8 tips for flipping the classroom

1. Adapt the material to the student´s needs

Students in your class are going to be at different levels of readiness with their
learning. When you’re deciding on the materials that should be covered outside of
class, make sure to match them to the needs and abilities of your students. In the
classroom, you can also create groups that will create a positive learning
environment for the students by considering their individual abilities and
demeanors. You can create varied activities that accelerate some students and
provide extra support to others.

2. Adapt your approach to your classroom

There are valid arguments in favor of giving no homework. This notion seems to be
at odds with that of a flipped classroom, where out of classroom learning is
expected. When deciding on the activities that will be completed outside of
classroom hours, make sure that students are able to actually complete them. If
your students have a home life that prevents them from normally completing
homework assignments, then consider a modified flipped classroom.

To create a modified flipped classroom, you can sequence the classroom activities,
where students watch lectures or complete readings in one class period and then
work on applied learning in the next class meeting. This strategy helps you to
facilitate the group learning where students have ownership of their learning while
at the same time ensuring that students have the required background information
to make sense of the applied learning activities.

3. Prepare for growing pains

A flipped classroom might be new for your students as well. It can take time to
adjust to a different sequence and approach to learning. As you evolve in your
teaching, you’ll learn new strategies that you did not know the first day of
implementing your flipped classroom.

Whenever you notice new activities, decisions, or strategies that work really well,
write them down. This will allow you to reflect on this progress and make it more
effective in the future.

4. Be intentional in the classroom

If you’ve traditionally set up your classroom where you spend a majority of the time
instructing or leading students in discussion, then it can be awkward to be a
teacher in the flipped classroom. It might seem like you do not have much to do
because students are learning from each other and on their own.

However, the applied learning activities will be much richer with input and
leadership from the teacher. In a flipped classroom, think of yourself more as a
facilitator and less as a speaker. This is where the notion of shifting from “sage on
the stage” to “guide on the side” is especially relevant. In the flipped classroom,
you will need to spend a lot of time scaffolding activities, building in prompts and
discussions, and identifying areas where learning can be interrupted for additional
explanation or elaboration.

In addition to the time spent creating activities, you also need to decide how
students will learn in social settings and how the groups will be structured. To that
end, you can consider using tools to create groups with specific purposes.

5. Use technology with purpose

Technology is ubiquitous — many of your students have their own phones, most
schools have at least one set of computers, and one-to-one technology initiatives
happen with regularity. This means that it’s easy to incorporate technology into
learning without putting in much thought. However, using technology with purpose
has the potential to create a lot more value in student learning.

If you carefully consider each learning activity and take time to design your lesson
before adding in any relevant technology, then the technology will naturally
complement the learning. This differs from how technology is normally used, where
it’s chosen first and then the activities or assignments are built around it.

6. Ask and network

Despite the resources available online, many of us still network and ask our peers
for ideas or feedback. And when it comes to flipping the classroom, things are no
different. Is there an educator in your school or district that has already done this
successfully? If not, can you identify a leader in organizations or conferences who
can provide evidence of the flipped classroom working well?

But don’t only think about yourself. Could you also build in networking or learning
opportunities for your students? Can you take your students to another classroom
and have them watch a flipped learning classroom in action? If not, can you set up
a virtual field trip where they watch from a distance? After these trips, you could
have a discussion with your students about what they saw in the flipped classroom
that made it effective. This can help to create ownership of the shift in learning and
reduce possible frustrations or issues down the road.
7. Assess individual learning

A flipped classroom means that students are doing most of their individual work
outside of the classroom. This can lead a teacher to almost forget about the
learning that is occurring. However, it is important to assess what students are
learning on their own. Doing so can help you as a teacher plan future assignments
and give insight into what each individual student is retaining from the lessons and
materials.

In the flipped classroom, you can create formative assessments to assess

individual knowledge or have students write their own blogs or prepare
presentations for class. For a larger assignment, you could even have students
teach a concept or idea to the class.

8. Balance group learning

There are endless variations on group learning. You could have whole group
activities or small group activities. In those groups, you could have case studies,
debates, think-pair-shares, shared reading, and many other activities. Try to
balance and vary the group learning activities you use. If you incorporate too many
activities, it may be hard for students to get into the flow of what to expect with their
classroom learning. Alternatively, if you only use a couple, then students may get
bored with the activities.

You could even involve your students in this decision. Are there two or three group
learning activities that are similar in their goals and outcomes? If so, you could ask
students for their opinions on which ones they enjoy the most. You could also
switch up these activities according to the specific unit or subject that you’re
teaching. For example, does one type of group activity work better for science than
for reading? If so, use it where it makes sense.

Conclusion

The flipped classroom model is becoming a popular way to increase the

interactivity of the traditional learning approach. There are many challenges faced
while trying to combine online learning and in class learning simultaneously for the
betterment of students achievement. When using the flipped classroom model,
there is more effort needed on the part of both learners and teachers to prepare
materials before a lesson. The effort put in is worth the while because the flipped
classroom model has been proven to increase the retention of knowledge learned
and make valuable class time more worthwhile for learners. If properly enforced,
the flipped classroom technique shows improvement in students´ performance
through engagement in class activities and discussions.
A flipped learning classroom empowers students and gives them control of their
learning. However, the decision to implement a flipped classroom is complex and
requires careful consideration.