'Flipped' Pioneer Launches Global Initiative to Spread the Practice

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/28/16

When chemistry teachers Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams first began recording videos of their lectures and having students watch them before they came into science class, little did they know they'd be starting a new instructional practice that has become known around the world as "flipping" the class. Now Bergmann has launched an international organization dedicated to the topic.

The new Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI) brings together teachers, researchers, professional development publishers and others to expand the practice of flipping. So far, the coalition includes representation from Spain, China, Istanbul, Australia, Taiwan and Italy, among other countries.

Currently, according to statistics provided by the organization, 16 percent of American teachers currently flip their classes, 35 percent of teachers want training on how to do so and nearly half of all principals in the United States (46 percent) want new teachers who can implement the practice.

The new organization will act as a hub for developing best practices for flipping lessons, curating research and disseminating it, and helping educators select and implement appropriate technology. The initiative will also identify "master teachers," people who will serve as "advisors, models and trainers" for the work undertaken by FLGI.

The launch also brings together a series of podcasts produced by Bergmann and available on iTunes to help teachers learn effective techniques for flipping their classrooms.

"For the last 10 years I have traveled the world speaking and training educators in the flipped classroom model. I've repeatedly witnessed the promise, passion and potential of the flipped classroom," said Bergmann, in a prepared statement. "I've also seen the pitfalls and a myriad of ways that flipped learning can be compromised by bad practice, inappropriate technology and poor execution."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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