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``Department of Education, University of the People

EDUC 5272: ADVANCED PRACTICES FOR TEACHING THE STEM

FIELDS AT THE
ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVELS
University of the People

Dr. Christine McLaughlin

December 20, 2022

The Flipped Learning Approach

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 The aim of education is to prepare students to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The learning approaches that we use must be on real-life experiences so that students can make

connections. One such approach is the Flipped Learning Approach. It is based on the idea that

students are able to learn more effectively when class time is used for small group activities and

individual attention. Lecture materials and presentations are assigned to students so that they can

view them at home or outside of the classroom day by prioritizing active learning. (Lesley

University, n.d.). The main objectives of flipping a classroom are:

● To ensure that the classroom is an active learning environment

● To provide students with the opportunity to learn at their own pace, and

● To provide teachers with more time to work with struggling students while the more

advanced students have the freedom to progress in their work. (Panopto, 20222).

In this approach, a concept is explained to students either on video or through

presentation software with voiceover. Students are able to watch the content prior to class and

prepare for the day’s activities. This provides them with the freedom over how, when, and where

they can learn and enables them to engage with the video content in the way that is best suitable

to them. The students are able to familiarize themselves with the material so that when class

begins, they are able to collaborate either individually or in small groups with their teacher and

classmates to cement their understanding. Students are able to sit less, and listen more which

boosts their abilities to ‘do and learn’. This promotes a more enjoyable, productive, and

engaging class time for students and teachers. (Lesley University, n.d.).

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 According to Zing & Zhu (2021), the teaching of STEM has dramatically increased to

deal with multiple challenges such as climate change, energy and water shortage, and food

security that are affecting humans globally. However, there has been a significant decline in the

enrollment of students in STEM fields. Students do not have self-motivation so it is important

that the strategies used for teaching STEM are improved in order to attract more students in

STEM fields. An approach that is being used is the flipped classroom method. Students need to

be able to effectively solve problems in STEM education. When the classroom is flipped they

will be able to construct new knowledge through improved communication, participation, and

cooperation.

A STEM lesson has many complex concepts, formulas, theories, and problems, that can be

difficult for students to understand on their own. The flipped learning can work well for a STEM

classroom. If the material is very engaging to motivate students, they will understand more of it.

Once a lesson has been assigned, it gives enough time in the classroom that can be used for

problem-solving, debates, discussions, and practical experiments. Students are able to dive

deeper into a lesson and set their own pace for learning as they will have time to rewatch videos

over and over again until they have grasped the concept. (Oakman, n.d).

In order to implement flipped learning in our classrooms, we have to integrate the four pillars.

They are flexible environment, learning culture, intentional content, and professional educator.

The flexible environment requires teachers to be flexible regarding the learning space and the

assessment and the time of delivery of lessons. Camiling (2017), believes that teachers should

rearrange the classroom to meet student's needs and have flexible timings and assessment

methods.

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 For example, if students are required to flip a lesson on global warming, I will use the

following strategies as outlined by Oakman (n.d.):

● Provide them with an interesting story to start the lesson. For example two polar bears

having a conversation on melting glaciers.

● Give them an example of how cold countries grow plants inside a greenhouse to show

how greenhouse gases trap the heat from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere.

● Provide a variety of resources such as videos, podcast, etc so that students will have

options.

● Give students sufficient time to study the material before conducting discussions.

● Assess how well students understand the material by conducting a quiz.

● Allow students to work in groups to collaborate and solve problems. For example they

can create a greenhouse or use a bottle to conduct an experiment about global warming.

The learning culture requires teachers to shift their approaches from being teacher-

centered to student-centered (Flipped Learning Network, 2014). Students will be able to engage

in active learning and the construction of knowledge to promote more meaningful learning. The

teacher will take on the role of a facilitator. The intentional content depicts the planning process

of the approach. Teachers have to plan the content and materials that students need to learn and

explore in order to learn. (Camiling, 2017). The professional educator outlines the crucial role

that the teacher will play while using the approach. It highlights the role of teachers in managing

the classroom, evaluating students' work, conducting assessments, and adjusting misconceptions.

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(Flipped Learning Network, 2014). If these pillars are implemented into our practices, students

will be engaged in an efficient flipped learning approach.

The Flipped-learning approach takes advantage of technology for a more flexible learning

environment that is student-centered and focuses on active learning in the classroom. It is an

innovation and a new learning paradigm that changes passive learning into active learning. It is

ideal for STEM education because of its active learning and learner-centered nature. Students

are able to explore themselves in a class by doing lab work or conducting research in small

groups or individually. (Wibawa & Kandipah, 2018). It utilizes various activities which engage

the learners at both the individual and collaborative levels. It is based on hands-on learning

which helps to engage and motivate students in the learning process. With the increased use of

equipment in the classroom, it provides more opportunities for students to engage in authentic

scientific research. Students who need to do make-up work for lessons that were previously

missed can be facilitated beyond class time and outside the classroom. (Camiling, M. K. 2017).

Conclusion

In conclusion, one of the biggest challenges that teachers experience is how to keep students

engaged during a lesson. The flipped learning approach eliminates this challenge by providing

students with the opportunity to take in foundational knowledge at their own pace at home,

therefore using class time to engage in active learning of strategies such as debates, discussions,

and group activities. (Viewsonic, 2021). The Flipped learning method is ideal for the STEM

classrooms due to the student-centeredness and the ability to engage in active learning.

References

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Camiling, M.K. (2017). The Flipped Classroom: Teaching the Basic Science Process
Skills to High-Performing 2nd-grade Students of Miriam College Lower School.
https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-education/volume-5-special-issue/article-10/

Flipped Learning Network, (2014). What is Flipped Learning? Flipped learning network.
https://flippedlearning.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/FLIP_handout_FNL_Web.pd

Lesley University, (n.d.). An Introduction to Flipped Learning. https://lesley.edu/article/an-

introduction-to-flipped-learning

Oakman, A. (n.d.). How to Successfully Flip Your STEM Classroom.

https://blog.definedlearning.com/blog/how-to-successfully-flip-your-stem-classroom

Panopto, (2022). The (Flipped) Classroom of the 21st Century

https://www.panopto.com/blog/the-classroom-of-the-21st-century/

Viewsonic, (2021). 8 Flipped Classroom Examples.

https://www.viewsonic.com/library/education/8-flipped-classroom-examples/

Wibawa, B. & Karipah, S. (2018). The Flipped-Blended Model for STEM Education to Improve
Students' Performances. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326726329_The_Flipped-
Blended_Model_for_STEM_Education_to_Improve_Students'_Performances

Zing, Q. & Zhu, H. (2021). Flipping the Classroom in STEM Education

https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/flipping-the-classroom-in-stem-education/266514

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