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| Students learn about human rights in a flipped classroom at Jangdae Middle School in Daejeon, Sept. 21, when Jon Bergmann, unseen, one of the developers of the flipped classroom model, visited the school. The students were given a task to write an essay about human rights while discussing the issue in groups of four. / Courtesy of Jangdae Middle School |
Innovative teaching model allows students to participate actively
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| Jon Bergmann, a U.S. educator and flipped learning pioneer |
Jon Bergmann, one of the developers of the flipped classroom, said that his innovative teaching method is designed to encourage students to engage actively with teachers.
"I believe that what makes good teaching good is the relational connections that teachers have with their students," Bergmann said. "We as teachers need to find ways to have more interaction with small groups of students. Flipped learning is an ideal way for teachers to have more and better interaction with their students."
The flipped classroom is a strategy that reverses the traditional education model by delivering instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom.
When Bergmann was a chemistry teacher at Woodland Park High School in the American state of Colorado in 2007, he and his colleague Aaron Sams initiated flipped teaching while recording lectures for students training in athletic clubs.
Prerecording the lectures and letting students study, learning material through videos before coming to class, has allowed teachers to create various activities, including debates and team projects in the classroom.
In Korea, the Ulsan National Institute of Science Technology (UNIST) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) introduced the model in 2012. And about 250 elementary and secondary schools followed suit.
Bergmann visited Korea from Sept. 15-23 to attend the Global Education 2015 hosted by the Daekyo Culture Foundation. During his stay, he visited several Korean schools, including Jangdae Middle School in Daejeon which practices flipped learning.
"I believe that Jangdae Middle School is on the right path to transforming their school," Bergmann said. "I saw many classes where students were active in their learning. I believe what makes a good flipped class is when students are actively doing something with their learning."
Asked if this kind of teaching and learning method can successfully take root in Korea despite the nation's ultra-competitive education system, he said flipped learning is ideal for the nation.
"Especially within Korea's ultra-competitive environment, flipped learning not only leads to better test scores, it also leads to deeper learning," he said. "As I visited schools across South Korea, I found teachers reporting higher student achievement, happier teachers and happier students."
It is important that flipped classes move beyond their scope and move the students to deeper learning, according to Bergmann.
He stressed that teacher training is a key factor in applying the model to schools.
"The key to making flipped learning grow in South Korea is effective professional development of teachers. This is more important than ICT training," Bergmann said.
"The most important difficulty for teachers to overcome is for them to re-think what the classroom should look like. Then they will need training on how to flip a class effectively.
"What we find is teachers do the simple flip for about a year and then move beyond the simple flip to deeper learning strategies such as project-based learning, inquiry and mastery learning," he added.
This is one of the reasons why teachers should be trained effectively to make better flipped classrooms.
He also pointed out that his model could be the solution for students who fall behind.
"The beauty of a flipped video is that it can be re-watched, paused and rewound," Bergmann said. "What we are finding around the world is that teachers who flip are able to meet the needs of a broader group of students. Advanced students are pushed and struggling students are helped."
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