gaintime.eu | the flipped classrooms - master...
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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
MASTER MODEL TO GAIN TIME
IN YOUR CLASSROOM
LEARNING MODULES: DEVELOPMENT OF
THE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
www.gaintime.eu
Project Number 2014-1-ES01-KA201-004401
Master model to gain time in your classroom ‘Gain Time’ 2014-1-ES01-KA201-004401
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Content
MODULE 0. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 4
0.1 Introduction training program online ...................................................................... 4
0.2 objectives .............................................................................................................. 4
0.3 Goals and skills ..................................................................................................... 5
0.4 Target groups ........................................................................................................ 5
0.5 Course Structure ................................................................................................... 6
0.6 Brief summary of the Modules ............................................................................... 7
Links/bibliography/references ...................................................................................... 8
MODULE 1- THE FLIPPED METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 9
UNIT 1.1: Why to flip the classroom ............................................................................ 9
UNIT 1.2: Basic Elements And Steps To Flip A Classroom ....................................... 14
MODULE 1. FLIPPED METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 22
UNIT 1.3 CREATIVE CLASSROOM ......................................................................... 22
1.4 TEACHER INNOVATORS ................................................................................... 28
MODULE 2. DESIGN CONTENTS ............................................................................... 31
UNIT 2.1. DESIGN OF THE FLIPPED LESSON ....................................................... 31
MODULE 2. DESIGN CONTENTS ............................................................................... 36
UNIT 2.2 - Organization of learning content .............................................................. 36
Module 2 Design and development of learning contents for flipped lessons .................. 39
UNIT 2.3 DESIGN OF A FLIPPED VIDEO ................................................................ 39
MODULE 2 - DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING CONTENTS FOR
FLIPPED LESSONS ..................................................................................................... 41
UNIT 2.4: PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION OF A FLIPPED VIDEO ......... 41
MODULE 3 - EDUCATIONAL GAMES ......................................................................... 44
UNIT 3.1.: CLASSROOM TIME ................................................................................. 44
UNIT 3.2: TYPES OF EDUCATIONALGAMES ......................................................... 47
3.3. DESIGN OF AN EDUCATIONAL GAME ............................................................ 50
UNIT 3.4: MANAGEMENT OF AN EDUCATIONAL GAME ....................................... 53
UNIT 4.1: THE DEBRIEFING AND ITS PHASES ...................................................... 57
UNIT 4.2: MANAGING A DEBRIEFING ..................................................................... 60
UNIT 4.3: OTHER MEANS OF EVALUATION KNOWLEDGE ................................... 64
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Glossary ....................................................................................................................... 67
References ................................................................................................................... 68
Questions ..................................................................................................................... 69
MODULE 4. ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................... 71
UNIT 4.4 TYPES OF ASSESSMENT ........................................................................ 71
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MODULE 0. INTRODUCTION
0.1 Introduction training program online
This online course is a part of the Erasmus+ project, named Master Model to Gain Time
in your Classroom - “GainTime” (2014-1-ES01-KA201-004401) www.gaintime.eu
The project has created a new form of learning and providing education and training with
open educational (OER), focusing on better exploitation of the ICT potential, in order to
help the teachers to modify their teaching methodologies. The project in fact stems from
the need of improving the professional profile of teachers through digital teaching
methods related to OERs.
The innovative approach for teachers focusing notably on the strategic use of an open
and flexible learning, OERs and a better exploitation of the ICT resources has been
achieved by developing an Open Online Course in teaching the methodology, based on
the "Flipped Classroom" approach.
This approach is based on the transformation of traditional classes into Creative
Classrooms (CCR), namely innovative learning environments where the potential of ICT
in fully embedded, in order to innovate learning and teaching practices in formal, non-
formal and informal settings and to create OERs. (http://www.flippedclassroom.com/).
The "Flipped classroom" approach follows a reversed teaching and learning model:
learners watch lectures at home and use the classroom time to interact with classmates
and teachers, especially through educational games in the classroom.
The adoption of this teaching approach and methodology helps teachers to
strengthen the e-skills and the adoption of practices of collaborative learning;
adopt an approach based on learning outcomes also suitable for low skilled
learners;
assimilate a sensitive culture to the value of non-formal and informal learning,
supported alternative for learners less interested in the academic world, as well
as at-risk groups;
acquire the tools to stimulate creativity and innovation through the learning of
new knowledge to create and manage Learning Games Lab.
0.2 objectives
This on-line course introduces teachers
To know the Flipped model
To understand its integration in a context of methodology change in education
To analyse the main support to design the flipped model
To analyse its potential effectiveness in improving the learning process of
students.
To reflect about the possible problems of implementation
To encourage teachers to continue developing and extending their pedagogical
competences throughout their careers
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To increase teachers’ competences and methods for digital teaching, in order to
support the development and the availability of Open Educational Resources
(OER).
To use ICT for working with students during the lessons
0.3 Goals and skills
As a result of successfully completing this online program, teachers should be able
To design of multimedia educational modules
To select, find and adapt multimedia learning materials
To assess pupils' learning through educational games and debriefing
To choose pedagogical approaches due to the context and the educational
objectives of the creative classroom
To support, advise and guide the interaction within the classroom
To prepare lessons through ICT tools
To develop professional and pedagogic competences among teachers and
trainers enhancing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
To access to open educational resources (OER)
To increase the attractiveness providing opportunities for all.
0.4 Target groups
Secondary school teachers that aims to transfer skills and appropriate techniques to
manage creative classroom with the Flipped methodology and implement this
methodology in their own school context
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0.5 Course Structure
The course is structured in the following modules, units and time
Introduction to
the course
Training unit 1
General objectives
Unit 2
Specific Objectives
Unit 3 Course
Structure 15’
Module 1 - The
flipped
methodology
Training unit 1.1:
why flip the
classroom
Training unit 1.1:
why flip the
classroom
Training unit
1.3: the creative
classroom
Training unit
1.4: the
innovative
teachers
Test
Modul
e
Bibliograp
hy
Gloss
ary
40’
Module 2 -
Design and
development of
learning contents
for flipped
lessons
Training unit 2.1:
Planning a flipped
lesson
Training unit 2.2:
Organization of
learning content
Training unit
2.3: Design of a
flipped video
Training unit
2.4: Production
and post-
production of a
video flipped
40’
Module 3 -
Educational
games
Training unit 3.1:
Classroom time
Training unit 3.2:
Types of
educational games
Training unit
3.3: Design of
and educational
game
Training unit
3.4:
Management of
and educational
game
40’
Module 4 -
Assessment of
knowledge
Training unit 4.1:
The debriefing and
its phases
Training unit 4.2:
Managing a
debriefing
Training unit
4.3:Other means
of evaluation
knowledge
Training unit
4.4:Types of
assessment
40’
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0.6 Brief summary of the Modules
“Creative Classrooms” presents a brief description of creative lessons. It describes the
main techniques, strategies and methods used in creative classrooms, including the
integration of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and OER (Open
Educational Resources) in traditional teaching.
“Teacher-Innovators” presents a brief description of how innovative teachers, in a
creative classroom, can prevent and tack early school dropout and enhance the
empowerment of youth. It focuses on the specific role that teachers have to play in
managing a creative classroom.
The “Flipped Methodology” presents an analysis of the points of strength, weaknesses,
threats and opportunities related to different contexts when teachers are using this
methodology.
“Design of the Flipped Lesson” is a very practical document that describes how teachers
can design a flipped lesson. It presents an operative view of implementing the flipped
methodology in traditional teaching, thus personalizing the lesson according to the time
and the technological resources available.
The implementation of a flipped classroom is supported by the use of didactic contents
and videos.
“Development of the Didactic Contents in the Flipped Classroom” is a guide for teachers
that want to create a learning object that contains an objective, a learning activity and an
evaluation. The chapter explains how to develop and manage a learning object through
the SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model).
“Flipped Methodology Videos” focuses on how to produce and direct a didactic video and
upload it in an e-learning platform or in an open source channel.
“Educational Games” presents the grammar of educational games, detailing how to
create a debriefing of the games, with focus on the techniques for group management
and moderation.
“Digital Channels” presents reflection on the potential that digital channels offer teachers
and how teachers can take advantage of them in order to participate actively in learning
communities based on social learning, at national and European levels by sharing
experiences, data and didactic tools.
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Links/bibliography/references
Gain time: www.gaintime.eu
Moodle https://moodle.org/course/view.php?id=5
Teaching resources http://eskills4jobs.ec.europa.eu/teach
Survey of Schools: ICT in Education https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/survey-
schools-ict-education
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MODULE 1- THE FLIPPED METHODOLOGY
UNIT 1.1: Why to flip the classroom
1.1.1: To share a common language: digital learning
1.1.2: Adaptability
1.1.3: Helps students with difficulties
1.1.4: Flipping changes classroom management
1.1.5: Critical thinking
1.1.6: Transparent
1.1.7: Conclusion
1.1.1: To share a common language: digital learning
It is realities that at present students have grown up with Internet access, YouTube,
Facebook, Myspace, and a lot of other digital resources.
It is not strange to find them doing their homework and listening to music with their
mobiles or sending msn to their friends or posting comments or pictures on Facebook
and other social networks. They feel motivated when doing so but they have to turn their
mobiles down as soon as they get to class. They are using the most powerful digital
devices but cannot use them to learn in class.
Thanks to these devices students connect with each other interact and connect outside
their own circles they are also able to find resources and exchange information and learn
at anytime and anywhere. The same objectives that are looked for when using a flipped
methodology.
Teachers have to take advantage of this. The educator can use this same technology to
connect students to the content necessary to learn for the classroom.
The teachers who teach these students have not grown up using this digital world so
some of them are even afraid of allowing the use of it and most of them feel a rejection
to the understanding of the benefits the digital wold can bring to a student. If we speak
digitally we are speaking our student’s language.
May be it is time of using digital learning as a way of improving our students results
instead of rejecting this powerful tool.
If we observe students when using these mobile and digital devices we will find them
doing a lot of activities and sharing them with their classmates, they work together, they
experiment and they interact this is the main reason to start flipping
Hill (2013) says: “The flipped classroom approach offers clear advantages:
Because with digital devices we can edit video lectures that can be watched in any place
and with many digital devices.
Students can replay, and watch lectures repeatedly at their convenience and outside the
class,
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The flipped model allows instructors to help students during assigned, compensated
class time within their respective teaching loads; guiding students as they engage with
the content in any number of active learning activities and so teachers can provide a
more personalized teaching and use other activities that may be more active when they
are in class.
It may seem that digital content resources would make the teaching-learning dynamic
less personal, but in reality the classroom activity provides additional time to provide
one-on-one and small group assistance which actually increases the student-teacher
interaction.
1.1.2: Adaptability
Students today are busy and tired. Many of them do a lot of extra activities and do not
have much time, some of them have to take part in sport competitions and need to have
time to train and to study. Some live far and spend a lot of time to attend to school and
all of them are sometime ill missing classes for some days or weeks.
A flipped classroom offers the flexibility these students need because the main content
is delivered via online videos, so students can choose when and where to study and they
never miss a class not a single content. So they can get the right marks to pass the
subject.
Flipping involves moving lecture material (which can be archived in many forms,
including video) outside of class. Students ‘watch’ a lecture before class at home and
there is a short quiz some homework assignment related to the content they have
watched. By moving the lecture out of class, class time is freed up for various types of
student work, which is conducted with the help of the teacher
The basic aim of a flipped methodology is to be flexible classrooms, to remove students
from a passive learning environment and instead create a space that encourages and
facilitates their involvement in each and every class.
This does not mean we have to replace all the classes for on-line training. As teacher we
need to “see “our students in class but flipping the classroom creates a sort of blended
learning, online and face-to-face instruction are used together to deliver content .
Students need face-to-face interaction as teachers play and important role in their
education.
1.1.3: Helps students with difficulties
Traditional methodologies are addressed to the students who have no problems of
attention or to those who are good and bright students and can follow any class
But those who are not of this kind soon lose their attention and get bored and stop
listening so at the end they miss the class and fail the subject. With the flipped
methodology overall interaction increases: teacher-to-student, and student-to-student.
The teacher can provide a variety of choices in the digital content depending on the
difficulty of each student. This allows for differentiation within each classroom in the
delivery of content and the activities for assessment and makes it easier to learn to those
students who suffer more problems in the process of learning.
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Moreover, as instruction is recorded, students with special needs can watch the videos
as many times as they need to learn the material.
When we used the flipped methodology, students can pause their teacher as much as
they want or need.
When students are in a traditional class listening to their teacher explaining their lessons
we as teachers are not really communicating with all of them, because for some we go
too fast and for others too slow, some get bored and disconnect because they do not
understand while other disconnect because they are too bored waiting
When we give students the ability to pause their teachers, they have the chance to
process at the speed that is appropriate for them. We especially encourage students
who process more slowly to use the rewind button so they can hear us explain
something more than one time. If they still don't understand, we will work with them
individually or in small groups in the classroom.
Moreover ,another of the benefits of recording is that students do not spend the time in
class trying to copy notes that may be later will not understand on the other contrary,
students can pause their teacher, rewind their teacher, as many times as needed outside
the class in a more comfortable environment and later when they join the group in their
class activities they can ask the teacher the points they did not understand and teachers
can make sure they actually learn the important concepts.
Because the role of the teacher has changed with the flipped methodology he/ she no
longer presents the content , the time in class is use to coach, to answer questions to
work with small groups, and to guide the learning of each student individually.
When students are doing a task and we see some of them have difficulties in
understanding we can organise the class in a different way and we can help them by
organising a tutorial group.
Moreover, the students develop their own collaborative skills Students help each other to
learn instead of relying on the teacher as the sole disseminator of knowledge.
Students feel confident with this peer to peer sharing. Students learn much more when
they work together and learn from each other.
As teachers we have to understand that education has changed, students thanks to new
technologies have access to all sort of contents so our role is to make them the best
learners and to help them to understand contents when they are in class, when teachers
guide students instead of being simply pedagogues, students get much better academic
results and are motivated to learn more,
When students grasp the concept that we are on their side, they respond by doing their
best.
