Cooney Synthesis Paper w Corrections 1

7/24/2019 Cooney Synthesis Paper w Corrections 1

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Running head: THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM 1

Using the Flipped Classroom Model to Support Constructivist Science Education

Caroline Cooney

Boise State University


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM 2

AbstractA trend in secondary education is the flipped classroom model. The flipped model flips the

typical classroom paradigm which is to lecture in class and practice for homework. In the

flipped model, students listen to lectures and watch videos at home, and spend class time

developing the ideas from the lecture, solving problems, and working in the lab, either

individually or collaboratively, all with instructor guidance. Constructivist learning theory

suggests that student create their own knowledge through interactions with peers, teachers, and

content. When constructivist learning theory is applied to the classroom, students work

individually or with peers, with teacher guidance, to construct meaning by combining new

knowledge with prior knowledge, often using authentic or real world problems in a student-

centered environment. cience demands that students e!plore "uestions and develop answers

based on e!periments, data, and problems. cience as a discipline can be said to be

constructivist in nature, as scientists build their knowledge by e!amining ideas, "uestions, and


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problems, and find answers to new "uestions that build upon prior knowledge, and on work of

peers. Teaching science through a constructivist lens helps students to learn both scientific

content and the methods of science. This paper discusses how the flipped model of education

can be used to create a constructivist learning environment where students engage in #$st

century learning skills such as collaboration, communication, and problem solving.

Keywords: #$st Century learning skills, Constructivist learning theory, %lipped classroom

&sing the flipped classroom model to support constructivist science education

'umerous studies have been conducted on flipped models of learning, and the results

have demonstrated that the model has potential to help students actively engage in learning

(Covill, )atel, and *ill, #+$ erreid and chiller, #+$ /ove, odge, *randgenett, and

wift, #+$0 1oore, *illett, and teele #+$02. The flipped model by itself does not change the

way students engage with content and each other, but rather, it is how the model is applied

both inside and outside of the classroom that has the capability to engage students in

constructivist, #$st century learning, such as collaboration, communication, and problem

solving. &sing the flipped model in a constructivist environment not only helps students to

actively engage in their learning, but also encourages constructivist learning germane to


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scientific in"uiry, a process where knowledge is built by asking "uestions, e!ploring results of

e!periments, and finding answers that build upon prior knowledge and on work of peers.

Constructivist Learning Theory

Constructivist learning theory suggests that knowledge is sub3ective, 4it is individually

and socially constructed through discovery, interactions, and negotiations with others, events,

and ob3ects5 (/arson 6 /ockee, #+$0 p.772. In other words, students create meaning from

e!periences with peers, content, and teachers, building on prior knowledge to construct

individual meaning. According to 8rtmer and 'ewby (#+$2, 4constructivists contend that

what we know of the world, stems from our own interpretations or our e!periences. umans

create meaning, rather as opposed to ac"uiring it5 (p. 992. Constructivist learning is grounded

in situations where the learner interacts with content, changing and building knowledge with

each interaction. :ecause the interactions with prior knowledge, peers, and content build new

knowledge, the activities that develop as a result of the interactions tend to be based on

problems and "uestions that arise during the process. As a result, constructivist activities tend

to revolve around authentic "uestion and problems.

In a constructivist classroom, the teacher acts as a facilitator guiding and helping

students engage in activities to construct meaning. In a constructivistscience classroom,

students engage with content by asking "uestions, developing testable "uestions, and

performing lab activities, all with teacher guidance. As teachers implement a constructivist

pedagogical approach in the classroom, 4the role of the teacher changes from transmitter of

knowledge to facilitator of knowledge construction. A facilitator creates opportunities for

others to e!plore ideas...encourages and "uestions others to find solutions to worthwhile

problems5 (and 6 ;ance, $


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM

eimars, *raves, chroyer, and taver (#+$#2 contend that constructivist learning

theory can be effectively applied to teach science, but voice concerns how the policies of 'o

Child /eft :ehind ('C/:2 discourage constructivist strategies in the science classroom.

'C/: endangers science learning as mandatory state tests discourage constructivism in favor

of a transmission model of teaching where teachers give information for students to memori>e.

(eimars, et al., #+$#, p.#??2. While the Common Core tandards (CC2 and the 'e!t

*eneration cience tandards ('*2, both with an emphasis on 4(a2 investigating

phenomena, (b2 collecting and analy>ing data, (c2 making claims from the findings, and (d2

supporting claims and e!planations@5 (/lewellyn, #+$, p. 92, are the new standards for

science education, however the mandatory state tests remain. %or a teacher navigating

mandatory testing, as well as CC and '*, the role of the teacher is to create a classroom

where students work together to learn and build knowledge and are prepared for the tests. In a

constructivist classroom, the teacher creates an environment where the student can e!plore

content, and ultimately develop ways to segment content and concepts, allowing students to

answer their own "uestions, and share their new knowledge with the group (eimars, et al.,

#+$#, p. #7+2. The role of a teacher in a constructivist classroom is to organi>e the information

and concepts using a variety strategies while helping students answer their own "uestions and

devise e!periments to test their "uestions.

