Preview Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom Theories and Practices by Jeff Mehring, Adrian Leis (eds.) (2018)

Preview Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom Theories and Practices by Jeff Mehring, Adrian Leis (eds.) (2018) Preview Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom Theories and Practices by Jeff Mehring, Adrian Leis (eds.) (2018) Preview Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom Theories and Practices by Jeff Mehring, Adrian Leis (eds.) (2018) Preview Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom Theories and Practices by Jeff Mehring, Adrian Leis (eds.) (2018)

Theories and Practices

Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom

Jeffrey Mehring Adrian Leis

Editors

Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom Theories and Practices

123

ISBN 978-981-10-6967-3 ISBN 978-981-10-6968-0 (eBook)

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The Flipped Classroom 1Jeffrey Mehring

Implementing the Flipped Classroom: Challenges and Strategies 11Anna F Brown

Flipping or Flopping: Lessons Learnt from Flipping a Course for

ASEAN Teachers of English 23Marie Yeo

Flipping a Pronunciation Lesson for a Teacher Training Course 45Martha Ramirez

Flipped Learning and Formative Assessment in an English Language

Class 59John M Graney

Flipping Your Writing Lessons: Optimizing Time in Your EFL

Writing Classroom 69Carolina R Buitrago and Juliana Díaz

In-Class Flip: Flipping a Literature Class for Student-Centered

Learning 93Martha Ramirez

Flipping EFL Classes for Future Teachers 105Akihiko Andrew Tohei

Flip Your Classroom to Improve EFL Students’ Speaking Skills 113Mark Feng Teng

Dialogic Inquiry as a Process in the Flipped EFL Classroom 123Mark deBoer

v

Flipping the ESL/EFL Academic Reading Classroom: A Group

Leader Discussion Activity 147

C J Brown

Flipping the ESL/EFL Classroom to Reduce Cognitive Load: A New

Way of Organizing Your Classroom 169Daniela Wagner-Loera

Flipping Movies for Dynamic Engagement 185Khalid Fethi and Helaine W Marshall

Flipping Tech-Enhanced, Content-Based EAP Courses with Online

Content 203

Yu Jung Han

Content-Based Language Teaching and the Flipped Classroom:

A Case Study in the Japanese EFL Environment 221Adrian Leis

Anna F Brown currently works as an Instructional Designer at NorthwesternCollege in Chicago, USA.

C J Brown currently works as an Assistant Professor in the English for AcademicPurposes (EAP) and Basic Education (BE) Programs at Akita InternationalUniversity, Japan

Carolina R Buitrago currently works as a Full-Time Professor and Researcher atInstitución Universtaria Colombo Americana–UNICA in Colombia

Mark deBoer is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Birmingham and currentlyworks as a Lecturer at Akita International University, Japan

Juliana Díaz currently works as a Mentor and Teacher–Researcher in theDepartment of Foreign Languages and Cultures at La Sabana University, Colombia.Khalid Fethi currently works as an English Language Instructor and Principal athis own school: Oum El Koura Language Center, in Berkane, Morocco

John M Graney currently works as the ESL Coordinator and teaches at Santa FeCollege in Gainesville, Florida in the United States

Yu Jung Han is currently a Ph.D student in Teaching and Curriculum at theUniversity of Rochester, New York, USA

Adrian Leis is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of EnglishEducation, Miyagi University of Education, Japan

Helaine W Marshall is currently a Professor of Education and Director ofLanguage Education Programs at LIU Hudson, New York, USA

Jeffrey Mehring is currently a Freelance Instructional Design Specialist trainingteachers throughout the United States of America

Martha Ramirez currently works as a Lecturer at the Universidad de Los Andes,Colombia and is an Independent Academic Consultant

vii

Mark Feng Teng is currently studying for a Ph.D at Hong Kong BaptistUniversity, Hong Kong.

Akihiko Andrew Tohei is currently a lecturer at Sakura no Seibo Junior Collegeand Fukushima University in Fukushima, Japan

Daniela Wagner-Loera currently works as an Adjunct Professor at Hawai‘iPacific University and the University of Maryland University College, CollegePark, USA

Marie Yeo currently works as a Language Specialist at SEAMEO-RELC inSingapore, where she trains educators from all over Asia

Jeffrey Mehring

Abstract This chapter provides the reader with a few of the ideas and theoriesbehind theflipped classroom It is aimed to lay the foundation for the chapters thatfollow, giving the reader the necessary background information to understand howeach author designed his/her flipped classroom The chapter explains why theauthors feel this book is necessary, the role it can play in English language learning,and a brief explanation of each chapter