We as teachers are at school not only to teach content, but also to inspire, to encourage,
to listen, and to provide a vision for our students. This happens in the context of
relationships and flipping allows us to build better relationships with our students
because we can interact with them and because the students can take an active role in
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the process of learning. They can also take part in the preparation of materials and in the
creation and edition of videos
1.1.4: Flipping changes classroom management
Flipping changes classroom management
Students take more responsibility for their own learning. Working in class along with a
new coach a new mentor they develop a critical thinking.
If we teach in a traditional way, it is usual to find students in class who do not pay
attention to the teacher because they are bored or because they do not understand.
These students often distract other students affecting their process of learning.
Flipping allows making changes in the classroom management to avoid these situations
because the class is no longer a process of listening to a long speech or to take notes.
The class time is primarily used for students to either do hands-on activities or work in
small groups, those students who were typically a distraction take part in activities by
doing so they pay attention and do not disturb when class content is delivered. This does
not mean that this method will finish with this situation but will improve it
In an environment where students understand the value of learning and see the
application of the content in action there are less students who find methods to be a
distraction to the learning process and therefore there is less need to address discipline
issues.
1.1.5: Critical thinking
Flipped learning gives the opportunity to students to participate according to their
cognitive level, so that they are more likely to reach their academic potential. In terms of
Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom, 1956; revised Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001), this approach
can be seen as an upside-down implementation of the levels of thinking. The lower
levels of Bloom—the understanding and the remembering—move to outside of the class,
with each student taking the time needed to master the concepts. Then, the class can
focus on the upper levels of the taxonomy—applying, analysing, and creating. Thus,
students no longer have to focus their attention in class on comprehending but can
engage the material at a higher level.
1.1.6: Transparent
Flipping allows all sorts of audiences to have access to what we teach in class.
As videos are posted on the Internet, not only students but their parents too and even
other teachers can have free access to them
The online portals offer access to the world, bringing experts into your learning
environment at zero cost.
As all parents can have access to the digital content resources published they can also
help teachers and their children in the process of learning they can take an active role
and collaborate with the teacher and assist their children when they have problems. By
doing so they also can understand more the role of the teacher in class.
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This allows the class and the school to be transparent and open and this can be seen as
a means of attracting more students into our schools if they find that what we publish is
of good quality and appealing.
This has also another advantage. It is common in school to suffer teachers’ absences
and it is difficult to find qualified teachers that can follow the class the absent teacher has
to teach. By recording the classes the substitutes can follow exactly what the absent
teacher wants to teach and students do not suffer the consequences of that absence
1.1.7: Conclusion:
We can conclude that the Flipped Methodology is a good one but it has to be
approached with care and a good knowledge of it and of the students we want to teach.
When using it, we have to take into account that there are families and consequently
students who may have no internet at home, second that when we ask the students to
use this methodology we are giving them homework and there are some that do not
have time or do not want to do homework at all.
We need to plan our classes with a lot of time and carefully if we want it to be successful
so management and teachers have to consider that point too.
But at the end the benefits and much higher than the negative points so we can
conclude is that if we apply a Flipped Methodology , we as teachers will increase our
students’ engagement in the process of learning and in the class.
We will develop team work and team based skills in an outside the class.
Students will take part in the process of learning so they will become more engaged in
the implementation of the flipped methodology.
This methodology focuses on individual guidance so by using it we are providing special
attention to those students with more difficulties and consequently we are motivating
them so avoiding drop out.
Finally we are encouraging the essence of all learning process: Critical Thinking and so
the development of more qualified students who are ready to face the challenges of the
future.
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UNIT 1.2: Basic Elements And Steps To Flip A Classroom
In a flipped class, the order of lecture and coursework are inverted.
Students view videos of the lecture or other interactive learning material prior to
class.
Having viewed the lecture material on their own, students come to class
prepared with questions and use class time to engage in discussion or activities
with the teacher’s guidance.
We define the flipped classroom as an educational technique that consists of two parts:
1) interactive group learning activities inside the classroom
2) direct computer-based individual instruction outside the classroom.
1.2.1: The Benefits of Flipping Your Classroom
For a veteran teacher, flipping the classroom means completely re-thinking how to do
the job you’ve done a certain way for years. And it comes with some extra work. That
being the case, why would any teacher bother?
1.2.2: Flipped learning keeps students more engaged
The flipped classroom model addresses how students learn best. We all know how hard
it can be to stay focused during a long lecture; even if it’s on a subject we’re especially
interested in. Discussions and hands-on activities tend to keep students’ interest. While
you work with students directly as they explore the concepts they’re learning in class,
you can provide immediate feedback that helps them improve their learning as they go.
1.2.3: Teachers provide more personalized attention
Students don’t all learn at the same pace and in the same ways. That’s always been a
complicating factor in teaching. The question of how to meet thirty or more unique
students at their own levels is one that keeps teachers up at night.
The flipped classroom model gives teachers more opportunities to work directly with
students. They can therefore clearly see when an individual student is having trouble
with a concept and work with them directly to get through it. The increased interaction
with students in the classroom will help teachers gain a clearer idea of the different
learning styles of their students, so they can tailor their instruction to the needs of each
one.
1.2.4: Students can work at their own pace.
A student sitting in a lecture, diligently taking notes will almost certainly miss one thing
the professor says while writing down another. And that’s still a vast improvement over
the student whose mind wanders so they don’t catch much of anything.
If they’re watching a video at home instead, they have the power to pause the lecture
while they write something down, and rewind and re-watch a particular part they didn’t
fully understand the first time. If they feel they could really use a second viewing to better
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understand the concept, they have that option. They have more power over the way and
process by which they study and learn.
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1.2.5: Provide an opportunity for students to gain first exposure prior to class.
The mechanism used for first exposure can vary, from simple textbook readings to
lecture videos to podcasts or screen casts. For example, Grand Valley State University
math professor Robert Talbert provides screen casts on class topics on his YouTube
channel, while Vanderbilt computer science professor Doug Fisher provides his students
video lectures prior to class. These videos can be created by the instructor or found
online from YouTube, the Khan Academy, MIT’s Open Course Ware, Coursera, or other
similar sources. The pre-class exposure doesn’t have to be high-tech, however; in the
Deslauriers, Schelew, and Wieman study described above, students simply completed
pre-class reading assignments.
Example video from Doug Fisher
1.2.6: Provide an incentive for students to prepare for class.
In all the examples cited above, students completed a task associated with their
preparation and that task was associated with points. The assignment can vary; the
examples above used tasks that ranged from online quizzes to worksheets to short
writing assignments, but in each case the task provided an incentive for students to
come to class prepared by speaking the common language of undergraduates: points. In
many cases, grading for completion rather than effort can be sufficient, particularly if
class activities will provide students with the kind of feedback that grading for accuracy
usually provides. See a blog post by CFT Director Derek Bruff about how he gets his
students to prepare for class.
1.2.7: Provide a mechanism to assess student understanding.
The pre-class assignments that students complete as evidence of their preparation can
also help both the instructor and the student assess understanding. Pre-class online
quizzes can allow the instructor to practice Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT; Novak et al.,
1999), which basically means that the instructor tailors class activities to focus on the
elements with which students are struggling. If automatically graded, the quizzes can
also help students pinpoint areas where they need help. Pre-class worksheets can also
help focus student attention on areas with which they’re struggling, and can be a
departure point for class activities, while pre-class writing assignments help students
clarify their thinking about a subject, thereby producing richer in-class discussions.
Importantly, much of the feedback students need is provided in class, reducing the need
for instructors to provide extensive commentary outside of class (Walvoord and
Anderson, 1998). In addition, many of the activities used during class time (e.g., clicker
questions or debates) can serve as informal checks of student understanding.
1.2.8: Provide in-class activities that focus on higher level cognitive activities.
If the students gained basic knowledge outside of class, then they need to spend class
time to promote deeper learning. Again, the activity will depend on the learning goals of
the class and the culture of the discipline. For example, Lage, Platt, and Treglia
described experiments students did in class to illustrate economic principles (2000),
while Mazur and colleagues focused on student discussion of conceptual “clicker”
questions and quantitative problems focused on physical principles (2001). In other
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contexts, students may spend time in class engaged in debates, data analysis, or
synthesis activities. The key is that students are using class time to deepen their
understanding and increase their skills at using their new knowledge.
1.2.9: Steps to Flipping Your Classroom
The goal of flipping your class is to practice a more student-centred pedagogy, thereby
engaging your students in active learning experiences. In the flipped model, instructors
structure six active learning environments that guide and support students as they work
through them individually and collaboratively. This is a process of reorganizing and
redistributing content-related activities over sequences and cycles of in-class and out-of-
class instructional practices and student experiences. In the context, appropriate uses of
media and technology can play a valuable role.
1.2.10: Step 1 – Define Content Scope, Learning Objectives &Instructional Strategies
The success of your flipped class depends on the alignment of what you want your
students to accomplish before, during, and after the class.
1.2.11: That is the scope of your topic?
Defining scope is important so that students will not have difficulty building a mental
model and connecting content. The biggest challenge is to determine how much of your
subject matter can be taught within the time frame (e.g.; semester). Your goal should be
to take the galaxy, so to speak, that makes up the breadth of your content and select the
only most essential and relevant “constellations” of sub-topics that will make up a lesson.
Each lesson should build or connect to the next within the sequence of the learning
experience. For your flipped class, you should select just one small “constellation” of
sub-topics to focus the lesson. Think in terms of the amount of time needed to cover the
material and time needed for the students to really learn it through application. Concept
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maps are useful exercises to help define scope as well as demarcate clusters of sub-
topics that can be turned into digestible lessons.
1.2.12: How will students use or apply the material?
Define the learning objectives and outcomes that align with the activities students will do
before, during, and after the class. It is not enough for students to just read, listen,
watch, and take notes. They need to use it to really learn it. Consult The Revised
Bloom’s Taxonomy for selecting higher order action verbs to help write your learning
objectives. What do you want your students to know and be able to do? And how will you
assess what they know or can do?
1.2.13: How will students meet the learning objectives?
Describe the task that will demonstrate that the learning objective has been met. Will
students create a project, solve problems, analyse data, engage in a debate, or design a
product to meet the desired learning objectives?
1.2.14: Which instructional approach that will fit best for the main learning activity?
Choose the evidence-based instructional approach will fit the main learning activity (i.e.:
peer-instruction, team-based learning, case-based learning, process-oriented guided
inquiry learning).
1.2.15: How will you contextualize the topic?
Set expectations by preparing an explanation of how the new instructional material fits
into the overall existing course structure and explains its relevance to real world
applications. Students, especially adult learners, want to know why they are doing
something, how it fits into the overall learning objectives, and how it is used beyond the
class. These explanations provide vital contextual information to students.
1.2.16: Step 2- Students Gain Familiarity With New Material Before Class
What instructional materials and resources will you use for students to familiarize
themselves with the content prior to class?
Plan and prepare the new instructional materials that students will engage with prior to
class. Ask yourself: What is the best way to communicate and present the new
instructional material (e.g., video, text, animation, simulation, online multimedia module,
or other). Will my students be able to process this content in this format effectively?
1.2.17: Step 3- Activities That Motivate Students to Prepare Before Class
What kinds of activities will motivate students and prepare them for class?
Refer to the learning objectives and tasks that you outlined in step 1. Ask yourself what
incentive or motivation students will have to prepare for class and how you will know
students have adequately prepared for the in-class activity. Here are some examples of
ways to motivate students to do the pre-class work.
Ask students to:
respond to open-ended questions online about the instructional material
before class
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prepare questions about the instructional materials
prepare a presentation about the topic
attempt to solve some problems
research examples to bring to class that illustrate a principle
1.2.18: Step 4- In Class Activities That Provide Students Opportunities to Deepen
Understanding
What kind of in-class activities will focus students on attaining higher-level
cognitive abilities?
Refer to the learning objectives and tasks that you outlined in step 1. Plan, prepare, and
develop in-class activities that focus on higher level cognitive activities. Will students be
working individually in the classroom as you walk around and provide help, or in groups
to solve the problems, or will you solve problems together as a group? The activity you
choose will depend on the learning goals and objectives as some activities lend
themselves best to certain types of content.
Create a brief introduction and explanation of this new process. Many students may not
have any previous experience with a flipped classroom and/or active learning.
Also, explain how the new instructional material fits into the overall existing course
structure.
First 10 minutes
We recommend spending the first 10 minutes of your in-class time getting students in
the right frame of mind:
the instructor reviews pre-class activities before class to identify common
questions or gaps OR
the first 10 mins of class are spent on a question/answer session with students,
influenced by the pre-class activity results OR
provide a quick three-question review quiz (based on the basic learning objectives)
that can be graded or ungraded. This can serve to review and focus the students
so that the information is fresh in their minds.
Active learning
The remaining class time can be spent engaging in what are commonly referred to as
active learning strategies which can help students further process what they learned in
the pre-class content. Here are just a few examples:
collaborate with peers [to solve problems]
work on assignments
present student created content
discuss examples or case studies
debate a topic
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share and exchange knowledge between peers
1.2.19: Step 5- Post-Class Activities That Extend Student Learning
How will students continue the learning experience from the in-class activity to
outside of class?
Refer to the learning objectives and tasks that you outlined in step 1. Plan, prepare and
develop the continuation of the learning experience from the in-class activity to outside-
of-class individual or collaborative practice. Determine what students should do after the
in-class activity to continue learning or bridge to the next topic. We don’t learn something
very effectively in one instance. Rather we learn through practicing in many ways over
an extended period of time. Think about and plan how often students will need to
practice or revise their thinking to really master the material and be successful.
1.2. 20: Step 6- Ongoing Evaluation and Assessment
Assessment (summative & formative assessment)
Plan for ongoing formative and summative ways to assess student understanding and
mastery. Could students attain all the learning objectives? What does mastery or
success look like?
Based on previous iterations of the course/lesson, did your students' learning improve as
a result of the new model? Did you move the needle, so to speak, in terms of learning?
