Flipped Learning Design

Pedagogy Example #1

Plan Description: Flipped Learning Design

For this technique, I had my students learn about the topic outside of class (through reading the textbook and taking online quizzes), and then come to discussion section for a group activity. Before the group activity, I gave a ten minute “mini-lecture” to go over some key concepts they would need to complete the group activity. Then, I put my students into breakout rooms of 4-5 students each and had them complete a worksheet together, using the knowledge they accumulated prior to coming to discussion. The goal of this activity was to increase engagement (through active learning) and foster community (through group collaboration). During the group activity, I checked in with my students every 5-10 minutes to see if they needed help and assess group collaboration and progress.

Implementation: Overall, the flipped learning design was successful. Most students seemed prepared (as in, they completed the textbook reading before coming to discussion) and were able to finish the group worksheet in the time allotted. Student engagement was high, as most breakout rooms I checked in on had conversations that were on-task, with wide participation from all members of the room. Many students also asked questions about the worksheet, which showed they were on-task and engaged with the material. Only one breakout room I checked in on was not engaged (students seemed to be working on the worksheet independently, with no collaboration). This happened in one breakout room out of eight total, so it was the exception, not the norm.

Reflection: In the future, I will continue to explore using flipped learning designs. Overall, I think my initial implementation was successful. However, it would have been better to get feedback from my students on whether they thought it was effective or not. Thus, in the future, I will use student surveys to poll their opinions on using a flipped learning design. This will allow me to get qualitative and quantitative data on whether the design was successful or not.