Pedagogical Approach in Constructivist Classroom

ome of the pedagogical tools to cultivate a constructivist environment in the science

classroom include pro3ect based learning ():/2 (1oylan and Ale!ander, #++2, the use of

technology- based curriculum, (uffman, *oldberg, 6 1ichlin, #++2, in"uiry based activities

(Alo>ie, *rueber, 6 Bereski, #+$#2, and reading strategies such as ;ocabulary, Concept,

8!ample and 8!plain (;C882 (B=Alessandro, orensen, omoelle, 6 odum, #+$02. ):/


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM !

fosters teamwork, personal responsibility, and problem solving, which are outcomes associated

with constructivist learning and #$st century learning. ust as the constructivist method

suggests, the teacher in a ):/ classroom is a facilitator to learning (1oylan 6 Ale!ander,

#++, p. #7-#2. Desearch by uffman, et al. (#++2 supports the use of technology-based

curriculum, such as computer interfaces to model motion, to help students understand and

visuali>e concepts. In the study by uffman, et al. (#++2, the classrooms that used

technology-based curriculum scored higher on the unit pre and post tests, and participated in

more in"uiry-based, hands-on activities than the classes that did not use technology-based

curriculum. Technology use in the science classroom can lead to a constructivist environment

because students engage in more hands-on, in"uiry-based activities. &sing the hands-on

activities helps students to build their own knowledge, and improve their learning outcomes as

measured by their test scores.

Creating hands-on, engaging activities can be difficult for teachers who may have

limited planning time. Alo>ie, et al. (#+$#2 suggests several easy methods for turning

Eprescribed= labs, which are labs where students follow a set of instructions without thinking

about the process into in"uiry based, constructivist learning opportunities. A simple method

includes using the 98 method (engage, e!plore, e!plain, elaborate, evaluate2 to develop

problem solving skills and opportunities to interact effectively with peers and teachers. :y

engaging students and e!ploring their prior knowledge, teachers begin the process of allowing

students to direct the in"uiry that occurs in class. Another simple way to begin the

transformation from Eprescribed= lab to in"uiry activity is to mi! up the procedure in such a

lab. tudents, based on their prior knowledge, and research with each other, determine and

e!plain to each other the correct order for the procedure. tudents continue to build their

knowledge as they complete the lab, share results with each other, and discuss their results


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM "

with each other and their teacher. The reading strategy, ;C88, encourages students to take an

active role in reading science, and think like a scientist. The ;C88 method 4encourages

students to use science inclusively, interacting with the te!t instead of regarding the te!t as

separate from what scientists do.5 (B=Alessandro et al. #+$0, p. 0?2. When used regularly,

students that employ ;C88 are better prepared to think and speak like scientists, allowing for

increased depth and breadth of content covered in class. (B=Alessandro et al. #+$02. Activities

that encourage in"uiry and collaboration are constructivist by nature, and take time to develop

and implement in the classroom.

The Flipped ModelThe flipped classroom model flips the traditional classroom paradigm. Instead of

listening to lectures during classes, and practicing problems or finishing lab "uestions for

homework, students watch and listen to short video lectures at home, while spending class

time doing what would have been homework, such as problems and "uestions. tudents may

spend class time engaged in a variety of activities includingF developing testable "uestions for

lab activities, solving problems, and discussing problem solving strategies. Acting as a

facilitator, the teacher helps students navigate their activities as they e!plore course content by

developing testable "uestions and ultimately finding answers to their "uestions. The key to a

successful flip is to use class time engaging in constructivist activities.

%ilm and video have been used in classrooms for almost a century. 1any, including

Thomas 8dison thought that 4film would make books obsolete5 (as cited in Cuban, $


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM #

of watching and re-watching the vodcasts at their own pace. While the students in the study

did not think that the vodcasts could or should replace lecture, the classroom paradigm

remained unchanged, and students did not have the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning

activities in class (ill 6 'elson, #+$$2. The "uestion that arises isF Can the vodcast replace

in-class lecture, and if the in-class lecture is replaced by a vodcast, what replaces the time

originally dedicated for lectureG The flipped model bridges the gap between video lectures

and classroom activities, by replacing in class lecture with at home video viewing.There are two e"ually important parts to the flipF the at-home and the in-class

component. Hutside of class, students engage with new content at their own pace using short

video lectures. Teachers use class time for constructivist activities to drive student instruction.

