The Flipped Classroom Model


INSIDE THE


Michal Tsur, Co-founder and President at Online Video Platform Kaltura, discusses how to make the most of video within the flipped classroom model


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he flipped classroom model - where homework is done in class and class work is done at home - doesn't at first glance present any particularly new concepts. For centuries, students have been expected to prepare for class, and teachers have understood that discussions in the classroom can achieve better results than monologues.


What has changed, however, is the explosion in new technologies – particularly advances in online video – that makes the flipped classroom an exciting and easily accessible framework for teachers and lecturers across the UK.


Flipped classroom benefits


When powerful video technology is combined with our gradually shifting attitudes towards independent learning and technology, it’s easy to see why the flipped classroom model is gaining so much traction.


The flipped classroom is particularly beneficial because it requires students to take more control of their own preparation and become increasingly active in class; it also requires teaching staff to shift their attitudes so that class time is a place for conversation rather than lecture. And above all, it leverages new technologies, such as video, in order to facilitate preparation in an engaging way that truly changes students' attitudes and motivation towards preparing for classes.


March 2013 Video options


The implementation is quite simple: teachers record and post video lectures for home-viewing, rather than presenting monologues in class. Students then review the videos at home – rewinding and replaying troubling concepts when necessary – and spend classroom time performing exercises and having a dialogue with the teacher to show mastery of material.


There are number of advantages with this new educational framework. In theory, it makes students better prepared for the day's activities when they step into the classroom; their work at home is still engaging and interactive; and it alters attitudes about what it means to be ‘in school,’ which has traditionally meant sitting passively at a desk and writing notes.


Further, it allows students to learn at their own pace, teachers to spend more time one-on-one with those having trouble, and both parties to engage in active learning together. It even addresses absenteeism, as students can review that day's work even when they are ill at home. What is new - and potentially revolutionary - is that teachers and lecturers can now use the latest video technologies to disseminate pre-distributed classroom/lecture content in the form of engaging, illustrative videos.


Flipped obstacles


The challenge, however, lies in convincing teachers, many of whom will have had no experience in creating and recording videos, and may be resistant to change, to have a go and not to rely on pre-made videos (which would defeat the purpose). The latest video technology is easily accessible and makes it very easy for staff to create a wealth of fabulous video content designed to enhance their pupils’ learning.


Furthermore, teachers will need to be convinced that videos are not just extensions of textbooks, but a way for them to insert their own teaching style, personality and experience into the curriculum. With the advent of robust video platforms available on the market today, teachers can offer interactive learning via videos by incorporating quizzing capabilities; annotations; captions and transcripts; comments and discussion boards and student response submissions (also in the form of video).


Videos have the advantage of being extraordinarily popular with younger generations. As mobile phones with Internet access become more ubiquitous and video becomes the majority form of all Internet traffic, there is no doubt that the ‘YouTube/iPhone generation’ is willing to embrace more video in its education. Most likely, it will get students excited and engaged between classes, since materials will be consumed in the much-preferred medium of video. The flipped classroom approach offers many tangible benefits for teachers as well, including diagnostic tools that help identify which topics are giving students the most trouble.


Thus, the biggest challenge going forward will be shifting the attitudes of those currently in charge of our education system and persuading them to accept video platforms, including education-focused platforms like Kaltura and general players like YouTube, as a means for learning.


If we are successful in flipping the classroom, it will become a place for more open discussion, innovation and exchange of ideas than the traditional lecture approach offers. In our increasingly competitive global economy, this is not an option, but rather a necessity if the UK’s education establishments are to remain world class.


www.education-today.co.uk 19


FLIPPED CLASSROOM


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