# data[].attributes.body
I find the idea of the flipped classroom intriguing. With younger learners, it is sometimes difficult to maintain control over the classroom while asking everyone to sit quietly and watch a video or a podcast. Attention wanes if the content is too long, thus limiting content in the classroom to short form content. By having the students prepare at home, it allows them to listen or watch or read at their own pace, with fewer distractions. It also allows for longer form, or more in-depth content to be used. Once in the class, jumping straight in to a student focused activity based on the content, is dynamic and engaging and helps maintain the students' enthusiasm for the remainder of the lesson.

The only problem I foresee, is that if no one has prepared in advance the teacher will need to pivot quickly and change the plan at the spur of the moment.

# data[].attributes.body
Although I agree with the concept, i don't always find it easy to achieve. I work with 2 types of students: unmotivated teens and older adults. The teens are not expected to do any homework and the adults tend to shy away from technology. I work around this by starting the lesson with the video or a reading text or sometimes a platform and then use that to teach. However, the adults are usually happy to prepare for a lesson by watching a video or reading a text. I am trying to work out a way to include the information on our website so that those students that wish to can access extra materials but, as said in the video there is a danger of overloading the students with too much and possibly irrelevant information. Perhaps I can attract the teen students by creating material that they can access in a gamified manner on their phones and then we can discus the results in groups in the class time. Most importantly it has given me something to think about.

# data[].attributes.body
The main things I've taken from watching this video, and in no particular order:

1. the flipped classroom is not intended to give students a large amount to do outside of class - it should be just about as much as if it were Activity 1 of the lesson.

2. the flipped-classroom idea was for the two lowest parts of Bloom's Taxonomy to be done outside class, leaving classroom time for exploring the four higher levels.

3. pretty much every classroom today can be described as incorporating blended learning.

4. just what a 'platform' is, together with various examples.

5. link the platform to the class content so that a sub-conscious message is sent to your students that the platform matters.

6. avoid the temptation to use a platform as a dumping ground. Less is more.

7. aim to see lesson planning in terms of both in-class and platform activities - these two are best thought of as part of the same thing.

8. what is the + in 2+2 = 2+. It's the quality of the link that 'sells' to the students that everything is integrated, yet not overwhelming, and the whole is therefore greater than the sum of the parts.

My experience of the flipped classroom, however, is that the reality too often does not meet the expectations. Too many students don't do what they're supposed to outside of class - and this is true even if they're not asked to do a lot - so time can be wasted in class, with students who did the work might be left feeling aggrieved.

I like the idea of assessment built into the use of platforms as well. I do think it will have a mostly motivating effect on students - the issue, though, is how to actually assess a portfolio of work? It's hard to know what 'good' is supposed to look like. It's such a personal thing, that assessing it would probably raise more issues around 'reliability' than in other assessment situations. I'm certainly not saying these issues can't be alleviated, but they're important considerations.

Great video! Really enjoyed it.

# data[].attributes.body
I really like (and agree with) the idea of linking classroom and platform, so that you actually create two spheres of/for learning that interconnect. But I'm not sure I understand yet how this can be done in practice. I'd need to see some examples and from them create some myself.

I'd also need to be more familiar with the platform (Moodle). So far I have primarily used it as a materials 'folder' and a message board, not as a place for students to do pre-/post-classroom activities (quizzes, discussions).

# data[].attributes.body
After watching Russell’s video, I’ve been reflecting on how I use my own LMS. The big idea for me is 1+1=2+. The “plus” doesn’t mean more tasks or more tech, which I haven't thought before, it means meaningful integration.

That’s why lesson planning has to change. It’s not just about planning classroom activities anymore, but also linking them with what happens on the platform. This way, students see the LMS as part of their learning journey, not just a place to store files.

I also realized how the flipped classroom fits with Bloom’s Taxonomy. Pre-class tasks should cover remembering and understanding, so that in class we can focus on higher-order thinking, including analyzing, evaluating, and creating. That makes our teaching more engaging and effective.

This new perspective also changes the role of teaching assistants. Instead of spending thirty minutes on vocabulary exercises not tied to the lesson (the thing that I often do), they should now act as a bridge: LMS - TA - Main Teacher. That way, the basics are checked and activated, and the main teacher can spend class time on deeper learning.

And finally, I see the need to connect three elements together: Live teaching, Platform, and Assessment. Assessment shouldn’t be separate, but it has to be built into both the LMS and the classroom. When all three are linked, we create a full cycle of learning: prepare, practice, and get feedback. That’s what makes the system complete and powerful.

# data[].attributes.body
Russell’s video- main takeaways:

Most classrooms today already use some form of blended learning, i.e. zoom/platform + live content. E.g. courses supported by Padlet

Effective blending enriches the course, i.e. 1+1=2+, it becomes more engaging, motivating and collaborative experience for SS and T

The important thing is the LINK between the platform and the classroom experience (should be considered at the stage of lesson planning)

The value lies in how well class and platform activities are connected- integration makes the learning experience greater than the sum of its parts.

Flipped classroom is based on the Bloom’s Taxonomy- remembering and understanding the material being done by SS pre-class, applying, practising and creating being done in the class. The  utilised the classroom tie more effectively, using what SS have done independently at home and allowing for more practise time in the class.

