Bill Campbell's List: Flipped Learning Criticisms article

• the concept of Flipped Learning is not entirely new. Dr. Eric Mazur of Harvard University has been researching this type of learning since the early ’90s, and other educators have been applying pieces of the Flipped Learning method for even longer.
• The method is often simplified to videos being watched at home and homework being done at school. If this is the definition, then we should all be skeptical. Instead, we should look closer at Dr. Mazur’s work.

• his integrated Flipped Learning and Peer Instruction methods, but the major points are:

  • Students prepare for class by watching video, listening to podcasts, reading articles, or contemplating questions that access their prior knowledge.
  • After accessing this content, students are asked to reflect upon what they have learned and organize questions and areas of confusion.
  • Students then log in to a Facebook-like social tool, where they post their questions.
  • The instructor sorts through these questions prior to class, organizes them, and develops class material and scenarios that address the various areas of confusion. The instructor does not prepare to teach material that the class already understands.
  • In class, the instructor uses a Socratic method of teaching, where questions and problems are posed and students work together to answer the questions or solve the problems. The role of the instructor is to listen to conversations and engage with individuals and groups as needed.
• what educators say are the downsides to implementing the Flipped Learning method, and we have provided our opinions that address the five major criticisms

• Implementing the Flipped Learning method makes me, as the teacher, much less important.

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• teachers are really going to need to know their stuff, and they are going to need to be able to individualize on the fly—quite possibly five, 10, or even 20 times in a class period.
• teachers are also going to need to figure out the right questions to ask when students come to class. These questions should have students address their misconceptions about and apply their knowledge concerning what they have learned on their own. During a conversation with Dr. Mazur, he shared that this is the most difficult, but also the most crucial, part.
• Learning Catalytics software

  • This tool looks very good for making a large lecture hall environment more interactive. A good video intro is at https://learningcatalytics.com/pages/intro The opportunities to view student performance after the class might make it useful in a smaller K12 classroom.  (The seating chart and automatic grouping functions are neat but seem less necessary in a smaller classroom.)  I could also see this as useful in a synchronous distance learning environment.

• Kids do not want to sit at home watching boring video lectures on the web. At least in the classroom, they get some kind of interaction with me and with their peers. This is just a lot of excitement over bad pedagogy.
• do not replace an hour-long classroom lecture with an hour-long video. Audio and video should be used in short, five- to 10-minute segments, and there should be opportunities for students to interact with the information in these videos in a variety of ways
• including links within YouTube videos, Jac De Haan demonstrates how a teacher can basically quiz students and provide them with immediate feedback and explanation within the same video

  • This taught me that you can link to a specific part of a YouTube video.
• Ramsey Musallam also has a method he uses that combines video clips with Google Forms to gather feedback from his students.

  • If you don't have your own website or blog, this could be embedded in a wiki page or Google Site page.  Musallam's use of a word cloud (Wordle) created from students responses is an interesting focal point for a conversation about with students about their own knowledge.

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• Make sure you provide more than just video
• Most of my kids do not even have internet access at home. There’s no way they can watch all of this video.
• We can agree that it will be quite important for teachers and school leaders to understand their communities and think creatively about ways to create equitable environments for learning.

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• Where is the accountability? How do I even know if kids are watching the videos?
• Teachers should be posting thought-provoking questions that guide students as they explore the at-home material. The work at home should not be without some sort of focus. Additionally, in class, there should be a tremendous amount of interactivity among students as the teacher circulates around the room. If the teacher sees there is a student not taking part in the conversation, this can be easily addressed.
• The key to motivating students who are bored is to honor the knowledge they have, challenge them to dig deeper, and not hold back their potential.

• As a teacher, I don’t have the time or the expertise to produce all of the videos required to teach like this.
• In our opinion, not all teachers should be making these videos for their classes. School leaders need to find those who have the highest abilities in combining the subject knowledge they have with their ability to present this knowledge in the most creative, engaging ways—even if these teachers are not in their own schools.

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• Begin by finding a core group of teachers who might be interested in experimenting with this method. Charge them with trying a Flipped Learning lesson once or twice a week.
• Over time, these teachers will be starting a library of content that they will be able to use as a base for years to come.
• They should be encouraged and given the professional development they need at that time to get started. They also should be partnered with the pioneering teachers, who can serve as mentors.
• Remember that the really important component of this process is to develop high-level, engaging questions that serve to deepen thinking and address misconceptions. These other teachers can help in the development of such questions.

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