Saint Michael's College. JOHN M. GRANEY. Santa Fe College. HELAINE W. MARSHALL. Long Island University. CHRISTINE SABIEH. Notre Dame University.
21st Century Language Skills
Flipped Learning in TESOL: Definitions, Approaches, and Implementation CHRISTINE BAUER-RAMAZANI Saint Michael’s College
JOHN M. GRANEY Santa Fe College
HELAINE W. MARSHALL Long Island University
CHRISTINE SABIEH Notre Dame University As the use of flipped learning spreads throughout educational disciplines, TESOL educators need to consider its potential for our field. This article, based on a computer-aided language learning (CALL) interest session at TESOL 2015, first looks at how best to describe and define flipped learning and examines the factors needed to make it effective in promoting language acquisition in a classroom setting. Next, the authors discuss the role of assessment and how flipped learning provides opportunities for increased informal assessment measures. Then, a flipped learning project is presented as an example of how flipped learning can take shape using project-based learning in an intensive English program (IEP) course. The article concludes with a consideration of both the benefits and the challenges pertaining to this approach for TESOL. doi: 10.1002/tesj.250
Flipped learning has emerged in the past few years as an innovation in instructional technology that promises to produce results in the form of both increased motivation and increased TESOL Journal 7.2, June 2016 © 2016 TESOL International Association
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mastery (Jamaludin & Osman, 2014; Kong, 2014). Initially implemented primarily in math and science (e.g., Bergmann & Sams, 2012; Hamden, McKnight, McKnight, & Arfstrom, 2013), the potential for the field of TESOL has become evident with the increase from three presentations at the 2013 TESOL Convention to more than 30 in 2015. In 2015, for the first time, the Electronic Village Online (EVO) ran a session on flipped learning with nearly 300 participants from over 70 nations. This article reports on a computer-aided language learning (CALL) Technology Showcase Hot Topics session at the 2015 TESOL Convention with a discussion of the characteristics of flipped learning, the factors that make it successful, the role of assessment in a flipped classroom, and a description of a flipped classroom in action in an intensive English program (IEP).
WHAT IS FLIPPED LEARNING? The Flipped Learning Network defines flipped learning as a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter. (Flipped Learning Network, 2014a, p. 1)
This broad definition provides educators with a shared understanding for creating their own flipped learning environments. It should be clear that flipping one’s classroom cannot simply be achieved by exchanging what was done in class with what was done at home. Rather than doing the “homework in class,” the classroom becomes the center of collaborative activities and project-based language learning (Marshall, 2014). When participants in the 2015 EVO session were asked how flipped learning lessons differed from conventional lesson planning, they emphasized the shift from their role as central figures in the classroom to becoming more like facilitators of learning, focusing on creating tasks to help students use language rather than on covering the curriculum.
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How Simple Is It to Flip? Many educators are transforming their educational spaces into flipped classrooms. Reversing traditional instructional methodologies, introducing blended learning, and/or enriching endeavors by introducing technologies into a system makes “new” settings sound like a miracle fix. The question remains: How simple an endeavor is it to flip, be it a classroom or learning? Simple, if educators have the set-up or mindset to do so; not simple, if elements in the teaching/learning equation are not present. The Flipped Learning Network (2014b) has articulated four pillars of flipped learning: flexible environment, learning culture, intentional content, and professional educators. If these four pillars are present, then we can be confident that we have implemented this approach. Flexible environment. Tools and resources, whether technology-based or not, may be custom designed or created by others for use in the blended setting to promote the language communication as the intended outcome. The physical elements of an effective teaching/learning equation support the methodology to promote flipped learning and provide the space for it. Learning culture. According to Honeycutt and Garrett (2014), “the true essence of the flip is really to focus on the student.” Teachers need to consider the type of learners present in a classroom and their socioeconomic status, personalities, cognitive abilities, and language proficiency, as well as facilities available in/outside the classroom in choosing an instructional methodology. Intentional content. The teaching, lesson, and assessment plans are to maintain a supportive yet dynamic relationship, focusing on planning the before-class and during-class activities, as well as the learning act. The teacher intentionally selects content for the out-of-class portion and leverages that content for the inclass portion in a seamless flow that fosters connections between the students and what they are learning. Professional educator. Teachers should know the teaching material and their students in order to develop a plan to move learners forward, scaffold activities, and facilitate rather than Flipped Learning in TESOL
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control learning. Thus, they must be confident planners, managers, guides, facilitators, mentors, coaches, challengers, teachers, assessors, discussants, problem solvers, researchers, and practitioners.
