A Story of Flipped Learning (Part 3) – Robert Marzano and Benjamin Bloom

The essence of Flipped Learning is simple. In Part 1 of this series we explained Flipped Learning as:

• Learning environments that have steered the focus of the classroom away from “the lecture”
• Learning environments that have replaced “the lecture” with increased hours working with students one on one, assisting them with higher order learning challenges and personalising their learning (Active Learning): AND
• Learning environments that deliver critical content to students through technology (often video) outside and inside of class time.

Let’s focus on how to change our instructional style from one of “Lecture” to one of “Active Learning”, for that’s what flipped classrooms seek to do.

To do this we can learn from both Dr Robert Marzano and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

In Part 2 of this series we saw how Marzano’s research demonstrates that only a small percentage of classrooms in the USA spent time on cognitively complex tasks involving generating and testing hypotheses (Active Learning). Flipped Learning seeks to improve this situation. Flipped Learning seeks to expose students to more Active Learning.

How do we do it? Where can we get some help with this?

Bloom’s Taxonomy one of the better known education theories provides some useful insights.

In thinking about the importance of Active Learning in the Flipped Learning paradigm, Jon Bergmann one of the pioneers of Flipped Learning, suggests that we flip the Bloom’s Taxonomy diagram and then change its shape as follows:

Figure 1: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Original

In traditional teaching, a teacher spends more time at the bottom of Bloom’s Taxonomy than they do at the top (Figure 1). Often the higher order active skills of Bloom’s (creating, evaluating and analysing) are left for homework projects with the teacher in class time focussing on the more passive skills of (remembering, understanding). Is this the best use of the teacher’s time? No!

Figure 2: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Flipped

Flip Bloom’s Taxonomy (Figure 2) and we get closer to the essence of Flipped Learning.

Here the focus for the teacher in class time is more at the top (creating, evaluating, analysing). Less at the bottom (remembering and understanding). That can be catered for through technology. This is better teaching, but is it realistic? Not quite!

Figure 3: Bloom’s Taxonomy – Diamond

A diamond shaped Bloom’s (Figure 3) is arguably an even better explanation of the best use of a teacher’s time. Here the teacher spends more time in the middle of Bloom’s (analysing, applying). This is where a student needs a teacher to help them the most. Technology can help with the other skills. Now we are getting close to the essence of a flipped classroom with Active Learning a very significant component at the centre.

To find out more about Flipped Learning and its possibilities meet Jon Bergmann, in person @ FlipCon Australia at the Inaburra School in Sydney on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2017.

If you are interested in drilling right down to implementing Active Learning in your classroom you may wish to consider the Masterclass option available at the conference. Here is a snapshot of the program run by Jon Bergmann:

For more information about the Masterclass option and to register for FlipCon Australia go to: www.ereg.me/flipconaus

A Story of Flipped Learning (Part 2) – you have freed up some time

In Part 1 of this series we talked about freeing up and changing the nature of class time by decreasing the amount of time spent on “lecturing to the whole class” and instead increasing the hours working with students one on one, assisting them with higher order learning challenges and personalising their learning.

This is a critical part of the flipped classroom – freeing up a lot of time!

But what you do with that time is equally critical.

In a study of 2,000,000 classrooms in the USA, Dr Robert Marzano asked the key question: what instructional strategy is being used? His research results are outlined below:

In a flipped learning paradigm, with a lot of time freed up, we seek to change these percentages. We seek to decrease the emphasis on interacting with new content and practising and deepening new content, to significantly increasing the amount of time spent on cognitively complex tasks involving generating and testing hypotheses. This is one of the hallmarks of a flipped classroom.

In a Flipped Learning model, interacting with new content, as important as it is, is not overdone in class time. New content is delivered to the students via some form of technology (often videos). Students study this content usually outside of class, and return to the class the next day ready to work with the teacher to get stuck into deep understanding and complex tasks that depend on having interacted with it.

To find out more about Flipped Learning and its possibilities meet Jon Bergmann, one of the pioneers of Flipped Learning, in person @ FlipCon Australia at the Inaburra School in Sydney on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2017.

If you are interested in delving into the pedagogy and best practices of Flipped Learning here is a snapshot of just a few of the sessions on offer:

For more information and to register for FlipCon Australia go to: www.ereg.me/flipconaus

A Story of Flipped Learning (Part 1) – somewhere near the beginning

It all started with dedicated, passionate, skilled teachers who knew that the best use of their time with students was NOT to lecture at them from the front of the classroom.