Considering this book contains chapters focused on theflipped approach, the tors decided that one chapter explaining the theories and research behind flippedlearning would be better than each chapter repeating similar information So in thischapter, I lay out some of the main ideas behind the flipped classroom that theauthors have used to design and develop theirflipped classrooms

edi-Before discussing theflipped classroom though, I want to stress that technology

is not required forflipping your class People usually associate the flipped room with videos, but it is possible toflip your class without videos and technol-ogy The affordances of technology have made it easier through the creation ofvideos, discussion boards, and online quizzes, but the main focus offlipping should

class-be on creating a student-centered learning environment One where lessons andcontent are more accessible, students have more control over their learning, andstudents have time to reflect upon and become more critical learners Even thoughthe following chapters may refer to technologies used, the key focus is a peda-gogical change and not a technological one With that in mind, let us explore thetheories behind theflipped classroom

The flipped classroom model flips the traditional instructional format of aclassroom-based course Famously demonstrated by the Khan (2011) videos andlater developed by Bergmann and Sams (2012), the flipped classroom is thecommon instructional approach where teacher-created materials featuring instruc-

J Mehring ( &)

Freelance Instructional Designer, West Bend, USA

e-mail: jmehring012@gmail.com

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd 2018

J Mehring and A Leis (eds.), Innovations in Flipping the Language Classroom,

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1

tion of new concepts are viewed outside of scheduled class time, in turn freeingteacher–student time for more collaborative efforts in class.

Activities that would normally take place outside the classroom, conventionallyknown as homework, are restructured and rescheduled to take place during thetimes that the class meets face to face (F2F) This significant switch impacts theroles and responsibilities of instructors and students alike and holds the potential forimproving classroom-based learning experiences for both groups (Baker, 2000;Lage, Platt, & Treglia, 2000) The flipped classroom means personalized, inter-communication among the members of the learning environment; higher levels ofpersonal responsibility on the students’ part; a combination of instruction from theteacher and constructivist learning; and students actively engaged in the learningoutcomes

Thisflipped pedagogy views education as a two-step process: the transfer of newinformation, and the student’s ability to make sense of and assimilate the infor-mation (Lambert, 2012) In the traditional classroom, the first step usually takesplace during F2F class time with the second step being assigned as homework.During the second step, the student is on his own to make sense of the newinformation encountered during F2F class time and assimilate the new information.Essentially, the F2F class time needs to beflipped; students’ first exposure to newlearning takes place outside and before the class, while during class students col-laborate with classmates and the teacher, enabling the teacher to give immediate,corrective feedback as the students assimilate the new information and develop theirown thoughts and ideas

In an English as a foreign language classroom (EFL), this could lead to a morecommunicative classroom Theflipped EFL classroom could be structured aroundmore intercommunication as the method of learning and eventual outcome oflanguage learning The flipped classroom technique requires students to thinkthrough an answer, taking time to develop their thoughts and ideas Students ofwell-designed flipped classes may develop greater ownership of their learning,collaborative skills needed for a participatory culture, and more opportunities tointeract with the instructor and classmates using authentic language

F2F class time involves not only changing in-class teaching methods but alsoadjusting the students’ perception of how they are accustomed to learning and theteacher’s role in the classroom For instance, the purpose of an Academic Writingclass could be to develop the students’ abilities to express their ideas in cohesive,clear reports and papers in an academic situation The course prepares students touse the steps of research writing to critically analyze and compose logical academicpapers Before class, the students review theflipped materials focusing on some ofthe major parts of a research paper such as, title, thesis, body, transition sentences,conclusions, citations, and references To confirm that students have reviewed thematerials, the instructor opens a discussion forum on the school’s learning man-agement system, or provides students with online practice exercises that requirethem to label various parts of a research paper, which the instructor participates in,

or reviews before the next class This process, called just-in-time teaching (JiTT),requires students to produce work, usually via a web platform, which instructors

can read just before the next class (Edwards, Mehring, & Murphey2006) Sinceinstructors read students’ work just before teaching, they can teach to the students’needs and interests Flipping allows instructors to efficiently address students’ needsand interests while encouraging collaborative learning and modeling in class In thissetting, students are more prepared to engage and discuss during class time leading

to stronger learning outcomes

Technology in the EFL Classroom

With the adaptation of technology, it might be possible to shift even more from ateacher-centered instruction to a more student-centered, communicative-basedformat Computer applications for language learning are employed in many edu-cational EFL classes; however, unfortunately, in the past they have generallycomprised standard Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) software,which usually include simple digitally mediated versions of drills adapted frompaper textbooks, and are generally consigned to language labs as supplementary orself-study material (Brown, Campbell, & Weatherford,2008)

Instead, providing environments where students can use their new learning withaccess to immediate instructor and classmate feedback enables students to correctmisunderstandings, organize new learning, and formulate their ownideas/perceptions enabling easier future access to new learning (Bransford, Brown,

& Cocking, 2000) The feedback students receive in these interactive classroomsenable them to examine and reflect upon their learning and growth This newlearner-centered model forgoes unneeded teacher-talk time during class, scaffoldingthe learning from the pre-class assignments before class The flipped classroomoffers a model for creating a classroom environment that contains more activelearning exercises For the EFL classroom, the flipped classroom presents apromising possibility to create a communicative learning environment