WHY USE FLIPPED LEARNING? Here we look at two opportunities created by establishing a flipped learning approach for English learners: (1) the introduction of multiple informal assessments, and (2) the incorporation of project-based learning. Ongoing Informal In-Class Assessment In flipped learning, as in most active learning approaches, assessment involves a more individualized approach. Formative assessment has been defined as “the frequent, interactive checking of student progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs and adjust teaching appropriately” (Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, 2008, p. 1). With the emphasis in flipped learning on what is happening in the group space (i.e., the classroom), classroom formative assessment is crucial. In the flipped learning definition, the professional educators’ pillar includes the description: “I conduct ongoing formative assessments during class time through observation and by recording data to inform future instruction” (Flipped Learning Network, 2014a, p. 2). The use of formative assessments reinforces the dynamic nature of flipped learning instruction as students involved in activities need guidance from an informed perspective. Since multiple nonintrusive formative assessments can be performed during the flow of an activity, the activities proceed without interruption, and teachers can make adjustments within the class time or for the next class. These formative assessments along with quizzes, tests, papers, and projects provide information for the teacher to continue to target instruction toward student needs as they are identified. Classroom formative assessment involves three elements: observation, diagnosis, and feedback. The teacher uses the observations made in the flow of classroom activities as information for the second step, diagnosis. Diagnosis involves the 432
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teacher in using knowledge about students and the activity to determine whether the students are proceeding successfully. If something occurs outside expectations, the first determination needed is whether the unexpected occurrence is a mistake (“Oh, I know that!” sometimes accompanied by a head slap) or an error (“I can’t figure out what the best answer is”). The teacher uses the information from the diagnosis regarding both the affective state of the student and the cognitive problem faced by the student to provide feedback to foster learning. With the use of classroom formative assessments, the flipped learning teacher responds to immediate problems and makes needed instructional adjustments. Formative assessments provide teachers with information needed for more complex classroom activities such as project-based learning. Incorporation of Project-Based Learning An intermediate to high-intermediate level intensive English program class at Saint Michael’s College (Vermont, United States) can illustrate the flipped classroom in action. It contained elements of blended learning (BL), m(obile) learning (ML), and project-based learning (PBL). Students accessed content outside of class and then interacted in class with the instructor and peers, thus combining face-to-face learning and working online in a BL mode. The students used mobile devices, mainly smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops—a mixture of devices known as BYOD (bring your own device) (Hockly & Dudeney, 2014; New Media Consortium, 2015). The expected outcome was a 3-minute, videorecorded newscast project with student pairs playing news anchors interviewing experts in particular fields. Typical for PBL (Why Project-Based Learning, n.d.), the activities included analysis of research results, synthesis through co-construction of meaning, and creation in the presentation of the newscast—all higher order thinking skills along the lines of Anderson and Krathwohl’s (2001) revision of Benjamin Bloom’s taxonomy (see Table 1). Finally, teams practiced the delivery, then recorded their newscasts and uploaded them to YouTube. In class, we watched the recordings and used the mobile app Polleverywhere to vote on the best newscast (Amazing Facts about the Brain; http://bit.ly/flipnewscast). Projects were assessed Flipped Learning in TESOL
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TABLE 1. Activities in a Flipped Classroom Example—Newscast Project In-class Discussion of project components
Out-of-class Google Drive for collaborations; topic research; examples of newscasts
Analysis of newscast elements Creation of storyboards (= outlines) for Synthesis—storyboards completed newscast project Collaborations/Google Drive Collaborations/Google Drive (analysis/synthesis) Revising/pronouncing/practicing— Discussing/composing/revising/ see http://bit.ly/teamsworking and practicing/creating—video-recording http://bit.ly/flippronounciation of newscasts Viewing and voting on recorded newscast projects
with a rubric reflecting elements of the creation process as well as content and language.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF FLIPPED LEARNING FOR TEACHERS AND LEARNERS? Although both the teacher and students in the previous example found the flipped classroom process and final outcome to be effective, several advantages and disadvantages of the experiment became evident. A major benefit for teachers is to free up time and increase student engagement outside the classroom by moving delivery of content to the out-of-class portion of the course, so that they can devote their energy to observation, feedback, and assessment (Marshall & DeCapua, 2013). Students, for their part, can take ownership of their learning, as well as receive immediate support and guidance in class (Anderman, Andrzejewski, & Allen, 2011; Bergman, 2010). Finally, flipped learning enhances meaningful input and interaction (Gillies, 2006; Krashen, 2014) by ensuring that students control the out-of-class content individually and apply this new content in communicative activities during class (Brinks-Lockwood, 2014; Han, 2015). However, challenges of flipped learning include increased time needed to set up the tools and equipment for technology support, developing appropriate language and assessment activities, finding online resources to support language and content 434
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activities, and designing tasks for critical thinking and projectbased learning. In general, flipped learning works best with students who are motivated and able to spend additional time completing online activities at home.
CONCLUSION From this brief analysis, we can ascertain that flipped learning is more than a passing fad and has many clear benefits for both teachers and learners. As more research is conducted in language classrooms, we will be better able to state what flipped learning needs to look like for our profession. One promising direction is to establish research–practitioner partnerships so that language teachers can offer their classrooms for second language acquisition studies that focus on the role of flipped learning in facilitating the process of learning a language in a classroom setting.
THE AUTHORS Christine Bauer-Ramazani is an instructor and teacher trainer. She has designed and taught online courses for Saint Michael’s College and TESOL, co-founded the Electronic Village Online (EVO) of TESOL, and chaired the CALL Interest Section of TESOL, receiving the D. Scott Enright Award for her service. John M. Graney is the ESL coordinator at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. He has been an English language teacher and teacher trainer since 1979 in the United States, Africa, and Asia. Helaine W. Marshall is an associate professor of education and Director of Language Education Programs at Long Island University Hudson and co-author of Making the Transition to Classroom Success: Culturally Responsive Teaching for Struggling Second Language Learners (2013). She serves on the boards of the Flipped Learning Network and the NYS TESOL Journal. Dr. Christine Sabieh, professor at Notre Dame University, is a TESOL CALL IS Steering Committee member and a TESOL Arabia Testing SIG Member-at-Large Committee member. A former President of ASIACALL and Editor-in-Chief of ASIACall, a Flipped Learning in TESOL
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refereed journal, she continues to be an advocate of computerassisted learning and a certified online instructor/trainer.
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