Evaluation
Now that you’ve flipped - did it work? How will you know? Plan for opportunities to
evaluate by reflecting on the design of the class or course. Did you communicate the
ideas effectively? Did you provide enough opportunities for students to practice? Was it
challenging enough? Ask for feedback from students on what worked well and what
didn’t - and update your practices accordingly.
Ensure that all six of these steps are closely aligned and that they support the learning
goals and objectives. Have a colleague or instructional designer review your plan and
give you feedback.
1.2.21: Six Easy Steps to Flip Your Classroom
1. Plan: Figure out which lesson you’re going to flip. Outline key learning
outcomes and put together a lesson plan.
2. Record: Instead of teaching your lesson as usual, record a video. You can do
this however you’d like, just ensure that the lesson contains all of the elements you
would have if you were doing it in the classroom in person. Make it interesting and
engaging. Ask yourself: would I want to watch this?
3. Share: Share the video with your students. Explain that the video’s content will
be discussed and used in class
4. Change: Now that your students have watched the lesson, they’ll be primed to
delve into the topic in more depth than they would otherwise be. Go for it!
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5. Group: A great way to explore the topic is to engage the class in group
discussions. Separate the students into smaller groups so that everyone’s voice
has a better chance of being heard, and questions are more likely to be asked.
Give each group a task and a goal to work towards.
6. Regroup: Get the class back together to share each group’s work with the
whole class. As questions, offer opinions, encourage discussion.
Then, Review, Revise and Repeat!
Figure out what worked and what didn’t, add or subtract elements, change
things around, and try it again with a different lesson.
It will get better with time and practice!
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MODULE 1. FLIPPED METHODOLOGY
UNIT 1.3 CREATIVE CLASSROOM
1.3.1 Definition of the concept
A creative classroom is “an innovative learning environment that fully embeds the
potential of ICT to innovate and modernize learning and teaching practices” (Bocconi,
Kampylis, & Punie, 2013). It includes formal, informal and non-formal learning
Learning practices are flexible and engaging, and they are designed to meet learners’
individual needs and expectations.
“Creative”: if involves the use of skills and the imagination to produce something new or
a work of art (Oxford Dictionary); it is a process for generating ideas, based on previous
knowledge and experiences. Refers to innovative practices, such as collaboration,
personalization, active learning, fostering creative learning
“Classroom”: the use of the technology is an instrument to implement the Flipped
Classroom and to facilitate the developing activities, self-learning, cooperative learning,
etc. The concept includes formal and non-formal learning as well as blended learning.
The most important thing is not the video but the use of the time by the students in the
classroom. Teacher starts the class with questions and answers about the activities
done at home. It is required every student to come to class with one or more interesting
questions about the video and lectures. The teacher will have time to interact with each
student, and students get to point out things they don't understand or simply wonder
about. The idea is to move things that are useless for students in class, to do at home.
For example, "learn to do graphics excel looking for a video tutorial"
Following Bloom’s taxonomy, students are doing “Apply”, “Understand” and “Read” at
home and they are focused on cognitive work “Analyse”, “Evaluate” and “Create” in
class, where they are interacting with the teachers and peers.
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1.3.2 Teacher’s tool to facilitate creativity among students
Children generally have outstanding creative and innovative abilities. Teachers should
take special attention to 'discover' those talents and develop each of them individually.
Development of ideas: you need to promote the association of ideas and changes of
point of view/perspective. A useful way to make the changes in the students’ perspective
is to ask open questions: "What would happen if ...? What is your idea? What do these
things suggest to you? How to reach your idea? (Action Plan)
A core aspect of the implementation of the Creative Classroom is that students develop
their own learning process, collaborative learning, project based learning and critical
thinking.
Collaborative Learning
It is based on the approach of activities in which the students have to work together and
interact to achieve a common goal. Its advantages are many: students become the
protagonists of their own learning, develop their skills and abilities, strengthen their
relationships and develop a significant learning.
Teachers and students share their knowledge
To implement collaborative learning in the classroom, teachers should:
Set goals and objectives of the activity
Organize teams of students and make them into small working groups
Promote communication and respect among students. They should be open to
share ideas and knowledge with others, with confidence and without fear
Serve as a guide and driver of the activity at first, and then let them take the
responsibility gradually,
Use different methodologies, tools and activities.
Provide time to generate debate and contrast of ideas.
Facilitate self-assessment tools and peer assessment to students.
Take hold of ICT because multiply the possibilities of collaborative learning and
encourage communication, interaction and exchange of ideas among group
members.
A true cooperative learning experience requires that a number of criteria be met. They
are:
Division of labour among students in the group
Face-to-face interaction between students
Assignment of specific roles and duties to students
Group processing of a task
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Positive interdependence in which students all need to do their assigned duties in
order for the task to be completed
The development of social skills as a result of cooperative interaction
The “leader” of each group presents the ideas, with the action plan, to the classmates.
They provide feedback, evaluation, conclusions
Project Based Learning
It is a method that face up to students to become protagonists of their own learning by
developing projects that respond to real-life problems/situations
To implement a Project Based Learning, teachers should:
Start with the essential question, motivating students to learn.
Design a Plan for the Project
Create a Schedule
Monitor the Students and the Progress of the Project
Assess the Outcome
Evaluate the Experience
Develop the students’ autonomy.
Encourage the students’ self-criticism.
Reinforce the students’ social skills through the exchange of ideas and
collaboration.
Facilitate the students’ ability to search, select, compare and analyses
information.
1.3.3 Key elements for innovating and modernizing education
When we decide to build an innovative educational experience to apply in the learning
process these four phases must be taken into account:
Processes – it could be any type of training or logistics methodology.
Technologies – it could be either hardware (computers, tablets, projectors,
whiteboard …) or software (e-learning platforms, blogs, wikis, videos ...).
Knowledge – by this we not only mean the contents, but also useful information
for the learning process (content, resources, web, case studies, projects, general
information about the subject, tips ...).
People – mainly teachers and students, educative innovation should include both
groups.
1.3.4 The 8 Key dimensions of Creative Classroom (CCR)
Content – resources for innovative teaching.
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Curricula – the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a
school, college, etc. Learning objectives and framework for developing activities.
Assessment – it provides valuable close to the student’s learning, and has into
account the student’s progress. Teachers and students are engaged in the
process.
Learning practices – learning by doing. It focuses on the experience of learning,
formal and non-formal, and how students connect with it.
Teaching practices – the teacher play a new role; he/she should now be a
mentor, a facilitator of learning, an ICT’s expert, an innovative worker and should
have the students’ emotions into consideration. A big amount of resources is
needed, although the most important one are the attitude and the engagement of
the teachers.
Leadership and values – the headmaster’s role is to lead, to mentor the
innovation, to support the teachers for acquiring the needed skills, to provide the
resources. Without implication of the headmaster it would not be possible to
implement Creative Classrooms.
Connectedness – social and emotional factors that influence the relationships
among all the members involved in the educational system; it influences the
educational atmosphere, as well as the commitment and motivation of the
students.
Infrastructure – physical learning space, necessary technologies. The classroom
needs to be adaptable to the different methodologies that are going to be used.
1.3.5 Open Educational Resources (OER)
According to UNESCO (2009 – 2014) OERs are any type of teaching and learning
materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of
these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-
share them.
Examples of OER include: textbooks, curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, tests, projects,
audio, video, animation, courses …
Each resource is issued under a license that influences on how it can be used: Some
materials may only be used in their original form and some others can be modified,
changed, and redistributed.
The use of OER reduces the costs for educational centres and students, they are easy
to use, freely available, and quick to search and review.
The 5R permission of OER are1:
Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download,
duplicate, store, and manage)
1 https://www.opencontent.org/definition/
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Reuse - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a
study group, on a website, in a video)
Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g.,
translate the content into another language)
Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to
create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)
Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or
your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)
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1.3.6 Conclusion
Each teacher is the expert with ability to make small changes into the classroom.
The technology system and the structure do not change anything. Technology never
replaces a teacher. Technology allows individualizing the learning process.
Education is different from instructions. Education develops the human being. It
facilitates the relationship among the educational community members.
Teachers need to focus in students. To create the conditions for learning. Not to be
afraid of technologies: they are a tool to be used to help in the educational process, they
are not an aim.
Thinking is a process, as analysis, association, identification, creation, deduction,
summary,
To promote the creativity, the teacher needs to facilitate many options and choices, so
that the students can follow their interest.
The teacher is more like a mentor, to guide the pupil. She/he promotes collaborative
thinking through teamwork.
The student is the responsible for his/her learning process and development.
The evaluation is a tool for teaching and learning, but the key is to focus more on how
the students have used the possibilities of learning, have developed their aptitudes,
characteristics, qualities … and less in the summary evaluation forms.
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1.4 TEACHER INNOVATORS
1.4 .1 New teacher’s role to get the educational success
1.4 .1.1: Teaching topics, giving assignments and exams is no longer teaching: teacher’s
role has changed! All educational strategies are evolving in order to facilitate the
students’ work by suitable instruments to engage them in their own learning. The
educational success of students is the result of a combination of favourable factors; the
teacher and his way of teaching and the dynamics that he can create within the group
class play a prominent role. The educator work is not a routine job; thus, every day, he
confronts himself with students who require individual educational interventions.
1.4 .1.2: The understanding of students’ specific needs, especially those who are
disadvantaged - and the social context in which they live is the starting point for
planning specific interventions, adapting each curriculum and overcoming the rigidity of
the standardized testing, that can contribute to a genuine inclusive practice.
1.4 .1.3: Teacher has to be flexible, creative and a pedagogical expert. Knowledge and
skills must be improved trough a continuous work to develop the lesson plan, arranging
methodologies in the awareness that doing things in a different way involves the risk to
make mistakes.
1.4.1.4: The innovator teacher is, first, curious and creative, and he constantly
researches new and useful strategies to transfer adequately knowledge and skills that
students must have at the end of their studies. On the other hand, creativity can be
represented by the way, by which students solve problems submitted to them through
activities in the classroom or during specific laboratories.
1.4.2 Elements of innovation
1.4.2.1: Is this innovation? Yes, but there must be some conditions about teacher and
his job: “How to be” and “How to do”. “To be”, a teacher needs: Empowerment:
meaning self-esteem and motivation; Qualifications: meaning continuous enrichment and
monitoring of his knowledge, based on critical reflection and self-assessment; a valid
institutional framework: meaning institutions, at any level, should believe in the specific
purpose of the school and to its quality pedagogical process.
1.4.2.2: “To do”, teacher needs to follow some stages in the planning of the didactical
activity such as Preparation of the lesson followed by a first experiment of it, making
arrangements as needed and last stage in the dissemination of the best practices. To
validate the systemic procedure is necessary a careful analysis of the context to verify
the feasibility, sustainability and portability of the innovative lesson.
1.4.2.3: Once acquired this shift of perspective, the teacher innovator can even
transform traditional learning practices, and give them new brightness. Create a new
setting – for example a different disposition of tables and chairs – allows to modernize
the traditional classroom debate. It becomes clear now that teacher, first of, as leader of
the class must guarantee the conditions for a mutual confidence. The rules to lead the
discussion, the methods of intervention and participation – based on respect and
responsibility - are established in agreement among teacher and students.
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1.4.2.4: If the teacher is primarily responsible for the learning of the students, and not a
passive person only, he needs to be educated on what and how to teach; we must ask
ourselves what are the innovative practices that can facilitate this task within the class,
starting from three key questions: What do you want to achieve? How do you want to
achieve? How can you evaluate it? Among the many possible interventions, the educator
can do in class, we focus mainly on: Production of materials, use of ICT, leading group-
discussion.
1.4.3 Materials
1.4.3.1: The teacher, who is aware of the importance of his role and his function, cannot
avoid to produce educational materials of different kinds, from the simplest to the most
sophisticated, according to the available resources, to the students’ needs, to the
educational goals to achieve. What matters, in fact, as scientific literature says, is "to
ensure children's effective learning through quality pedagogical processes [...] that
engage students in their own learning through critical and constructive thinking, using the
means-That are the most relevant to the subject, the learner and the circumstances".
1.4.3.2: One of the most interesting experiments to ensure children’s effective learning
is the new generation of schoolbooks. They are created by all the materials produced
and gathered by the teacher to encounter the students’ needs. They are not conceived
anymore like closed books but like a continuous work in progress that receives all inputs
coming from the work in class. Innovative books can be integrated by video-lessons and
online teacher’s support to provide assistance to pupils at home
1.4.3.3: Through collaborative approach, teachers, organized in national networks,
compare their professional experiences and, starting from the analysis of concrete
situations and the difficulties encountered, process manuals that allow you to vary,
based on the educational and teaching needs, contents to be transmitted using
language adapted to the times and taking into account not only the excellences, but also
those who need to improve their skills.
1.4.3.4: This new type of school books is a tiring experience that requires a huge effort
and a critical, continued and rigorous reflection, but rewarding at the same time, because
it leads to the realization of a versatile instrument, changeable from year to year,
adaptable to the needs of the didactic planning, constantly updated, revised, improved
by the teacher, representing, finally, the occasion of a fruitful exchange between
colleagues who teach the same discipline.
1.4.4 Use of ICT
1.4.4.1: The development of electronics has led to the production of tools able to meet
the demands of a consumer with diversified needs All these resources such as websites,
social networks software, and interactive whiteboards are meant to engage and create
work environments that facilitate the learning of all curricular disciplines. Technology
allows you to use this environment in a different way.
1.4.4.2: Each innovation has to contribute to a new way of teaching. The use of the web
- for an immediate sharing of useful learning material -, internet connections, interactive
projectors and other tools are valuable resources if they make students protagonist of
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their learning. The school is responsible to educate, to train and to make the students
real digital citizens in a competitive and globalized world. Technology is not a “special
effect”: it must be really integrated in the development of the lesson plan. Only this
“integration” can guarantee the learning achievements.
1.4.4.3: To enhance student interaction, it is also possible to use technology such as
electronic discussion board, mobile devices, (smartphone, tablets and notebook
computers), especially useful in case of students with learning disorders. Still interesting
can be the Osborne-Parnes’ model (Osborn, 1963), in which each step of divergent
thinking is used to stimulate ideas, and the convergent thinking to contain exploration.
