Flipped Learning 3.0

Next week I'm about to start facilitating another IB Continuum online workshop on flipped learning. Flipped learning is a relatively "new" idea and it's evolving rapidly.  As I'm continually wanting to learn more about this approach to teaching, I decided to enrol in a series of webinars hosted by Jon Bergmann, one of the pioneers of flipping (find out more about these webinars here).  Living in India, the webinars take place in the middle of the night, but the good thing is that if you register for the webinars you are sent a link to the recording of them - so I was able to view this today.   This webinar was about Flipped Learning 3.0 and was based on a year of data gathering by Jon about flipped learning.

First of all, though, it's important to understand the beginnings of the flip.  Version 1.0 was all about making the videos and having students watch the lessons at home and then do the "homework" in school where the teacher was able to support students more effectively.  This was known as the flipped classroom.  The flipped classroom evolved into version 2.0 where it became known as flipped learning.  In 2.0 the idea is still to move direct instruction out of the "group learning space" (classroom) and into the individual learning space, but now the emphasis has shifted to what happens in the classroom after the content has been delivered elsewhere.  The premise behind the 2 versions was the same - that instruction to a whole group in class is not the best use of a teacher's time - but whereas version 1.0 was still focused on teaching (the instructional videos), version 2.0 has been focused on the learning that is now possible to do in class.

The quote above is from one of Jon's slides.  He talked about how flipped learning is a dynamic movement that is changing rapidly, and that thinking that we know all there is to know about it based on our experience of versions 1.0 and 2.0 mean we are missing out on the opportunities of version 3.0.  In essence there are new things he has learned over the past year that show new trends are emerging:

1. Flipped learning is not static because of 3 factors:  research, innovation and technology.  In the flipped classroom version 1.0 many studies focused on the satisfaction of the teachers and learners and on test scores.  Now we have moved onto flipped learning 3.0, research is more on things like the impact of drawing in the videos, the role of questions, the time between the individual and group work, and on gamification of flipped learning.  Today many researchers are asking the question "How do we improve the flipped learning model?"  At the same time innovations are taking place in making the videos including having students create them, teacher collaboration and expanding the group space. 
2. Flipped learning has moved beyond the stage of the innovators and early adopters and is now at the early maturity stage of innovation diffusion.  The recent SpeakUp survey of 403,000 educators shows that around 17% of US teachers are flipping, and around 20% want to learn how to do this.  Around 75% of middle and high school students think flipped learning is a good way for them to learn.  As a result of this technology/publishing companies are starting to partner with teachers to build flipped learning initiatives.
3. Flipped learning is a global movement.  Jon highlighted some global "hot spots" such as Spain, Italy, Iceland, Taiwan and China, Australia, and Argentina.  He explained that the global market is growing at a little over 37% a year.
4. Flipped learning is a "meta-teaching strategy" that supports all others.  Jon described this as the "operating system" upon which "apps" such as PBL, inquiry and so on are plugged in.  He spoke about the educational problems that flipped learning can solve, from student disengagement through to time, autonomy, student comprehension, discipline and support for ESL students.  He also talked about how teachers who use flipped learning report increases in job satisfaction.  Pre-class preparation has led to increased test scores, in particular for struggling students and for girls.
5. Flipped learning has created new opportunities for trained and experienced teachers who use flipped learning.  There is now a greater demand for flipped administrators, trainers and tech coaches to support teachers in getting the most out of the flip.  He remarked that some teachers have flipped in poor ways and that it's "easy to get it wrong".

There is another webinar in the series next week.  Once again I won't be able to attend it live, but I'm looking forward to getting my next recording.  In the upcoming webinar Jon is joined by Robert Talbert, an Associate Professor in maths at Grand Valley Sate University, Michigan, to talk about the paradigm shift that changes the way most people think about flipped learning.