Disadvantages of Flipping

The flipped classroom creates a new learning environment and with it someobstacles that both students and instructors may encounter along the way Increasedworkload is one challenge, as students are surprised by the amount of preparationthat needs to be done before class; therefore a gradual implementation of the systemshould be taken into consideration In a study by Mehring (2015), workload wasone area that participants felt was a negative aspect of the flipped classroom.Participants mentioned that in the beginning, theflipped classroom was very dif-ficult so it is important the instructor implements it step by step Instructors need to

be aware that the number of assignments or activities needs to be less in thebeginning and grow slowly In addition, the instructor may need to walk students

through the process, demonstrating how students can start and stop videos, how touse the discussion forums, and what is expected of students in regards to thepre-class materials.

Additionally, the instructor will also realize theflipped classroom requires a lot

of preparation, creating pre-class materials and redesigning the F2F learningenvironment (Bennett, 2013) For the benefit of both students and instructors,implementation of theflipped classroom should progress slowly

Finally, what if students do not review the pre-class materials or are too shy toparticipate? By assigning online discussions or a survey, the instructor can get abetter understanding of which students are not doing the pre-class materials and talkwith them It is important that the pre-class materials build a foundation for the F2Factivities and by not reviewing the pre-class materials, students willfind it difficult

to actively participate during the in-class activities

Bene fits of Flipping

Learning in theflipped classroom involves the construction of identities, a learningjourney between master and disciple where students are engaged in both instructorand learner roles, essentially learning by doing (Lave & Wenger,1991) This is aninherently social process where students interact among themselves and the contentbeing taught, rather than the instructor as the focal point of the lesson In theflippedclass, students encounter more opportunities to learn independently, as well assometimes becoming mentors by helping struggling students and working together

to solve issues/problems in class

For the shy students, the instructor needs to allow students a chance to just be anobserver during the small group collaboration, with the understanding that they willhave the opportunity to sharefirst during the next class These students might need

to be given the right to pass during small group time They could then be asked tosubmit a brief written account of the small group experience to the instructorfocusing on his or her understanding and contributions The instructor could thenrespond directly to that student to provide encouragement on how well the studentactually understands, or on how much the student actually has to offer thegroup This process will help to build confidence and demonstrate that theirquestions are valued, important and helpful to everyone, in the hopes that thisstudent will then be encouraged to speak up more in future small group scenarios.Theflip technique can change in-class pedagogy based on cognitive as well associal constructivist theories Knowledge is gradually acquired in an individual’shead, (Piaget,1969), but individuals are situated in a social environment interactingwith different groups on a daily basis (Vygotsky,1978) In theflipped classroom,learning can take place on two levels, one the individual level and one the grouplevel From the cognitive point of view, three important discoveries about howpeople learn help justify the success of theflipped classroom: (a) having a strongbase of factual knowledge, (b) an understanding of the facts and ideas in a coherent

and organized manner that makes them easy to communicate to others, and(c) organizing new learning in ways that assist retrieval and application (NRC,

2000) Flipped learning can enable students to link new content with their schemata,(Shuell,1986), in turn better enabling them to organize their learning and partake inF2F class discussions/activities

In addition to cognitive learning, theflipped classroom incorporates tivist learning theory Social constructivism theory is based on the idea thatknowledge is acquired through interaction with others, (Vygotsky, 1981) andthat the internalization of actions is demonstrated by the creation of a public artifactthat demonstrates one’s new learning through an appropriate activity (Papert,1980).Pre-F2F time can stimulate students to use proactive techniques to expand theirknowledge and become more metacognitive as they discuss what they are doingand how their understanding is changing While in-class activities focus on theconstruction of an artifact that demonstrates the student’s new learning from theflipped materials and increased student–student and instructor–studentcollaboration

construc-For example, in a conventional English as a foreign language (EFL) course,instruction and practice must occur during class time because EFL learners arehandicapped by a dearth of opportunity to experience English in authentic settingsoutside of class However, by using the flipped classroom method, the task oflearning can be performed as homework through a video or other appropriateresource, building upon the lower tier of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Krathwohl, 2001),remembering and understanding During this cognitive learning time, students areable to strengthen their understanding of the course materials

