The process of teaching children at school is constantly updated with innovative methods, the development and implementation of which are carried out by the most progressive teachers. One of them was the technology of blended learning - “Inverted Class”. What is its essence and what are the positive and negative sides of the technique?
Education Innovation
In earlier times, the classroom system was the only teaching method. Every day, the teacher acted according to one scenario. He came to the class and began the lesson, checking homework and explaining a new topic after that.
However, a computer appeared in human life, with the help of which a real information revolution took place. In this regard, the question arose, is it possible to educate children according to the methods of past years? Is this correct if the teacher transfers his knowledge to a passively perceiving student?
It is worth considering that modern children are people of the network age. Pedagogical technologies should take into account that the child has personal mobile devices - smartphones and tablets. That is why in the modern school new educational conditions must be created that take into account the ever-increasing speed of information flows. At the same time, the applied pedagogical methods must be aimed at developing students' skills in planning activities, a critical analysis of the material received, as well as the effective implementation of various ideas. In other words, a child from a passive listener must turn into a seeker of truth, a developer, thinker and discoverer. In this case, the role of assistant, partner and organizer should be assigned to the teacher.
Blended learning
This technology has been used by educators around the world for over 10 years. Blended learning, applied in practice, allows you to:
- expand the opportunities for students to acquire knowledge through the flexibility of the pedagogical process and its accessibility, taking into account the individual qualities of the child, including its rhythm and pace of development of a new topic;
- to form an active position in the student, increase his motivation, social activity and independence;
- transform the role of the teacher, moving from a passive translation of new knowledge to interactive communication with students;
- personalize and individualize the process of studying the material.
Classification of Blended Learning Technologies
The classroom education system can use:
- Autonomous groups. The implementation of this model involves the separation of the class. Pupils are divided into two groups, one of which deals with the use of traditional teaching aids, and the second with the use of online resources.
- Inverted class. According to this model, the work of students in the school is devoted to the practical consolidation of material studied at home.
- Change of working areas. This technique involves the formation of groups of students (at least 4) with the issuance of specific tasks.
The use of blended learning techniques makes it possible to use electronic in parallel with the traditional study of material.
Let us consider in more detail what constitutes the inverted class pedagogical technology.
Basic concept
The use of the “Inverted Class” pedagogical technology implies a teaching methodology according to which students do not perform traditional homework at home. Instead, they watch video lectures on the Web, learning new material on their own. Arriving at the lesson, the students, together with the teacher, are engaged in the implementation of practical tasks that allow them to consolidate their knowledge. In other words, the inverted class pedagogical technology involves doing the work at home that traditional methods devote school hours to and vice versa.
Authors of the methodology
Who invented the inverted class pedagogical model? The pioneers of this technology are chemistry teachers Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams. In order not to waste time in the lesson explaining new material, they first recorded and then posted the training sessions and videos intended for high school on the Internet. Pupils liked this format, after which teachers around the world, inspired by the example of their colleagues, began to record video lectures with the content of the topics studied.
The essence of the technique
The inverted class pedagogical technology is an innovative teaching model in which the typical presentation of lectures and the organization of homework is carried out on the principle of "vice versa." The teacher, using special electronic programs, writes a new topic. After that, he places it on a resource that is available to all students in the class. In addition, they can be sent out to schoolchildren, or the video lecture is “dropped” onto the student’s media. Sometimes a small task is attached to the material. This allows the student to independently check their understanding of the topic. In lessons on the “Inverted Class” technology, children perform exercises, discuss projects and conduct discussions.
Key concepts of the methodology
The inverted class teaching technology uses the terms vodcast, podcast, and pre-vodcast. They are the key concepts of this technique.
Podcast is an audio file. The author who created this audio lecture sends it by subscription using the Internet. Recipients can download podcasts to their personal mobile or stationary devices. It is also possible to listen to lectures online.
Vodcast is the same product as a podcast, only with video files.
Pre-vodcasting is an educational method, using which a school teacher creates vodkast with a recording of his lecture. This allows students to familiarize themselves with the topic before the start of the lesson, in which it will be considered. It is worth noting that pre-vodcasting is the original name of the inverted class methodology.
Video lectures in the educational process are sometimes used using specially developed software for these purposes, namely:
- CMS This system is used to create and further manage the content of educational material.
- LMS This is a distance learning system that provides the student with access to educational material, as well as the organization of horizontal and feedbacks.
Using the “Inverted Class” learning model is able to find its application precisely due to the availability of the Internet, where you can always watch videos with new material.
How does the technique work?
A single model for teaching “Inverted Class” does not currently exist. This term is widely used, describing the structure of any lesson, built on a preview of the recorded lecture with its subsequent discussion, conducted directly during the lesson at school.
In some models of the “Inverted Class” technology, students preview several lectures at once, the duration of which is from 5 to 7 minutes. To check the knowledge obtained from the video clip, the recording is interrupted by tasks or online surveys. In the presence of incomprehensible moments, there is always the opportunity to re-view the material.
