ARTIFACT #9: FLIPPED CLASSROOM

Artifact 9 is about flipped classrooms, a strategy researched for SPED 650. This
strategy originally began when a teacher made videos of his lessons available to
students who missed class (Bergmann and Sams, 2012). It evolved into the procedure
of using videos to provide instruction prior to students coming to class. For example,
students view a video of a math procedure for solving equations. The following day,
instead of beginning class with a demonstration of the procedure, the teacher and the
students jump right into working on the problems. In terms of gradual release
methodology, this cuts out the I do (watch the teacher) phase and jumps right into We
do phrase.

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Norene Ajimine
642, 4/17/2016 Educational Practices Brief

Flipped Classrooms

In 2006, two chemistry teachers from Woodland Park High School started

recording their live lectures for students who missed class. Aaron Sams and Jonathan

Bergman posted these to YouTube and soon found that it wasnt just the absentees who

were watching. Those who had come to class also used the videos, as a review of

material and a way to prep for tests. Other teachers (especially new teachers) would
borrow the videos for their own classes. Not long after these surprises, Adam realized

that students were able to receive content on their own, and what they really needed

was clarification of what was not understood. Together, Adam and Jonathan embarked

upon prerecording lecture segments for students to view outside of class, and dedicated

the time in-class towards direct supervision of the students independent work. Thus

was born, the flipped classroom (Bergmann and Sams, 2012).

By 2013, a national Flipped Learning Network reported their membership as

being 11,000 strong (Defour, 2013). Though there as is yet little/no published research

on this strategy, there is a growing list of flipped sites that have succeeded

resoundingly. One of these is Byron High School whose entire math department

decided to flip their classes when they learned their district would not provide

textbooks. They began planning from scratch in January 2010, implemented the video

lessons in Fall 2010, and had such fantastic results that Byron High received a School of

Distinction Award for Mathematics from Intel in Fall 2011. This graphs depicts the

difference in student performance after classes were flipped (Fulton, 2012):

 The essence of flipped learning is that:

o The lecture part of instruction is provided outside of scheduled class time.

o In class, teachers focus on guiding hands-on application/practice.
o Digital tech is used to deliver the outside-of-class instruction.

The teachers at Bryon High School shared 10-Best Things about their flipped

classroom experience. My favorite five are listed below (Fulton, 2012), and are paired

with corresponding UDL checkpoints (Meyer and Rose, 2012):

1. Students move at their own pace. When students pick up ideas quickly,

they move on quickly. Students who need to can pause/restart or replay the

video as many times as needed. Teachers who flip their rooms report they spend much

less time helping students before and after school. (UDL checkpoints: 1.2 & 1.3
alternatives for auditory & visual information; 2.5 illustrate through multiple media; 8.4

increase mastery oriented feedback.)

2. Observing students as they work provides teachers good insight on what was

understood---this is a LOT easier than scanning through a page of show-your-work

that was done at home, and trying to decipher what happened! The insight on

students difficulties also provides the teacher with accurate feedback on the

effectiveness of instructional methods, and the ability to revise these appropriately.

(UDL checkpoints: 3.3 guide informational processing, visualization and manipulation;

7.2 optimizes relevance, value, and authenticity; 8.4 increase mastery oriented feedback)

3. Digital technology provides access to the lesson 24/7. At least three powerful

benefits based just on this:

o Based on direct observation of student work, teachers can easily provide updates

the curriculum and students always have the most recent update. The updates

can provide a perfect fit of content, rigor, and personal connections observed.

This means that the class spends less time on concepts they understand, and they

spend more time on either (a) concepts they dont get, or (b) tasks that are
 bumped up to provide a challenge. (UDL checkpoints: 5.1 use multiple media for

communication; 8.4 increase mastery oriented feedback)

o Readily available lessons provide a new way to address absenteeism. Students

who miss class due to illness, sports, field trips, etc., can still keep up because

they can view the lessons at any time/s that fit their schedule. Teachers do not

have to create additional lessons for these absentees. (UDL checkpoints: 9.2

facilitate personal coping skills and strategies; 7.3 minimize threats and

distractions; 8.3 foster collaboration and community)

o The digital tech tools are widely available as is internet. Thus many students are

familiar with using these. Computers, laptops, iPads and tablets, cell phones,

iPods are usually able to access the social media commonly used to store the

videos (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, iTunes).

