Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic and the immediate shift to online learning for higher education and K-12 created an immediate need for conversations surrounding acceptable online pedagogy. This chapter focuses on how higher education instructors, specifically teacher educators, can use a flipped classroom approach to structure course content and prepare pre-service teachers to teach online using both synchronous and asynchronous virtual teaching strategies. Elements of the flipped classroom include creating engaging teaching content; assigning low-stakes, incentive viewing tasks; using formative assessment to clarify and provide feedback; and classroom application to make content meaningful. A vignette of a teacher education course redesign outlines how the model was used both to teach course content and prepare future teachers to implement the strategy in their own classrooms.
TopIntroduction
As thousands of teachers and students wait in anticipation for the unveiling of each new academic year in the midst of an on-going pandemic, there is one thing that is almost sure to be certain: online and virtual education in some form or fashion, whether it is the driving force or the back-up plan, will continue for the foreseeable future. Higher education began offering fully online options a while ago as online classes became a staple of college offerings in the early 2000s. Statistics regarding enrollment in online and distance learning courses prior to and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic vary greatly. Prior to the pandemic, researchers estimate that approximately 33% of undergrads and 38% of post-baccalaureate students participated in at least one online course (Educationdata.org, 2020; Hansen, 2022); After the pandemic, the estimate is much higher with statistics showing that approximately 75% of undergraduates and 77% of post-baccalaureate students participated in at least one online course (NCES, 2022).
The COVID-19 lockdowns created a more urgent shift to online learning in elementary and secondary schools (K-12), where online learning was more of something that charters and for-profit schools offered, but was not mainstream in public education. Prior to 2020, it was estimated that only 21% of public schools offered entirely online options to students; this number was higher for charter schools at around 30% (NCES, 2019). Following the lockdowns, that statistic was understandably much higher, with around 77% of public schools reporting a shift to all or most classes completely online (NCES, 2022). Thus, it was expected that at the onset of lockdowns, K-12 public education had a lot of implementation details to work out. School districts scrambled to select a learning management system; schools scrambled to provide devices for students; communities scrambled to ensure that low-income students had access to the internet at no extra cost; and teachers scrambled to put together lessons that were somewhat meaningful, but would not create an endless email chain of questions and confusion from parents. It was a lot of scrambling, but not a lot of prepared planning as there had not been a clear methodology or structure in place.
Once the pandemic subsided, many schools began offering face-to-face (F2F) options again, coupled with virtual instruction in a hybrid format in an effort to maximize the number of students that could be safely accommodated in more traditional learning settings. Offerings that included virtual instruction usually included asynchronous and synchronous forms of instruction.
Assigning asynchronous lessons involves students accessing learning content on their own time, usually through avenues such as teacher-created instructional videos, pre-recorded screencasts or podcasts, supplementary resources such as YouTube videos and other media content, or in the form of articles and assigned textbook readings. Students then complete short activities (i.e. guided practice or independent practice) related to the reading or content such as answering discussion board questions, taking quizzes, or writing reflections at their own pace. Work is submitted and then graded by the teacher and feedback is often delayed since students turn in assignments at various times.
In synchronous forms of online instruction, the teaching occurs at the same time or “live” using video conferencing tools such as Skype, Zoom, WebEx, or Google Meet. These tools allow the teacher to communicate and teach to students via a stable internet connection and a computer or device screen. The teacher can structure a virtual synchronous lesson similarly to a F2F lesson with students participating at the same time, but due to the necessity of a computer screen, modifications in the delivery are needed. Some instructors may use this time for direct-teach lessons through a lecturing format. Others may choose to use this time for more interactive learning strategies such as breakout discussion sessions, collaborative work, or engaging applications of learning concepts. Feedback is typically more immediate in this format since the teacher is live and participating with students during the class session.
The return to more traditional forms of teaching, combined with the imminent threat that a pandemic or other event might force schools to return online has facilitated more flexibility and options in K-12 schools than ever before. After the pandemic, schools implemented a wide variety of learning options including the following:
Key Terms in this Chapter
Virtual Learning: A teaching and learning model that occurs via a distance education or online platform, usually in the form of asynchronous content such as videos, podcasts, or assignments that students access on their own time OR in the form of synchronous instruction with the instruction through a live web streaming tool such as Zoom or Google Meet.
Asynchronous Instruction: A type of virtual or online learning when students complete learning activities at their own pace within a given time frame; often takes shape in the form of pre-recorded teaching videos.
Indirect Instruction: A term generally applied to a teaching and learning model that is more student-centered. An indirect teaching and learning approach typically includes more hands-on type of student learning in the form of problem or project-based learning, experimentation, discovery-based learning or collaborative or cooperative learning. Students often take more of an active role in drawing conclusions about a concept in this form of learning. An example of an indirect instruction sequence would include a 5E Model done in many science classes: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
Traditional Learning: A teaching and learning pedagogy that focuses on a model where the teacher lectures or introduces new content first, gradually allows students to practice, and then has students complete independent activities on their own, often outside of the classroom as homework; Can include both direct and indirect forms of learning so as long as it occurs in a traditional, face-to-face setting.
Synchronous Instruction: A type of virtual or online learning where students complete learning activities at the same time via a live meeting platform such as Zoom or Google Meet.
Flipped Classroom: A teaching and learning pedagogy that flips the order of a traditional classroom lesson structure; students learn content in the form of pre-recorded teaching videos or other methods first and then practice their learning in the classroom with teacher guidance.
Direct Instruction: A term generally applied to a teaching and learning model that is more teacher-centered. A direct instruction sequence typically involves lessons that begin with an introduction, modeling, guided practice, independent practice, and assessment and is highly dependent on the teacher as the source of instructional knowledge. An example of a direct instruction sequence would include the Madeline Hunter Lesson Plan.