UPSIDE-DOWN PEDAGOGIES: Joshua Cohn engages with students in a flipped learning atmosphere.
Flipping for the new model In the social sciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, the use of academic technologies and flipped learning techniques is expanding far beyond the classic lecture and lab work model to more fully meet student needs. For Joshua Cohn, professor and chair of the Physics Department, the journey toward a flipped learning classroom began four years ago. “After learning about studio-style physics education at a national meeting, and how it helps students learn the concepts better, I was motivated to try it,” Cohn says. He notes that the approach has also been shown to foster greater retention of under-represented groups in physics and engineering and a classroom more akin to a collaborative research environment. Cohn restructured his introductory physics classes with a learning environment reflecting the SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active
Learning Environment for Upside-down Pedagogies) model originated at North Carolina State University. Now, his students are learning about physics concepts in a small, highly interactive setting. The specially designed science classroom is dotted with round tables and outfitted with laboratory instruments and working space for small student groups. Using a team laptop, students conduct experiments on topics like electrostatics and magnetism. Cohn, after giving a brief lecture, walks around the room listening to conversations and asking conceptual questions “to get them thinking.” “Our class challenges students to change the way they see their role,” he says. “They have to do their reading in advance and be prepared to dive into these pencil-and-paper exercises and laboratory activities. I’ve found that these group activities increase student responsibility and accountability.”
“Flipped learning has been commonplace in the humanities for many years where students read texts ahead of time and use the class period to analyze them.” - Dean Leonidas G. Bachas ARTS | SCIENCES
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