This model has six steps: 1- Mess finding: Identify a goal or objective, 2 Fact-finding:
Gathering data, 3 - Problem-finding: Clarifying the problem, 4 - Idea-finding: Generating
Ideas, 5 - Solution finding: Strengthening and evaluating ideas and 6 - Acceptance-
finding: Plan of action for implementing ideas.
1.4.4.4: Technology has the advantage to shift the focus from the teacher to the student,
from abstract teaching to learning “by doing”, from the individual learning to the
collaborative one. The teacher becomes the "facilitator" or "coordinator" of the group;
moreover, the emphasis on acting in a situation makes it "active" even though
knowledge is traditionally acquired through books. The creation of multimedia allows
students to use different languages, overcoming the power of the spoken and written
words. The "digital natives" feel themselves "recognized", understood and supported in
the building of their personal project, so they participate with interest.
1.4.5 Conclusion
1.4.5.1 As we have seen, innovation at school is not a “to do thing” but a way of thinking
that can be expressed in many educational interventions. Typical elements of this
approach are: 1 - Create conditions for a "congenial environment". The class, as a place
of learning must be a place where they feel safe to share ideas. The teacher has the
responsibility to foster creative and critical approaches. 2 - Methodological approach,
according to Paul Torrence's 3 stages Incubation Model. 3 - Encourage student's
curiosity and initiative. 4 - Find ways to integrate art, music and culture in the lessons. 5 -
Project multidisciplinary lessons
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MODULE 2. DESIGN CONTENTS
UNIT 2.1. DESIGN OF THE FLIPPED LESSON
2.1.1. OBJECTIVES
This module has the following objectives:
To design a creative classroom
To design a flipped lesson
To plan a flipped lesson
In this unit we will talk about how to plan a flipped classroom in order to develop a
creative classroom activity.
We will explain the four phases of planning a flipped lesson - Step 1, step 2, step 3 and
step 4.
In this lesson we will try to answer the following questions:
Do you know what a creative classroom is?
What do you have to do in order to create a flipped lesson?
How to plan a flipped classroom?
2.1.2. Planning a learning activity
The planning of a learning activity should include different tasks to be developed outside
the class, in class, outside class, in class, and so on.
Complete your own plan by creating a table with this level of detail in the description of
the learning activity task. Further on, we will analyse each step deeply.
2.1.2.1 Step 1
When you are defining the step 1 it is important to think about the activities that should
be developed by students before class time. It may include watching recorded video
lectures or do some readings.
The recorded video lectures (video lectures) may include three to four short lecture
videos highlighting major concepts relating to the content area being studied (maximum
length of each should be 10-15 minutes). The required readings may include book
chapters and evidence-based journal articles of varying complexity. They should be
presented to support and expand upon the content of the recorded lecture video.
To complement, students may be invited to watch online videos and access some web
links.
They can easily access a variety of demonstrating or procedural videos. They can also
take some short quizzes and be responsible for viewing other students’ answers posted
to the course website.
The instructions for the preclass can be presented in a word, PowerPoint, podcast file,
etc. It can also be a video or a website.
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The explanation should not take more than 15 minutes to read and understand. It should
be presented in a clear language and it should be adequate to the specific target, taking
into consideration their previous knowledge.
The teacher should clarify the objectives with enough detail. If, even taking all these
precautions, some doubts remain, the teacher should be available to clarify the
objectives.
To continue your own plan, define the step 1 of the learning activity that you are
developing
2.1.2.2 Step 2
The step 2 of the learning activity task corresponds to the first in-class lesson.
In this step teacher should give a brief introduction to the topic and explain all the
learning process. Teacher should also clarify the expectations concerning results, the
students’ participation and time needed to perform all the tasks.
As many students may not have any previous experience with flipped classroom and/or
active learning, it is important to explain all the activities that students will develop
outside the classroom. It is also important to explain how the new instructional material
fits into the overall existing course structure and present evidence supporting the
reasons why flipped classroom is being used.
The students typically accept change once they understand the rationale behind the
decision. Initially, students may resist to the flipped classroom strategy since it may be a
new learning experience and cause them anxiety.
However, when they understand that application, analysis, and synthesis of course
content is the desired outcome, rather than a memorisation, their confidence in the
flipped classroom increases.
Usually, it is recommended to spend the first 10 minutes of the in-class time reviewing
the pre-class activities to identify common questions or gaps or developing a question
and answer session with students, influenced by the pre-class activity results.
Teacher can promote the discussion of questions submitted prior to class. This provides
teacher and students with an opportunity to assess individual student knowledge gaps.
The teacher can also provide a quick three-question review quiz (based on the basic
learning objectives) that can be graded or ungraded. The short quiz should assess the
students’ initial knowledge of the content area. Frequent quizzes provide the students
and the teacher with immediate feedback and help identify existing knowledge gaps.
This can serve to review and focus the students on the matter.
The remaining class time can be spent engaging in what are commonly referred to as
active learning strategies which can prepare students for the further process, such as:
case studies, discussions, practical exercises, in which groups are directed to examine
specific aspects of the same or different case studies. Results should be shared among
all groups and answers should be critically reviewed.
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Using this strategy, students will obtain practice in responding to corrective feedback and
provide rationale for individual decisions
Teachers can also encourage presentations of topics in groups that are extensions of
preclass content.
In this scenario the students’ writing skills and the ability to translate evidence to practice
are developed.
It is also possible to develop a journal article review activity, in which students review
and criticise journal articles focusing on current course content. In this activity the
students’ writing skills and the ability to translate evidence into practice are developed.
Many other activities may be developed using strategies such as: collaboration with
peers (to solve problems), work on assignments, presentation of the students’ created
content, discussion of examples or case studies, debate a topic, share and exchange
knowledge between peers.
These activities should focus on high level cognitive activities. Students can work
individually in the classroom as the teacher walks around and provides help, or in groups
to solve problems. The activity chosen depends on the learning goals and objectives.
At the end of the first in-class activity it is important to prepare the continuation of the
learning experience from the in-class activity to the outside-of-class individual or
collaborative practice.
Teachers should explain to students what they should do after the in-class activity to
continue learning or bridge to the next topic.
We don’t learn everything very effectively in one instance. Instead we learn through
practising in different ways over an extended period of time. Teachers should explain to
students how often they will need to practise or revise their thinking to really achieve
learning objectives, master the material and be successful.
After this explanation about the step 2 – first in-class lesson, you should be ready to
continue developing your learning activity by defining the task that should be developed
in the first in-class lesson.
2.1.2.3 Step 3
The step 3 corresponds to the self-assessment
Before evaluation in the classroom, both the teacher and the students should ensure
they are prepared for the last session in the classroom. For this, some self-assessment
activities should be proposed. Activities may consist of small work or online
questionnaires, with limited number of issues, between 3-4.
The preparation of the questions should be in line with the defined learning objectives
and activities developed. The teacher should provide formative evaluation of these
answers and the questions raised by the student
Promoting peers’ work revision may be a good way for students to consolidate, reinforce
and deepen both their own and their peers’ understanding of the subject learned. It is an
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opportunity to help students to prepare themselves for the last session of the activity in
the classroom. This can help the students to develop critical analysis skills, become
comfortable with criticism and justify their position in further in-class discussions. In this
step teachers can also promote an online discussion board or create a folder in dropbox
allowing students to have access to each other’s submissions.
The instructor will be able to evaluate the students’ critiques and their understanding of
their peers’ work.
After this explanation about step 3, we ask you to define the tasks that should be
developed in the second out-class of your learning activity plan.
2.1.2.4 Step 4
The last step of the definition of the learning tasks correspond to the step 4, the last in
class session that should promote peer evaluation and teacher’s evaluation. The
construction of knowledge should be developed based on the dialogue, active learning
and collaboration.
The objectives of this session should be clearly defined and aligned with the course
objectives and evaluation.
Think about the evaluation you want to develop in the activity that you are preparing. At
the end of the activities, in order to guarantee the quality of learning, it is important to
think about the whole process and then answer questions such as: (read the questions
in the slide). Feedback from students on what worked well and what didn’t work should
be collected. Results obtained should be used in order to improve future practices.
As described, flipped methodology, although not new, has gained a lot of popularity in
the last years since students are more involved in the learning process thus obtaining
better results at the end (reaching the learning objectives in a more effective way).
Of course presenting a new and different way to prepare a lesson or learning process
approach may represent some challenges for all the actors involved – the teacher and
students. Besides, flipped methodology is also a technique meaning that it is necessary
that the teacher knows how to design it to make sure that his / her objectives are met.
This means that the focus of learning is now centred in the student. All the effort is made
by him/her.
The teacher now needs to create and promote the environment where learning will take
place. He/She will select the materials (no matter the format or support), create the
environment and activities from which learning will take place.
Students are now invited to actively participate in this process. They are the centre, the
focus of learning. And since this paradigm shift is new, all the process needs to be
prepared carefully.
Sometimes it is not easy to have group discussions in class. Or even to allow all the
students to express their voice. Or do some practical exercises in class. In this case the
operationalisation may require some adaptations. As mentioned above, the use of
technology and its adaptation to certain situations may be a solution\
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After all, it is much easier to be passively in a class listening to the teacher and taking
notes.
So it is necessary to prepare it carefully, to explain the objectives and the results
expected.
Nevertheless, the final result obtained and the involvement of students (when they stop
resisting) is a reward that any teacher will not forget, and learning effectively happens in
a positive and cheerful environment.
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MODULE 2. DESIGN CONTENTS
UNIT 2.2 - Organization of learning content
2.2.1. Objectives
This module has the following objectives:
To organize learning contents
To design a learning contents
In this unit we will talk about how to design learning contents and how to organize
learning contents
In this lesson we will try to answer the following questions:
Do you know how to create learning contents?
How to organize learning contents?
2.2.2. How to design a flipped lesson
The objective to design a flipped lesson is to maximize the students’ participation in
online and offline activities.
2.2.2.1. Analyse the context
To start, it is important to analyse the educational context in which the creative
classroom will take place, set out the learning objectives and the methodologies to be
used. Planning is crucial in order to determinate what and how much of the subject can
be taught within the time frame (e.g. semester) in and out of the classroom. The creative
classroom activity should take into consideration the development of activities inside the
classroom and outside the classroom. Both demand a good planning.
The success of the design of a flipped classroom strongly depends on the alignment of
what we want students to do before, during, and after the class. Usually, outside the
class students develop lower levels of cognitive work, via reading or watching videos
(gaining knowledge and comprehension) and in-class they focus on higher forms of
cognitive work, harder work of assimilating knowledge, solving problems, debating or
discussing some controversial issues (application, analysis, and/or evaluation), where
they have the support of their peers and instructor.
2.2.2.2. Define objectives
To start, it is important to define the learning objectives. It could be helpful to answer
questions such as: What do you want your students to know and be able to do after the
flipped classroom? And how will you assess what they know or can do? In order to
create the learning objectives you can use taxonomy (e.g. Bloom taxonomy).
You can define if you want your students to know some contents, to apply it, to discuss it
or any other level of knowledge. Relate to the contents, It is important to select only the
most important and relevant “contents” of sub-topics that will make up a lesson.
It is important not to try teaching “everything” with lower development of cognitive
objectives (understanding and comprehension from Bloom Taxonomy). It is better to
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have fewer contents and develop deeper objectives such as a critical analysis or
creativity.
2.2.2.3. Plan
It is also important to plan and prepare all the instructional materials (the contents) that
students will use in the learning experience. The development of materials should take
into account the best way to communicate and present the material (e.g. video, text,
animation, simulation, online multimedia module, or other) for the specific target.
Students should be able to follow all the materials effectively. It is important to think in
terms of the amount of time needed to cover all the contents and to achieve the learning
objectives defined.
The learning objectives and outcomes should be aligned with the activities that students
will do before, during, and after the flipped classroom experience. All activities should be
described in order to make clear how the learning objective will be met. Examples of
activities are: the creation of a project, solving problems, analyzing data, engaging in a
debate, designing a product and so on. Students should know why they are doing
something, how it fits into the overall learning objectives, and how it is used beyond the
class in their lifetime.
After this short explanation about how to plan a learning strategy, it is time to do your
own work. Are you ready?
2.2.2.4. Suggestion to practice the flipped classroom
To start, think about the learning environment you would like to develop. Describe the
context, the time-frame, the outcomes, the learning objectives (and soft skills) and the
evaluation you want to implement. Then think about the learning activities that should be
developed in order to reach the objectives defined. All learning activities and objectives
should be aligned with evaluation.
In order to facilitate the alignment among the elements, create a table like the one in this
slide. The table in the slide shows how a class may be planned and the relation between
the objectives of the lesson, the skills we want the student to develop since for the same
objective we can have more than one skill to be developed, the contents and the
activities and resources matching the learning objectives.
Now, it is important to detail all the activities defined. To do this, create a table, in a word
document for instance, that describes the elements for each learning activity.
According to the flip methodology all activities should have tasks (activity phases) to be
developed in class and out of the classroom.
Flipped classrooms are learning environments and they have the potential to promote a
paradigm shift from the teacher-centred one to the learner-centred one, as the learning
tasks in flipped classrooms depend heavily on learner-driven preparation outside formal
class time.
The tasks to be developed in the first in-class session may include a presentation about
the topic, a question about the materials, solving some problems related to the topic or
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bringing to class an illustration of a solution, and so on. The plan should also include
evaluation activities.
It is crucial to plan the activities that will be supported in the resources available to
students. The responsibility and ownership of learning should be transferred from the
teacher to students through participation in interactive activities.
2.2.2.5. Technologies
When thinking about the activities to be developed it is also important to take into
consideration the technologies that will support them. The idea of flipped classrooms is
not new but it has recently gained importance due to the advancement in digital
technologies which enable students to ubiquitously have access to resources and build
connections with their peers. In the digital age, flipped classrooms include blended
learning designs that use digital technologies to move passive learning tasks of
knowledge delivery beyond formal class time and use learning activities to move
constructive learning tasks of concept building within formal class time. All tools and
materials to be used should be clearly explained and its usage justified.
