By Liz Masen and Kate Ross
Using technology to improve the classroom experience
Bill Gates described it as “the future of education”, and Flipping the Classroom is certainly revolutionizing the delivery of education. With the consensus of leading research concluding that traditional lecture formats are decreasing in effectiveness, premiere educational institutions are experimenting with, and adopting, the flipped classroom arrangement.
Flipping the classroom was popularized by Salman Khan, during his 2011 TED Talks presentation. Essentially a reversal of traditional teaching, students review videos, literature and other course materials before class to learn the theory of the subject. Then, the time during class is used to advance and apply this knowledge through experiential exercises, debates, and interaction with their instructor and peers.
Salman Khan says, “By letting students have a self-paced lecture at home, then when you go to the classroom, letting them do work, having the teacher walk around, having the peers actually be able to interact with each other, these teachers have used technology to humanize the classroom.”
Programs that have flipped the classroom see substantial benefits including increased test scores and learning gains, greater student engagement, and improved graduate attributes. Students are less stressed and better able to access and utilize their lecturers.
For educators, the flipped classroom is an end to reciting identical lectures. Instead the majority of their time is being spent extending the knowledge of the subject, putting theory into practice and having more interesting engagements with students.
Jac de Haan, founder of Technology with Intention, says “The focus of flipped teaching is that the technology itself is simply a tool for flexible communication that allows educators to differentiate instruction to meet individual student needs and spend more time in the classroom focused on collaboration and higher-order thinking.”
Applying this concept to your own program need not be a daunting task. You can start by flipping a single topic and see the benefits for yourself. The important thing is for students to actively engage in the content of your course.
Contact Athlete Assessments for case studies on how to flip your classroom.
Email: coach@athleteassessments.com
This article was featured in People+Sport Magazine: Education and Professional Development Edition which is available to read online here.
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