Using platforms shouldn’t overload students with extra content- there should be a link between using a platform and lesson content making the platform an  integral part of the course which reinforces SS engagement.

Platforms should be demonstrated and used during the lessons to a) provide SS with clear examples how to use it, b) reinforce the motivation to use it, c) emphasise the links between online and offline context. Chosen platforms shouldn’t be used as storages or dumping grounds only; they should be used, experimented with and treated as a valuable teaching/learning tool.

Assessment should be incorporated in the blended learning as well, using available tools.

My comments:

In practice, flipped classrooms often fall short: many students don’t complete prep work, wasting class time and frustrating others.

Students already spend lots of time on screens- parents may not welcome additional device use.

Attitudes vary: not all students are tech-savvy or interested in digital tools; some prefer traditional pen-and-paper methods.

Flipped classrooms require significant preparation and consistency from teachers.

Risk: students may not fully grasp pre-lesson content, needing extra teacher explanation in class, which can eat into practice time.

Embedding assessment in platforms can be motivating, but it requires clear structure and transparent criteria to be valid and relevant for students.

# data[].attributes.body
My reflection on Russel’s video

There are several platforms we can use like Moodle/Brightspace/Edmodo. I used to use Edmodo with my IELTS students in the past, and I found it to be very effective. Students would take mock test, watch videos and complete tasks on the platform, which would then feed into course input. We could make better use of classroom time to focus on the skills and strategies they needed for the exam.

Now we use Brightspace as the LMS for young learners. In my opinion, it is not very successful due to several reasons. As a teacher, I do not have control over the content shared on the platform, much of which is exactly the same as the content in the book. The students are not very to log in, parents don’t encourage them to spend more screen time at home, and students find it a burden to be doing any extra tasks at home.

As a teacher, I see the benefits in a flipped classroom and how LOTs and HOTs can play a vital role in the pre-classroom and in-classroom content.

I completely agree that we must consider the amount of material being shared. It can be overwhelming for students, and counterproductive as a result. If we add, we need to remove things to find that balance.

I particularly liked the idea of making use of a website or tool in class, if I am to introduce it so that students can see its usefulness and relevance.

The platform should be an integral part of the course for it to be effective, and a link between the live component and the assessment. There is no official formative or summative assessment for my students at the moment. Our reports are based on participation, observation of skills and systems, and behaviour. I would like to know more about ways I can make assessments a part of the whole approach in my classes.

# data[].attributes.body
Really thought-provoking video. I feel I've learned some useful things as I have some experience in working with platform and building content there.

1) My main takeaway and something I really agree with is that the content should be relevant and that we should not end up implementing a platform with too many things. There are some who believe, the more material students have, the more they are going to like the course. However, I also have the feeling that they feel overwhelmed instead.

2) The content of the platform must be linked to what we do in class and we should use what students see in the platform in class, in some way.

3) The effective combination of what we do in class and the content of the platform will have a more collaborative, interesting and engaging environment as an outcome.

4) If we are going to add things in a platform, we need to remove others. This is another aspect I found very interesting. Sometimes we just keep on adding, but we do not realise that there is content that might not be longer useful.

There are some things that I do not disagree with, but that are difficult to implement, especially in some contexts:

1) The idea of flipped classroom is great, but it might work better at schools. For people who study English in language schools, it might be difficult add this new responsibility to the things they have to do (work or studies at school / university).

2) However, I do like the idea of producing short content for students to look at. It does not have to be a long article or video.

3) I would like to add that the content students have to look at before attending the lesson should be engaging enough, so they do not see it as an obligation, or a daunting task. If we train them to do this part with engaging material, they might end up doing them because they feel curious about the next bit of material.

Good video. I really learned new things here.

# data[].attributes.body
Things I Learned From the Video About Flipped Learning

The success of flipped learning depends on using digital platforms wisely. It's important to focus on quality over quantity and avoid overwhelming students with a disorganized or excessive amount of resources.

Resources provided on the online platform must be explicitly connected to the in-class teaching and activities. The online material should directly prepare students for the deeper application and discussion that happens face-to-face.

Flipped learning is a powerful tool for developing student autonomy. By moving initial content absorption outside of class, it requires students to take more responsibility for their own foundational learning.

By dedicating valuable class time to interactive activities, problem-solving, and collaboration (instead of lectures), flipped learning effectively shifts students' focus from passive recall to actively engaging higher-order skills like analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

# data[].attributes.body
The video is definitely on point as far as flipped teaching& learning are concerned and makes some very valid points regarding the amount of work that we actually assign to students in flipped lessons. In my experience, flipped learning works best with adult learners for short training programs, up to three months long. I've tried it with year-round courses, but students find it more difficult to stay motivated and stay consistent with their learning. Somehow, family life, work, work problems, life stress, work stress and what not, will always derail and cause them to fall behind on their work even the most motivated, consistent and most hard-working of students. Personally, I've been working with Canvas for three years now and previously, at the school I used to work for, we used Edmodo, which worked brilliantly as an LMS platform for adult learners. Both my students and myself find that Canvas is not particularly student friendly, both in terms of ease of use and interface so I'm still looking into more student friendly, easy access alternatives.