During the lesson, the teacher can discuss with the children a new topic or turn the classroom into a kind of studio in which students begin to create, collaborate and put into practice everything that they learned from the lecture. The teacher’s task is to offer children different approaches, clarify the content of the material, and also monitor the progress of students.
Need for application
What is the value of the “Inverted Class" methodology? During regular lessons, students are not always able to understand what they hear from the teacher. Pupils cannot take a break and ponder what has been said. In this regard, they sometimes miss the most important points.
A completely different thing is the video lecture offered by the “Inverted Class” methodology. The use of information media gives you the opportunity to fully control the presentation of a new topic. If desired, students look at it and rewind, as necessary, back or forward. This opportunity is especially relevant for children with some physical limitations.
The task of the teacher
Of course, the “Inverted Class” is a pedagogical technique that requires additional training from the teacher.
He will especially need it in the initial stages. The teacher who is engaged in organizing such work needs to keep in mind the following points:
- all educational video materials or educational electronic resources should be accompanied in the form of clear educational goals and step-by-step instructions;
- after the recording of the lecture, the presence of tasks is mandatory (it can be proposed to draw up questions of either general or special nature to the students);
- constantly involve students in writing small notes or abstracts on video lectures.
The main aspects of the “Inverted Class” model of pedagogy are also considered in the Federal State Educational Standard. This document contains a number of requirements for the education system to this technology. Among them:
- the use by students of technological tools, as well as the personalization of the learning space in order to deepen knowledge;
- students' understanding of the specifics of obtaining knowledge in the digital world and their application of only legal and safe methods;
- the use of critical thinking by students in the study of material;
- Acquaintance with new topics while acquiring skills in problem solving.
Method Advantages
What are the advantages of the “Inverted Class” lessons? The main advantages of the model include:
- the availability of more time for teachers to assist students and explain to them those sections that caused difficulty in self-study;
- mandatory completion of homework by all students, since its practical part will be done in the classroom with the support of the teacher;
- lack of embarrassment and awkwardness in children who need to look at the same material several times in order to finally understand it (students write down questions that have arisen at home, and the teacher takes them apart at school);
- the opportunity for the teacher to organize their activities at a higher level, involving children in the lesson in various types of work;
- the use of the Internet, which allows you to communicate more with children, which helps students to form responsibility for their education, the development of critical thinking, as well as intellectual abilities.
In addition, innovative technology allows students to develop those qualities that are simply necessary for a person of the 21st century in school, work and life. Among them:
- innovation and creativity;
- ability to solve problems;
- collaboration and sociability;
- information literacy ;
- ability to adapt in any situations;
- flexibility of mind;
- ICT literacy;
- independence and initiative;
- responsibility and leadership.
Who is the method suitable for? Teacher role
The technology of “inverted learning” will not work in cases where the child does not show interest in learning independently or is not sufficiently motivated at all.
The process of the inverted class methodology requires the teacher to perform a wide variety of functions. He must inspire, interest in the word and provide full support. The teacher will lead the student to the understanding that independently acquired knowledge is the property of any person.
The biggest problem of modern education is the teacher’s unwillingness to apply a blended learning system in their lessons, as well as a low level of skills in mastering them with advanced technologies. Especially difficult for teachers of the old formation. They psychologically cannot refuse the role habitual for them. Not everyone is also able to change lesson planning for classes on a course of individual support for students.
Student role
Inverted learning involves changing the functions of not only the teacher. Schoolchildren are affected by similar processes. Indeed, under the traditional system of obtaining knowledge, they are passive participants in the process, since the material is supplied to them in a ready-made form. The use of an inverted model places great responsibility on the shoulders of children. At the same time, they get an incentive to experiment.
So, sometimes the activity in the lesson is led by the students themselves, and the communication between class students among themselves becomes the driving and determining force of progress, allowing you to gain knowledge through the application of practical skills. The use of inverted teaching is especially effective when the teacher seeks to shift priorities from the usual presentation of the material to the student's work on its improvement.
The disadvantages of the method
As you can see, the idea of ​​an inverted learning model is quite simple. However, the introduction of this pedagogical technology will require careful preparation. Otherwise, there will be no positive effect from its use. The teacher needs to be prepared to spend a lot of time and effort recording video lectures. At the same time, he needs to organize his activities in such a way that classroom and extracurricular education of children is a single whole. Only in this case, students will understand the basic principle of this technology and will be motivated to prepare for classes in the lesson.
Some complaints about inverted lessons come from schoolchildren. They are unhappy with the loss of full-time explanations of the topics. Many children do not immediately objectively evaluate the practical part of the method. They belittle its significance, believing incorrectly that the same training is available to them as a result of a simple search on the Internet. Anyone who is used to listening to the presentation of a new topic in a lesson may well be inactive in a lesson involving practical exercises.
Among the shortcomings of the methodology, one can also single out the moment that sometimes the individual equipment of a student cannot allow him to receive and watch a video lecture with the right quality.