Top 10 Reasons Why Flipping the
Classroom Can Change Education
Kathleen Fulton
Learning Forward
Nashville, Dec. 8, 2014
Goals of this Session
• Go beyond the “what” and “how” of flipping
• Take a deeper look at the “why” of flipping
• Get a feel for how you might try flipping
• Share your expertise with other participants as
you discuss flipping issues
• Learn about resources for going deeper
Overview
• Overview of flipped learning definitions
• Who am I and why flipping grabbed my attention
• Discussion of “Top Ten Reasons” (ala Dave Letterman!)
• Work in small groups to discuss and apply ideas from the
session
• Take home a list of a sampling of resources
But First, Who Are You?
• Teacher K-12
• Principal K-12
• Superintendent
• School Board Member
• Higher Ed Faculty
• “Other!” (it’s okay….)
What do you know about the
flipped classroom?
http://www.edudemic.com
What is your experience with flipped
teaching?
• Heard about it but have never flipped a class
• Have tried to flip a few classes
• Am pretty experienced but want to learn more
Who Am I ?
• Long career as a “policy wonk” in Washington
• Passion: how technology impacts teaching
• From OTA to NCTAF— Power On! New Tools
for Teaching and Learning —and Teachers and
Technology —to No Dream Denied and STEM
Teachers in PLCs
• Intro to flipping: Byron High School at Intel
Schools of Distinction Awards 2011
• Flipping Articles in Ed Journals and Magazines
(links on my webpage)
Corwin Press
June 2014
Corwin.com/books/Book241999
(Book Signing at Corwin Booth
in Exhibit Hall after the session)
Definitions of Flipped
Teaching/Learning/Classrooms
“Using technology to deliver asynchronous
direct
instruction with the intention of freeing up
class
time for student-centered learning”
Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in
which
direct instruction moves from the group
learning
space to the individual learning space, and the
resulting group space is transformed into a
dynamic,
interactive learning environment where the
educator
#1
Maximize Class
Time
http://onpoint.wbur.org
What Happens in Class?
• Direct instruction=explicitly teaching a
concept or skill
• It’s not always lecturing
• But, teachers always need to
“stand and deliver” some instruction,
dispensing information some of the time
• Historically, lecture is dominant form of
With Flipped Teaching…..
• Teachers move direct instruction out of public
space (group learning space) and into the
private space & time of individual learning
• Result: freeing classtime (the group learning
space) for more creative, engaging work with
students
• 90% application, 10% delivery/clarification of
information (Katie Gimbar)
Flipping Bloom
• This shift corresponds to flipping the triangles
represented in Blooms Taxonomy
• Individual learning tasks (listening,
remembering, understanding) move to the
private/personal learning space
• This allows more time for higher cognitive
activties (applying, evaluating, analyzing, and
creating) in the public learning space of the
classroom
Flipping
Bloom
Higher Cognitive
Activities Take Place
in the
Public learning space
Individual Learning
Tasks Take Place in
the Private learning
space
http://nli2010beijing.wikispaces.com/
Caveats
• Teachers don’t automatically know how best
to apply freed up time for learning
• It takes time, training, and reflection on what
works best with their students
#2
Individualize
Instruction
http://www.asktheblogger.com
Individualizing/Differentiating Instruction
• Asynchronous delivery of content can mean
individualizing instruction
• Mastery learning (Bergmann &
Sams:“Flipping 2.0”) becomes a possibility
• Technology (learning management systems
and data analysis tools) can help with
complicated delivery & management
challenges of mastery learning.