Sometimes it is not easy to have group discussions in class. Or even to allow all the
students to express their voice. Or do some practical exercises in class. In this case the
operationalisation may require some adaptations. As mentioned above, the use of
technology and its adaptation to certain situations may be a solution
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MODULE 2 DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING CONTENTS FOR
FLIPPED LESSONS
UNIT 2.3 DESIGN OF A FLIPPED VIDEO
2.3.1. Design of a flipped video
The first theme in this lesson is about why videos are used in the flipped methodology.
Then the lesson is about how to choose between the different types of videos, and about
the length of the videos. Then the lesson is about the importance of interactive tasks.
2.3.2. Why use videos to explain a topic?
Why use videos to explain a topic?
It is shown in several studies that the motivation of the students increases by using
videos Studies show that the students watch the video for a longer period of time if there
is a person talking to them in the corner of the screen, and even longer if the person
talking is their own teacher.
Several studies also reported that students liked the flexibility of using a video, because
they could choose the time, place, and their own pace of learning. The students can
skip, pause or rewind the videos, depending on their level of understanding the topic
explained. In the opinion of the students it was a great advantage to have the videos
easily available, and by using the videos they got more motivated to study. The students
also like to use the videos as repetition before tests or exams.
2.3.3. The types of videos that can be used
There are many types of videos that can be used in the Flipped Methodology. The
simplest type is to do a recording of the lesson. Another type is the so-called "talking
head", where the teacher is sitting in his office talking. It can also for example be a
power point presentation where the teacher is seen as a small "talking head" in the
corner of the presentation. There is also a type of video where the video shows the
teacher when he is drawing and explaining the topic of the class.
2.3.4. How to choose type of video to use?
The next question is how to choose type of video to use?
Time is always a limited resource for teachers, so the teacher has to choose a type of
video which is achievable. Very often the teachers don't have time to record advanced
videos using complicated equipment. It is important to remember that the students are
more engaged by the video if they can see their own teacher talking. This is the main
point, not to make an impressing professional video.
2.3.5. Length and sound
Some studies have shown that students prefer to watch short videos which last
maximum 6 minutes, but there are several opinions about the ideal length of videos.
It is very important that the sound is captured effectively. In fact, the sound of the video
is the most important aspect of the video.
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2.3.6. Prepare visual material
The teacher should prepare visual materials before recording the video. The visual
materials can be for example images and diagrams.
2.3.7. Do the students watch the videos?
An important question is: Do the students watch the videos?
It is important to be able to see if the students have seen the videos. The teacher should
make sure that he can check this by using an appropriate tool to upload the videos. It is
important to be able to check and control this. It is also possible to add questions
towards the end of the videos where the students can tell their teacher if they have
understood the topic explained. Feedback to the teacher before class makes it easier to
prepare the class. This way the teacher is able to prepare better for class knowing which
subjects that are more difficult for the students.
2.3.8. Interactive videos
It is recommended to make the videos interactive. It`s important to activate the students
with interactive tasks after they have watched the videos (quiz, questions etc.).
Interactive tasks help to shift responsibility for learning from the teacher to the students.
The students get immediate response to their answers to the interactive tasks. The
students can check if they have understood the topic of the class. The interactive tasks
can be for example quizzes, questions and polls. It is also important that the teacher is
able to see the students’ answers to the interactive tasks.
2.3.9. Make your flipped class real
So, just upload your video and make your flipped class real!
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MODULE 2 - DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING CONTENTS FOR
FLIPPED LESSONS
UNIT 2.4: PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION OF A FLIPPED VIDEO
2.4.1 The most important things in a flipped video
If you want to produce a video in the Flipped Methodology, you should be aware of a few
important things.
The most important thing is that the quality of the sound is good. It is essential to make
sure that the sound in your video is captured effectively. It can therefore be useful to
record a short test video, and play it back to a colleague.
Secondly, it is important that the quality of the images is good. The Flipped Institute
recommends to use illustrations and demonstrations in the flipped video. It is convenient
and helpful to use a whiteboard and draw diagrams, or to publish images from the web.
Another important thing you should be aware of when producing a flipped video, is that
the video lectures should be short. Research indicates that students prefer to watch
videos with a maximal duration of 6 minutes. In addition, students prefer to watch their
own teachers instead of an extremely good teacher they don't know. Research indicates
that students are more engaged by the video if the video includes their teacher talking,
for instance as a "talking head". Research shows also that the students watch their own
video for a longer period of time if there is a person talking in the corner of the screen,
and even longer if the person talking is their own teacher. The students would rather
watch a personal video made with simple remedies, than an impersonal professional
video made in a studio. It is recommended to make the videos interactive. It is important
to activate the students with interactive tasks after they have watched the videos (quiz,
questions etc.). The students also skip parts of the video if they already have understood
the topic. Many students use the videos as a repetition before exams. It is important for
students to be able to pause the videos and to rewind the videos if they don`t understand
the topic.
A last important thing when producing a flipped video is the communication ability of the
teacher.
Technical problems that students experienced were the data size of the videos, lack of
access to mobile devices, the video format and that they were unable to play the videos.
2.4.2 Four main steps in the process of a flipped video
The process of making a flipped video consists of 4 main steps:
1. Planning
2. Recording
3. Editing
4. Publishing
2.4.2.1 Step 1: Planning
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The first main step is planning. First o56f all, you have to plan your video. Think about
the topic you want to show or which problem you want to solve in your lecture video.
Make sure that you understand your content and that you know your audience. Identify
the main objectives of your lesson, tracing the path of knowledge that students will
follow. Next, think about some fundamental questions about the learning process:
1. Once students understand the entry-level information, what will they be able to
do with it?
2. What kinds of activities will reinforce these concepts?
3. Will students learn by simulating through experiments, using discussion, or using
project-based learning?
It can be useful to write a script. Don’t make your video too long and avoid long
monologues. It is better to make a short and effective video. Remember that you are
going to talk to students and they are going to be at home. You must engage them. Be
direct, be creative, be authentic, be yourself. Use direct simple language. Make a video
as if it were your lesson. Choose the right vocabulary but don’t be too academic. Make
your video class easy to understand. Prepare visual materials for your video: images,
diagrams, notes which you will add to your presentation. Think about the design of your
video and music. Then, find an easy program to create your video. Examples can be
Office Mix or iMovie. Office Mix is an addition to PowerPoint. It can be downloaded for
free on the web. This tool makes a video of the slides in your power point, and you can
easily record yourself as a "talking head" in the corner of the video. This tool also
enables you to make quizzes and polls as a part of the video. This way the students get
activated while watching the videos. This tool is very easy for teachers to use, because
most teachers already use Power Point. Office Mix has only added the recording and the
interactive elements, thus making it easier to implement Flipped Learning. In Office Mix it
is also possible for the teacher to see who has viewed the video and the students'
answers to a quiz. This way the teacher can prepare better for the next class, knowing if
the students have understood the topic.
Finally, find the right equipment and a video scenery.
2.4.2.2 Step 2: recording
The next main step of making a flipped video is recording. For this step, you will need
some basic equipment like a camera, a microphone, lights, a computer and a program
for video edition. When you have your equipment with you, you can start to record the
video. Remember that the video has to be of good quality. Your words must be clear. If
you don't have professional lights, you can sit in the front of a window and use natural
light. If you want to replace the regular background with a picture, it can be helpful to use
a green screen. If you don't have a professional camera, you can alternatively make you
video with a simple camera or smartphone.
2.4.2.3 Step 3: Editing
The third main step of making a video in the flipped methodology, is editing. First,
download your video and edit it. If you made a mistake, you can cut this part away. In
this step, you will design your video. The visual side of your video is important. Begin
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your video with the title of the lecture and music. Choose a type of background. It is
possible to change the green background into a picture, if you want to. Choose size,
colour and a font type. After that, you can add sounds effects, pictures, video clips,
diagrams, definitions, important phrases, key words, comments, questions, etc... You
can create them in flashcards and place them on the side of your video. You can make a
demonstration or draw a diagram while making the video. It is also a good idea to make
your video interactive and prepare a short online test on the topic of the lecture. This way
the students learn more.
2.4.2.4 Step 4: Publishing
If your video is edited, you may now be prepared to publish your video. We are now
arrived at the fourth and last main step of making a flipped video.
You can share your video directly on YouTube (you can for example set up your own
channel) or other sharing channels you prefer to use. It is also useful to upload it directly
to an e-learning platform.
Your video can have different settings. You can make your video public, so that
everyone can watch it, or secret – it means that your video can have a limited access
and in this way only those who got the link to the video can watch it.
Research indicates that students think it is a great advantage to have the videos easily
available and by using the videos they got more motivated to study. They also like the
flexibility of using a video, because they can choose time, place, and their own pace of
learning.
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MODULE 3 - EDUCATIONAL GAMES
UNIT 3.1.: CLASSROOM TIME
3.1.1 Introduction: how to organize the class time
It is essential for teachers to set the educational games’ time in the right way and to
organize the in-class extra time in order to know how to reach the major possible impact
on the students. The activities that the teachers decide to implement in the in-class extra
time must be linked to the type of educational games realized during the flipped lessons.
In fact, these activities work as a support of the learning processes. The greatest benefit
for the teachers who use the Flipped methodology is in fact the extra class time. A luxury
that is rare for teachers. How and for which purposes can teachers organize the
educational games and to use the extra in-time class? Once the educational game has
been scheduled in a proper way, the teachers are able to create engaging learning
experiences for the students during the extra class time, the time saved thanks to the
flipped lessons and the use of educational games.
This training unit gives teachers some ideas for organizing the educational game and
evaluating and redesigning the in-class time. Of course teachers adopting the flipped
model can use the extra time in myriad ways depending on the subject matter, location,
and style of teaching, as you will discover at the end of this training unit. For the success
implementation of an educational game is appropriate to organize some activities to be
conducted before playing (start-up, warm-up) and after the game (briefing, and
debriefing). This game's structure allows to create a good working atmosphere and to
involve the participants. Once you have set up your educational game, you will find
yourselves with extra time. To answer to the question “what can I do with the additional
class time?” - we give you some suggestions for organizing, evaluating and re-designing
of the extra time to explore in a more detailed way the contents understood during the
educational game.
In social sciences, humanities classes, language arts and foreign language classes,
teachers can organize grammar exercises or practicing conversation. This helps
students to practice the language in a really practical ways through peer review by
having more time for conversation about current events, for reading literature and writing
stories, having debates and giving speeches, all in the target language. In math and
science classes, for example teachers can use their extra time for helping the students
with a deeper analysis of mathematical concepts and formulas. In this way, the lessons
can be transformed in laboratories of computational thinking, inquiry, experiments, and
conceptual understanding. The extra time can be also used for linking subjects with
other sciences, such us technology, engineering and economics. Is it possible to have
extra time during physical education classes? Yes. It has been a surprise that the
physical education teachers were the most enthusiastic about the flipped classroom
methodology because they spend most of the time teaching students techniques and
rules of the game, and so students have less time for playing. Saving time, the pupils
can be involve in practical activities and moving their bodies playing games.
3.1.2 Implementing the time of an educational game: Start-up, Warm-Up and the Briefing
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Start-up consists in introducing participants to experiential methodology, games training
purposes, logistics information, rules of conduct and safety through dynamic and
involving activities. It is a crucial moment because the trainer presents the game and
methodology to the participants but at the same time gets to know the group. It is
essential that the trainer is clear and precise in exposing the contents and he must
choose a friendly and suitable language for the participants.
Warm-Up is a series of exercises having the goal of making participants know each
other's and breaking the ice, so that in the following core workshops activities the
students will feel free to express themselves. This phase has the advantage of
overcoming initial embarrassment, for example regarding the fear of physical contact,
and it permits to trainers to have a tool for knowing better the group and pupils.
The trainer's task during the warm-up is to grasp the composition of the group and to
decide which roles to assign to the participants and how to define the teams during the
game. It is important to set this task by making participants feel at ease so that they can
express themselves. The facilitator has the task of explaining in detail why it is
necessary to start with the warm up, which are the benefits for the single participant and
for the group.
Briefing is the moment in which the individual activities are presented to be carried out
with specific game instructions and rules, goals and purposes. Even this stage, taking
place before the game's start, it is essential to explained the game in detail by giving
participants the time to understand both the meaning of the briefing and the game rules
and objectives.
3.1.3 Implementing the time of an educational game: Playing and Debriefing
Playing is the dynamic phase, that is to say the carrying out of the experiential activities,
some simpler and some more complex, step by step in order to reach specific didactic
objectives. It is the moment, in which participants put themselves into play, testing their
knowledge and acquiring some new concepts. It is the heart of the workshop, the key
moment when participants become characters and try to achieve a goal following game
rules.
Debriefing means the “postgame”, the cognitive reorganization of the recreational
action, its scientific analysis. The debriefing is that moment of the educational gaming in
which students stop and reflect and they bring to light what it has been activated during
the recreational phase. It is clear that we are not talking about an appendance of the
game, we are indeed talking about an essential moment which requires the right time
and the due concentration.
During the actual recreational activity each gamer gambles its own feelings and
emotions on an individual level and, sometimes, on a group level. In the re-elaboration
phase is essential that the gamers carry out a process of negotiations of their internal
meanings and they become more conscious of what they have experimented. The
analysis of what happened is also essential: the game allows us to insert the proposed
model in the field of the experience.
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The process of the debriefing is a reflection in a laud voice that the group make at the
end of the activity in order to “meta communicate” on the strengths and the weakness of
the game that they have carried on together. It is the reflection that the individuals make
by thinking about their personal contribution realized during the teamwork. In fact,
questions on what can be improved allow people to retrace the game dynamics, making
immediate analogies with the topics and understand why a strategy has not been
successful.
3.1.4 Educational games and Project-based Learning
Is a flipped class compatible with project-based learning? Of course, because this
methodology is more powerful when students have played a role in defining the learning
activities themselves, so when we play educational games. The idea of discovery-based
learning - driven by students - perfectly matches with this approach and it has to be
taken in consideration if you wish to have a great success in flipping your lessons. The
project-based learning is optimal for all the teachers who wish to operate in environment
where students are able to self-identifying problems or interests. Students can be
supported in the process of exploring a real-world problems and developing solutions, in
this way they can also apply this process for realizing what they need for solving a
mathematical functions or for applying a chemistry formula.
