So you want to follow the 'flipped classroom' model where you ask the students to do some theory stuff at home first so that you can do some fun stuff in the 'lecture'. Good start.

But here's the most common complaint I hear from colleagues: 'No one is completing my pre-class work!' 

Which then leads the colleague to also complain in frustration that they had to spend their in-class time going through the pre-class work and couldn't move on. Otherwise the students would not have understood. What a waste of time for the academic to chaperone students through a reading.

OK, stop right there. If you go through the pre-class work in-class, then the students will NEVER do it before they come to class! You have to set this rule along with your expectations from week 1. You can do this by making the pre-class material for week 1 so simple and brief that the students will do it without thinking. And then in-class have an activity which makes the benefit of having done the pre-class work obvious.

Here's what I do before week 1 starts. I send the students a short survey with some basic questions about themselves. It's easy for them, and they don't feel like they have to get the 'right' answer. This also helps me understand their background and interests, which I can use later. In the survey, I ask them to sign up to the class discussion site. When they come to class, if they haven't signed up, then they lose their mid-lecture break as they have to catch up in this time. This is harmless and doesn't impact on my lesson planning, but sends the message that I expect the pre-class work to be done for a reason. They need to see value in it.

In subsequent weeks, the pre-class work is more content based. I simply assume that it has been done and don't rehash any of it at all. If a student has not done the work, they quickly learn that they will have a hard time understanding. I only go over the pre-class work if I have identified a consistent mis-understanding through the class answers.

Of course the other incentive I use is to allocate a small portion of the class grade to a 'reasonable' attempt at the pre-class work.

The other problem with the above complaint is that the academic is frequently assigning a reading from a  textbook as pre-class learning. Sometimes even several chapters! For some students, reading might work, but for the vast majority - BORING! Just because you had to read copious amounts of text when you were at uni way back in the day, doesn't mean that your students need to pass through that same right of passage! In your pre-internet era, maybe there weren't a lot of interactive resources available?

Not that we need to pander to every whim and desire of our clients... I mean students... but if they think something is boring, then they are less likely to absorb and apply its meaning. We are therefore failing in our role as educators. So look out for other ways to engage your students. You don't need to create the stuff for yourself half the time - find some good YouTube videos to get started. That's not to say 'don't assign readings' - but just mix it up.

Have a look at the short video below for more of my thoughts about successfully flipping the classroom.

I’m not a huge fan of blogs. To be honest, I never read them. In fact I’m probably close to the blogophobe end of the scale, if there is such a thing. But I do frequently scroll through them. This is because many of the best recipes I have found are hidden at the end of someone’s blog. And they generally have fabulous photos so I can see exactly what my food is going to look like.

So I love food, and recipes, and I love writing. Why not write a recipe? Well, I’m fairly certain that any recipe I write would lead to inedible food. But what about a recipe for something that I actually have experience in? And if it’s a recipe, apparently nowadays it needs to be a blog. So I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to see if I can become more blogophilic.

Here’s my little bloggy recipe for a flipped classroom. Flipping is a technique where we get students to complete some preparatory theory work at home before coming to class. This is the sort of stuff that’s usually delivered in a lecture, and can be kind of non-exciting. They also have to answer some 'pre-class questions' to keep them on track and accountable.

The ‘lecture’ then turns into a range of interactive exercises for the students. It’s a fun way to teach and really gets the students to engage. There is a bunch of learning benefits also, but that’s for another day.

One of the best things about flipping is that you can ditch the 1,000 slide powerpoint lecture in favour of small ‘snippets’.

If you’re not into lots of chatter and high levels of noise in your class, then this technique is not for you. Maybe you should be a librarian :) I loved having all the students talking and being active participants. They enjoyed it too.

Prep time: More than you are ever allocated
Class time: 1-2 hrs
Total time: 1-2 hrs ++
Serves: 1 flipped class
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:
•    1 traditional powerpoint (or similar) lecture
•    Willingness to experiment
•    Access to technology (optional, and preferable)

Instructions:
Mise en place
1.    Turn off email and set phone off the hook
2.    Be prepared to sacrifice the volume of unit content for depth of understanding
3.    Review all lecture slides and determine what your students need to be capable of DOING once they leave class
4.    Determine the theoretical knowledge they need to have before trying to do (3). This is the stuff that requires less understanding and may simply need to be rote learned to provide a foundation
5.    Remove (4) from your lecture and find a relevant reading, video, or activity for the students to do before coming to class – this is your ‘pre-class activity’
6.    Devise a method of accountability for the pre-class activity, e.g. filling in answers in a google-docs survey
7.    Create an activity / activities to address (3) – this is your ‘in-class activity’. Test and adjust the timings required to complete
8.    Create a list for students to highlight what they need to know vs. what they need to do
9.    Delete irrelevant powerpoint slides. Note that I like to keep some or create some new ones to help explain the activity
10.    Develop your class choreography, including listing of materials required
11.    Release your pre-class activity to your class with adequate time for completion

Service
1.    Arrive ten minutes before class
2.    Check submissions for the pre-class activity to note any areas of mis-understanding to address at the beginning of class
3.    Arrange class materials as required
4.    Greet students as they arrive
5.    Work through your choregraphy using interaction to ‘connect, correct, commend’ your students
6.    Note any timing or activity changes required for next time around