Implementation of the Flipped Classroom: How is the in-class time used?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the design and structure of the flipped classroom instructional model in three mathematics classrooms in the Shawnee Mission School District. Given the premise of this blended learning approach, there is a gap in the literature surrounding what actually takes place during the in-class time. While the existing literature explained what should or could happen when implementing the model, there was no research to describe if the suggestions were actually happening in classrooms. Furthermore, there was no concrete evidence as to whether the benefits and challenges held true in practice, or if these benefits and challenges were just experienced by the creators of the flipped classroom model in their own personal classrooms. This study investigated the in-class time through interviews, artifact analysis, and classroom observations with mathematics teachers who were fully implementing the approach. Participants were found through a survey of all high school mathematics teachers in the Shawnee Mission School District. Of those who qualified for the study, three teachers were chosen based on the course they were flipping, entry point of implementation of the flipped classroom model (spring 2018), and their willingness to participate. During a 10-week period, I conducted 27 observations, 60 interviews, and analyzed a variety of artifacts presented. The data collected was organized into categories and headings based on the “outside of class videos” and “in-class activities” for each teacher, and then combined across the three teacher participants. The data showed strong connections to the premise as defined through the literature related to the flipped classroom and blended learning models of instruction. The results of this study show need for improvements in the observed classrooms in the areas of differentiation and application to real-world situations. While each classroom appeared to be more student centered and the structure gave opportunities for student engagement, activities involving differentiation and application components were absent. Implications have been suggested for teachers who currently implement the flipped classroom model, along with those who are interested in adopting and implementing in the future. Because teachers are no longer the center of the learning, they need to increase their abilities of assessing individual student needs and differentiating to meet these needs, including opportunities for application of the content, and being aware of how students are participating in the designed lesson plans.