Subsequently, the instructor can structure F2F class time around social structivist activities to enhance learning outcomes Students could collaborate withclassmates as they discuss and expand their understanding of the content Duringthis time, students would be required to create an artifact that would not onlydemonstrate their new knowledge, but also focus on Bloom’s higher tier, applying,analysis, evaluation, and creating, (Krathwohl,2001) During the entire process, theinstructor is present guiding and helping students apply new learning or referringthem back to theflipped materials for further information With constant feedbackfrom the instructor and classmates as well as viewing examples of others’ work, theclass becomes a community of learners This community of learners is the centralpoint where learning takes place, where students develop their abilities throughpeer-to-peer interaction Through apprenticeships, instructors offer guidance asstudents learn from the instructor as well as classmates (Lave & Wenger, 1991).Participation in these communities tends to be highly educational, freeing up F2Fclass time in order to focus on more communicative, constructivist activities andoffering students opportunities to further test ideas and apply new learning.The push to create authentic, communicative English learning environmentswhere students use English to negotiate meaning and build critical thinking skillsrequires that present teaching methods change The flipped classroom offers anexciting new alternative for language learning in Japan and a change from currentpractices Theflipped classroom model is not a panacea for all the challenges in

con-language education However, it is a valuable paradigm worthy of consideration byeducators, administrators, and policy makers that will prove advantageous in thenew era of communicative language teaching and learning.

Why This Book Now?

Over the past few years, many books have been published that look at theflippedclassroom in various subjects, for example, math, chemistry, or the social sciencesbut there have been very few published on how to flip an English as a foreignlanguage (EFL) classroom When studying English in an EFL context, studentshave few opportunities to practice or use English in authentic situations, this is onereason why theflipped classroom can play such an important role in EFL class-rooms With the shift to a more student-centered approach to teaching, in aflippedlearning environment, students are given more opportunities to practice the targetlanguage while receiving immediate and effective feedback from the teacher Whensome teachersfirst hear about the flipped classroom they believe they had alreadybeen using this technique Unfortunately, it has become apparent to the authors thatteachers often do not understand the fundamentals of theflipped classroom and/or

do not know where to start when trying to design a flipped EFL course Manyteachers find the task daunting and give up even before they begin This book isaimed to walk teachers through the process step by step with descriptions of suc-cessfully flipped EFL lessons from teachers in the field so others can use suchlessons in their own classes

The layout of this book is designed to allow teachers to jump around and use theresources as they deem necessary Readers are given vital background information

to better understand the specific lesson objectives and brief summaries of the skillsbeing taught and activities students completed Authors also provide lesson plans soreaders are able to see how the lesson progressed and how each teacher tiedpre-class and in-class activities together Descriptions of technologies used aregiven, including why the authors chose the specific technologies and the role theyplayed in achieving the lesson objectives Theflipped classroom does not requireone to use technology so do not think that you must have access to technology tomake your lesson successful Finally, some authors may include research they havecompleted during their lesson to help readers understand more about the successesand failures of theflipped classroom Whether an author includes research or not, hedoes give his personal thoughts on theflipped model and any changes made to thislesson since he started The author tells the reader how his ideas onflipped learninghave been incorporated into other lessons, how students reacted to learning in aflipped classroom, and how he might continue or change aspects for future classes.Some authors may have included a contact email in case you have questions or wish

to share your experiences when using their lesson The book is meant to be a

resource for teachers, and depending upon one’s experience in the flipped room, he can follow each lesson step by step to gain experience or for moreexperienced teachers, the book may provide new ideas or methods they can add totheirflipped class.

class-Thefirst four chapters examine some of the challenges teachers may face whenlearning how to flip from experienced teachers who provided workshops on theflipped classroom Implementing the Flipped Classroom: Challenges and Strategieswalks you through some key points to consider before you begin to flip yourclassroom Although this chapter does not focus on English language teachers, it ispossible to learn how to avoid pitfalls in theflipped classroom from other disci-plines In this chapter, instructors share their learning experiences when imple-menting theflipped technique in their classes In Flipping or Flopping: LessonsLearnt from Flipping a Course for ASEAN Teachers of English, the authordescribes nonnative English teachers’ experiences when learning about the flippedclassroom These teachers provide insight on how to address problems associatedwith the flipped approach and how to adapt the flipped approach in the Asianteaching environment Thefinal two chapters focus on lessons learned when cre-ating a pronunciation course using the flipped approach for teacher training andintegrating formative assessment in theflipped classroom These first four chaptersprovide a strong foundation upon which the following chapters are built, providingthe necessary background in order to better understand the principles of theflippedclassroom and how it has become an important technique in learning

The nextfive chapters focus on flipping productive skills Each chapter ines how to apply theflipped approach to a specific language skill Flipping YourWriting Lessons: Optimizing Time in Your EFL Writing Classroom demonstrateshow teachers can use theflipped approach to free up face-to-face class time in order

exam-to develop a student-centered learning environment Flipping EFL Classes forFuture Teachers and Flip Your Classroom to Improve EFL Students’ SpeakingSkills both discuss unique methods to create a more communicative classroom,providing students more opportunities to practice speaking English, and improvingtheir abilities in this important skill

