Inquiry-Based Learning and the Flipped Classroom Model

Abstract

The flipped classroom model of teaching can be an ideal venue for turning a traditional classroom into an engaging, inquiry-based learning (IBL) environment. In this paper, we discuss how two instructors at different universities made their classrooms come to life by moving the acquisition of basic course concepts outside the classroom and using class time for active problem-based learning. Results from student surveys are presented to relate student perceptions of the flipped/IBL classroom model.     

当代中国课堂教学观念的变迁及其启示

课堂教学观念是指在一定历史时期的教学实践中形成和发展起来的、能够反映课堂教与学本质特征的、具有时代特色的思想观点。新中国成立以来,课堂教学观念的演绎过程可概括为四个阶段：以教代学,以教带学,以教促学,变教为学。其中。近年兴起的“变教为学”观念颠覆了前喻文化的“过去时”,转而面向后喻文化的“未来时”,它以个人主体为逻辑起点,旨在培养学生的思想力和表达力。“变教为学”顺应了基础教育课程改革的价值取向,引领着未来课堂教学观念的发展潮流。     

Structuring Dialogue with Students via Learning Tasks

We discuss a teaching approach that we believe promotes deep learning and diminishes the powerful voice of the teacher, thereby allowing students and the teacher to reason actively and inquire together in the classroom. This teaching approach is based on an integration of the concepts of dialogue and of mediation and utilizes learning tasks to structure dialogue with students during classroom meetings and outside the classroom, when students work independently. Students' experiences of this approach within the two courses reported on in the article were generally positive.     

Problem-Based Learning Meets Case-Based Reasoning in the Middle-School Science Classroom: Putting Learning by Design(tm) Into Practice

This article tells the story of the design of Learning by Design(tm) (LBD), a project-based inquiry approach to science learning with roots in case-based reasoning and problem-based learning, pointing out the theoretical contributions of both, classroom issues that arose upon piloting a first attempt, ways we addressed those challenges, lessons learned about promoting learning taking a project-based inquiry approach, and lessons learned about taking a theory-based approach to designing learning environments. LBD uses what we know about cognition to fashion a learning environment appropriate to deeply learning science concepts and skills and their applicability, in parallel with learning cognitive, social, learning, and communication skills. Our goal, in designing LBD, was to lay the foundation in middle school for students to be successful thinkers, learners, and decisionmakers throughout their lives and especially to help them begin to learn the science they need to know to thrive in the modern world. LBD has students learn science in the context of achieving design-and-build challenges. Included in LBD's framework is a set of ritualized and sequenced activities that help teachers and students acclimate to the culture of a highly collaborative, learner-centered, inquiry-oriented, and design-based classroom. Those ritualized activities help teachers and students learn the practices of scientists, engineers, and group members in ways that they can use outside the classroom. LBD is carefully crafted to promote deep and lasting learning, but we have learned that careful crafting is not enough for success in putting a collaborative inquiry approach into practice. Also essential are fostering a collaborative classroom culture in which students want to be engaged in deep learning and where the teacher sees herself as both a learner and a facilitator of learning, trusts that with her help the students can learn, and enthusiastically assumes the roles she needs to take on.     

What effect does flipping the classroom have on undergraduate student perceptions and grades?

There is a lack of consensus of the effects on student perceptions and performance in flipping the classroom and its possible value over the traditional face-to-face (FTF) classroom approach. This research examines the expectation that flipping an undergraduate, introductory level, information concepts and skills class would benefit student learning and evaluates the results of flipping this type of course. The study showed a significant difference in student perceptions about the course itself between web-enhanced, FTF and hybrid, flipped classrooms, but this may be dependent upon the level of technology integration rather than the approach. In addition, students who were required to work in groups on a weekly basis had more positive responses toward the flipped classroom improving their soft skills than those who did not. Finally, for written content exams it seems the flipped class approach is at least as effective as the traditional classroom in terms of grades. However, it appears teaching software skills may be better with at least some direct instruction over just the use of simulation software.     

