Planning for flipped learning in your classroom is a little bit different from planning for traditional classrooms.

You must understand the key structures/concepts of a flipped classroom.

What is a flipped classroom? First, let’s look at a definition of Flipped Learning.

Jon Bergmann believes that the most useful and enlightening definition of Flipped Learning is as follows: “Flipped Learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group space to the individual space and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and creatively engage in the subject matter.”

So for Bergmann, a flipped classroom has at its core the concept of:

• Group space
• Individual space.

Both are crucial to running a sound flipped classroom.

The group space for a student is typically the classroom working with other students and the teacher. The individual space is the student working by themselves typically, but not always, at home. Be clear, the individual space can be in a variety of locations, but it is characterised by the student working alone.

Traditional Classroom

In the group space of a traditional classroom, direct instruction (a lecture to the whole group) is followed by a few activities to cement learning. In the individual space of a traditional classroom, homework is set which usually involves more complex activities involving application, analysis, evaluation and creativity. Students complete this homework alone at home without the help of a teacher, but because of the often complex nature of the homework, they may need assistance. Where is the teacher when they are truly needed?

Note that in a traditional classroom the group space happens first where new content is introduced usually via the lecture and the individual space happens second.

Flipped Classroom

In a flipped classroom it is the other way round. The individual space comes first and the group space second. In the individual space, the student is introduced to new content which usually takes the form of a micro video. They are doing this by themselves with some sort of device without much need of any help. When they come to class, that is when they meet in the group space the next day, they get to ask their questions, apply, analyse, evaluate and create and be generally involved in a whole lot of active learning, with the teacher available to guide them – as it should be!

You may be interested in a certification program that Jon Bergmann is running. Find out more and preview some free training samples @ http://flglobal.org/getcertified/ – Course costs start at US $70.00.

One of the biggest criticisms of digital technology is that it greatly increases the amount of time students sit in front of a screen (screen time) whether it be a computer, phone, other mobile device or game console. Appreciating that Flipped Learning does rely on digital technology for its complete success, Jon Bergmann (one of the pioneers of Flipped Learning) decided to canvas students to understand what they thought about screen time by asking the question: How does Flipped Video affect your total amount of screen time?

Eighty – five percent of students surveyed, claimed that Flipped Videos added little or no time to their screen time. Of the 85%, 30% of students reported that Flipped Video screen time replaces other screen time, not adds to it. In short, Flipped Videos add quality educational content to a student’s screen time. That is huge!

Another exciting finding came as a result of asking students the question: How do Flipped Videos help you understand the class content? 

• 68% said easier to much easier
• 23% said about the same
• 9% said harder to much harder.

The 9% of students claiming “harder to much harder” cannot be ignored. However, the 68% of students claiming it made it “easier to much easier” for them is a truly amazing result according to Bergmann.

When it comes to time spent in the Flipped Learning model students reported two very significant things:

• Flipped Videos are typically short, much shorter than the “lectures” they replace
• Flipped Homework takes less time than traditional homework.

These findings about “time”, coupled with the finding that most students feel they learn better in a Flipped Classroom, is exactly the kind of thing we want to see in education according to Bergmann – less time, better outcomes.

For further information about what students think about Flipped Learning, we recommend Jon Bergmann’s book: Solving the Homework Problem by Flipping the Learning (2017).

The essence of Flipped Learning is simple. In Part 1 of this series we explained Flipped Learning as:

• Learning environments that have steered the focus of the classroom away from “the lecture”
• Learning environments that have replaced “the lecture” with increased hours working with students one on one, assisting them with higher order learning challenges and personalising their learning (Active Learning): AND
• Learning environments that deliver critical content to students through technology (often video) outside and inside of class time.

Let’s focus on how to change our instructional style from one of “Lecture” to one of “Active Learning”, for that’s what flipped classrooms seek to do.

To do this we can learn from both Dr Robert Marzano and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

In Part 2 of this series, we saw how Marzano’s research demonstrates that only a small percentage of classrooms in the USA spent time on cognitively complex tasks involving generating and testing hypotheses (Active Learning). Flipped Learning seeks to improve this situation. Flipped Learning seeks to expose students to more Active Learning.

How do we do it? Where can we get some help with this?

Bloom’s Taxonomy one of the better-known education theories provide some useful insights.

In thinking about the importance of Active Learning in the Flipped Learning paradigm, Jon Bergmann one of the pioneers of Flipped Learning, suggests that we flip the Bloom’s Taxonomy diagram and then change its shape as follows:

Figure 1: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Original

In traditional teaching, a teacher spends more time at the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy than they do at the top (Figure 1). Often the higher order active skills of Bloom’s (creating, evaluating and analysing) are left for homework projects with the teacher in class time focussing on the more passive skills of (remembering, understanding). Is this the best use of the teacher’s time? No!

Figure 2: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Flipped

Flip Bloom’s Taxonomy (Figure 2) and we get closer to the essence of Flipped Learning.

Here the focus for the teacher in class time is more at the top (creating, evaluating, analysing). Less at the bottom (remembering and understanding). That can be catered for through technology. This is better teaching, but is it realistic? Not quite!

Figure 3: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Diamond

A diamond-shaped Bloom’s (Figure 3) is arguably an even better explanation of the best use of a teacher’s time. Here the teacher spends more time in the middle of Bloom’s (analysing, applying). This is where a student needs a teacher to help them the most. Technology can help with the other skills. Now we are getting close to the essence of a flipped classroom with Active Learning a very significant component at the centre.

To find out more about Flipped Learning and its possibilities meet Jon Bergmann, in person @ FlipCon Australia at the Inaburra School in Sydney on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2017.

If you are interested in drilling right down to implementing Active Learning in your classroom you may wish to consider the Masterclass option available at the conference.

For more information about the Masterclass option and to register go to the FlipCon Australia page.

In Part 1 of this series, about flipped learning, we talked about freeing up and changing the nature of class time by decreasing the amount of time spent on “lecturing to the whole class” and instead, increasing the hours working with students one on one, assisting them with higher order learning challenges and personalising their learning.

This is a critical part of the flipped classroom – freeing up a lot of time!

But what you do with that time is equally critical.

In a study of 2,000,000 classrooms in the USA, Dr Robert Marzano asked the key question: what instructional strategy is being used? His research results are outlined below:

In a flipped learning paradigm, with a lot of time freed up, we seek to change these percentages. We seek to decrease the emphasis on interacting with new content and practising and deepening new content, to significantly increase the amount of time spent on cognitively complex tasks involving generating and testing hypotheses. This is one of the hallmarks of a flipped classroom.

In a Flipped Learning model, interacting with new content, as important as it is, is not overdone in class time. New content is delivered to the students via some form of technology (often videos). Students study this content usually outside of class and return to the class the next day ready to work with the teacher to get stuck into deep understanding and complex tasks that depend on having interacted with it.