Additionally, the next three chapters look at receptive skills Flipping theESL/EFL Academic Reading Classroom: A ‘Group Leader Discussion Activity’demonstrates how the flipped approach enables learners to assimilate content anduse classroom time more effectively affording them to gain a deeper understanding

of the target material, a greater appreciation of the best ways to apply the readingskills and strategies, and increasing motivation These eight chapters are packed full

of ideas and information you can apply directly to your classrooms or adapt tofitthe abilities of your students

The final two chapters shift from a focus on skills-based courses tocontent-based lessons In Flipping Tech-Enhanced Content-based EAP Courseswith Online Content, the author examines the role online content plays in anEnglish for Academic Purposes (EAP) course at an American university Theauthor provides suggestions for flipping content-based EAP courses Finally,Content-based Language Teaching and the Flipped Classroom: A Case Study in

the Japanese EFL Environment provides the reader with tips on creating videos thatcan include subtitles and recommendations for flipping content-based languageteaching courses.

We hope youfind all the answers you need within these pages Our goal is tohelp new teachers designflipped EFL lessons that are rewarding to both the stu-dents and teacher For teachers with flipping experience, we hope you find newideas that you can apply to your classes Theflipped classroom continues to evolveand transform learning; we hope this book will help you in this process

References

Baker, J W (2000) The “classroom flip”: Using web course management tools to become the guide by the side In J A Chambers (Ed.), Selected papers from the 11th international conference on college teaching and learning (pp 9 –17) Jacksonville, FL, USA: Florida Community College at Jacksonville.

Bennett, B (2013) Mastery In J Bretzmann (Ed.) New Berlin, WI, USA: The Bretzmann Group Bergmann, J., & Sams, A (2012) Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day Washington, DC, USA: International Society for Technology in Education.

Bransford, J., Brown, A L., & Cocking, R R (Eds.) (2000) How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school Washington, DC, USA: National Academy Press.

Brown, I., Campbell, A P., & Weatherford, Y (2008) Using DynEd and ALC with low-level university freshmen The JALT CALL Journal, 4(3), 37 –53 Retrieved from http://journal jaltcall.org/articles/43Brown.pdf

Edwards, J., Mehring, J., & Murphey, T (2006) Exploring JiTT: Just-in-time-teaching The Language Teacher, 30(12), 9.

Khan, S (2011, March) Let ’s use video to reinvent education [Video file] Retrieved from http:// www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education

Krathwohl, D (2001) A revision of Bloom ’s taxonomy: An overview Theory into Practice, 41 (4), 212 –264.

Lage, M J., Platt, G., & Treglia, M (2000) Inverting the classroom: A gateway to creating an inclusive learning environment Journal of Economic Education, 31(1), 30 –43 doi: 10.2307/

National Research Council (2000) How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded Edition) Washington, DC, USA: National Academy Press [Online] Available:

http://www.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/

Papert, S (1980) Mindstorms Children, computers and powerful ideas New York: Basic Books Piaget, J (1969) The mechanisms of perception London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Shuell, T J (1986) Cognitive conceptions of learning Review of Educational Research, 56(4),

411 –436.

Vygotsky, L (1978) Mind in society The development of higher psychological processes Boston,

MA, USA: Harvard University Press.

Vygotsky, L (1981) The genesis of higher mental functions In J V Wertsch (Ed.), The concepts

of activity in Soviet psychology Sharpe: Armonk, NY.

Challenges and Strategies

Introduction

This chapter begins with the assumption that you already understand the value offlipping your classroom—or you wouldn’t have picked up this book You’remotivated by what you’ve seen, read, or heard about this model, and you feel ready

to take on the effort This chapter will present the benefits along with the challenges

to ensure you have a full picture of what to expect as you undertake this initiative.This will help you assess your readiness, your institution’s readiness, and perhaps

A F Brown ( &)

Northwestern College, Chicago, USA

e-mail: annafbrown@me.com

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most importantly, your students’ readiness for the coming changes The primarypurpose of this chapter is to provide information, from the general to the specific,about successfully undertaking the conversion process There will be questions toask yourself and road-tested strategies from which to choose for building you ownflipped course and developing your attendant teaching style As you already know,you have some work ahead of you, and this chapter is designed to assist you.Before jumping into the details, I want to mention a few important points First,this chapter is based on the experiences of instructors, from a range of institutionsand disciplines, who have shared their experiences with me As I work with faculty,

my main concern is what they have as goals for their classrooms and their students.This chapter brings you their ideas and achievements, to show you what you alsocan achieve for yourself and for your students

Second, the conceptual framework within which these instructors’ experiencesare presented comes from Weimer’s identification of the central characteristics oflearner-centered instruction (Weimer,2002) Weimer delineates the points wherecritical shifts occur when instructional methods become more focused on studentneeds: (a) the function of content; (b) the purpose and process of evaluation; (c) therole of the instructor; (d) the responsibility for learning; and (e) the balance ofpower You will want to consider each of these points as you plan your adoption oftheflipped classroom model