“工程概预算”课程教学模式与教学评价体系

“工程概预算”课程在应用型本科院校中起着至关重要的作用。该门课程实践性较强,对学生前期所学的基础知识要求较高。实践表明,传统的考核方式不能将学生的学习结果真实反映出来,课程的教学模式及教学评价体系存在“轻基础、轻过程”等弊端。针对上述问题,文章提出了“特长分组+交互式答辩”的教学模式及教学评价方法,给出了“特长分组”和“交互式答辩”的概念,论述了这种教学模式及教学评价体系所具有的优势,通过“特长分组”能充分发挥学生的专业长处,通过“交互式答辩”能加强对学生的过程考核,将学生由课堂的客体变为主体,变被动为主动,极大地提高了学生的学习积极性,达到良好的教学效果。     

Integrating pharmacology topics in high school biology and chemistry classes improves performance

Although numerous programs have been developed for Grade Kindergarten through 12 science education, evaluation has been difficult owing to the inherent problems conducting controlled experiments in the typical classroom. Using a rigorous experimental design, we developed and tested a novel program containing a series of pharmacology modules (e.g., drug abuse) to help high school students learn basic principles in biology and chemistry. High school biology and chemistry teachers were recruited for the study and they attended a 1‐week workshop to learn how to integrate pharmacology into their teaching. Working with university pharmacology faculty, they also developed classroom activities. The following year, teachers field‐tested the pharmacology modules in their classrooms. Students in classrooms using the pharmacology topics scored significantly higher on a multiple choice test of basic biology and chemistry concepts compared with controls. Very large effect sizes (up to 1.27 standard deviations) were obtained when teachers used as many as four modules. In addition, biology students increased performance on chemistry questions and chemistry students increased performance on biology questions. Substantial gains in achievement may be made when high school students are taught science using topics that are interesting and relevant to their own lives. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 922–938, 2003     

A contextualized approach to teaching teachers about classroom-based assessment

An approach to teaching assessment to prospective teachers that is congruent with current theories of learning as a process-in-context is described. The decontextualized nature of traditional assessment courses may contribute to the finding that teachers do not perceive the information learned in such courses to be relevant to their tasks as classroom teachers. We describe a model for teaching central assessment concepts and techniques in the context of teaching and planning for instruction. Excerpts from student self-evaluations show that the course as a whole helped students develop a complex notion of validity that they could use to develop their own valid classroom assessments. Further, they provide evidence that the contextualization of these concepts helped students to see assessment as an essential (and useful aspect of effective teaching.     

Comparison of Traditional Instruction on Reflection and Rotation in a Nepalese High School with an ICT-Rich,Student-Centered,Investigative Approach

A teacher-centered, examination-driven instructional approach emphasizing knowledge of facts and standard methods through drill-and-practice without use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is still dominant in Nepalese high schools. In this article, we present a classroom study in which the traditional instructional approach has been replaced by an ICT-rich, student-centered, investigative approach in the context of teaching and learning basic concepts of reflection and rotation. Here, ICT refers to dynamic geometry software. Through a pretest-posttest control and experimental group research design, we compared the effects of both approaches on students’ understanding. A test was designed and used for investigating students’ alternative conceptions of reflection and rotation. The results showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group and there were indications of a lasting effect. Qualitative analysis indicated that all distinctive aspects of the experimental approach had positive effects on the students’ performance and learning experience. This study can also be considered as an evidence-based example of how one can, with limited ICT facilities, still achieve improvements in teaching and learning at a public high school in a developing country.     

Les représentations graphiques dans l’enseignement et l’apprentissage de l’electricité

The teaching of basic electricity uses many circuit diagrams. We present in this paper several experiments which show that no specific teaching about the decoding and understanding of the graphical information contained in these diagrams in made in class. On the contrary teaching reinforces the role of certain types of diagrams (canonical ones) which contribute to the organisation of students’ knowledge in the, form of prototypes. Thus diagrams become autonomous objects unrelated to concepts of electricity they are representing. We will present some experiments in the area of learning about electricity which aim at changing the usual classroom practices. They take into account the naive conceptions of students. Within this framework, graphical representations are used as a support for learning concepts of electricity.     

