Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
FLIPPING CLASSROOM: SOME EXPERIMENTS
WITH UNIVERSITY AND K-12 CLASSES
Alessandra Giglio
giglio@itd.cnr.it
www.alessandragiglio.com
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
In this presentation:
We will try to answer to some questions that can rise when
talking about flipped learning.
•What do you exactly mean with «flipping the classroom»?
•How can you apply it to a foreign language teaching
context?
•Which are the first results of such a case study?
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Flipping the Classroom: a Definition
The Flipped Classroom is one
of the emerging technologies
in education.
http://www.nmc.org/
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
guides students as they apply concepts and engage
creatively in the subject matter.
(Flipped Learning Network, 2014)
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Flipped Classroom: a Brief History
Bergman
and
Sams were surely
helped
by
the
rising success of
http://www.youtube.com
And,
in
the
meanwhile, another
interesting
phenomenon
was
taking place
http://goo.gl/4q9f5v
http://goo.gl/eJ8L3g
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Flipped Classroom: putting it simple
http://www.slu.edu
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Flipped Classroom: side effects
• Student at the very center of their
learning process
http://goo.gl/Djq1Yo
• Use of Open Educational Resources in
teaching
http://goo.gl/7YMc9R
• Developement of students’ technical
and personal skills
http://goo.gl/R0ZnPA
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
A Case Study: an Italian for Foreigners
Course
• Level: Italian for Absolute and False Beginners (A1 and
A2 ECFR levels)
• Structure of the course: 15 units of work (depending on
the 15 units of the course textbook AND the term
schedule)
• Methodology: Communicative Approach
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
The Course Syllabus
The Traditional Course
http://goo.gl/gfcky8
http://goo.gl/pl25gk
The Flipped Course
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
The Flipped Courses: Some Info
Dalarna University, Sweden
Deledda International (K-12)
School, Italy
• Fall & Spring terms 2013;
• Academic year 2013-2014
Spring term 2014
(previously, it was
organized in an online,
blended methodology)
• 56 students, age 19-65
• No control group
(no previous experience
of Beginners courses)
• 8 students, from both
Middle and High School
• Presence of a control
group
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Student Satisfaction Questionnaire
Pros
• Enthusiasm and motivation
in the course
• Students like the course
structure and the units
schemas to follow
• Students like pre-recorded
video to be watched several
times and at home (saving
lesson time for language
communication)
• No technical difficulties
related to the flipped method
Cons
• Students think it takes
more time to study
• (K-12) Students find it
hard to «balance the
flipped method class with
my other traditional
classes»
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Summative Results
• Similar outcome between «flipped» and control groups:
written and oral skills seem to be developed at the same
level
• Grammar and morphosyntactic competences seem to be
better developed by the «flipped» group
• Only the «flipped» group developed technical and social
skills
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Conclusions
The flipped learning methodology applied to the Italian for
Beginner course seems to give similar learning outcomes
comparing to traditional methods of teaching; however, it
presents interesting surplus values such as the development of
collaborative and social skills, more motivation on students and
technology competences, that are key for the new millennium,
lifelong learning panorama.
Students seem to enjoy this sort of method, since it gives them
more freedom to study at their own rhythm and according to their
style of knowledge acquisition, as also Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligences Theory (Gardner, 1983) suggested. Moreover, such
a methodology allows the real, in-contexts and situational use of
the target language, that also the communicative approach has
been promoting for decades.
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
References
• Flipped Learning Network (FLN). (2014) The Four Pillars
of F-L-I-P™,
22/05/2014)
www.flippedlearning.org/
(accessed
on
• Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of
multiple intelligences. NY: Basics.
Alessandra Giglio – CNR ITD
Alessandra Giglio
giglio@itd.cnr.it
www.alessandragiglio.com