One final point before plunging in: The instructors I’ve worked with haveconsistently expressed to me the fun they have incorporating this model into theirteaching practice For them, “fun” refers to both the enjoyment of learning andexperimenting throughout the implementation (which often takes the form of anongoing learning process) and the pleasure they find in getting to know theirstudents better and addressing each student’s needs in a more customized way

I wish you this kind of fun as you venture forth

The Flipping Process

Before you undertake any significant project, it’s a good idea to document the pointfrom which you are starting—your baseline Take the time to gather records such asgrades and student evaluations and other data that has an impact on why you want

to make changes Also, take some time to record your own thoughts on what you—and your students—are doing well, what you want to change, and why changes areneeded What results are you working toward, and how will you know if yourefforts succeed? Write down your goals, and make sure they are measurable andrealistic This step contributes significantly to your readiness for the work Thedocumented reflection will guide your decisions during the project, provide clarityand motivation during the tough spots, and demonstrate the impact at the end Youdon’t need to spend a lot of time on this task, but don’t skip it entirely either

A balanced combination of planning and discovery will set you up for success asyou progress and learn

As a starting point, the following questions address the primary concerns aboutflipping Each of them will be discussed in detail in the coming sections.

• How will you alter the presentation of content? This question is the primaryfocus of manyflipped classroom discussions Are you focused on—and excitedabout—learning to make videos for your students? Have you consideredalternatives, such as reviewing open educational resources (OER), curatingvideos made by others, or assembling a combination of video, text, websites,and other components? Have you researched what others are using in yourdiscipline and/or at your institution?

• What will you do during class time? This is the first question many instructorsask when hearing about theflipped classroom for the first time Will you rethinkand repurpose the homework you assign your students? Will you start or expandthe use of group work, project-based activities, and student presentations? Willyoufind new ways to evaluate student work when it is completed during classtime?

• How will you weave in- and out-of-classroom experiences together? Thisquestion is often an afterthought of the flipping process, meaning that someinstructors don’t realize the need for it until after they have begun teaching aflipped course While discovery can be fun, you have the benefit of foresight onthis point Have you considered ways to build connections between in- andout-of-classroom activities? What might that look like for your subject, yourstudents, and your teaching style?

Each of these questions also finds new answers as student responsibility isreconsidered—more on that topic to come

From an instructor’s perspective, the flipped classroom can be both exciting anddaunting It is generally acknowledged to be an upward climb at the beginning, asyou rethink content, revise your syllabus, and rework nearly every aspect of yourcourse Your choices will depend on your schedule, institution, students, technicalskills, and other considerations You will, ideally, put your creativity and devotion

to the test

You may want to dive into a full conversion over a term break, or you maydecide to flip just one module of your course to familiarize yourself and yourstudents before going further You may decide to add online contentfirst, and thengradually increase your students’ involvement with that content outside of class.Any of these choices are equally valid and will require further adjustments onceimplemented It may help to think offlipping as a continuous improvement process,

or ongoing change, rather than a one-time conversion or“flip” as the name implies.You will see new opportunities as you experience this model, and you will want totake advantage of them Allow yourself thisflexibility

To balance your efforts, you can expect some fun mixed in with the extra work.Making significant changes to your teaching practice brings compelling new ideasand fresh perspectives The pleasure of challenge can be found in your efforts toadopt new technologies and a different course structure You will likely have a

profound experience as you rethink your role and alter your approach to teaching.This, in turn, will result in the enjoyment of increased interaction with your studentsand the satisfaction of observing their resulting engagement and growth.

As to one’s own learning through this process, instructors learn new gies as they determine their methods for content delivery as well as tools thatsupport the weaving of in-and out-of-classroom activities You may become acontent creator, building expertise at video creation and perhaps learning to includeinteractive elements You may find new ways of taking advantage of your insti-tution’s learning management system More importantly, though, you may learn anew way of being an instructor When transitioning from a traditional teachingpractice to theflipped model, the roles of expert and lecturer give way to coach andguide Ideally, you will develop the ability to let studentsfind the answers to theirown questions If you are ready to relearn everything you know about teaching, youare ready toflip your classroom

technolo-You will also want to consider the readiness of your institution Often, vative instructors forge ahead on an initiative because of their own strong interestand motivation to serve their students However, taking the time to assess how yourschool can support the project can help out down the road Look around to see ifthere are other instructors interested inflipping their courses, or involved in similarventures such as developing blended courses or project-based instruction Sharingideas strengthens everyone’s efforts and can help make a case to the administrationfor resources and support How will yourflipped class fit into the overall curriculum

inno-of your program? Will yours be the soleflipped course, with students used to moretraditional teaching models in all other classes? Will you need to request changes tothe physical classroom setting to enable group work sessions? In addition, as youchoose the technology tools you will use for your project, you will need informationabout what is available to you Assuming your school provides a shared learningmanagement system, consider how well you know its many uses You may alsodecide you need to acquire and learn new software and hardware Now is the time

to find out what support is available for purchases as well as professionaldevelopment