The Flipped Classroom of Operations Management: A Not‐For‐Cost‐Reduction Platform

By delivering lectures online using screen capture technology, students can learn course material at the time and location of their choice, when they are in control to pause, rewind, and fast forward the professor. Class time is no longer spent teaching basic concepts, but rather focused on more value‐added activities such as problem solving, systems thinking and active learning, as well as potential collaborative exercises such as case studies, web‐based simulation games, and real‐world applications. A flipped classroom is an online course because its online components must compete with the best of the online courses. It is also a traditional course since not even a single class session is cancelled while all the lectures are delivered online. This core concept is reinforced by a network of resources and learning processes to ensure a smooth, lean, and synchronized course delivery system. Our pilot statistical analysis indicates that a flipped classroom, when implemented in a quantitative and analytical course, can outperform its alternatives.     

21世纪:大学课堂向何处去?——“太极学堂”的理念与实践探索

传统课堂教学模式的改革是大学教学创新发展绕不过去的壁垒,大学课堂向何处去?这是21世纪大学创新发展必须回答的时代难题和攻坚战。本文对工业文明土壤中产生的传统课堂进行了深刻剖析,对当代大学改革前沿涌现的课程创新、课堂创新之典型个案进行了深层次评介,揭示了当今世界范围内传统课堂向高效学堂转型的历史潮流和大趋势。作者基于对信息时代大学学习方式创新的长期实践和理论研究成果,继承和发扬中华传统文化与教育智慧,融会东西方大学精神,吸纳当代非线性科学理念与方法论,提出了"太极学堂"这一新理念,主张在网络课程与现实课程、学习主体与学习环境的双向建构、"太极运转"中,使中国大学的课堂焕发生命活力。"太极学堂"以"诚信"为本,以信息技术和学习科学为两大杠杆,以促进学习方式变革为目标,是信息时代大学课程与教学创新的孵化器,从中可生长出大学的优秀课程、优秀教师、优秀学生。本文介绍了"太极学堂"工程设计的思路及其在南京大学本科教学创新中的初步探索,提出了"变消费式学习为生产式、创造式学习"的构想,提出了"化整为零"的大学学习评价和网络课程开发之新思路,提出了"零存整取"的高校"学分银行"新模式,形成了21世纪大学课堂教学创新发展的一种整体战略。     

Empowering Classroom Teachers for the 21st Century: meeting the challenge of advancing children's mathematical development1

In this paper, the specific concerns for literacy and numeracy as we enter a new era are addressed through a discussion of an innovative mathematics early intervention programme, which the author and classroom teachers have developed and applied. ‘Mathematics Intervention ‘ is an innovative programme developed by three classroom teachers to identify, then assist, children in year 1 ‘at risk’ of not coping with the current mathematics curriculum. The programme incorporates assessment tools and learning activities based on recent research about children's early numerical learning. It develops the basic concepts of number upon which children build their understanding of mathematics. All three teachers participated in a professional development course, which developed skills that allow teachers to recognise which children have a problem, to identify the underlying problem and to provide appropriate activities to advance their mathematical development. The course highlights the benefits of clinical interviewing as an assessment tool and promotes various strategies that classroom teachers can use to assist the development of numerical concepts. ‘Mathematics Intervention’ is an example of a programme developed and implemented by classroom teachers using new learning processes designed to empower classroom teachers to meet the challenge of advancing all children's mathematical development.     

