Flipping with a Jigsaw, part 6

Part 6: Conclusions and suggestions

So that’s how I flipped my Social Psychology course. Overall it required a considerable amount of work, but no more than prepping a class for the first time. And, like most courses, now that I have completed the first time teaching it, the second time is much less work. In fact I am teaching it for the second time now, and I can report that it going just as well as the first time (and requires much less work).

Here are a few of what I think are the main points from this series of blogs:

• I challenge instructors to really consider the Dee Fink question: are you creating courses that will result in significant learning experiences that will endure well past graduation? How would you change your course if every student was as eager and able as your best student?

• We preach about the importance of active learning and many instructors insert episodes of active learning into their lectures. Flipping takes you all in; class sessions are (or can be) devoid of lecturing and all active engagement by the students.

• Flipping requires the willingness to give up lecturing at least to some degree, and perhaps totally. I admit that this was hard for me. I was used to receiving the students’ attention, with all the power and status that affords. Giving that up is a sacrifice. But I believe the benefit to the students is more important than the boost I get to my ego or my entertainment.

• There are many things you can do during the class time instead of lecturing. I chose the Jigsaw and can enthusiastically recommend it. The Jigsaw has a proud history and impressive empirical support. It’s also messy, loud, and chaotic. And I mainly stand around doing nothing while the students are working – but that’s the point: they are engaging with the material in active ways, not me. And I think that’s the way it should be.

Here are my suggestions:

• Realize that flipping a course will require a significant amount of prep work. I started designing my flipped class and the materials months before the class started. Build in that prep time.

• Read up on and consider the Jigsaw. It can work in nearly any discipline, from sciences to the humanities. It does require that you trust your students to not only learn material but also teach it to their peers. The success of the Jigsaw relies on the materials you design. And remember that the Jigsaw demands the engagement of every student in class, something that I’ve struggled to achieve in other formats.

• Use existing resources whatever you decide to do during the flipped class sessions. I used the essay questions I had crafted over the years and many active learning materials as the prompts for the Jigsaw. I also used many existing multiple choice questions for the quizzes. Take advantage of the work you have already done. I also suggest you look (again) at the resources that come with your textbook. In my opinion these have gotten better over the years and are worth a new look.

• And finally, don’t fear change. I had my Social Psychology course ‘in the can’. I could walk into almost any day in the semester and rattle off the lecture without any prep, if I had to. And I think I did a pretty good job of it, too (of course). But Dee Fink’s presentation made me question the effectiveness of my course in achieving a broader set of goals. I’ve enjoyed treading the line between being fearless and foolhardy. I’ve not always fallen on the right side of that line, but I also know that line will take me where I really want to be.