Are you Flipping Yet? Bloom to the Rescue

To know what to flip – teachers need to ask themselves this: “How can I make the most of my class time?” Is it critical that your students hear your lecture directly from you in the classroom, or is it something that you can record and let them view before class? Many teachers find that flipping direct instruction is the easiest way to start.

What to Flip?

To know what to flip, you must ask yourself: What is the goal of your instruction? What demonstrable knowledge or skills do your students need to learn? Can some of these skills be done independently or do they require more assistance? To answer the last question, we will look at Bloom’s taxonomy. Developed by Dr. Benjamin Bloom in 1809, this framework helps educators set up learning objectives for students. But this can also help us separate the classroom activities that can be flipped from those that can’t.

You will see that skills associated with Knowledge (or remembering previously learned material) and Comprehension (demonstrating understanding of facts) are at the lowest level of critical thinking. These are skills that most students will be able to do on their own. Now some students will still need help in these areas, but these are the areas that should require the least amount of help.

The skills at the lower end of Bloom’s taxonomy are activities that can be flipped. After watching a video or interactive lesson of direct instruction, your students should be able to recall the lesson and explain what they learned in simple terms on their own. From the table listed below, assess how many of your homework assignments use the following action verbs? These are activities that your students can do before they come to class.

Knowledge	Comprehension
Arrange Define Describe Duplicate Identify Label List Match Memorize Name Order Outline Recognize Relate Recall Repeat Reproduce Select State	Classify Convert Discuss Estimate Explain Express Extend Generalize Give examples Identify Infer Locate Paraphrase Predict Rewrite Review Select Summarize Translate

For example, if you were teaching a course on Marine Biology and wanted your students to define the characteristics of the marine habitat, recognize the different species that thrive in the ocean and list the similarities, you could ask your students to watch the video on the characteristics of a marine habitat ahead of the class. This would ensure that students come to class prepared to discuss the material and will be more productive both in the class and in their assignments. While this kind of flipping is very beneficial for students and teachers, this learning experience can be further enhanced  KoolLearning that offers not just one kind of additional help for students but an array of relevant but diverse content that can open a universe of possibilities. For instance, if we continued the above example, then to supplement your course on marine biology, you could bundle together videos on marine ecosystem, website links from knowledge storehouses such as Public Television and National Geographic, and content from Open Education Resources. The students’ learning experience will be deepened, broadened and enriched by the different perspectives that the content curated by you offers.