Education Week August 29, 2012 - A Special Report on E-Learning - S6

EDUCATION WEEK AUGUST 29, 2012 Schools Open Doors to New E-Learning Rules, Ideas
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> www.edweek.org/go/elearning-rules

S6

Educators View ‘Flipped’ Model With a More Critical Eye
Benefits and drawbacks seen in replacing lectures with on-demand video

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By Katie Ash

growing number of educators are working to turn learning on its head by replacing traditional classroom lectures with video tutorials, an approach popularly called the “flipped classroom.” Interest in that teaching method was in full view this summer at the International Society for Technology in Education annual conference in San Diego, where almost every session on the topic was filled to capacity. The movement was inspired partly by the work of Salman Khan, who created a library of free online tutoring videos spanning a variety of academic subjects, known as the Khan Academy, which many view as a touchstone of the flipped-classroom technique. But, much like the Khan Academy itself, the approach is attracting increasing scrutiny—and criticism— among educators and researchers. The term flipping comes from the idea of swapping homework for class work. Students typically are assigned the video-watching for homework, freeing up class time that used to be spent listening to lectures for hands-on activities and application of knowledge, which used to serve as homework. However, as most educators who have begun to use the technique are quick to say, there are a multitude of ways to “flip” a classroom. Some teachers assign a video for homework, while others allow students to watch those videos in class. Still others make videos for the lesson, but do not require students to watch them at all, giving students a variety of resources and allowing them to choose what they utilize to learn the required information. But just as the Khan Academy has recently come under fire from some in the education blogosphere

for what critics say is flawed pedagogy, the flippedclassroom technique has also garnered criticism from some who believe that flipping is simply a high-tech version of an antiquated instructional method: the lecture. “My concern is that if you’re still relying on lecture as your primary mode of getting content across, … you haven’t done anything to shift the type of learning that’s occurring,” said Andrew Miller, an educational consultant who works with the Alexandria, Va.-based professional-development group ascd and the Novato, Calif.-based Buck Institute of Education, which works to promote project-based learning in classrooms. “That’s not how all of us learn,” he said. “Just because you flipped your classroom doesn’t mean your students will watch the videos. How are you engaging your kids?” Ramsey Musallam, a chemistry teacher at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, a private Catholic high school in San Francisco, shares Mr. Miller’s concerns. “Everyone initially thought that [flipping] was an innovative way [to teach] because we’re so rooted in this idea that students don’t like homework,” he said. “However, when you step back a little bit, what you’re looking at is simply a time-shifting tool that is grounded in the same didactic, lecture-based philosophy. It’s really a better version of a bad thing.” Mr. Musallam, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco’s college of education, began flipping his classroom in 2006, but after noticing little difference in student learning despite the extra in-class time for labs and hands-on activities, he shifted his perspective. He still uses flipping as an instructional technique, but instead of giving students the video initially, they first go through an exploratory, guided inquiry-based period. Next, the students receive basic instructions and materials to complete lab work and observe the

phenomena they are studying. Only then, “when I feel that they can’t form any more ideas on their own,” does Mr. Musallam make videos to address misconceptions and provide instruction, he said. Delaying the direct instruction as much as possible increases students’ curiosity, he said. Using the flipping technique is not necessarily negative, Mr. Musallam said, but teachers should be realistic about what it really is. “I say keep the flip alive, but lower the volume and think about it like we think about anything,” he said. “It’s a thing you do in the context of an overarching pedagogy,” not the pedagogy itself, he said.

SHARING QUESTIONS
Jonathan Bergmann, the lead technology facilitator for the 600-student K-8 Kenilworth school district in Illinois, is considered one of the pioneers of the flipped movement. He and his former fellow teacher Aaron Sams began using the flipping technique in 2006 at the 950-student Woodland Park High School in Woodland Park, Calif., to teach chemistry. The pair created videos of their lectures and posted them online for their chemistry and Advanced Placement chemistry classes during the 2007-08 school year. They required the students to take notes on the videos and come to class with one thoughtful question to share. The teachers found that the technique allowed them to spend more time with students one-on-one and to provide just-in-time intervention when students needed it. They also noticed an uptick in test scores in the students using the flipped-class technique. Soon they began visiting other schools that were

TIPS FOR FLIPPING
own videos. While some believe that students prefer to see their own teacher in the videos, others recommend harnessing the educational content that is already available on the Web. Resources such as the Khan Academy, YouTube EDU, and PBS can provide wellproduced video content for your students.

1on creating your

Don’t get hung up

about what parts of your class you decide to “flip” and when. Deciding to flip part of your lesson will not automatically make it a better lesson. You have to be intentional about when to flip and clear about what the benefit will be for students.

2 thoughtful 3 find a partner
Be If possible,

to create videos with. Students enjoy hearing the back-and-forth conversation of two teachers, especially when one teacher plays the role of mentor while the other plays the role of learner.

students to find out what technology they have at home, and find alternatives for students who lack Internet access. Alternatives may mean burning the videos onto DVDs or creating lists of places where students can go online.

doesn’t guarantee that they will be more engaged. Requiring students to take notes on the videos, ask questions about the videos, or engage in discussion about them will help ensure that they watch and absorb the material.

4

A ddress the issue of access early. Survey your

5 students in the videos.
F ind a way to engage

Just having students watch videos instead of listening to lectures
SOURCE: Education Week
http://www.edweek.org/go/elearning-rules
Education Week August 29, 2012 - A Special Report on E-Learning

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