The flipped model frees valuable class time to engage in more hands-on constructivist

activities such as ):/, computer based curriculum, and in"uiry labs.

Benefits and ra!"ac#s of the Flipped Model

/ove, et al. (#+$02 compared the flipped classroom model with a traditional classroom

model in two college linear algebra classes. The traditional class utili>ed in-class lecture and

problems for homework, while the flipped model utili>ed at-home video lectures, and class

time was spent working with peers solving and e!plaining problems. The results showed that

students in the flipped class increased their scores on the three content e!ams as compared to

their peers in the traditional class. Compared to the traditional class, not only did the students

in the flipped model see larger gains on test scores, but also, the students in the flipped class

were more likely to have positive perceptions of the class as a whole. tudent in the flipped

model felt that the pedagogy used in and out of class led to a deeper understanding.

Additionally, the students in the flipped classroom felt more comfortable interacting with each

other and their instructor. (p. ##2. The /ove, et al. (#+$02 study supports using the flipped

model to boost academic gains and increase peer interactions and collaboration.


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM $

1oore, et al. (#+$02 implemented the flipped model in middle school math classrooms,

and their study showed that students in the flipped model were more engaged than students in

a traditional model. tudents in the flipped classroom had a higher homework completion rate,

and more class time was spent engaging with students on meaningful problem solving as

compared to the traditional model. The most salient point was that class time was spent

collaborating and working with peers and teachers. It is the classroom interaction permitted by

the flipped design, which helps students make connections and construct knowledge. A student

in the 1oore, et al. (#+$02 study noted that he did not like the flipped model because he had to

4think a lot harder5 (p. 0#2, which is precisely the point of developing the flipped model to

engage students in constructivist activities.Covill, et al. (#+$2 e!plored several case studies involving flipped classrooms in first

year university classes and secondary A level (e"uivalent to &.. Advanced )lacement A)

classes2 cience, Technology, 8ngineering and 1ath (T812 classes in the &.., noting that

the preparation with video lectures before class lends valuable class time for students to

e!plore real world T81 problems. In another flipped model study in the &.., ettle (#+$2

compared two units in a high school physics classroom. The Ework= unit was flipped, while the

related unit, Epower= was taught in the traditional method. The study by ettle (#+$2 found

that the high performing students did well in terms of test scores and taking ownership of their

work using the flipped model. owever, struggling students did not see the same gains in

terms of work independence and test scores. The careful planning of classroom activities to

include constructivist tools can help to engage all students with the content and each other.

In another study, erreid and chiller (#+$2, describe the benefits and drawbacks of

the flipped model of teaching. Duddick=s (#+$#2 study (as cited by erried 6 chiller, #+$, p.

?2 points to the success of a flipped model where students in a flipped high school chemistry


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM 1%

course outperformed their peers in a traditional chemistry classroom in terms of final e!am

scores. Additionally, the flipped model gives students the opportunity to work at their own

pace, while allowing instructors the time to engage in more formative assessments. %ormative

assessments can be informal conversations with students as they work or more formal paper

and pencil assessments. ince the flipped model allows for more time to include constructivist

activities, it allows for inclusion of #$st century learning skills, such as collaboration, critical

thinking, and problem solving (erreid 6 chiller, #+$, p. ?#2.Brawbacks of the flipped model includeF students= resistance to doing the work at

home, and finding or creating "uality videos. A relatively simple way to encourage video

viewing is to add a short "ui> or graded assignment to the videos to ensure that students come

to class prepared to engage in the active learning component. In terms of creating or finding

"uality videos, there are many "uality pre-made videos (see Appendi! A2.

$mplementing the Flipped Model in a Constructivist Science Classroom

%lipping a classroom, in and of itself, does not result in a constructivist classroom. To

create a constructivist classroom using the flipped model re"uires utili>ing the class time that

is gained by implementing the flip on in"uiry learning which is closely tied to the practice and

application of constructivist strategies. erreid and chiller (#+$2 compare flipping to other

educational trends such as in"uiry learning, process oriented guided in"uiry learning ()H*I/2,

and 3ust in time teaching (ITT2 and suggest that what these prior trends and flipping have in

common is the active learning component. Additional active learning strategies include ):/,

technology based curriculum, and in"uiry labs. 4Active learning works best. Telling doesn=t

work very well. Boing is the secret5 (erreid 6 chiller #+$, p. ?92.

