Flipped

Flipped instruction requires faculty to move key (generative) concept lessons into the online space. This can be accomplished using text-based material or instructional videos or perhaps best—a combination of both.

The main component of flipping the classroom is to move subject-matter information (declarative knowledge) that would traditionally be delivered inside the class, to outside the class, where students can self-pace through the information. This subject-matter knowledge is then utilized in the classroom to build, create, analyze, problem-solve and otherwise interact with the material, usually in small groups. These activities build the procedural, how-to, knowledge throughout the whole community of learners. Centralizing peer-to-peer interaction better ensures that no one gets left behind.

Strive for Balance: Not all flipped instruction utilizes video—but video lessons do a good job of incorporating that human-to-human lecture component that improves the “relationships” aspect of a text-only experience for students.

Teaching with videos requires powerful sequencing, targeted micro-lessons, and a thoughtful, activity-based classroom. But video instruction doesn’t necessarily require production, editing or camera skills. In fact, most literature on flipped video instruction supports the ‘informality’ of instructor’s lectures. As is the case in all academic lectures,  high quality production should not be the focus, but rather the focus should be on high-quality information.

Ideally, instructional videos are less than 10-minutes and engage students in a view-do format. Cutting complex concepts down to less than 10 minutes and building out the sequence of these lessons are two of the greatest challenges of flipped materials development.

Since students listen to the online lectures outside of the classroom, complete a credit-no credit activity or assignment, and both the lesson topic and assignment directly prepare the student for the project-based work done in the classroom—faculty need to be highly organized in the ordering of learning events.

Effective “flipped” design adds a formative assessment to be completed after watching the video or completing the online activity. Formative assessments could include drawing a diagram, completing a problem set, drafting a document, answering a series of comprehension questions, or actively applying the skill that is covered in the lesson, usually in a “low stakes” assignment that allows for quick, targeted faculty feedback. Textbook publishing tools can also be leveraged for flipped instruction by assigning students a “smart” quiz series to complete before coming to the class where the information will be applied.

Here are a few examples of my flipped, writing instructional videos:

Building Process Knowledge Five-Part Series

Getting Started: Evaluating the Situation

The Power of Persuasion: Ethos, Logos, Pathos

Organizing Ideas: TEA paragraphs

Peer-to-Peer Feedback: Compliment Sandwich

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