centered from the inside out. This past weekend, a faculty member told me that his lectures are now all on podcasts that students watch on their own. I worry that our affection for the idea of flipping, now supported by a range of wonderful technology options, is causing us to overlook the careful design work involved in guiding those independent learning experiences. My second concern is related, perhaps overlapping. The third concern is a similar one related to content.