Another constructivist tool of the flipped model is having students interact outside of

class, on a discussion board to continue the learning from class. Covill, et al. (#+$2 advocate

using the flipped model combined with post-class online interactions between students. &sing


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post-class discussions are constructivist by nature because the students are collaborating with

peers and teacher, using real world problems, and building their knowledge in the process. si

(#++72 e!plores how students use digital technology such as social media and on-line games to

learn with their peers outside of school. tudents use technology outside of school to

communicate with each other and learn about topics of interest, in essence using technology

and interacting with their peers to construct meaning. Teachers can plan lessons to continue

building on students= current digital activities. The implications for the flipped classroom and

constructivism are that teachers can harness what students are already doing with technology,

and engage them with digital materials, creating opportunities for peers to interact to build

their content-area knowledge. Additionally, as suggested by Covill, )atel 6 *ill (#+$2,

students can collaborate outside of class as an e!tension to continue asking and answering each

others= "uestion. :y e!tending the conversation outside of class, students continue to construct

meaning. According to 1oylan and Ale!ander (#++2, this collaboration can occur with

classmates or on a larger scale with peers from around the world engaged in similar pro3ects.

%or teachers, wanting to try the flipped model, 1oore, et al. (#+$02 suggest starting

with one unit of study, finding good pre-made videos (see appendi! A for some physics

websites2 or creating their own. According to erreid 6 chiller (#+$2, ettle (#+$2, 1oore

(#+$02, it is important to find methods to encourage students to interact with the videos. ome

suggestions include video viewing worksheets, open note "ui>>es on the videos, or any way to

ensure that the students watch the video, as it is important to have the background knowledge

as they begin their constructivist e!ploration of the topics in class.

Buring class, it is important to engage in constructivist activities. The ):/ model is

one e!ample of a constructivist activity. ):/ model works in a flipped class because the


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pro3ects and problems are the engaging, hands-on activities done in class, and the at-home,

flipped videos and readings are the background knowledge relating to the pro3ects.)ast studies show that making the flipped classroom model work not only re"uires a

reversal of activities in terms of lecture and homework, but also re"uires creating engaging in-

class opportunities for students to e!plore "uestions to build knowledge (Covill, et al #+$

erreid 6 chiller #+$2. :y flipping the classroom, the students and teacher have more time

to work together in class to develop and test ideas

Conclusion

4The flipped classroom model has great potential for...improving knowledge and

providing time to engage in high cognitive demand tasks5 (1oore, et al., #+$0, p 0#92. igh

cognitive skills such as collaboration and problem solving take time for students to develop.

/ikewise, switching roles and becoming a facilitator and implementing constructivist activities

re"uires time and practice by the teacher. Hne way to ma!imi>e time spent developing

constructivist skills is to minimi>e the non-constructivist activities, the activities where

students are the knowledge receptacles rather than the knowledge builders. The flipped

classroom model allows for creating that e!tra time. tudents engage with the material prior to

coming to class and spend class time working on their "uestions as they relate to the content,

ma!imi>ing their time working on constructivist activities. %urther research should test

specific constructivist activities and strategies ():/, ITT, computer based curriculum, etc.2 to

determine which constructivist activities work best in con3unction with the flipped classroom.

It is clear from the research that the flipped model offers students and teachers the opportunity

to increase the amount of time spent in class engaging in constructivist learning environments.


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Deferences

Alo>ie, '. 1., *rueber, B. ., 6 Bereski, 1. H. (#+$#2. )romoting #$st-century skills in the

science classroom by adapting cookbook lab activitiesF The case of B'A e!traction of

wheat germ.American Biology Teacher, 74(72, 09-0


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ettle, 1. (#+$2. %lipped physics.Physics )d$ca"ion, 4-5., 59/0591, doi '2%'2322/'0

9'*23435I359//and, .1., annafin, 1. ., 6 Hliver, . (#+$#2. tudent-centered learning environmentsF

%oundations, assumptions and design. In onassen, B. 6 /and, . (8ds.2, Theore"ical

o$nda"ions of earning )nvironmen"s(pp -#92. 'ew Kork, 'KF Doutledge.

/arson, /.C., 6 1iller, T. (#+$$2. #$st century skillsF )repare students for the future.Ka!!a

6el"a P Record, 07(2, $#$-$#. doiF $+.$++J++##


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THE FLIPPED MODEL IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM 1!

Appendi% A

&esources for Physics 'ideos

Aplus )hysics httpFJJaplusphysics.comJvideos.html:rightstorm httpFJJwww.brightstorm.comJwhy-brightstormJthe-best-video-library

%lipping )hysics httpFJJwww.flippingphysics.comJahn Academy httpsFJJwww.khanacademy.orgJ
http://aplusphysics.com/videos.htmlhttp://www.brightstorm.com/why-brightstorm/the-best-video-libraryhttp://www.flippingphysics.com/https://www.khanacademy.org/http://aplusphysics.com/videos.htmlhttp://www.brightstorm.com/why-brightstorm/the-best-video-libraryhttp://www.flippingphysics.com/https://www.khanacademy.org/

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Cooney Synthesis Paper w Corrections 1