What is flipped learning and how to bring it into adult education in practice? Can it work with adults who are learning basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy? These were the main questions dealt with in the 4-day training organised for adult educators within the FLIP-IDEAL project.
“I was a bit apprehensive first, but now I am very enthusiastic about the tools we were presented and how to use them in class,” tells Johan Roest, teacher of Dutch as second language from the hosting organisation ROCWB. He was particularly happy that he could join this time, as he has not been able to participate in earlier Erasmus+ projects because he does not fly for ecological reasons. Johan says that as a result of the training, he is more confident in using the flipped learning approach also with people who are just starting to learn basic skills.
Also Pat Sheane, teacher of numeracy, literacy and IT from KWETB in Ireland did not know what to expect from the training. “It was really worthwhile. Everything was brilliant and I can’t wait to try using all these new tools!” she says. Pat would be particularly interested in using the green screen tool for the various role-play activities they do with the students.
Flipped learning was familiar to Giulia Agusto, English teacher from FMD in Italy, but after the workshop week she has a better idea of the methodology and is able to use it in her classes. Video-making tips and Mentimeter were her favourite tools from the week.
Exchanging experiences with colleagues from different countries was a highlight mentioned by many participants. “Here I have learnt new tools and was able to share experiences with other teachers,” Aljosa Vodopivec from LUV, Slovenia says.
Marianne Seppä from Luksia, Finland says that this kind of learning week provides important peer support to those people who often act as kind of digital ambassadors in their own organisations. Trying to convince colleagues to use new kinds of methods and tools is not easy. “It is nice to notice that we also know how to do this! Self-confidence on one’s own know-how increases, and it encourages us to do and develop things even more,” Marianne notes.
…and after the training, what happens?
Often the everyday obligations take over after the training, making it easy to forget new ideas, inspiration and tools learnt. To prevent this from happening, Marianne suggests that participants from each organisation should get together and reflect on their learning as a team right after the workshop week. This way they could jointly prioritize the most useful tools and ideas that should be further developed in their organisation.
Hannelore Audenaert from Belgium manages European projects at CVO Antwerpen and teaches in the second chance to learn department. She would particularly like to try the green screen in her class to make the learning more fun and dynamic. “I would also like to use EdPuzzle to ask my students to prepare for each class. Not only a couple of times, but really use it in a structured way,” Hannelore says. Her plan is to start small: “Select one tool and start with that.”
Tiina Vesanen, teacher of business and ICT skills from Finland is thinking of engaging one of her colleagues to test the methodology of flipped classroom and some of the tools learnt. This kind of digital tutor help would be necessary in the school environment as a whole. “Otherwise if there is a problem, you get frustrated and may stop altogether. With some help, you might get excited instead and gain the feeling of success,” Katjusa Merisaari, tourism teacher from Finland points out.
Each of the 24 trained teachers will train at least four other teachers on using flipped learning in adult education in their organisation. The aim is to reach at least 500 learners in various fields including literacy and numeracy, second language learning, ICT, and even some vocational studies. The main focus is however on teaching basic skills for beginner level adults. There is very little existing information on using flipped learning approach with this specific target group.
Next in the project, the FLIP-IDEAL project team will work on an online course on flipped learning for adult educators as well as on good practice guidelines to support educators that would like to start experimenting with the flipped classroom approach. Stay tuned!
The FLIP-IDEAL project training week was organised in Roosendaal, Kellebeek College in the Netherlands. A particularly big thank you goes to Frank Kerstens from Kellebeek College who was the main organiser of the week!
Follow FLIP-IDEAL project in Twitter: @ErasmusIDEAL
If you want to receive news about the project, e-mail at: international@luksia.fi
Text: Riikka Suhonen, Luksia
Photos: Frank Kerstens, ROCWB and Riikka Suhonen, Luksia
PRESENTATIONS FROM THE WORKSHOP (pdf)
Introduction to the week (Frank Kerstens, ROCWB, the Netherlands)
The impact and importance of digital skills for life (Maurice de Greef, Vrije Universiteit, Brussels)
ICT to support “flipping the classroom” (Joris van Waes, Schoolmakers)
Flipped Learning Method in Practice (Aljosa Vodopivec, LUV, Slovenia)
How does flipped learning effect my role as a teacher? (LUV, Slovenia)
Good practice sharing session (CVO Antwerpen, Belgium)
Flipped Lesson on making a Spotify Playlist (KWETB, Ireland)
Creating simple videos (CVO Antwerpen, Belgium)