Re flecting on Your Students

The primary motivation for instructors I’ve worked with is usually the needs oftheir students As you plan yourflipped initiative, spend a little time considering theways in which this change you are planning will transform their learning experi-ence Start by thinking about the learning style to which your students are accus-tomed If they have previous positive experiences of student-centered instruction,they will be more open to aflipped course If on the other hand, they are very used

to a lecture-homework-exam structure, you will want to spend more time orientingthem to the flipped model This would be one consideration as you determinewhether to convert your course all in one go or incrementally

Also, think about your students’ appreciation for, and access to, the technologythey would need to fully participate in a flipped course If they tend to enjoytechnology use, this is your opportunity to indulge and leverage that interest If not,you can adjust your choice of content delivery methods accordingly, e.g., use moretext-based content or consider providing both video and text options for the samecontent (Options are almost always a good idea, though also usually more work foryou.) If you have a tech-savvy group with the latest toys, you will plan differentlythan if you question whether they can access the Internet consistently at home Youmay even want to begin by gathering more information about your students if youare not sure how ready they are for aflipped classroom experience.

Once you have investigated and determined the general readiness level of yourstudents, you can include in your plans some steps for involving them in yourprocess If you work with the same students over multiple courses, or if you aremaking small changes to one course during the term, you may want to considertalking with your students about what is coming This will give you a goodopportunity to explain, from their point of view, the value of aflipped classroom.See if you canfind ways to let them help you plan—deciding, for example, whichmodule to flip first And whether you ease in or transition fully over a break,regularly request their feedback and look for ways to incorporate their ideas andpreferences during the flipped experience When students see the impact of theirfeedback in real time, it reinforces their role as responsible learners

The shift to greater student responsibility for learning, one of Weimer’s keypoints, is a vital component of a successfulflipped classroom Students not used tolearner-centered instruction may balk and need a more gradual and thoroughintroduction to the model I have heard students express delight in their flippedclasses, as in, “Finally we are allowed to learn the way we want to learn!”—demonstrating the enthusiasm for which all instructors hope I have also heard ofstudents complaining to the school administration that their instructor was no longerdoing the job of teaching While for most instructors it may be a new concept toexplain teaching methods to students, doing so helps them become more involvedlearners Particularly when you are converting an entire course, you will want tobegin the term with an orientation to theflipped model, the new practices that will

be required of them, and how it will impact their experience of the course Discusswith them the benefits and challenges of the model from their perspective Makesure your students are as prepared as you are for the adventure offlipping.Perhaps, most importantly, go into your planning with the intention offindingways to involve your students in the activities and assignments you use There aremany ways to achieve this goal A key practice that works well here is to teach yourstudents to formulate their own questions, as well as tofind their own answers, asmentioned earlier (Rothstein & Santana,2011) Questioning activities are particu-larly good for connecting out-of-class content with in-class activities and discus-sions Other ways to involve students in the structure of the course are to: (1) build

in options from which students can choose for assignments, assessments, etc.;(2) include opportunities for them to seek out and contribute to course content;(3) design some activities around students presenting, to their work group and to the

whole class, about what they are learning With this student-centered perspective as

a foundation, your course design and reconstruction efforts will result in greaterstudent engagement and impact on learning

Preparing Your Course

Likely you know from experience that there are many ways to approach the coursedesign process—it can be iterative and ongoing Current instructional design rec-ommends a“backward design” process, which begins with clarifying the outcomesthat you intend for your students These outcomes then guide the choice of eval-uation methods, activities, andfinally, content for the course (Wiggins & McTighe,

2005) With the hope that you are already familiar with this method of design foryour current courses, this section will discuss the three main elements to considerforflipped design: content options, course design, and evaluation methods.Often the dialogue around the flipped classroom focuses primarily on aninstructor making videos of their classroom lectures to post online for their students.The tools and techniques for making these videos become the most important aspect

of the conversion No doubt for many instructors, making videos is the leastfamiliar step with the biggest learning curve Perhaps that is why it gets so muchattention In fact, students tend to appreciate watching a video made by theinstructor they know from the classroom Such videos build a type of personalconnection, and provide a link between in- and out-of-classroom work that otherforms of content may not Instructor-made videos may not always be the best interms of production quality, but a more handmade style increases the studentviewer’s sense that it was made for them, thus increasing its relevance Even if agood selection of usable content is available online, you will want to considermaking and using some of your own video or audio clips (Bergmann & Sams,

2012)

That said, additional options for content are usually available and bring theirown unique contributions Taking a broader look at methods of delivering onlinecontent to your students will provide you with more choices and greaterflexibility

as you design your course Input from many voices via multiple sources canenhance learning and promote discussion back in the classroom As well, theintegration of different media can increase engagement and stimulate imagination