4. Classroom time can be used more effectively and creatively. By removing the

lecture portion, there is time to expedite mastery of skills and provide activities that

would never have fit into the day otherwise: e.g., hands-on experiments, project-based

assessments, team challenges, cross curricular innovations. Teacher-student relations

become more meaningful. (UDL checkpoints: 2.5 illustrate through multiple media; 7.2

optimizes relevance, value, and authenticity; 8.3 fosters collaboration and community.)

5. Many facets of flipped classrooms are supported by learning theory. One

facet is that instruction becomes chunked into short, cognitively malleable units. A

second is that each time students decide whether to watch a video again or to move on,

they are self-assessing. Another is the immediate feedback and just-in-time supports

from teacher and peers. Also, precepts of social constructivism can be seen when

students gather to watch videos together, work in class as teams, and learn through

peer tutoring. Finally, mastery learning occurs throughout the flipped process.

Discussion while creating the Google Slides presentation with my group (Kailey

and Noelani) included identifying barriers that may arise with this strategy, and possible

countermeasures:
Barrier Countermeasures

Resistance! from those Training stakeholders regarding the strategy and tech. Link to 21st-
who prefer traditional Century Learning. Track and report the data---its anticipated to be
good! Any who doubt whether students w/internet access can learn
homework (such as
content on their own might watch Sugata Mitras Hole-in-the-Wall
curriculum vendors!
videos!
hiss!), and from those
who lack techy know-
how.

Students with no School provisions for one-to-one computing. Apply a variation to the
access to tech tools or flipped class strategy where students independently view the videos in-
internet outside of class---teacher is still free to walk amongst them and guide their work:
school.

Time needed to learn Support from administration for planning time and training.
to use the tech, the
strategy, and create
the video recordings.

Little/no research to Emphasize the plethora of key learning theories that support the
prove the strategy. concept of flipping the class.

Teachers who feel they Adaptive Schools and other coached facilitation strategies that ease
are more vulnerable to the pain of faculty collaboration. Supportive admin if/when pain from
criticism. parents arise. . .
 I think the idea of flipped classrooms holds potential for a lot of profound

benefits! I would enjoy that my lesson IS the homework---this would spare me the cycle

of creating and sending home worksheets/tasks that teachers typically dont even

count because you never know who actually did it, or how they got it done. Also, I

can do without the guessing game that traditional homework can be---its hard to

predict whether worksheets prepped ahead of time will address the needs which

manifest on the day of the lesson!

There are many benefits to incorporating the concept of flipped learning. My

favorite benefit is that I would love to convert lecture/follow-along to try it by yourself

and Ill help you---if you need it. And if you dont? Well, move on to [higher order

task] while the others catch up. I would make sure that the extension task requires a

high level of cooperation, which will even things out---the fastest smartest students

make the dumbest groups because they have the hardest time cooperating. (This is

not cynical comment! Its really true!) Flipped learning will be wonderful way to provide

ALL students with a little more of the practice they really need!
 References

Bergmann, J., and Sams A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every
class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.

Defour, M. (2013). Flipped classrooms spreading in Wisconsin. Community College

Week 25(16) 10.

Fulton, K. (2012). 10 reasons to flip. Phi Delta Kappan 94(2) 20-24.

McCammon, L. Why I flipped my classroom. [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://goo.gl/9kJUw9

MediaCore. Flipping the Classroom: Explained. [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://goo.gl/0pwTxD

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. (2013). Universal design for learning: Theory and
practice. Wakefield, MA: Center for Applied Special Technology. Retrieved from
http://udltheorypractice.cast.org/login

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added after submission:

http://goo.gl/1ZuSDn site for FLIP network: actual use as an acronym & associated

checkpoints. . .