On February 12, 2013, Dr. Honeycutt will lead an online workshop titled The Flipped Approach to a Learner-Centered Class. This workshop is sponsored by Magna Publications, a company dedicated to serving the higher education community. Magna produces online seminars, publications, conferences and other products that support faculty and staff development.
Workshop Description:
Re-think the design of your class
You can flip pancakes. You can flip burgers. How do you flip a class?
In a lecture-centered classroom, the instructor delivers content in class and then sends students home to complete homework. When you deliver informational content outside the classroom and then use class time to facilitate engagement and deeper learning—that’s a flipped classroom.
Flipping learning, however, is about more than pre-class lectures. Effective flips involve two key elements.
First, you need to structure lesson plans to shift focus from content delivery to student engagement. The flip has most commonly been defined as a classroom where students watch prerecorded lectures outside of class and then complete homework during class time. However, the flip can mean so much more than this.
In many learning environments in higher education, the instructor directs the energy toward his or her lecture. Planning typically starts with the question “What am I going to talk about?” In a flipped environment, this structure is reversed. The instructor directs the energy toward his or her students. Planning starts with the question “What do the students need to do?” This fundamental shift changes the whole dynamic of the learning environment.
Second, you need to use your classroom skills effectively to help students transform inert content into mastered material.
By flipping the focus of the learning environment from “teacher centered” to “learner centered,” you create an environment that engages students, enhances learning, and creates an exciting classroom atmosphere. You move from being the “sage on the stage” to being a “guide on the side.” Many educators are quick to realize that the “flip” is really just a buzzword for student-centered learning.
However, no matter what you call the approach, moving from a lecture-based class to a flipped class requires a new set of skills. In order to do it well, you need to shift the way you design your class and implement your teaching strategies to ensure that the learning environment is successful. You can have the most creative assignments, the latest technology, and the most organized plan, but unless you have the skills to implement that plan, the flipped learning fails.
The flip is more than just a fad. It’s reinvigorating learning (and teaching) in thousands of classrooms. Discover how The Flipped Approach to a Learner-Centered Class can help make learning more fun and more effective for everyone involved.
Benefits of attending
This workshop will give you solid and practical guidance on the planning and skill-building required to successfully flip a classroom. You will:
- Participate in a flipped learning experience modeled for you on video – including a discussion of what worked and what can be improved
- Collaboratively analyze each piece of a simplified lesson plan to recognize flippable moments
- Discover ways to flip your existing lesson plan(s)
- Identify the skills you need to develop to effectively manage the classroom part of the experience
- Generate ways to engage students through effective questioning and discussion strategies
- Receive a list of additional resources and articles to continue your professional development in designing effective learning environments
Takeaways
The greatest value of any educational experience lies in what you take away and actually use. This online seminar uses a collaborative environment to show you:
- How to structure a lesson plan as a flipped learning experience
- How to bring life to old lesson plans through flipping
- A selection of flipped techniques to apply to your own classes
- How to assess your skills to make the most of a flipped lesson plan
- How to introduce students to the flipped environment on the first day of class
- Recommended professional development opportunities for you and for others in your department who are interested in flipping
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