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The Lecture is Dead! The Flipped Classroom Approach: What is it and How Do I Make it Work?
February 18 2016 9:16 PM ET — via RheumReports
This morning, Anna Oswald and I ran a workshop focused on using a "flipped" classroom approach for medical education, with a focus on both the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.
The traditional lecture approach to teaching originated centuries ago in Roman times, when the "learner" came to gain knowledge from the "learned." This, of course, was at a time that predated the printing press, the internet and other forms of technology. If you look at images from those days, you can see that even then, many of the learners were distracted and disengaged (by this, I mean sleeping!). Since then, studies have shown that active learning translates to better knowledge retention than passive learning. The long-term retention rates from listening to lectures or reading are only 10-20% compared to 80-100% when participating in an activity. Furthermore, studies from the neuroscience literature show that brainwave activity during class is comparable to brainwave activity while watching television or sleeping, and significantly lower than activity while individuals are actively engaged in learning.
So what is the "flipped classroom" and how does it work? The flipped classroom is a teaching technique of delivering instruction outside of class (online, YouTube, PowerPoint, pre-reading, etc) and using class time to apply the information. For example, instead of teaching algebra in the classroom and completing math problems at home, in the flipped classroom approach, students learn theoretical concepts at home and use class time to work through problems together. The advantage is that class time becomes more interactive and relevant, and learners have better long-term retention. The main challenge is motivating learners to prepare before class. In addition, the instructor needs to know their audience, be creative, and may need to change their approach to preparing for the session.
At the end of the day, the flipped classroom gives us another option for knowledge translation. It is not appropriate for every environment, of course, but if you try it, you may be surprised by how much more enjoyable teaching can be. I have developed some modules (with cases) to teach internal medicine residents about core rheumatology topics. If any of you are interested, please feel free to let me know.
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About the Author
Dr. Shahin Jamal
Dr. Jamal is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia and an active staff physician at Vancouver Coastal Health. Her interests include diagnosis and prognosis of early inflammatory arthritis, and timely assessment and access to care for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
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