Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

Flipping the Classroom

Flipping the classroom (also known as “inverting” the classroom) is an approach to classroom engagement where students are responsible for learning outside of class, while in-class time is devoted to experimentation, communication, application, and deeper thinking under the guidance of the instructor. In-class activities might involve helping students work through course material individually and in groups. There are a number of ways to flip a classroom. Below are resources, strategies, and examples to help you determine what kind of flip is best for your courses.

The Flipped Class: Rethinking Space & Time

 

How to Get Started

How Do You Flip a Class? – A guide created by the Faculty Innovation Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Inverted Classroom – An article by Robert Talbert of Grand Valley State University
6 Expert Tips for Flipping the Classroom – An article written by Jennifer Demski of Campus Technology

 

Common Activites

  • Active Learning
  • Collaborative Learning
  • Cased-based Learning
  • Problem-based Learning
  • Groupwork and Peer Instruction

 

Examples of Flipped Classrooms

  • Leaving lectures behind – An article written by Jimmy Ryals, on a flipped Physics classroom using the SCALE-UP model at North Carolina State University.
  • Flipped Classroom Example – Biology professor, Brian White, of the University of Massachusetts at Boston, discusses how he teaches a flipped classroom.

 

Active Learning

Active learning requires students to participate in class, as opposed to sitting and listening quietly. Strategies include, but are not limited to, brief question-and-answer sessions, discussion integrated into the lecture, impromptu writing assignments, hands-on activities and experiential learning events. As you think of integrating active learning strategies into your course, consider ways to set clear expectations, design effective evaluation strategies and provide helpful feedback.

The major characteristics of Active Learning are:

  • Students are involved in more than passive listening
  • Students are engaged in activities (e.g., reading, discussing, writing)
  • There is less emphasis placed on information transmission and greater emphasis placed on developing student skills
  • There is greater emphasis placed on the exploration of attitudes and values
  • Student motivation is increased
  • Students can receive immediate feedback from their instructor
  • Students are involved in higher order thinking (analysis, synthesis, evaluation)

 

The benefits of Active Learning are:

  • Develops collaborative skills
  • Encourages risk taking
  • Increases engagement
  • Improves critical thinking
  • Increases retention
  • Stimulates creative thinking
  • Fosters problem solving

 

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is the process of dividing a classroom into small groups so that students can work together to discover a new concept, solve a problem, and help each other learn. The fundamental core of cooperative learning is to demonstrate the positive effects of interdependence while highlighting the importance of personal responsibility.

Team Based Learning with Dr. Michael Sweet

Five Key Elements of Cooperative Learning:

  1. Positive Interdependence
  2. Individual Accountability
  3. Face-to-face Interaction
  4. Interpersonal and Small Group Social Skills
  5. Group Processing

 

Team-Based Learning

According to the Team-Based Learning Collaborative, Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an “evidence based collaborative learning teaching strategy designed around units of instruction, known as “modules,” that are taught in a three-step cycle: preparation, in-class readiness assurance testing, and application-focused exercise. A class typically includes one module.”

TBL consists of modules that can be taught in a 3-step process: preparation, in-class readiness assurance testing (IRAT), and application-focused exercises.

More information can be found at Team-Based Learning Collaborative.

 

Peer Instruction

Pioneered by Harvard professor Dr. Eric Mazur in the 1990s, Peer Instruction is an evidence-based, interactive teaching method that shifts the instructor from delivering content to facilitating discussions among the students by asking them a question that sparks discussion. In a hypothetical scenario, students formulate an answer to a conceptual question, share it with a partner, compare their reasoning, come to a consensus, then submit their answer. In this way, the instructor becomes a “guide on the side.”

Overview of the Peer Instruction process:

  1. Ask a question that sparks discussion (multiple choice if using clickers)
  2. (Optional) have students vote individually on the choice they believe is correct
  3. Have students discuss the question and answer choices with peers
  4. Have students vote on the correct answer (or share their answer if not multiple choice)
  5. Discuss the possible answer choices as a class
  6. Show the correct answer and any follow-up discussion related to this answer. If using clickers you can show the aggregate data of student responses.