They believed that 2 things were critical:

• Free up and change the nature of class time by decreasing the amount of time they “lectured to the whole class” and instead increasing the hours they worked with students one on one, assisting them with higher order learning challenges and personalising their learning

• Find an alternative to the lecture for delivering critical content to their students. Delivering content was still very important in the teaching/learning process. They knew they were on a winner, because this is where tech tools had developed sufficiently to meet this need (more later).

Why has the Flipped Learning movement placed so much importance on the need to change the nature of class time? Put simply, because it works!

Increased one on one tuition and personalised learning strengthens the teacher-student relationship. Teachers get to know their students better cognitively, and perhaps even more importantly, affectively. As Jon Bergmann (one of the pioneers of Flipped Learning) often says: “Kids don’t care what you know until they know that you care”. Relationships is the top reason why Flipped Learning works. Students engage when you know them and when you care.

Even though Flipped Learning has moved on from these simple and elegant ideas to a very sophisticated model of teaching and learning (Flipped Learning 3.0), as it was then and still is now, the one big question in the Flipped Learning paradigm is: “What is the best use of face to face class time?”

We know it is not “yakking” at the front of the class day in, day out. It is something else altogether and it is powerful. For some teachers it is 50% more experiments, 50% more project based learning, 50% more active learning, or 50% more inquiry learning. 

What would it be for you?

To find out more about Flipped Learning and its possibilities meet Jon Bergmann in person @ FlipCon Australia at the Inaburra School in Sydney on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2017. 

If you are just starting out on the Flipped Learning road the conference has much to offer. Here is a snapshot of just a few of the sessions on offer:

For more information and to register for FlipCon Australia go to: www.ereg.me/flipconaus

All education sectors embrace Flipped Learning

The nature of Flipped Learning is such that all of its principles and practices are equally applicable to primary, secondary and tertiary sectors.

For the primary sector the benefit of Flipped Learning is that the student-centred approach it brings, shifts the focus from the teacher's needs to the student's, capturing the attention of, and engaging many more students in their learning.

When secondary students come prepared to a flipped classroom, there's little to no need for teachers to address content related questions, this is generally left for “homework”. Instead, in the time that is freed up from “teaching the content”, teachers can support students in better understanding the concepts through practical application and one to one interventions.

There is something for the tertiary sector too. Active learning is central to the flipped classroom and is supported by research that indicates students can experience significant learning gains when compared to the passive lecture format. The lecture still plays a critical role, however the emphasis in Flipped Learning is on providing opportunities for students to explore applications and content that challenges their higher order thinking.

Flipped Learning evolves into Flipped Learning 3.0

Advancing digital technologies are challenging the traditional didactic teaching seen for decades and at the same time offering dynamic and innovative opportunities for student learning.

Don’t be caught out! Flipped Learning has fundamentally changed.

The static view of Flipped Learning (record lectures on video so students can watch them outside of the classroom), has given way to Flipped Learning 3.0 a dynamic movement that is rapidly changing. Three big factors - research, classroom innovation and advances in technology are driving the change.

Classroom innovation is bringing some of the most exciting changes to Flipped Learning. These include:

• Expanding the group space – the walls of the classroom are nearly down
• Innovating with student created flipped videos
• Innovating the teacher - student relationship – more time to create
• Redesigning the group space for Flipped Learning
• Gamification of the individual space
• Peer to peer instruction in the group space
• Evolving ways to use the group space.

Perhaps the most exciting recent discovery about Flipped Learning is: 

Flipped Learning is not just another teaching tactic, but a meta-teaching strategy that supports all others

FLGI Webinar Series Flipped Learning 3.0

Let’s take this finding very seriously for it offers the answer to many critical issues in education today and has the potential of consolidating all good teaching practices.

To find out more about this exciting new phase in Flipped Learning feel free to connect with Jon Bergmann, one of the pioneers of Flipped Learning, on Twitter @jonbergmann or email jon@flglobal.org

You can also meet Jon in person @ FlipCon Australia at the Inaburra School in Sydney on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2017.