In some cases, locating appropriate alternative sources may prove astime-consuming as creating your own On the other hand, some subject areasprovide almost too many options from which to choose As you investigate further,keep the following continuums in mind:

• High quality versus homemade

• Steep or easy learning curve for you in terms of creating the content

• Personal touch and presence in your students’ out-of-classroom experienceversus a curated blend of sources

• Consistency and simplicity versus an engaging mix of media and formats

• High tech versus low tech

You will also want to think about how much time students are expected to spend

on your course between class sessions, as well as how long any given contentpiece—whether video, audio, text, or other—would be The typical recommenda-tion is that videos be kept to a shorter length, with longer presentations beingbroken into segments

Some examples of content formats and combinations include:

• Camera recordings, made with a video camera, smartphone, or webcam:– “Talking head” video

– Talking-head-style but with instructor writing on a whiteboard

– Talking-head-style but with instructor seated at a desk—camera alternatesfrom the instructor to an over-the-shoulder view of a demo on the desksurface

– Talking-head-style but with instructor in conversation with colleague oranother professional who contributes a particular expertise or perspective– Demo of an activity in appropriate setting (e.g., science experiment in a lab)

• Screencapture videos using various tools and formats:

– Slide deck with audio recording (as used previously in-class or altered—perhaps made less wordy and more visual (Reynolds,2011)—for online use,

or newly developed)

– Tablet recording with a whiteboard app

– Document camera recording

• Interactive learning objects built with specialized software: combinations caninclude video of instructor, screencapture of slides enhanced with visuals andmovement, and other elements such as quizzes and annotated PDFs

• Text-based options such as plain old textbooks, eBooks, PDFs, and wikis (oftencombined with some use of questions—either provided by the instructor orsolicited from the students as preparation for in-class activity)

Any combination of the above formats can be assembled on a webpage thatprovide single-point access to internal and external links to videos, articles, socialbookmarking sites, and others; lecture notes and slides; and lists of class-prepquestions or other assignments You can use your institution’s learning manage-ment system (LMS) if available, or alternately a web-based LMS or freestandingwebsite Ideally, this type of assembled content is integrated with instructions forapproaching and considering the individual elements Onefinal thought for gath-ering content—assign the task to your students when appropriate You might besurprised at what they discover

As you plan the format of your online content, you will no doubt also beconsidering the activities that will now be the center of your students’ in-classlearning experience Many instructors begin with the homework they previously

assigned, rethinking it for in-class, collaborative use However, the best place tostart may be with activities students complete as part of their out-of-class work, aswas indicated in some of the examples of content formatting above The reasons forthis choice? (1) to better prepare students for the session; (2) to provide a way ofassessing students’ engagement with and understanding of the online content; and(3) to help guide the direction and tone of the session Common methods include:

• Requiring students to develop questions on the content and submit them at thebeginning of class to be used for an opening discussion

• Having students respond to an online survey about the content, which theysubmit online the evening before class Again, their responses can be used toguide the focus of in-class activity

• Having students take a quiz to demonstrate their out-of-class learning (can bedone before class online, or at the beginning of the class session) Options hereinclude providing the quiz questions along with the online content—a type ofopen-book test—or devising a fairly easy quiz for the start of class that coversbasic concepts

• Providing students with an easy-level practice problem to solve before class,saving the more difficult problems to be worked in-class with classmate col-laboration and instructor guidance if needed

• Including one or more self-assessments with the content, shifting the task ofensuring student readiness for the class to the students themselves

This last option takes a clear step toward one of Weimer’s points—the moving

of responsibility for learning from instructor to students While this will be a moredifficult undertaking with some groups of students that with others, the results arewell worth the effort Any opportunities you have to allow students to choose howthey will demonstrate and further their learning will aid in their adoption of greaterresponsibility for that learning As mentioned earlier, providing students with anorientation to theflipped model and clear expectations of their role will also con-tribute to their willingness to change As instructors, we must also change ourhabitual ways of teaching to support this new way of learning for our students.In-class activities of the flipped classroom often, perhaps usually, take someform of peer interaction and collaboration—also known as group work Typically, aproject is provided, selected, or devised by the group based on instructor guidelines(which, in turn, are based on course outcomes), and students get to work Of course,the type of project will vary greatly depending on the discipline, course level, andother factors Groups may be formed by student choice or instructor assignment,and may work together for the full term or only a single class session A number ofstrategies may be used to ensure that all students contribute equitably, such asassigning roles and rotating responsibilities

Getting used to so much activity in class may be a challenge for all When aninstructor steps out of the center of attention and takes on the role of sideline coach,the distribution of control—Weimer’s “balance of power”—can change signifi-cantly Students may be initially inclined to take advantage of this freer