ICT in Education/Change Projects/2016B Bangladesh Flipped Classroom in Science for Promoting Student-Centered Learning

Title of the change project :'Flipped Classroom in Science for Promoting Student-Centered Learning' 

Change agent :'Asad-Uz-Zaman' 

Email :'azaman.asad@gmail.com' 

Name of the organisation :'Access to Information (a2i) Programme of the Prime Minister's Office' 

Country :'Bangladesh' 

Started date :'October 2016' 

Status (finished/ongoing) :'March 2017' 

1. Background of the project (problem): In Bangladesh, the Present classroom activities involve students in rote learning rather than being inquisitive. The teachers have to spend considerable time and effort in delivering content in the classrooms. Most of the time, they hardly get enough time for getting students participate actively in content discussion, questioning, presentation, debate etc. The students get very little opportunity to engage themselves in the learning process. This process is not promoting student-centered learning as well as students’ 21st century skills. As a result, the students are losing interest in science education due to the lack of participatory discussion on the abstract and obscure topics. Most of the parents have a fear that if their son or daughter takes science subject in secondary level, they must have to send coaching center for further knowledge. That’s why a large number of poor parents discourage their son or daughter not to take science subject. It is a matter of great concern that the number of students in science education is shrinking day by day. In 1988, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2015, the enrollment of students in science education (secondary) was 41.45%, 25.4%, 26%, 22.69%, 23.76%, 22.35% and 26.94% respectively (Source: www.freedomfound.org). The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Students get beforehand ICT based materials and communicate over web-based platform. Digital contents, short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, while in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions. The content is often seen as the key ingredient in the flipped approach, such the lectures or digital contents being either created by the instructor and posted online or selected from an online repository. Flipping the classroom is a “pedagogy-first” approach to teaching. The notion of a flipped classroom draws on such concepts as active learning, students’ engagement, hybrid course design, and course podcasting. The value of a flipped class is in the repurposing of class time into a workshop where students can inquire about lecture content, test their skills in applying knowledge, and interact with one another in hands-on activities. During class sessions, instructors function as coaches or advisors, encouraging students in individual inquiry and collaborative effort. The proposed change project will practice flipped classroom in science class at grade 7 in 5 schools in selected areas and will measure its effectivity to spread all over Bangladesh.

2. Objectives : •	To integrate ICT and pedagogy; •	To cultivate deeper, richer active learning experiences for students when the instructor is present to coach and guide them; •	To emphasis is on higher-order thinking skills and application to complex problems; •	To ensure collaborative learning, case-based learning and peer instruction; •	To present learning materials in a variety of formats to suit different learner styles and multimodal learning (e.g. text, videos, audio, multimedia); •	To convey timely information, updates and reminders for students (e.g micro-blogging, announcement tools); •	To provide opportunities for discourse and interaction in and out of class (e.g. polling tools, discussion tools, content creation tools).

3. Stakeholders : Schools, Teachers' Training Colleges and Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE)

4. List of Activities : To start the change project and fulfill the objectives, following action items can be considered: •	Selection of 5 secondary schools for piloting. •	Arrange orientation programme for the teachers, parents and students of respective schools. •	Arrange training for the science teachers of respective schools. •	Development of beforehand materials (digital contents and video lectures) by the teachers and upload the contents in online repository. •	Disseminate the contents among students before the class. The students will study those materials at home and get them prepared as teachers instructs. •	Initiating flipped classroom in science class at grade 7. On the following day, the students will be given some thought provoking tasks based on previously provided materials. These tasks will mainly focus on critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating and collaborating. Thus teachers will get more time to conduct classroom activities as well as formative assessment. •	Classroom observation. •	Collect Feedback from the students, teachers and parents. •	Evaluation of the project.

5. Expected result ; •	The tendency of rote learning by students will drastically be reduced. •	Student-centered learning and 4C (critical thinking, creative thinking, communication and collaboration) will be promoted. •	Teachers’ self-confidence will be increased. •	Students’ attendance in the class will be rised. •	Participatory and joyful learning will be ensured. •	Students’ and teachers’ eagerness towards technology will be developed. •	Students in science education will be increased. •	Quality education will be enhanced.

6.  Actual result  :

7. The Project organisation : Access to Information (a2i) Programme Prime Minister’s Office Tejgaon, Dhaka Bangladesh

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