One Example:
Graham Johnson, High School Math
Central Okanagan, BC, Canada
• Each unit of instruction lists videos to watch,
assignments, math labs, journal instructions
• Students move at their own pace
– take online quizzes (formative) when ready
– if reach 70% mastery, move ahead
– if not, meet with teacher for remediation
Typical Day
(3 hour blocks, 3-4 times a week)
• Come in, talk about where the class is, poll on
how they feel they are doing, group discussion
and brief overview
• Move into group activities on math projects
• Then “Flex Time” do whatever they need to do
alone(watch lesson video, write in journal,
respond to prompts, take a quiz) or work in
• “Hot seats” in flex time: one-on-one with
Johnson
• He “grills them on content” when they think
they have mastered material in unit
• Ready to take unit test for credit? or study
more, get more help, work on (ungraded)
mastery quizzes?
Caveats
• It’s critical to build in regular checks for
mastery
• Training, support, and resources—including
appropriate assessments--are necessary for
teachers to successfully adopt teaching for
mastery learning
• Demonstrating mastery in multiple ways is
great, but traditional assessments and high
#3
Learning
Theory
http://blogs.ancestry.com
What’s Wrong With Lectures?
1.
“Babylonian” hour (base-60 number system?!?)
2.
Passive observers
3.
Attention fall-off after 10-20 minutes
4.
Note taking (seldom taught; no notes=no way to recapture the info.)
5.
Barriers to those with disabilities (seeing, hearing, control)
6.
Just one “bite of the cherry” (you snooze you lose)
7.
Cognitive overload (too much information!)
8.
9.
Tyranny of location
Tyranny of time
10. Poor presentation
Donald Clark, Ten Reasons to Dump Lectures
Can Flipping Address These?
• Length (10-12 minutes max!)
• Active learning(stop and pause=no attention fall-off)
• Good note taking, framing questions are critical skills
• Disabilities can be addressed (sound, zoom in, lighting,
pacing control)
• Many bites of the cherry (stop, rewind)
• Chunking content, modules
• Time & location no longer dictated
Inquiry Learning/Challenge-based
Learning
• Knowledge centered: start with learning
challenges around core concepts or skills in a
domain
• Learner based: each student brings prior
understandings & skills to the challenge
• Assessment centered: solving the challenge
demonstrates understanding
• Community centered: work in teams to solve
challenges
Peer Learning and Learning Theory
• Defend your answer= make thinking explicit
• Ownership of solutions
• Builds metacognitive skills
• To teach others is to learn what you know and
don’t know!
Assignment
Talk as a group and select one lesson that
you would like to try via flipped teaching
– What would you do first?
– Describe the content of the lesson sent
home
– What would you do in class?
#4
Effectiveness
http://datadriveninsights.com
Data Thus Far Looks Positive
• School/classroom data on student achievement
are promising
• E.g. Byron H.S. found 10-12% gains in percent of
students reaching proficiency in math
• E.g. Clintondale H.S. achieved
– 19% gains in Freshman percent passing rates in ELA
and social studies
– 13% gain in math passing rate
– 9% gain in social studies passing rate
Caveats
• No external, large scale studies
• No “gold standard” research to date
• No research on which students benefit, under
which conditions
• Send your research studies in!
Table Discussion
Are any of you collecting data on
flipped teaching?
Can you share with us what you
are finding?
#5
Impacts on Teachers
Opening Up the Classroom
• Process and products of flipping can open the
“black box” of teaching
• Teachers watching themselves teach=
improving teaching
• Working as teams in creating and sharing
videos and results = powerful teacher learning
• Social networks of flipped teachers build
Table Discussion
How often do you get to watch other
teachers teaching?
How could this be of benefit in your
school as you work on new lessons
(e.g. Common Core)
Taking different paths but
working together and building
trust
#6
Students
Students Like Flipping
• Using technology isn’t just cool; it’s expected
• Self-pacing brings independence to learners
• “Rewinding the teacher” is greatly appreciated
• More activity in class=more engagement
• More 1 on 1 time with teachers (some don’t like
this!)
Caveats
• Students need to be prepared for flipped
classes
• Teachers need to set up systems to track
whether students watch the video lessons
• Be aware of each student’s learning styles and
needs; one size doesn’t fit all
Table Discussion
What if students don’t watch the
videos?
