First Year Maths Workshop, Melbourne Uni, June 2014

1. Birgit Loch
Department of Mathematics
Swinburne University of
Technology
bloch@swin.edu.au
Theory vs. Practice in the
flipped classroom

2. Literature/theory vs. Practice
• What is the flipped classroom?
• Is there evidence that it works? From the
literature.
• What are the implications for mathematics
teaching and learning in the age of MOOCs and
blended learning?
2Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom

3. What is a flipped classroom?
• Face to face (FTF) time with students is
structured around active learning tasks
• Students no longer just listen and take notes in
FTF classes (no more traditional lectures)
• Shift from teacher-centred to student-centred
learning environment
• Students are first exposed to concepts before
they come to FTF classes
• Students take ownership of their learning
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 3

4. What is active learning?
• Prince (2004) defines active learning as “any
instructional method that engages students in
the learning process”
• The expectation is that classroom time is used
more effectively and focus is placed on
developing a deeper understanding rather
than the shallow repeating of material from a text
book.
M. Prince. (2004). Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research.
Journal of Engineering Education, 93(3): p. 223-231
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 4

5. What is a flipped classroom?
Often:
• Multimedia material is provided online
before class (“blended learning”)
• Students collaborate in class (peer-
instruction)
• Instant feedback (e.g. via clickers)
Important: careful alignment of all online
and FTF learning experiences!
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 5

6. What forms can a flipped
classroom take?
They all have in common an active learning environment
Otherwise:
• Lecture, tutorial, online class
• Small - large enrolments
• Some traditional lecturing - none
• Lots of videos – none; technology – or none
• New learning spaces – or no change
• There is no one right way of flipping – it depends on
circumstances such as learning spaces, financial
situation, teaching and tutoring staff skills, student
needs, content, year level, university/faculty direction
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 6

7. Key elements of the flipped
classroom
1. Provide an opportunity for students to gain first
exposure prior to class.
2. Provide an incentive for students to prepare for
class.
3. Provide a mechanism to assess student
understanding.
4. Provide in-class activities that focus on higher
level cognitive activities.
Brame, C., (2013). Flipping the classroom. Retrieved Sunday, June 22, 2014 from
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 7

8. Good Practice from the most
successful flipped classrooms
• Pre-lecture activities must be made by the
instructor
• Students must be held accountable for
completing pre-lecture activities
• Time vacated by lectures must be
replaced with active learning exercises
with full participation of the instructor
S. Bagley (2014). A Comparison of four Pedagogical Strategies in Calculus. RUME 2014
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 8

9. Is there evidence that it works?
Flipping stats lectures (UWA)
• Students read through material before class,
online quiz
• Tutorials, labs (smaller)
• Lectures: audience response system
• Group discussions, peer instruction
• Evidence: increased attendance, improved exam
performance, more top performers
R.N. Khan. (2013). Teaching First-Year Business Statistics Three Ways. Proceedings of Lighthouse
Delta 2013. & fyimaths presentation, June 2014
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 9

10. Flipping lectures (Auckland Uni)
• Students work through material before class,
prepare for debate
• Small group discussions in lecture, class
debates (Tanya’s vs Julia’s teams, comparing
methods), trialed for one topic
• Evidence: student perception (helped, but not
preferred approach), most students did not
prepare?
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 10

11. The LaTrobe tutorial model
• Board tutorials
• Learning space: No seats, no tables
• No student preparation required
• Group work, learning from other students,
communication skills
• Evidence: students engaged, tutorial attendance
higher. Spread to other universities.
K.A. Seaton, D.M. King & C.E. Sandison (2014) Flipping the maths tutorial: A tale of n
departments. AustMS Gazette, 41 (2)
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 11

12. Does it work for large classes?
• Introductory economics, 3500 students per year
• Personal response systems or group work
• Videos before class, >30 per semester, 10-25 mins
• 160 hours of instructor time to record videos
• “not all students have good time management skills”
• Evidence: 80% of students prefer flipped to traditional
lectures. Improved exam performance?
R. Rossiter & B. Cao (2013). Large Enrollment University Classes: Can They Be
Flipped? NSS Proceedings. Las Vegas
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 12

13. Comparison of four strategies
for calculus teaching
1. Traditional lecture
2. Interactive student-centred lecture
3. “Inverted classroom”
4. Interactive student-centred technology-intensive
lecture (applets from Geometer’s Sketchpad)
• Curriculum “too much, too fast”?
• Evidence: No statistically significant difference in exam
results
S. Bagley (2014). A Comparison of four Pedagogical Strategies in Calculus. RUME 2014
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 13

14. Flipping Calculus
Comparison of two streams of the same unit
• One chapter flipped, the rest traditional vs all traditional
• 15 mins of video before each class
• Entrance quiz at start of class, linked to video; group
work, problem solving tutorial style
• Significant time investment: 2.25 hours for each lecture
hour, to produce videos and quizzes
• 78% of students watched videos beforehand
Evidence: positive student comments, performance of
students 5% higher in flipped class
Jean McGivney-Burelle & Fei Xue. (2013). Flipping Calculus. PRIMUS: Problems,
Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies. Volume 23, Issue 5
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 14

15. Teaching methods comparison
in a large calculus class
• 100-200 students
• Pre-class reading, group discussions, clickers, reactive
lecture
Evidence: Improved student performance on conceptual
items, students more likely to connect procedures to new
ideas
• Question: Should assessment be modified to include
more “problems which combine procedural and
conceptual concepts in a decomposable way”?
W. Code et al. (2014). Teaching methods comparison in a large calculus class. ZDM
Mathematics Education
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 15

16. UQ: Exam revision sessions
• 100 student tablet screens, synchronisation
software
• Exam preparation session
• Evidence: student perception
Donovan, D. and Loch, B. (2013). Closing the feedback loop: Engaging students in large
first year mathematics test revision sessions using pen-enabled screens, IJMEST, Vol.
44, Issue 1, pp. 1-13.
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 16
involved
interactive
fun
useful
cool

17. Should we ask or should we tell?
• Meta-analysis of 225 studies on active learning vs
traditional lecturing in STEM disciplines
• Evidence: greatest effect size for smaller classes (<=50), but also
improvements for larger classes
> Students with traditional lectures 1.5 times more likely to fail
than students with active learning classes (33.8% vs 21.8%
failure rate)
> Average exam scores improved by 6%
“It is an open question whether student performance would increase as
much if all faculty were required to implement active learning
approaches”
Freeman et al. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science,
engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 17

18. What are the implications for
mathematics teaching and learning?
• Some universities have mandated blended
learning.
• Swinburne Faculty of SET is next…
blended/flipped mode for first year units.
Curriculum design workshop to get the
blend right
• Removal of boards from teaching
spaces…mandated lecture recording
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 18

19. Some questions for the discussion
• What are your own experiences with flipping?
• How widespread is the drive to blended, flipped mode?
Who is driving?
• Have there been studies on the success of large scale
flipping?
• How is it resourced, and how does it fit individual’s
research agendas?
• Are readily available technologies suitable for maths
learning/teaching?
• How do we measure success of a flipped classroom?
• Have you considered the “flipped flipped classroom”?
Theory vs. Practice in the flipped classroom 19

20. More questions from
previous presentations
• What about the students who do not engage?
• What if a technology-free approach works really
well? Should you be forced to change?
• How much staff training is needed?
• What teaching/learning spaces do we need?
• Can we afford not to flip? MOOCs? OERs?
Teaching Mathematics with Technology 20