以“课堂学习任务单”为支点重构品德课堂教学

当前课堂变革的核心精神是"以学生的学习为中心",学生学习的关键在思考,而推动思考的是一些具体的任务。基于这个起点,并结合品德新课程标准和课堂教学的实际需要,借助学科教学案例归纳了设计"课堂学习任务单"的三种基本类型,即螺旋上升式、递进式、并列式。这此基础上着重探讨了在任务单设计过程中,要讲究的设计策略,初步了解任务单在重构品德课堂教学中的价值。     

Writing in Math: A Disciplinary Literacy Approach

Mathematics teachers often resist generic literacy strategies because they do not seem relevant to math learning. Discipline-specific literacy practices that emerge directly from the math content and processes under study are more likely to be embraced by math teachers. Furthermore, national and state-level mathematics standards as well as Common Core standards provide frameworks for situating literacy practices squarely within the disciplines. A disciplinary literacy approach to writing in math requires teachers to develop innovative strategies and practices that link writing to particular mathematical processes and tasks. An example is shared of a math writing approach developed by a middle school teacher used to prompt her students' critical thinking and problem solving processes during the study of algebra. She designed a template that when completed can serve as a reflective tool for her students and provide the teacher useful feedback on their learning. The example of teaching with the template as a guide for working through steps to solve a story problem demonstrates what disciplinary writing can look like in a typical middle school classroom.     

基于药理学课堂教学形式及方法的调查问卷分析

目的:了解学生对药理学学习兴趣及课堂教学形式及方法的需求,以便教师在今后教学过程中选择合适的教学方法及形式,吸引学生的学习兴趣,提高教学效果和教学质量。方法:对某职业技术学院2018级三年制大专的护理、助产、药学等专业共322名学生进行了问卷调查。结果:绝大多数学生不满足于传统的教师讲、学生听的教学方法和手段,希望有丰富新颖的教学方法和形式。结论:随着时代发展,对教师的要求也在不断提高,教师要根据学情改革传统课堂教学,激发学生学习药理学的兴趣,有效调动学生学习的积极性和主动性,提高教学效果和教学质量。     

Transformational Teaching: Theoretical Underpinnings, Basic Principles, and Core Methods

Approaches to classroom instruction have evolved considerably over the past 50?years. This progress has been spurred by the development of several learning principles and methods of instruction, including active learning, student-centered learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning, and problem-based learning. In the present paper, we suggest that these seemingly different strategies share important underlying characteristics and can be viewed as complimentary components of a broader approach to classroom instruction called transformational teaching. Transformational teaching involves creating dynamic relationships between teachers, students, and a shared body of knowledge to promote student learning and personal growth. From this perspective, instructors are intellectual coaches who create teams of students who collaborate with each other and with their teacher to master bodies of information. Teachers assume the traditional role of facilitating students’ acquisition of key course concepts, but do so while enhancing students’ personal development and attitudes toward learning. They accomplish these goals by establishing a shared vision for a course, providing modeling and mastery experiences, challenging and encouraging students, personalizing attention and feedback, creating experiential lessons that transcend the boundaries of the classroom, and promoting ample opportunities for preflection and reflection. We propose that these methods are synergistically related and, when used together, maximize students’ potential for intellectual and personal growth.     

新课改中课堂教学存在的问题及对策

课程改革的中心环节是课程实施,课程实施的基本途径是课堂教学,课改的重点在课堂,学生掌握知识、技能的主要途径是课堂,探究、合作、主动学习的主要场所在课堂,情感、态度、价值观培养在课堂,离开课堂谈课改、忽视课堂、轻视课堂论课改都是错误的。课改难点在课堂,三维目标之间的关系如何把握,探究性学习与接受性学习两类学习方式的关系如何处理,课堂学科教学中如何体现情感、态度、价值观,把我们的学科教学变成真正的教育课堂,这些都是难点。     

学习空间对学生学习的影响研究

学习空间是指用于学习的场所,它兴起的真正原因在于其蕴含着丰富的隐喻。依托一个学习空间,采用准实验研究方法对比研究了学习空间与传统教室对学生学习的影响。选择学生参与、社会性交互、学习结果作为评估学习空间影响的主要指标。研究结果表明：学习空间能够有效促进学生参与：学习空间可以促进社会性交互;学习空间可以促进学生理解相关概念及掌握基本操作;学生的问题解决能力是否受到了学习空间的影响仍需继续研究。以上结论能够为优化学习空间的设计提供参考依据。