Trialing project-based learning in a new EAP ESP course: A collaborative reflective practice of three college English teachers

Currently in many Chinese universities, the traditional College English course is facing the risk of being ‘marginalized’, replaced or even removed, and many hours previously allocated to the course are now being taken by EAP or ESP. At X University in northern China, a curriculum reform as such is taking place, as a result of which a new course has been created called ‘xue ke’ English. Despite the fact that ‘xue ke’ means subject literally, the course designer has made it clear that subject content is not the target, nor is the course the same as EAP or ESP. This curriculum initiative, while possibly having been justified with a rationale of some kind (e.g. to meet with changing social and/or academic needs of students and/or institutions), this is posing a great challenge for, as well as considerable pressure on, a number of College English teachers who have taught this single course for almost their entire teaching career. In such a context, three teachers formed a peer support group in Semester One this year, to work collaboratively co-tackling the challenge, and they chose Project-Based Learning (PBL) for the new course. This presentation will report on the implementation of this project, including the overall designing, operational procedure, and the teachers’ reflections. Based on discussion, pre-agreement was reached on the purpose and manner of collaboration as offering peer support for more effective teaching and learning and fulfilling and pleasant professional development. A WeChat group was set up as the chief platform for messaging, idea-sharing, and resource-exchanging. Physical meetings were supplementary, with sound agenda but flexible time, and venues. Mosoteach cloud class (lan mo yun ban ke) was established as a tool for virtual learning, employed both in and after class. Discussions were held at the beginning of the semester which determined only brief outlines for PBL implementation and allowed space for everyone to autonomously explore in their own way. Constant further discussions followed, which generated a great deal of opportunities for peer learning and lesson plan modifications. A reflective journal, in a greater or lesser detailed manner, was also kept by each teacher to record the journey of the collaboration. At the end of the semester, it was commonly recognized that, although challenges existed, the collaboration was overall a success and they were all willing to continue with it and endeavor to refine it to be a more professional and productive approach

Maximizing Competency Education and Blended Learning: Insights from Experts

In May 2014, CompetencyWorks brought together twenty-three technical assistance providers to examine their catalytic role in implementing next generation learning models, share each other's knowledge and expertise about blended learning and competency education, and discuss next steps to move the field forward with a focus on equity and quality. Our strategy maintains that by building the knowledge and networks of technical assistance providers, these groups can play an even more catalytic role in advancing the field. The objective of the convening was to help educate and level set the understanding of competency education and its design elements, as well as to build knowledge about using blended learning modalities within competency-based environments. This paper attempts to draw together the wide-ranging conversations from the convening to provide background knowledge for educators to understand what it will take to transform from traditional to personalized, competency-based systems that take full advantage of blended learning

Exploring the flipped classroom : possibilities and limitations

Dissertação de mestrado, Educação (Área de especialização em Educação e Tecnologias Digitais), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2016At the dawn of the Information Age, despite the slow digital integration of mainstream education for the XXI century in most of the world, there are already new trends in education using digital technology that are revolutionizing education as we know it. One of such is the Flipped Classroom, a blended learning model growing quickly throughout the education innovators in the US and around the world. Many claim this model teaches necessary XXI century skills for, and when applied correctly can help students learn faster and reach higher levels of learning. The Flipped Classroom is an education model that inverts the traditional classic teacher-centred classroom model upside down, into a student centred structured, where student use digital technology (or not) to learn the material for homework, usually in 10-15 minute videos, and use the class time for application of the material, usually using active learning and collaborative learning strategies. The following qualitative research project offers a comprehensive theoretical qualitative exploration of the Flipped Classroom Blended Learning model involving a non-directive interview with ten educational specialists in the Flipped Classroom model, including teachers, professors, and instructional designers who have converted their instruction to this model and who believe this is the future of education. Each of the interviewees were interviewed via Google Hangouts and Skype. The purpose of the study was to identify the possibilities and limitations of a flipped learning classroom environmente at of all levels, from elementary school to university. This study hopes to assist professionals in determining the value of flipped learning for any educational purpose, by helping teachers make a skift into XXI Century education based on research proven data, and effectively shift learning responsability in ways that improve learner outcomes. The nature of this study is fundamentally of informative character, exploring the possibilities and limitations of the Flipped Classroom teaching model specifically for teachers and educational professionals (as well as students and families) interested in teaching techniques and approaches to education that promote student learning in the XXI century

