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The Flipped Classroom:
An Opportunity
To Engage Millennial
Students Through Active
Learning Strategies
AMY ROEHL
SHWETA LINGA REDDY
GAYLA JETT SHANNON
"Flipping" the classroom employs easy-to-use, into the classroom is critical in order to reach
readily accessihle technology in order to free class Millennial students. This review of the literature
time from lecture. This allows for an expanded investigates the "flipped" or "inverted" classroom
range of learning activities during class time. Using model (Bergmann & Sams, 2012; Lage, Platt, &
class time for active learning versus lecture provides Tregua, 2000) in order to address challenges of
opportunities for greater teacher-to-student mentor- student engagement in lecture-based classrooms.
ing, peer-to-peer collaboration and cross-disciplinary The authors present an argument for the possible
engagement. This review of literature addresses application of this model by educators in the dis-
the challenges of engaging today's students in lec- ciplines of family and consumer sciences.
ture-based classrooms and presents an argument
for application of the "flipped classroom" model hy Millennials reared on rapidly evolving
educators in the disciplines of family and consumer technologies demonstrate decreased
sciences.
A sense of urgency to adapt to Millennial tolerance for lecture-style
learning preferences is heightened as educators dissemination of course information.
increasingly struggle to capture the attention of
today's students. Unlike previous generations,
Millennials reared on rapidly evolving technologies
demonstrate decreased tolerance for lecture-style The Millennial Student
dissemination of course information (Prensky, MiUennials are individuals born between 1982 and
2001). Incorporation of active learning strategies 2002 (Wilson & Gerber, 2008). Millennial students,
referred to as "digital natives" (Prensky, 2001),
Amy Roehl (o.<ío/im@ícu.edu) is Assistant Professor of Inte- have been exposed to information technology from
rior Design, Shweta Linga Reddy, PhD, is Assistant Professor a very young age. MiUennials' access to technology,
of Fashion Merchandising and Gayla jett Shannon Is Assistant information, and digital media is greater than that
Professor of Professional Practice in Interior Design. All are in of any prior generation. According to McMahon
the Department of Interior Design & Merchandising at Texas and Pospisil (2005), characteristics of Millennial
Christian University, Fort Worth, TX.
44 VOL. 105 NO. 2 2013 JFCS
students include 24/7 information connectedness, Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggested
a preference for environments that support multi- seven principles as ideal best practices in active
tasking, and gravitation toward group activity and learning. Active learning is an umbrella term for
appreciation of the social aspects of learning. This pedagogies focusing on student activity and stu-
generation is distinguished by their access to tech- dent engagement in the learning process (Prince,
nological and collaborative experiences. 2004). Teaching methods promoting active learn-
Millennial students drive change in learning ing are those "instructional activities involving stu-
environments around the world. The technology, dents in doing things and thinking about what
with which digital natives matured, has induced they are doing" (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 1).
today's students to "think and process information Activities should be designed to emphasize impor-
fundamentally differently from their predecessors" tant learning outcomes requiring thoughtful partic-
(Prensky, 2001, p. 1). Although educators bemoan ipation on the part of the student (Prince, 2004).