In this way students are engaged in the learning process. Students will learn to support
each other and develop new skills following the overall process of what knowledge they
want improve. In fact, collaborative work – team work - is becoming an increasingly
important and needed skill for the job market. It is important to introduce some team
work’ activities in the classroom’s time and to give students regular opportunities to work
together, to solve problems and to share solutions. Flipped lessons and educational
games perfectly respond to this need.
Learning by doing is the best way to learn. By creating, demonstrating and playing an
educational game, teachers should aim to create engaging practical experiences that
deepen their students’ knowledge by playing a game. Giving students a choice from a
selection of activities, rotating students around and give them time to practice peer
review through cooperative learning approaches. Can teachers let students to design
their own practical activities? Sure, student-created content can demonstrate which
learning methodologies the students are more incline on and what they have really
learned. Give students the choice of the tool (a video, a podcast, a poster, or anything
else that conveys their learning) can reinforce their learning process and skills. When
this is done in a group- peer teaching style – the result of the game is a success.
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UNIT 3.2: TYPES OF EDUCATIONALGAMES
3.2.1 Introduction
There are different kinds of games, each one with its own characteristics. These
peculiarities make a certain type of game more appropriated than another, depending on
the environment, like the type of classroom, number of students, time and material
available, etc., and the contents that we want to teach through a game, for example the
subject.
What can we do? The first tip can we apply for any types of educational games is that
the class shouldn’t be too numerous: it means 5-10 people maximum in order to avoid
downtime in the class-time during the game and among the participants.
How many types of educational games do we play? There are different types of
educational games:
knowledge games: to create a first contact between the participants in the group;
warm up games: to help participants to get to know the group and to perform
tasks with others;
perception games: to get in touch with others;
trust games: to create a certain level of trust and familiarity in the group;
cooperative games: to define strategy to collectively solve problems;
games with bigger team: to stimulate individual skills and lo learn how to act in a
group;
team adventure games: to be able to cooperate in stressful and competitive
situations;
reflection games: to exchange feelings about what was experienced and felt
during the game.
It is good to know to remember that there are five models of learning methods and
each educational game should have at least a prevalent one in order to support the
learning process:
transmission: the information passes from the teacher to the learners;
imitation: learning by imitating – also known as vicarious learning;
experimentation: it is the active process of “learning by doing” in a specific
context;
participation: this model of learning is based on the social aspect of learning by
building new meanings and ways of interactions;
discovery: the term is referred to accidental acquisitions of knowledge, due to the
involvement of the learner context.
Now the frame is set! Let's have a look in details to five examples of different types of
educational games.
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3.2.2. The simulation games
The simulation games were created specifically for training: these games can be
considered as the very first type of educational games. The concept comes from the war
games used to train young soldiers and officials. The simulation games follow a
particular type of model: they start from a static frame and then they become more and
more dynamic during the development of the game, representing and activating different
types of relations among the participants. In fact each participant plays a role and takes
decisions. The gaming situation is the simulation of the consequences driven by the
assumption of the roles. The model represents a way to introduce a certain reality
(present or past): it may be based on the representation of this reality, but also on
hypothesis, theories and scenarios. In this sense, the game aims to explain and make
clearer some aspects of these realities, those that the trainer/tutor wants to underline to
the students.
These types of games are complex to realize and they need a lot of time to be well
organized but also the construction process can be very useful and practical in order to
explain difficult concepts, reality and models, with clear and immediate messages.
3.2.3. The role game
The role game is a tale in the shape of a game. All the players – except one – participate
by performing a main character. Just one player handles the setting, the plot and the
minor characters. A role play is not just a game where the participants have to play a
role. The element that characterizes this particular type of game is the construction of a
common tale in a framework that is handled by a master/teacher – who is the
facilitator/director, the judge, the narrator and somehow also a player. There are role
games that have as a main purpose to find the solution of a problem, and it is clear that
in this case it is important to introduce activities related to the problem solving approach.
Other roles games are based most on the plot. Here, the priorities shift toward the ability
of performing and creating new stories/narrations thanks to the different participants’
point of view reflecting on a particular disciplinary paradigm.
This type of games shows its particular flexibility that can be seen as many different
scenes unified under one main framework: the participants can make explorations and
discoveries in each scene that can be related to different knowledge. It is not just “put
people inside circumstances”, and watch how they behave but it is the creation of an
interesting framework for the game, where it possible to introduce different situations.
3.2.4. The game book
The game book is a particular kind of structured story telling with turning points: each
paragraph is interrupted and the reader has to make a choice among different options.
The story follows the reader’s will. We can describe a game book like a book of games,
specifically the one with an interactive story which unfolds as the reader makes
decisions and follows links between numbered pages. So the reader becomes a player
who goes from a paragraph to another, building his own story and arriving to one of the
possible book’s conclusions. Each paragraph is made by a fragmentation of the general
scenario where the reader finds the results of his choices and he can decide to go back
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or go further and make another choice. The result of the book is a text full of hyperlinks.
In fact, a game book seems like a hypertext where the linearity is interrupted to
advantage of no-sequential reading path. It is not easy to build a game book, but it can
be a game also to construct the plot and try to realize the book in the class.
3.2.5. The excursion and itinerary games
The excursion games are structured to be conducted outdoor, especially in art cities,
castles, excavations, or natural environments. They are team games on the model of the
scavenger hunt. The purpose is to replace the traditional guided tour with a playful
activity. The approach of discovering is one of the most engaging methods of tours
because it leads the users to an autonomous construction of knowledge and it is not
based only on listening and oratorical abilities. These games use multiple
methodologies, which connect the personal research with the logic operational method,
and they develop manual abilities, from how to trace a map to how to work with raw
material. Usually this game includes a letter that indicates the roles of each players. The
itinerary games, such Monopoly or the Game of the Goose, are structured with an
orderly and oriented path that the players have to follow through the mechanism of the
game, where each slot represents a little “teaching unit” of the general program of the
game. These games are characterized for including disciplinary contents, fortuity, team
play and competitiveness in a great mix that leads the players towards a deep motivation
and enthusiasm that supports and makes faster the learning process. The structure of
the game of the goose, reshaped in term of graphics and numbers of slots, can be a
justification to build a figurative path with a given time and space. The players, throwing
the dice, can reach important information related to the specific topic. Sometimes there
is the risk to charge the game with heavy contents, but usually this kind of game has the
advantage to be simple to realize, because there aren’t many rules, usually it is played
with a dice and its repetitive.
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3.3. UNIT DESIGN OF AN EDUCATIONAL GAME
3.3.1. Basic principles to design a game
In order to make an educational game a serious tool for teaching and learning, it is very
important to put special care in designing the entire training process. This implies having
a particular focus on a series of different complex actions: Development of different
educational paths, suited to individual learners' cognitive features. It means having in
mind the variety of cognitive styles, of learning modes, of intelligence. Detection and
indication of flexible arrangements to access and use of the acquired knowledge.
Construction of some basic concepts needed to understand more complex patterns that
may give rise to inter-disciplinary and cross-cutting paths. When designing a game, it is
essential to have in mind some basic rules:
the games must be used to achieve a specific purpose, not just to spend time;
the games must be connected to the subject of the training, they should not be
used as a self-addressed learning tool;
each game can have a different effect on each participant, it is therefore
essential to consider the target group;
The trainers, according to their experience, should have the chance to choose the
games in which the target group feels at ease.
3.3.2. The rules for designing educational game
The first rule for designing an educational game is to reflect about what topic, theme or
issue, has to be addressed and how these matters should be critically treated and what
solutions can be found. The right approach for designing an educational game is to use
a creative method to adapt the educational game to its purpose. Without this step, the
game can run the risk to not work in the appropriate way and so the class to be uncritical
and not involved.
It is important to stress this basic rule because the topic on which the class has to focus
has to be well structured, narrow and clear. In this way, the game can be the starting
point for many reflections.
The second basic rule for designing an educational game is to take into account two
relevant factors:
Internal factors, it means the goals of the training;
External factors, it means to take into account the participants and their
personal goals.
The game is an ideal tool to reinforce and enhance existing skills because it represent a
separate reality – a learning space – which is something different from real-life or daily-
life situation, where the learners can take risks and learn from their mistakes.
3.3.3. The target group
In the design phase, it is necessary to process a game emphasizing the possible
learning outcomes of the training: it means that when we plan to design a game, it is
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essential to have clear in mind the goals, knowledge, and skills, and how the game is
integrated in the training path of the target group. Remember to give the necessary value
to the game and to make it a true learning experience for the learners. T6he learners
have to understand the added value of the game, which consists of a fun way to deepen
certain topics in different context from the classical frontal lessons. Therefore, in the
designing phase, it is necessary to process a game emphasizing the possible learning
outcomes of the training in relation with the given target group. This is because each
game has a different target group. From where can we start the designing of a game? It
is good to start from the participants’ expectations and goals. It is so important to gather
as much data as possible on the group of learners: for example, the number of
participants, or at least an indicative number, the group composition with respect to the
gender, the average age, the language (if in the group there are different native
language speakers) and eventually previous training experiences. In few words, the
games must be designed for the participants and tailor-made on the objectives of the
training course.
3.3.4. How to involve the group
As we have seen, the identification of the target group is a key moment. Since the
individuals will compose the group, it is essential to keep in mind - when designing an
educational game- four phases of the Bruce Tuckman model, aimed at group’s
development, namely:
Forming: The team meets for the first time and takes conscience of the opportunities
and challenges, so approves the goals and starts to reflect on the tasks. Team members
tend to behave quite independently. The forming stage of a team is crucial because the
peers are able to know each other, to start to talk about some personal information, and
meet new friends. For the tutor/teacher it is also a good moment to see how each
member of the team works as an individual and in the team.
Storming: comprehension of each team member and the differences inside the group
should be emphasized at this stadium. Why this phase is central? Because a not well
managed storming can be destructive to the team or demotivating the participants. In
fact it can happen that certain groups cannot go over this stage because they do not find
a compromise. On the other side, it is also true that disagreements within the team can
make it stronger, more varied, and able to work more effectively. The supervisor of the
team during this phase may be more accessible, keeping the role of guidance with a
professional behavior, but it is important that the team members resolve their differences
basically by themselves. They do not have to feel judged, so they can share their
opinions and views and move to the next step.
Norming: all team members have to take their responsibility and to find the ambition to
work for the success of the team's goals. The members accept others as they are and
they have to make an effort to focus on the rules and responsibilities of the game. What
are the risks that a good Supervisor should avoid? The danger here is that members
may be so focused on preventing conflict that they are reluctant to share controversial
ideas, so the tutor has to stimulate the debate.
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Performing: this is the productive phase. By this time, the members of the group are
motivated and focused on their roles. At this stage, the team members are not able to
handle in an autonomous way the decision-making process without the tutor’s
supervision. The tutor can accept and tolerate opposite opinions as long as they are
constructive for the group.
3.3.5. The crescendo of the game
When designing a game it is also important to regard to the phases of the game
considering the group dynamics that were just explained and the relations that can be
activated during the game.
How to build an experiential crescendo in a game? Here there are some basic rules to
follow - in this sense - the phases of the games must be structured as a crescendo for
the individuals and the group:
Starting from a simple task to get step by step to a more complex one.
Starting from an individual participation to build the class group.
Requiring an initial low personal exposure to end with a high participation of
all the group members.
There is another further important rule for game designing which is related to the
trainer’s self-analysis. The game should in fact be a tool that the trainer uses to support
learners during a training path and this can only work if the trainer knows very well the
game. How? The trainer is the agent of the game and the game is the tool that he has
for supporting the participants to discovering the aspects of themselves and
understanding behaviours in relations with the others members of the group. The trainer
has to feel his/her crucial role. During the course the trainer will be seen as the leader,
the one who helps the students in the game, so it is necessary that the game is played
following his/her personal style. The trainer will be the guardian of the time, and he will
determine the beginning and the end of each activity. He will lead the group in its training
path.
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UNIT 3.4: MANAGEMENT OF AN EDUCATIONAL GAME
3.4.1. How to manage the environment
When managing an educational game, it is very important to trust the abilities and
possibilities of the participants. Also when you ask someone to be involved in a game, it
is essential to be the first to play it. Therefore, there are three essential requirements for
managing an educational game:
1. be prepared on the focused topics because different discussions can arise
during the game;
2. have previous experiences in managing groups and controlling group’s
dynamics;
3. be able to contextualize the game.
For the trainer is important to acquire expertise in managing the group and in the same
time stimulating its development. He has to be recognized as the leader, and external
observers are not recommended (for example, bosses or managers who do not
participate in the game), also because the participants can feel not free to play or feel
judged. The participants have to get to know the trainer and recognize him/her as a
professional. The trainer has to show his/her management competences especially in
the establishment of the rules in the group, which is a fundamental step for the success
of the game. For example, the trainer can be silent or ask questions in order to
emphasize or not a dialogue among the participants, or the trainer can comment on the
behaviors of the group’s members in order to give importance to some actions and to
reflect about certain aspects of the group’s dynamics.
3.4.2. Trainer’s role before the game
As we said, the trainer’s role is fundamental in all the phases of the process. There are
some tips that the trainer has to keep in its pocket before starting to play:
the trainer should introduce himself at the beginning of the game as a
facilitator, not as a trainer, in order to make feel the participants more
comfortable;
the trainer has to make talking the members of the group, instead of talking
himself;
before playing, the tutor has to ask the participants about their feelings and
expectations regarding the game.
Another wit is to try the game on itself before starting to play with external people: this is
because the game needs high precision, clear instructions and enough activities/steps.
The trainer has to explain very well the rules of the game that can be considered the
structure of the all training experience. The tutor has to check that the members of the
group have understood the instructions. This is particularly important for managing the
game: so how can we be sure that everybody understands the rules of the game? The
trainer can make different examples and propose different scenarios in order to make
easier the explanation of the rules and instructions.