Flipped Learning As A New Educational Paradigm: An Analytical Critical Study

A literature on the flipped learning model has been reviewed. Therefore, the new form of education is worthy enough to be further studied. It is believed that flipped learning has gained great attention of many researchers as a result of what educators are implementing at their classrooms. The main objective of the paper is proposing an educational analytical critical framework for flipped learning that has powerful effects for who are concerned with educational development. The broad groundwork of literature on the flipped learning, described as the inverted learning, provided a foundation for the present study. This groundwork of literature used the term flipped learning and examined its effects on the pedagogy in education. The educational analytical critical framework of flipped learning developed in this paper includes components that reveals different views of flipped learning from just a “fashion” of adding more mechanism to the classroom to it is as a tool for shifting present pedagogy customized according to the individual needs of the learners instead of the whole group. The components of the framework are: instructional foundations, learning theories, Bloom’s taxonomy, and conceptual framework of the flipped education that is discussed in the light of its connection to the educational foundations of flipped learning. Research method used was descriptive method and method of philosophical analysis

The Flipped Training Model: Six Steps for Getting Employees to Flip Out Over Training

One of the latest trends in education is ‘flipping’ the classroom. The premise behind this form of blended learning is to reframe the role of the teacher in the classroom, to shift the focus towards the student as the constructor rather than receptor of information. As such, a stepwise framework for flipping the classroom is presented in this paper, serving as a starting point for training practitioners interested in how to flip the corporate classroom

Active methodologies and digital technologies: In defense of a de-centered pedagogy

The aim of this article is to explore how active methodologies and digital technologies can foster a more active participation of students in their learning process and suggests possible changes in pedagogical practices. Blended learning, conceived in a stricter sense as the mix of face-to-face and online activities, and in a broader sense as the mix of different methodologies and spaces, is considered the future of educational activities. The following methodologies are discussed: flipped classroom, peer instruction, problem-based learning, project-based learning, and game-based learning. Research shows that these methodologies, when adequately combined with information and communication technologies, result in greater motivation and involvement of the students. Although these strategies do not generate improvement in immediate retention of knowledge, more complex skills are developed when compared to traditional education methods, such as: problem solving, the transfer of knowledge to reality, and retention of knowledge in the longer term. The article concludes with a critique of the contemporary discourses that position the student at the center of the teaching and learning process, claiming for a de-centered pedagogy, in which students interact with each other, teachers and other actors, in collaboratively groups where there is no need for a center, or in which each of these actors can alternatively perform a central function

AP Statistics Students’ Conceptions of Engagement and Technology in a Flipped Classroom: A Phenomenographical Study

The purpose of this dissertation was to study student engagement and disengagement within an AP Statistics course using flipped classroom strategies. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding, Dewey’s Active Learning Theory, the Microsystem of Student Engagement in a Flipped Classroom, and the Framework for Engagement with Mathematics were the theoretical foundation for this study. A phenomenographical methodology was followed to answer the question: How do AP Statistics students experience engagement in the flipped classroom? as well as the sub questions: Which learning experiences help to engage students and why? And which learning experiences contribute to student disengagement and why? Data was collected through student interviews and journals. Interviews were analyzed phenomenographically, and student journals were analyzed using thematic analysis. This analysis was done iteratively as a whole and in parts to establish categories of description, which developed an outcome space to form the students’ conceptions of engagement. This outcome space included social, cognitive, and affective dimensions of engagement; students’ internal motivation was also included. Student journals supported elements of the outcome space. This study also found elements of student affective, cognitive, and behavioral disengagement. Social engagement was coded the most often in student interviews and journals. Students’ engagement came from collaborative, active learning activities and projects. These findings helped address the lack of studies in K-12 settings on social engagement, especially in a secondary math classroom and support that engagement is a multi-dimensional construct with behavioral, affective, cognitive, and social dimensions, with social engagement being the most important to students. Teachers should actively engage students in classroom activities that allow them to work with their peers, incorporate technology, and provide them with choices and opportunities to apply the knowledge they learned with authentic real-world activities. Moreover, statistics teachers can engage students by providing opportunities for students to collect and use data in learning. Future directions for research are also discussed

The Instructor and Students’ Role in Micro-Flipped Classroom

Micro-Flipped (MF) model aims to effectively integrate technology in educational settings. This secondary research study explores MF model, roles of instructors and students in MF classroom. As a strategy to maximize the learning effect in a short time, micro-lectures are used in flipped classroom in this model. As autonomous learners, students should develop self-regulated learning skills such as planning, monitoring, and evaluating to successfully construct their knowledge. In addition, to facilitate cognitive engagement, collaboration, and meta-cognition, instructors have responsibilities to balance their pedagogical, professional, and evaluating roles properly adapting technology throughout courses

Proceedings of the 1st Annual Higher Education Flipped Learning Conference

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