this generations' inability to focus. Millennial expert Four broad categories of instructional
Marc Prensky (2010) pointed out that "it is not our approaches for use in an active learning classroom
students' attention capabilities that have changed, have been identified: (a) individual activities, (b)
but rather their tolerance and needs" (p. 2). This paired activities, (c) informal small groups, and (d)
characteristic actually validates the urgency to adopt cooperative student projects (Zayapragassarazan &
alternative methods of instruction, and many teach- Kumar, 2012). These methods encompass many
ers are incorporating active learning strategies as a activities such as conceptual mapping, brainstorm-
better way to engage these students. ing, collaborative writing, case-based instruction,
cooperative learning, role-playing, simulation, proj-
Educators must shift from a teaching- ect-based learning, and peer teaching (Zayapragas-
sarazan & Kumar, 2012). Active learning methods
centered paradigm toward a learner- require students to utilize higher-order thinking
centered paradigm. skuls such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
(Bonwell & Eison, 1991). This more hohstic
approach to instruction engages students with
varied learning styles and appeals to the typical
Active Learning Millennial learner who thrives in an environment
For decades, educators and educational researchers of variety and change (Prensky, 2010);
have questioned the effectiveness of teaching meth-
ods that are entirely lecture-based (Barr & Tagg, The Flipped Classroom
1995). Despite innovations in technology enabling Active learning pedagogies continue to evolve,
alternative techniques for pedagogy, lecture formats and new methods of delivering course material are
continue to be the primary method for teaching being developed. Assimilating active learning can
adult learners (Bligh, 2000). Educators and research- be as simple as integrating in-class activities along-
chers have come to recognize the "complexities of side traditional lecture. Yet educators in elemen-
teaching and learning for understanding as opposed tary through post-secondary education are finding
to just knowledge retention" (Ritchhart, Church, & innovative ways to restructure the classroom (Strayer,
Morrison, 2011, p. 7). If the goal of teaching is to 2007) in order to focus attention on the learner
engender understanding, educators must move (Bergmann & Sams, 2012). Instructors adopting
from rote memorization of knowledge and facts, the flipped classroom model assign the class lec-
known as "surface learning," toward "deep learn- ture or instructional content as homework. In
ing," where understanding is developed through preparation for class, students are required to
"active and constructive processes" (Ritchhart et al., view the lecture. According to Tucker (2012), stu-
2011, p. 7). To achieve this objective, educators dents utilize the time in class to work through
must shift from a teaching-centered paradigm problems, advance concepts, and engage in col-
toward a learner-centered paradigm. laborative learning.
VOL. 105 NO. 2 2013 JFCS 45
Lage et al. (2000) performed a study using the students' access prior to class. The implementa-
flipped classroom for an economics course. They tion of computer-aided instruction (CAI) can be
found easy-to use, readily accessible technology to used to assess the likelihood of success in a
develop course materials for the flipped model. flipped classroom within different disciplines.
These instructors reported spending about 2 hours
per topic to create videotaped lectures and digital A flipped, or inverted, classroom model
slide presentations with voiceovers. Although con- could be adapted easily to multiple
tact hours remained the same, they found prepara-
tion time was significantly reduced after the initial disciplines such as textile design,
groundwork was completed. They reported that apparel design and construction,
question and answer sessions at the beginning of interior design, and nutrition.
each class took about 10 minutes of class time fol-
lowed by students working and learning together I
on "an economic experiment or lab that corre-
sponded to the topic being covered" (p. 4). As Slocum and Beard (2005) provided a list of
anticipated by Blair (2012), the use of flipped topics for which CAI has been developed. Among
classrooms could result in less effort creating lec- the topics are textiles, flat pattern design con-
ture presentations. This increase in available time cepts, concepts in clothing construction, and
might be redirected to create in-class activities that visualizing three-dimensional designs from two-
deepen concepts and increase student's knowledge dimensional patterns. Slocum and Beard (2005)
retention. argued that the development of additional CAI
With internet access widely available on most modules could allow instructors to use limited
college and university campuses, students may class time to guide students through unique learn-
view web-based instruction on their own time, at ing paths appropriate to individual skill level or
their own pace. This provides opportunities to uti- project needs. Therefore, we can safely deduce
lize the classroom for the application of informa- that the flipped classroom could be beneficial for
tion addressed in the online lecture. Because topics where class lecture is predominantly uti-
students have viewed the lecture prior to class, lized to provide instruction. For example, imple-
contact hours can be devoted to problem solving, menting the flipped classroom in clothing con-
skill development, and gaining a deeper under- struction would allow students and instructors to
standing of the subject matter (Bergmann & Sams, focus class time on skill development, problem
2012). The teacher is able to provide students with solving, and active learning of construction con-
a wide range of learner-centered opportunities in cepts while executing assignments.
class for greater teacher-to-student.mentoring and Similarly, Byrd-Bredbenner and Bauer (1991)
peer-to-peer collaboration, increasing the possibil- conducted an experimental study to conipare the .