For more information and to register for FlipCon Australia go to www.ereg.me/ehome/index.php?eventid=207135&

No ordinary digital technology conference

As you would expect in a climate where the use of digital technology is gaining traction in all of our schools, digital technology conferences and other digital technology professional learning flourish. The choice for school leaders and teachers is huge. When it comes to embracing what it takes to lead a digital school two critical ingredients must be readily accessible to the leader: An understanding of and experience in leading staff to achieve superior digital technology outcomes for themselves and their students An understanding of the crowded digital technology product space and the ways digital technology can best be employed to advance teaching and learning. The Leading a Digital School Conference addresses both of these critical ingredients ensuring that it rightfully takes its place as “no ordinary digital technology conference”. The Leadership Attend the conference to immerse yourself in contemporary leadership issues and environments. Hear from your colleagues who are successfully grappling with the contemporary challenges that school leadership must address. Reflect on the models of leadership that can position your school as a leading digital school striving to provide that competitive advantage for your teachers and students. Network with and learn from schools that are leading digital programs from the top, through synergistic team leadership and through powerful grassroots influence. The Technology One of the biggest challenges a school leader faces is keeping up with the rapidly evolving technology available to them so that the digital programs they lead are cutting edge and relevant with high educational value. Attend this conference to take the opportunity to explore among other things how global networks and emergent connective technologies empower learning communities; appreciate the power of iPads as a learning tool; explore practical strategies of how to share innovative practice across a school and scale projects for a global audience; discover the various programs, networks and agencies that can assist with protecting your students’ online presence and identity; see how simple robots can create deeper connections across your curriculum, support developmental play, inspire deep learning and thinking and enhance and extend problem solving; discuss how to use social media to interact with students, engage parents and promote your school to the world; ask questions about data and the educational value of data collection; consider the positive effects of disruptive technologies and much more. Special Feature – Jukes and Mohan Program A special feature of the conference in 2017 is the Jukes and Mohan program, a 3 day program included within the Leading a Digital School Conference. It will provide a very attractive choice for many delegates. Three (3) workshops (Leadershift: Renewing Schools for Modern Times; Disruptive Innovation in Education; and Creating Significant Learning Environments) presented by Ian Jukes and Nicky Mohan have been developed in partnership with Lamar University (USA.) Participants can choose to attend purely for professional development to enhance their own practice; or they can utilize attendance at this PD to begin the process of completing the course requirements for a Masters of Education. This model, which is a perfect fit for busy educators, has been carefully designed so that it seamlessly integrates into your daily practice. Learn more If you wish to learn more about what it takes to lead in a digital school in today’s challenging educational climate, why not attend the Leading a Digital School Conference to be held at the QT Hotel, Gold Coast on 17, 18 and 19 August 2017? For more information and to register go to: www.ereg.me/digital17

Flipped learning growing at pace globally

All the signs are indicating that flipped learning is a teaching and learning phenomenon gaining rapid and strong traction globally.

Flipped learning is not complex if we focus on Jon Bergmann’s 5 essential core principles:

     Thinking

Time

Training

Technology

Simplicity.

Flipped learning requires a radical redefinition of the role of the teacher, the student and the best use of time between them.

Successful migration to the flipped learning model requires an investment of time. This means support from school administrators and school leaders is pivotal.

Successful implementation of flipped learning requires a mastery of the pedagogy and best practices of the flipped classroom.

Technology is central to flipped learning. Identifying the right technology, the right technology providers and securing the necessary technical training are vital.

In the end, successful flipped learning comes down to fostering more productive relationships between students and teachers and keeping the process simple.

With these 5 essential core principles at the fore of his work, Jon Bergmann is very successfully taking flipped learning global.  Around the world, increasing numbers of teachers and school leaders are flipping their classes. Jon’s goal is to help spread flipped learning’s best thinking, best practices and best technologies worldwide.

FlipCon Australia 2017 will contribute to this global movement. It is a national conference embracing flipped learning. Emerging and established flipped educators will attend this concentrated high touch, hands-on event. No prior experience in flipping a class or school is needed. When delegates return to their school after attending, they will have the skills, knowledge and passion to start or continue to cultivate a learner centred classroom and get to know their students better.

At the conference experienced flipped educators will share their knowledge, experience and skills with their colleagues offering beginner and masterclass streams and sessions focussed on: making flipped resources; pedagogy and best practice; subject specific flipping; assessment and flipping; scaling up; research; flipping a lesson; and learning outside the classroom.

Jon Bergmann is one of the pioneers in the flipped class movement after successfully flipping his own classroom and sharing the teaching model with other educators. Jon will be one of the keynote speakers at the conference.

Join Jon and other teachers experienced and not so experienced in flipped learning, at FlipCon Australia 2017. We look forward to meeting you at the host school - Inaburra School, Sydney, NSW on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 2017.

