MASTERY OF GEOLOGIC CONTENT BY PRESERVICE ELEMENTARY EDUCATION STUDENTS IN A FLIPPED CLASSROOM

One of the current trends in pedagogy at all levels(K-college) is the so-called ‘flipped classroom’, in which students prepare for a class meeting through self-study of the material (often utilizing technology such as videos and PowerPoint presentations). It is based on a rejection of the classic model of the faculty member as the ‘sage on the stage’; instead, responsibility for learning shifts to the individual student. The faculty member takes on the role of learning facilitator or mentor, and focuses the students’ learning by crafting and administering timely formative assessments (in multiple formats and applied multiple times) that aid both students and the faculty member in tracking the students’ mastery of the learning outcomes. In a flipped, freshman-only, section of SCI 111 Elementary Earth-Physical Sciences (a required introductory science course for pre-service elementary school teachers) the students learned through a combination of individual and group hands-on in-class activities, technology (including PowerPoint presentations and short videos viewed prior to attending class), in-class worksheets, and in-class discussions. Students self-differentiated in how they interacted with the available teaching materials, deciding which activities to spend the most time on based on their individual need to gain more experience with specific learning outcomes and concepts. Students based this need on their individual score on an online quiz taken the night before the class period, and their personal self-confidence with the material. Available in-class activities and worksheets were developed by the faculty member based on student scores on the online quiz as well as personal messages submitted through the course management system the night before the class meeting. While this placed a significant burden on the faculty member in terms of course preparation, it allowed for just-in-time teaching to take place. This poster describes the results of student mastery of content centered on geological content (minerals, rocks, erosion, weathering, geologic age) as compared to course sections taught with a traditional pedagogy.