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3.4.3. Trainer’s role during the game
Does the tutor have a role during the game? Yes, of course!
During the game the trainer has different tasks:
transmit consistent and logical messages in a verbal and in a physical way;
participate, when it is convenient, in the groups dynamics in order to be
perceived as a group member without being confused with a peer: for example
during the introduction of each member, but not during the game’s activities
because the trainer has to maintain the role of the supervisor;
realize visual activities to show the training path: for example the trainer can
stick post-it on the wall with the reached learning outcomes so it is clear for
everybody the progress that have been reached by the group;
write on the board in blue or black, but not in red;
set the time and time’s limits and remember to the group’s members to
respect them in a soft and calm way. It is important to have in mind clear
stages and time-schedule for the activities, but it is also important to do not
make pressure on the learners. For example, when few minutes are left the
trainer can kindly ask to get ready and start to collect the materials;
go around the tables during the working-group activities for monitoring and
guiding the students’ involvement and to check the tasks.
3.4.4. Tips for managing the group
There are also some tips for stimulating the participation of the group in the game’s
activities. For example, it is important to raise the reflection of the participants by asking
the following types of questions:
open questions (not yes or no questions);
questions related to the aims of the game;
one question at a time;
questions that include some little provocations to raise a constructive debate;
questions that are looking for clarifications but not information;
questions that are focused on the process and not only on the contents.
The main aim of managing the group is to create the so called “the group mind”: it
means a new state of group’s awareness, knowledge and emotions.
The facilitator of the educational games must know the topics of the game but especially
the ability of leading a group, managing eventual conflicts and stimulating the
participation of each member.
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Usually the main group has to be divided in sub-groups/team because the activities
require a high participation because they are challenging, of each member. At this stage
the task of the tutor is to divide the group.
Do we need to follow specific criteria in order to split the group? The answer is yes
because each team has to be balanced according to certain characteristics, which are:
mix of genders and ages;
starting homogeneity or mixed level of competencies according to the
activities;
differentiation of leadership skills;
mix group of people – it means the facilitator should avoid to put together
people who already know each other because the game is a moment for
knowing new participants in order to enrich reciprocal knowledge and
competencies.
As we said the ideal size of a group is 5-10 people because everybody has to participate
in order to benefit, to act and to learn from the training activities. Also it is important to
avoid competitions among the members of the same team because they have to work all
together in order to reach the results of the activities. On the other hand, it is positive to
stimulate the competitions among the different teams but not to transmit the idea that
someone is the winner and the other is the loser: the aim is that each group reaches its
own goals and fulfils its tasks.
3.4.5. Preventing difficult situations
It is known that certain difficult situations can appear before and during a game. In order
to prevent difficult situations, the trainer has to follow few steps:
create previous conditions for enabling the learners to play in a spontaneous
way;
observe the participants’ involvement in the game and in case help the
development of the learning activities;
support the learners’ problem solving process, for example, by clarifying
doubts without giving the solutions;
adapt the game by giving attention to the concrete situation and the real
capacities of the learners;
clarify the game structure.
The last point is closely related to some other issues that have to be taken into account
in order to prevent problems that can ruin the objectives of the game:
the game’s rules have to be established together with the group – as sort of
contract that is shared and accepted by all the members;
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give a clear direction to the game in order to motivate the learners to re-
calculate and change their approach and opinions if they are behaving in
contrast with the general flow;
give the opportunity to the group – included the facilitator- to clarify the
feelings of discomfort in case something is going wrong and ask to the
participants to propose their solutions. After collecting all the possibilities, the
tutor has to give its own point of view;
talk separately to the participants who are causing difficult situations.
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UNIT 4.1: THE DEBRIEFING AND ITS PHASES
4.1.1. Introduction to the debriefing
The debriefing is a critical stage because it ends the experiences of the learners and it
has the goal to create meaningful learning experiences.
There are two conventions behind the importance of the debriefing:
the first one is that the activity has affected the players in a way that requires
further reflection
the second one is that is a process needed to help the players to realise the
meaning of these activities.
What is the result? The result of the debriefing process is that learners realise
meaningful links between the activities and their own knowledges in order to increase
their awareness.
The tutor has to set up the debriefing of the educational game. He has to present it in a
correctly way: it means to help the students to deconstruct the activities in order to model
them according to their mental models. Without the debriefing time, the efficacy of the
activities may be lost, as some learners will see the activities as a non-sense event and
not correctly connected to other aspects of the didactic.
The debriefing supports the learners to explore what went on, to talk about their
experiences, to develop insights, to reduce negative feelings about aspects of the
activities. It is important to connect the debriefing with real-life situations. Even if a game
didn't properly work out, the debriefing can still be a good learning experience if the
facilitator leads it in a positive way. The debriefing exercises can support the learner still
gain something constructive from their learning experience.
4.1.2. What is the debriefing?
As we said, the debriefing is a crucial step of the learning process. It is when the group
reflects on the activities led during the game. It is compulsory that the players recognise
that the game is over. For example to put back the materials and the equipment and
organizing a circle with the chairs can help the students to realize the change of the
phase.
One challenge is to present these activities in a way that is separate from the game. The
students have to comprehend now that is time to focus on the debriefing, that is an
engaging activity and it is not just the end of the game.
What can the trainer do? The trainer can lead the group through this moment in order to
let the students express their feelings, reflections, thoughts and doubts. The trainer has
to take a specific role during this phase: he is more a facilitator who stimulates the
dialogue, the circulation of ideas and reflections. It is very important that the facilitator
doesn't tell the students what they have learnt.
The pupils should be conducted in the process of negotiating the meanings in order to
comprehend and share the acquired knowledge. This is a great moment for the teachers
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to understand different aspects of their student’s personalities, especially those who
usually are less involved in the lessons.
A professional tutor in fact, in this phase, is able to dedicated space and time to all the
students without making the debriefing too long or too boring. On the other side,
students need time to express themselves and reflect on the learning process. How to
organize the debate?
The facilitator has to give the floor one by one to all the participants and he can
encourage those who have difficulty to talk loud or express their personal opinions. The
tutor can take notes of the debate in order to stimulate and give a certain dynamic to it:
the debriefing is not a lesson, but an animated moment to discuss different opinions and
most of all to summarize the most relevant aspects of the learning activities.
4.1.3. Three central elements of debriefing
What aspects should the debriefing always include? Any debriefing should focus on at
least three elements:
1) what was done in the activity;
2) how well the activity worked for the learners;
3) how the learned knowledge can be applied.
By including these three aspects, the learning experience can be more effective
especially for flipped classroom lessons. The tutor has to be sure that the students will
develop a critical point of view during the debriefing time. How?
By explaining the students how their opinions and also the results of the debriefing will
be used. For example by explaining that the most important result of a successful
debriefing is that both the learner and the teachers have gained much more out of the
original knowledge.
How can we involve students in the debriefing phase? A great technique is that a learner
reviews and assesses the performance of a peer. The pupil can compare the
performance to his or her own. This will help the learners to think about strengths and
weaknesses points and realize how people might approach in a different way to the
same assignment.
4.1.4. The steps of the debriefing
The debriefing have three phases that are description, the analogy – analysis, the
implementation.
Phase 1: the description
The teacher invites the students to express their opinions without make them feeling
under pressure or judgement. It is essential to create an environment of reciprocal
respect to support the collective process of sharing the opinions.
Phase 2: the analogy – analysis
The facilitator and the learners accurately examine the structure and the entire process
of the educational game, paying attention on the developed activities. The class has to
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focus on the meanings of the recreational elements of the game and put them in
perspective. The teachers have to help the students to reflect on the analogies of the
game with the real word: this is the moment where to stress and analyse the reasons of
certain choices and decisions that have been taken by the learners and the sub-groups.
For example, one way to help learners think about the learning process is to go through
picture and analogies.
The learners can look at a set of inspirational images and the facilitator askes the
learners to choose the one that better represents what they have learned during the
educational game’s activities.
Phase 3: implementation
It is when the participants think about the learning processes.
The questions to be answered are: what did we learn during the game? How this
acquired knowledge can be used for the actual studies or for further researches?
Answering these main two questions, the students understand what they have faced and
how to use and implement the new acquired knowledge for their curricula and future
careers.
One of the potent aspects of debriefing is that it allows each participant to take what he
or she internalized from the activity, share the experience with the peers, and learn from
other point of views. A follow-up exercise is to then ask learners to think about a situation
in real life where they can apply the new knowledge gained through the educational
game and explain why they have chosen it.
A different approach is to ask the learner about what types of other people they think
can be interested in the new acquired competences in order to stimulate a transposition
of the game into an everyday life’s situation.
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UNIT 4.2: MANAGING A DEBRIEFING
4.2.1. The role of the facilitator
There is a substantial difference between making participants dynamic and responsible
of their own learning compared with ensuring they reach central issues and take
maximum benefit during the debriefing.
The skills of the facilitator have a correlation on the quality of the simulation game and its
results. As the skill of the tutor is central for ensuring the best possible learning
experience, training in facilitation is imperative. In order to reach the best result it is
essential to take into consideration the following aspects before starting to debrief:
The aim of the educational game;
The complexity of the scenarios;
The level of experience of the learners as individuals and as a team;
The expertise of the participants;
Time dedicated to the game;
The role of the educational games on the students’ curriculum;
Individual personalities;
Possible pre-existent relations between the participants.
The teacher, as we said, is a facilitator who should try to put himself not as authority or
an expert, but as co-learner. This friendly attitude may be more useful when the aim is to
make the participants realizing what they have played.
Facilitator aims to guide and direct rather than to teach or impose. In fact the position of
the student in debriefing has changed from the old-style passive role to a new one more
active. The tutor has to ask to the students to critically analyse their personal
performance in a retrospective way, from the point of view of what went well and what
went wrong and why it went in a positive way or in a negative way- and to push them to
contribute enthusiastically to the learning process.
4.2.2. Different types of debriefing
A broad number of precise debriefing methods have been considered to make the
reflection phase as dynamic as possible. Here, you can find some good ideas of different
techniques in order to realize the most appropriate debriefing according to your class
type:
use of media, for example face to face or using chat;
oral and written through questionnaire, letters, written debriefing, including
writing learning diary or journal;
guided and unguided, where the second one is not moderated by a facilitator;
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group size, in fact the debriefing can be conducted with individual, dialogue in
pairs, small teams and the whole group;
group composition: for example the debriefing can be conducted with
participants in teams who have shared the same role or different roles in game
and or in real life;
whole group of participants or only a part of the group is allowed to talk or
work at the same time and the others are able only to listen;
use of metaphors and expressive arts, such as sculptures, painting or
drawing;
different or same debriefing tasks/aspects distributed at the same time, for
example different groups reflecting on different questions at the same time
and then they can switch the subjects;
use of space, for example people can be sited on chairs or moving around;
different perspectives, like observers, circular or direct questions, reflecting
team.
The facilitator can use one or more than one different techniques. For example, in the
beginning the learners can tell their feelings through an expressive art method
(sculptures or drawings) and subsequently, they can reflect on relevant aspects of their
learning experience with the support of a learning diary. Then the students can move
into small discussion group dedicated to specific subject and afterwards present the
results of the discussion to the rest of the class.
The facilitator can ask for a deeper reflection with the whole class, can start to discuss
different way of acting based on the other students’ experiences, and finally close the
debriefing.
4.2.3. Examples of Debriefing Methods
Here we describe three different examples of the most common debriefing methods
which can be adopted after playing:
1. Debriefing with the reflecting team: one method for investigating the learning
experiences is to use the reflecting team.
This methodology aims to identify different perspectives about the definitions and the
problems of the group members on the learning process. In this case, it is central to
ask questions which will elevate new interpretations of reality by the learners, than
the facilitator can give his/her explanations and interpretations of the facts.
The facilitator will start a reflection with the whole group by asking questions to the
students, like: “did you learn anything new during the discussion inside your group?”
– “what issues were raised?” – “which was the most interesting question for you?”
“would you change something that you have said?” – “why?” etc.
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2. Debriefing with the “Learning Diary”. Who hasn't written at least once in a life
a diary? Almost everybody! A personal diary is a good set for writing down
and dealing with reflections, experiences and feelings. The learning diary is
an easy tool, which serves on one hand to trace individual learning process
and, on the other hand, experiences that have been exchanged with peers in
the same learning environment.
In the case of debriefing, also the facilitator has to write his/her own diary at the
same time as the class is writing individually or collectively. In this context the
learning diary is a funny support to fix personal experiences, individual
dissatisfaction, targets, or conclusions from the educational game.
3. Debriefing with Circular Questions. Usually the questions that are asked
during the debriefing are direct questions. The so-called “circular questioning”
can be a support to improve the variety of different perspectives on the
learning process. What is the “circular questioning”?
It is a method that reveals “social constructions of reality” and makes them better
understandable for all the participants. The facilitator has to give the possibility to
everybody in the class to express their point of view on certain topics. After that, the
facilitator has to make everybody in the position of understanding what was felt by
another participant and in which different way by asking different questions aimed at
a reciprocal understanding.
At the end the debriefing will create a circle of shared knowledge.
4. Team Sculpture. It is a figurative technique that expresses the feelings that
have been felt during the educational game, but it can be used also to
reconstruct the emotional relations that have been created among
participants. How does it work? It is a sort of game itself, very funny. At one
time a participant takes the role of a “sculptor” or “artist” and places the other
participants however and wherever he wants into the room. In doing so, he
can illustrate by moving the students the social nearness or the lack of
involvement with the students. Also the sculptor can take its place in the
scenario.
The facilitator can ask the meaning of the scenario and of all the choices the artist
has taken during the debriefing. After that, the emotions that the students have felt
by assuming the different positions can be discussed by the whole class.
After the debate, the artist can make some changes of the reality he/she has
manipulated. At the end of the debriefing, the facilitator will be able to collect several
perspectives and relation interpretations of the participants involved in the debriefing.
The same technique can be used once, or different participants can work together,
like two or three sculptors, and realize their frame of emotions and relations.