For further information about FlipCon Australia 2017 go to: http://www.ereg.me/FlipConAUS

Social media and its place in the classroom

Do you need to be wary about using social media in the classroom? Probably, but we argue that this should not be an impediment. You will ignore social media in the classroom at your peril. If you aren’t going to teach your students to communicate online, then they will do it themselves in their own way without valuable guidance from you. Is this desirable? No!

Social media is another tool that you can use to make your classroom more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse - making learning irresistibly engaging, attractive, seductive, pervasive and sophisticated for all.

Exciting times

There is plenty of evidence to demonstrate that teaching with Twitter creates a classroom of emboldened students. Students who are not outspoken in class seem to love the chance to make their voices heard without having to actually speak. Twitter encourages questions that may have never been asked by students who would not dare to ask them – a fantastic opportunity to change the dynamics of the classroom and engage many more students in personal and meaningful learning.

Social media is a common sense way to keep parents informed. Schools are always looking for ways to bring parents into the classroom and to include them in their child’s learning. This is not an easy task to achieve as parents are time poor and have plenty of other things to do. But believe us, parents are very interested in how things are progressing. Newsletters are fine but a bit impersonal and frankly “old hat”. Set up a blog, get some discipline going in posting to it, get the parents engaged in commenting on your posts and the sooner you know it you will have built another dimension into your teaching, and you, your students and their parents will be the richer for it. Quick, easy, interactive feedback is gold to a dedicated teacher.

School projects have grown a new life and brought new meaning because of social media. Kids can now create projects that are polished, vibrant, dynamic, interactive, and their learning shared with the world. Facebook is so much more than vapid status updates. Take for example a Facebook project where your students use Facebook to follow politicians. If your class is studying the current election, using Facebook to follow politicians on the local, state, and national scale brings a reality and authenticity to the lesson that far surpasses how you might have otherwise tackled the topic. You can even ask students to interact with the candidates, posting questions and getting feedback.

Pinning with Pinterest! This is an easy medium for your students to share likes and interests by posting or “pinning” to their own or others’ boards, images and videos usually with a common theme. This is a perfect way for them to dig deep, focus, explore, grow and refine an interest. This is the stuff of forming and feeding life-long passions and hobbies. This social network has a visual orientation which attracts another type of learner. It is very much focused on the concept of a person's lifestyle, allowing one to share tastes and interests with others and discovering those of likeminded people – quite a social and sophisticated learning experience for your students wouldn’t you agree?

With Google Hangouts kids communicate by video. Up to 10 people at one time can “hangout” in a virtual room. The experience can be as simple or as complex as needed by the task. All your students need is a Google account. Great for connecting classrooms. Imagine a group of primary students spread across different countries participating in a weekly book club meeting, to discuss the book that has been assigned for reading. This is a powerful opportunity for students to understand different cultural perspectives and build tolerance for difference in a world that surely needs it.

Emboldened students, greater parental participation, real authentic learning, awareness of passions and lifestyles and cultural perspective and tolerance – this is what social media offers!

What precautions do you need to take?

These examples of social media in action in the classroom are exciting, inspirational and have great educational potential. Let’s now turn to the things that should happen or should never happen!

When teaching with social media you will want to be confident that you have the privacy issues sorted. Train your students to check all privacy settings and have them articulate the implications of setting privacy settings in the way that they have chosen.

Also pay attention to assisting students to:

• Manage their passwords
• Always assume that everyone in the world will be able to see what they write even if the site limits their posts to friends exclusively – it is important that that they understand this standard for posting
• Be vigilant about cyber imposters
• Be responsible global citizens.

K-12 Digital Classroom Practice Conference

The K-12 Digital Classroom Practice Conference provides a fantastic opportunity to explore the digital technology terrain suitable for using in your teaching in your classroom, including using social media. You have an amazing choice!

If you are just getting started in teaching seriously with digital technology, or you have considerable expertise, you will walk away from this conference with great ideas to take up in your teaching.

A special feature of the conference is the spotlight on social media: the good; the bad; the must dos; and the never do!

The social media up for discussion include: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, Google Hangouts, Edmodo, Blogs and Wikis, LinkedIn, Padlet, Voicethread, Podcasts.

Learn about using social media in your teaching, and be ready to share what you know.

Register for the K-12 Digital Classroom Practice Conference now at: www.ereg.me/k12dcp