    Lecturing

    “Lecturing is not simply a matter of standing in front of a class and reciting what you know. The classroom lecture is a special form of communication in which voice, gesture, movement, facial expression, and eye contact can either complement or detract from the content. No matter what your topic, your delivery and manner of speaking immeasurably influence your students’ attentiveness and learning.” – Barbara Gross Davis, Tools for Teaching


    Here are six elements of your classroom that you can control to make for a more effective lecture:

    1. Visual Message – The slides and other visual aids you use can either complement or confuse your verbal message, depending on how you design them. Consider how photos and other  images might function as metaphors that make your points more memorable.
    2. Physical Presence – While some instructors are naturally gifted public speakers, we can all be more aware of and leverage our physical presence to better communicate to our audiences.
    3. Verbal Message – Whether you prepare typed lecture notes or just improvise in the classroom, the words you say are an integral part of your lecture.
    4. Students’ Notes – Students can often spend more mental energy taking notes during class than thinking about your content. Consider ways you can make it easier for your students to take notes so they can focus more on engaging with your material.
    5. What Students Think – How can you help your students mentally grapple with your material during class?
    6. What Students Say & Do – Keep in mind that even in a so-called lecture class, you don’t have to lecture the whole time. Consider small-group and whole-class activities that might enhance your students learning.

    Here are few activities that help keep students engaged and foster active learning:

    • Write a Question – Instead of just saying, “Are there any questions?”, ask all of your students to spend a minute or two reflecting on the lecture thus far and writing down one or two questions on paper.
    • Think-Pair-Share – After posing a sufficiently difficult question, instead of asking for volunteers to answer the question, have students think about the question silently for a minute. Then have them pair up and discuss the question with their partners. Then ask for students to share their perspectives with the whole class.
    • Finding Illustrative Quotations – Ask students to reread the text for the day to find quotations that support particular arguments. You might have all students address the same argument or different students look at different arguments.
    • Brainstorming – As a segue to a new topic, have students share any thought, idea, story, etc. that occurs to them in relation to the new topic. Record these ideas at the board without analyzing them. After the ideas have been surfaced, then move on to more critical discussion.
    • Practice Homework Problems – After lecturing on a particular type of problem, give students a problem to work at their seats that resembles the kinds of problems they’ll see on their homework. After giving students a few minutes to try to work through the problem, discuss the problem with the class

     

    More Resources

     

    References

    1. Atherton, J.S. (2013) Learning and Teaching; Knowles’ andragogy: an angle on adult learning [On-line: UK]. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20160305005428/
      http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/knowlesa.htm
    2. Bronwell, C. C., & Elson, J. A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. Washington, DC: School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.
    3. Bruff, David. (n.d.). Lecturing. Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/lecturing/
    4. Curran, James and Rosen, Deborah. (2006). “Student Attitudes toward College Courses: An Examination of Influences and Intentions.” Journal of Marketing Education.
    5. Davis, Barbara. (1993). Tools for Teaching [PDF]. San Franciso: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from https://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/teaching/Tools%20For%20Teaching.pdf
    6. Difficult Dialogues. (n.d.). Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/difficult-dialogues/
    7. Flipping the Classroom. (2020). Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Washington. Retrieved from https://www.washington.edu/teaching/topics/engaging-students-in-learning/flipping-the-classroom/
    8. [GoGlobalFIU]. (2012, July 24). Team Based Learning (TBL) Workshop with Dr. Michael Sweet – PART 1 of 2. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSpyLRX9meY
    9. Knowles, M. (1984). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species (3rd Ed.). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing.
    10. Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
    11. Motivating Students. (n.d.). Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University. Retrieved from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/
    12. “Peer Instruction”. (n.d.). University Teaching and Learning Center. George Washington University. Retrieved from https://library.gwu.edu/utlc/teaching/peer-instruction
    13. [UT Faculty Innovation Center]. (2013, July 23). What is a flipped class?. Vimeo. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/70893101
    14. “What is Cooperative Learning”. (n.d.). Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience. Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College School. Retrieved from https://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/whatis.html

    About Teaching

    Strategies for Engagement