4.2.4. Further use of these techniques
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The four techniques discussed can contribute to obtain a deep individual development
and to guarantee a great teamwork, as well as stimulating the reflection on different
perspectives and a better comprehension of a variety of point of views.
By applying concrete techniques in the debriefing phase the facilitator can develop in the
students’ problem-solving knowledge and skills because he/she put in the centre of this
phase again the students themselves, as real actors.
The great advantage is that the participants will be able to export the use of these
techniques in the workplace, such as in team meetings and problem-solving situations,
where it is productive to exchange and to be able to accept different perspectives and to
work for a shared understanding and representation of reality in order to be able to work
in the best environment and in an harmonic way.
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UNIT 4.3: OTHER MEANS OF EVALUATION KNOWLEDGE
4.3.1. What is knowledge evaluation?
According to Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains [1] the cognitive domain involves
knowledge and the development of intellectual skills. There are six major categories of
cognitive processes, starting from the simplest to the most complex:
The categories can be thought of as degrees of difficulties. That is, the first ones must
normally be mastered before the next one can take place.
Measurement in education is the process of quantifying individual’s achievement,
personality, attitudes, habits and skills. Knowledge evaluation is the qualitative aspect of
determining the outcomes of learning. It is about summing up results of measurement or
testing. It gives judgments on effectiveness of educational experience, a systematic
process of determining the extent to which instructional objectives are achieved.
Evaluation consists of establishing goals, collecting evidence concerning growth towards
goals, making judgements about the evidence and revising procedures and goals in the
light of judgements. It helps improving the process and even the goals themselves.
4.3.2. Why do we need evaluation?
There are many reasons why we need evaluation of knowledge in education, including:
fulfil classroom objectives
diagnose learning difficulties of students
determine readiness for new learning experiences
form students' classroom groups for special activities
assist students in their problems of adjustment
prepare reports of students’ progress
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The evaluation is important because it provides teachers with means:
To assess the student’s progress from time to time and discloses student’s
needs and possibilities
To certify student’s degree, proficiency in a particular educational practice
– predict the student’s future success
To diagnose the individual student’s educational weakness and strength
Motivate students towards better attainment and growth
To provide basis for modification of curriculum and courses – improve
instructions, measurements and measuring devices
Test the efficiency of teachers – appraise the teachers’ and supervisors’
competences, serve as method of self-improvement
Bring out the inherent capabilities of a student, such as attitudes, habits,
appreciation and understanding, manipulative skills in addition to conventional
acquisition of knowledge
4.3.3. How many types of knowledge evaluation are there?
On the basis of how it is used and how the results are interpreted evaluation is classified
into different types.
In terms of how the results are interpreted:
Placement evaluation – in this type of evaluation learners’ entry behavior
or capability is assessed to find out whether the student possess knowledge,
skills and attitude needed to begin the course of instruction. It is used to find out
to what extent student has already mastered the objectives of the planned
instruction. e.g. entrance exam.
Formative evaluation is evaluation used to monitor students learning
progress during instruction with the purpose of providing ongoing feedback to
students and teachers regarding success and failure of teaching/learning
process. Formative evaluations strengthen or improve the object being
evaluated.
Summative evaluation – this type of evaluation is given at the end of the
course or unit of instructions to find out which student to what extent has
mastered the intended learning outcomes. Though the results of summative
evaluation are primarily used for assigning the grades or for certifying learners’
mastery of instructional objectives, they can also be used to give feedback on the
appropriateness of objectives and the effectiveness of instruction.
Diagnostic evaluation – this type of evaluation is concerned with finding
out the reasons for students persistent or recurring learning difficulties that
cannot be resolved by standard corrective measures or formative evaluation. The
aim of diagnostic evaluation is to find out the causes of learning problems and
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plan to take remedial actions. Observational techniques or specially prepared
diagnostic techniques can be used to diagnose the problem.
In terms of interpretation of test results:
Normative referenced evaluation – helps to determine how an individual
learner’s performance compares to others in his/her group or it helps to find out
the position a student holds or ranks when his/her achievement is compared to
the other group achievements.
Criterion referenced evaluation – it is designed to define out whether the
student performance meets the pre-determined criteria or not. These types of
tests describe what a learner can do without reference to the performance of
others.
4.3.4. How do we do evaluation of knowledge?
Evaluation is done through assessment of knowledge – process by which evidence of
student achievement is obtained. The evidence is obtained relative to objective and it
includes testing, interpreting and placing information in context. Assessment is the
process of gathering and organizing data – the basis for decision making.
One of the most commonly used methods of assessment is the test. A method to
determine students’ ability to complete certain tasks or demonstrate mastery of a skill or
knowledge of content. Testing is systematic procedures for measuring sample of
behaviour by posing a set of questions in a uniform manner. Tests can be designed to
measure any quality, ability, skill or knowledge. There are right or wrong answers in the
test questions.
The testing and assessment must refer to the set of measurement principles –
assignment of numbers (quantity), rating scales, etc. The assessment measurement is
the process of obtaining numerical description of the degree of possessed knowledge,
quantifying of how much does the learner have learned.
The characteristics of a good assessment include:
Validity – a valid evaluation is one which actually tests what is sets out to
test
Reliability – the reliability is a measure of the consistency with which the
question, test or examination produces the same result under different but
comparable conditions
4.3.5. Examples of different evaluations of knowledge
Here are some examples of different types of evaluation items that can be used in the
flipped classroom.
1. Objective items:
o True / False
o Two-alternative
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o Multiple choice
o Matching
o Cloze
o Cloze matching
2. Open response items:
o Dictation
o Summary
o A report
o Abstract, abstract, synopsis
o Essay
o Questions short answer
o Questions to supplement
o Cloze text
3. Practical items:
o Stage performance
o Work of art
o Creation of a model
o Laboratory testing
o Research project
o Presentation
o Participation in a discussion
o Role play
o Case study (coursework)
The practical and the open response items are good for evaluating the higher processes
of the Bloom’s taxonomy, such as application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. They
are easier to create but harder to evaluate and the rating is subjectively dependent on
the teacher’s judgement.
The objective items are good to evaluate the lower level learning processes – check
facts, events, concepts and principles. They are harder to create but can be rated
automatically which is much more objective.
GLOSSARY
Bloom's Taxonomy: Taxonomy of Learning Domains about knowledge process and the
development of intellectual skills.
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Knowledge evaluation: the qualitative aspect of determining the outcomes of learning.
Gives judgments on effectiveness of educational experience, a systematic process of
determining the extent to which instructional objectives are achieved.
Placement evaluation: type of evaluation where learners’ entry behavior or capability is
assessed to find out whether the student possess knowledge, skills and attitude needed
to begin the course of instruction.
Formative evaluation: evaluation used to monitor students learning progress during
instruction with the purpose of providing ongoing feedback to students and teachers
regarding success and failure of teaching/learning process.
Summative evaluation: type of evaluation that is given at the end of the course or unit
of instructions to find out which student to what extent has mastered the intended
learning outcomes. The results of summative evaluation are primarily used for assigning
the grades or for certifying learners’ mastery of instructional objectives.
Diagnostic evaluation: type of evaluation is concerned with finding out the reasons for
students persistent or recurring learning difficulties that cannot be resolved by standard
corrective measures or formative evaluation.
Normative referenced evaluation: to determine how an individual learner’s
performance compares to others in his/her group or it helps to find out the position a
student holds or ranks when his/her achievement is compared to the other group
achievements.
Criterion referenced evaluation: designed to define out whether the student
performance meet the pre-determined criteria or not. These type of tests describe what a
learner can do without reference to the performance of others.
Reliability of assessment: a measure of the consistency with which the question, test
or examination produces the same result under different but comparable conditions.
Objective evaluation items: True / False, Two-alternative, Multiple choice, Matching,
Cloze, Cloze matching
Open response evaluation items: Dictation, Summary, A report, Abstract, Essay, Short
answer, Questions to supplement, Cloze text
Practical evaluation items: Stage performance, Work of art, Creation of a model,
Laboratory testing, Research project, Presentation, Participation in a discussion, Role
play, Case study (coursework)
REFERENCES
1. Bloom, B.S. (Ed.). Engelhart, M.D., Furst, E.J., Hill, W.H., Krathwohl, D.R. (1956).
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New
York: David McKay Co Inc.
2. Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., Airasian, P.W., Cruikshank, K.A., Mayer, R.E.,
Pintrich, P.R., Raths, J., Wittrock, M.C. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning,
Teaching, and Assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives. New York: Pearson, Allyn & Bacon.
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3. Evaluation – Concepts and Principles, 2013 Aruna A. P.; SlideShare, LinkedIn
Corp.
4. Educational Measurement and Evaluation, 2013 Myrna E. Lahoylahoy, Ph.D.;
SlideShare, LinkedIn Corp.
5. Approaches and Means of Evaluation, 2009 S. Kerelezov, Testing Center - New
Bulgarian University.
QUESTIONS
1. What level of thinking skills involve the “Creating” processes according to
Bloom’s taxonomy of Learning domains? (Single choice)
a. Lower
b. Higher (correct)
c. It is not part of Bloom’s taxonomy
d. Middle
2. Select 2 (two) of the following statements that describe why do we need
evaluation of knowledge: (Multiple choice)
a. Evaluation provides means to assess students’ progress (correct)
b. Evaluation helps diagnose learning difficulties of students (correct)
c. Evaluation provides the students means to diagnose the difficulties of
teachers
d. Evaluation helps teachers to upload learning materials to a test system
e. Evaluation does not help to assess knowledge
3. At what point of knowledge process “Summative Evaluation” is usually made?
(Single choice)
a. At the beginning of course, e.g. entrance exam
b. During the course, to provide ongoing feedback
c. At the end of the course or unit, used for assigning grades (correct)
d. During the course, to diagnose learning difficulties
4. Is it true that a good assessment should produce the same result under different
but comparable conditions? (Yes/No)
a. Yes (correct)
b. No
5. Select 2 (two) types of evaluation items that are “Open response”: (Multiple
choice)
a. Essay (correct)
b. Short answer (correct)
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c. True / False
d. Multiple choice
e. Matching
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MODULE 4. ASSESSMENT
UNIT 4.4 TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
4.4.1. Measurement of what students are learning.
At the end of a certain topic, teachers need to know if students achieved the objectives
established for that lesson. Achievement is defined as how students master certain
target skills.
Teachers, at the beginning of a unit / class / lesson define the competences needed to
master / develop during a certain period and the assessment is the verification of the
attainment of those competences and skills.
4.4.2. Why do we do it?
Assessment gives a quantitative data about how much of the material tested a student
has mastered – this is translated into a score.
Information from assessment helps teachers to determine which approaches are best for
certain students, what a student may already know about a topic and what subjects need
to be re-taught.
4.4.3. How to do assessment?
The next diagram explains how to do assessment. First, teacher should establish the
learning goals. They provide the learning opportunities by ensuring that students have
sufficient opportunity to achieve those outcomes. The next step consists in assessing
student learning using one of the possible strategies presented in this chapter and finally
using the results of the assessment.
Source: UCONN s/d - http://assessment.uconn.edu/primer/how1.html
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4.4.4.: Types of assessment
There are several types of assessment:
Diagnostic: This assessment is given at the beginning of the school year, or the
beginning of a new unit of study. It attempts to quantify what students already know
about a topic.
Norm-referenced tests: These tests measure students against a national “norm” or
average in order to rank students against each other.
Criterion-referenced tests: These tests measure student performance against a
standard or specific goal.
The formative and summative types of assessment are the most known and used. In the
next paragraphs they are explained and some examples of software and exercises to
use in each type are also provided.
Formative: Given throughout the learning process, formative assessments seek to
determine how students are progressing through a certain learning goal. This type of
assessment is often low-stakes and ungraded.
Software example:
Socrative (http://www.socrative.com/);
iClicker (https://www1.iclicker.com/);
Padlet (https://padlet.com/premium/backpack).
Assessment ideas:
Exit slips – teachers can ask students to solve one problem or answer one question on a
small piece of paper
Graphic organizers – Students complete mind maps of graphic organizer that show
relationships between concepts
Self- assessment – Teachers can ask students to rate their learning
Think-pair-share – Teachers can ask a question, give student time to think about it, pair
students with a partner, have students to share their ideas
Summative: Given at the end of the year or unit, summative assessments assess a
student’s mastery of a topic after instruction. It evaluates student learning at the end of a
project, unit, course, school year.
Software example:
Quizlet (https://quizlet.com/);
tv (https://www.blubbr.tv/index.php#.VSb82hPF_pA)
Assessment ideas:
Portfolios – The use of portfolios allow students to collect evidence of their learning
throughout the unit, quarter, semester or year
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Projects – Projects allow students to synthesize many concepts into one product or
process
Performance tasks – Performance tasks are mini projects that can be completed in a few
hours
4.4.5: Question types
There are several types of questions. In the next paragraphs we present the most well-
known and used.
Multiple choice: These questions provide students with a stem and a set of discrete
possible answers from which students must choose the correct one. The possible
answers generally include one correct answer and three to four distractors, designed to
mimic the common misconceptions students have about the concept being tested.
Constructed response: These questions require a written response. Usually they include
a one-part question, and students respond by writing a paragraph or short essay, or
building and solving an equation.
Extended constructed response: These questions, like the constructed response, require
a written answer. The reason they are “extended” is that they are multi-part questions,
requiring students to answer the first part of the question before answering subsequent
parts, which may require reflection on or further explanation of an answer given in a
previous section.
Technology enhanced: These items are given in computer delivered assessments.
Technology enhanced items require students to interact with the material in various
ways—through actions like dragging and dropping information, highlighting relevant text,
and completing sentences or equations from items in a drop-down menu.
Performance task: These items require students to use multiple stimuli to solve a
problem or create something new. Performance tasks are usually scored with a rubric,
which includes the criteria students must keep in mind while developing their solution.
Performance tasks may include reading multiple essays and synthesizing the ideas into
their own writing. In math, these tasks may ask students to analyse charts and graphs
and write out a plan for using the data in a real world application.
Informal: This category covers a wide range of tasks, from checklists to observations.
Informal assessment doesn’t lead to a score, but it does help teachers gather important
insights about students.
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