#7
Flipping Benefits Parents Too
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us
Flipping Brings the Classroom Home
• Benefits: they no longer have to struggle
trying to help students with homework!
• Leave the teaching to the experts—teachers!
• Open the classroom so parents can see what
is taught and how
Table Discussion
How would you let parents know
about flipping instruction?
Some Caveats Raised by Flipped
Teachers
• Prepare parents for flipping (Watching videos
for homework? Not like the old days!)
• Show them how to support this approach--Flip
Back to School Night!
• Survey parents for family technology
resources and policies
#8
Resources
and Costs
http://3.bp.blogspot.com
Flipping Makes Effective Use of
Resources
• School tech investments, and teacher and
administrator readiness, have made flipped
classrooms much more feasible
• Budgets are tight; BYOD and digital content
can stretch school resources
• Multiple ways of assuring access (flash drives,
CD, send tech home,
Table Discussion
Discuss ways you can assure
equity of access to flipped
lessons in your school
Caveats
• Schools must invest in infrastructure
(broadband, wireless)
• Teacher training and time are critical and
costly investments
• Equity is always an issue—not just re: access;
but also equity of use
• Quality control, intellectual property and
#9
21st
Century
Skills
http://www.tltguide.ccsd.k12.co.u
s
Flipping Builds 21st C Skills
• 21st C skills are praised but not always
embedded in teaching and learning
• Surveys show students report most of these
were developed on the job, not in school
• Using technology seamlessly, collaborating,
finding and evaluating information, taking
charge of ones learning are key elements in
good flipped teaching and learning
http://www.unofficialtech.com
#10
Future of Education
The Future of Flipping...
What's your view?
Passing Fad
Must Have
Resources
• EdWeb Flipped Learning Community
(www.edweb.net/flipped)
• Flipped Learning Network
(http://flippedclassroom.org)
• Flipped Learning Ning
(www.flippedclassroom.org)
• Flipped Learning Institute
(http://flippedinstitute.org)
• Twitter (#flipclass)
More Resources
Educator blogs and videos, e.g.
– Educational Technology and Mobile Learning, Med
Karbach, on flipped classrooms
(http://www.educatorstechnology.com/search/lab
el/flipped%20classroom)
– Turn to Your Neighbor: The Official Peer
Instruction Blog (Julie Schell)
(http://blog.peerinstruction.net)
– Cycles of Learning, Ramsey Musallam
(www.cyclesoflearning.com)
– Chinese Educator’s Perspective: Flipped
Classroom of Teacher Sun, Yu-Chen (Junyi
Curricular Specific: A Sampling
• Flipped Social Studies: Tom Driscoll
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bblZFS2U
th0&list=PLRYqm5XDbB2Qte4AQYn_eVMOfkR
Ysh-tL&index=2
• https://www.youtube.com/user/FlippedHistor
yVideos/videos
• Ken Halla—World History
– http://worldhistoryeducatorsblog.blogspot.com/
A Curricular Sampling
• High School English: Cheryl Morris and
Andrew Thomasson
– http://www.flippedlearningjournal.org/cheryland-andrew.html
– https://www.youtube.com/user/ThomassonMor
risInstr/about
• French I and II: April Burton
http://www.mrsburton.com/?page_id=747
• 8th Grade Biology: Hassan Wilson’s Flipped
Lab
Good Old Fashioned Books
• Flipping Your English Class to Reach All
Learners, Troy Cockrum (Routledge, 2014)
• Flipped Learning: Gateway to Student
Engagement, (ISTE, 2014) and Flip Your
Classroom, (ISTE, 2012) Jonathan Bergmann &
Aaron Sams
• And, of course, Time for Learning: Top 10
Reasons Why Flipping the Classroom Can
Change Education (Corwin, 2014) Kathleen
Thank you very much!
Kathleen Phillipps Fulton
kathleenpfulton@gmail.com
http://kathleenpfulton.webs.com
Twitter: @KathleenFulton6