ity to engage Millennial students (Prensky, 2010).. effectiveness of the CAI modules with traditional
lectures for a college nutrition course. Their find-
Learning Using Non-Lecture Based Strategies ings indicated that students enjoyed using CAI
A flipped, or inverted, classroom model could be and that nutrition knowledge was improved. The
adapted easily to multiple disciplines such as tex- benefit of a mixed method technique (Carew,
tile design, apparel design and construction, inte- Chamberlain & Alster, 1997; Zubas, Heiss, &
rior design, and nutrition. Of particular relevance Pedersen, 2006) was evident in studies conducted
are courses in which a lecture is primarily based in the discipline of nutrition; students who accessed
on disseminating information and learning occurs lecture material posted online or completed self-
when students apply these instructions to com- paced online tutorials in addition to attending
plete a task or an assignment. The flipped class- the traditional classroom lecture demonstrated
room model suggests the use of a variety of improved test scores in the respective nutrition
technologies in preparing and posting lessons for courses. All of the above findings support Wishart
46 vol. 105 10. 2 2013 JFCS
and Bleases' (1999) claim that environments in allows instructors to improve communication and
which technology is used innovatively can lead to connection with students possessing a broad range
both improved learning outcomes and teaching. of abilities.
Technology provides opportunities for teachers to
meet the needs of students with various learning The time gained by removing the
styles through the use of multiple media (Bryant lecture portion from class allows for
&Hunton, 2000). more one-on-one personal engagement
Benefits of Using a Flipped Classroom Model between the teacher and students.
Instructors implementing a flipped classroom use
various methods for preparing the online content. L
Strayer (2007) made useful observations and sug- With a traditional lecture format, teachers
gestions for instructors who consider using the might not be aware of student progress until after
flipped classroom model. When the focus of the testing (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). A flipped
flipped classroom is on.giving students the free- classroom allows teachers greater insight into stu-
dom to interact with the content according to their dents' grasp of information and learning as a result
own learning style, the flip seems to be more suc- of increased student/teacher interaction. The time
cessful. Due to the structural differences of the gained by removing the lecture portion from class
flipped classroom model, students becoine more allows for more one-on-one personal engagement
aware of their own learning process than do stu- between the teacher and students. Furthermore, a
dents in more traditional settings. Students will flipped classroom allows students who may be hes-
therefore need more space to reflect on their learn- itant to ask questions in the middle of a lecture to
ing activities in order to make necessary connec- seek assistance from the teacher during their indi-
tions to course content. The teacher must plan for vidual feedback sessions. Students also have the
a component in the course structure allowing for opportunity to "replay" the lectures several times
reflection to take place. It is important for the before formulating their questions.
teacher to be able to see and comment on specific Additional benefits of the flipped classroom
aspects of student reflection. This feedback cycle model include the ability for the class to move for-
will be crucial in assessing student learning. ward despite both teacher and student absences.
Flipped classroom pedagogy has the potential to
When the focus of the flipped address situations in which students miss lectures
classroom is on giving students the due to illness and for students who are engaged in
freedom to interact with the content university-supported activities such as athletics. It
allows absent students to stay on track without
according to their own learning style, lengthy interaction with the instructor. Similarly, it
the flip seems to be more successful. is beneficial for teachers as it allows students to
move forward with course material even when the
teacher is absent. This feature enables the course to
proceed as scheduled without unnecessary delays.
Flipping the classroom allows for a range of
teaching methodologies to be employed such as Limitations of Using a Flipped Classroom Model
videotaping the instructor while lecturing, creating The flipped classroom may not be applicable to all
videos with voiceover and screen-capture software, subjects. For instance, Strayer (2007, 2012) per-
instructions accompanied by visual aids, utilizing formed a comparative study between a flipped
videos found online from sources such as YouTube classroom and the traditional classroom for an
and TeacherTube, and integrating discipline-specific introductory statistics course. The findings of this
websites of videos available through professional study demonstrated that students participating in
organizations and companies (Roehl, 2013). This the flipped classroom were less satisfied with the
VOL. 105 NO. 2 2013 JFCS 47
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