The purpose of this study is to investigate how to effectively teach French grammar by designing a flipped learning model suitable for French grammar teaching in university curriculum by applying flipped classroom. Students in this course must be at l ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate how to effectively teach French grammar by designing a flipped learning model suitable for French grammar teaching in university curriculum by applying flipped classroom. Students in this course must be at least intermediate level in French and acquire basic knowledge of French language and culture. Therefore, it is not possible to apply the models of primary and secondary schools on university curriculum. The class model should be designed according to the characteristics of this course.
The 'flipped learning' that we want to apply in this study is simply to reverse the traditional learning environment by delivering instructional content such as online videos outside of the classroom. In a flipped classroom, students are asked to do the activities that have traditionally been considered homework and collaborative discussions. It is a new type of blended learning that enables more interesting and effective teaching-learning process.
We experimentally applied the flipped learning method which is consulted to the flipped learning expert through the teaching and learning center in the <French Grammar 1> for four weeks after the first semester of 2016. Based on this preliminary experiment, we applied the flipped classroom for one year from the second semester of 2016(French grammar 2) to the first semester of 2017(French grammar 1) and we tried to find effective French grammar teaching strategies.
There are a lot of things to prepare in advance to apply the flipped learning method. First, the analysis of the curriculum, the characteristics of the learners and the analysis of the learning environment should be preceded. In the offline classroom, there will be a group activity, so we will conduct a questionnaire and a simple quiz to understand the level of French in the first week of class. The instructor should set up a teaching and learning method and select learning materials and media in advance. Before the start of the semester, it is a good idea to learn about video production and editing in advance and have a video lecture that meets your learning goals. In addition, it is good to pre-create or collect a variety of activity materials for offline classroom use. In order to avoid confusion among learners, students should be provided with specific information in the lecture plan and orientation should be provided on the start date to fully explain the way and structure of the lecture.
Instructional design should be done in three stages: Pre class, In class, Post class. Pre-learning provides learners with videos or other types of up-to-date learning materials that meet their learning goals. After the pre-study, be sure to fill out the study log and write down questions. In the offline class, conduct activities such as quiz for advance learning confirmation and guide the group to cooperate with each other. The part that is not solved in the peer map is resolved by the intervention of the instructor. Then take the time to organize and present the content of the learning objectives. After class, students should have flexibility in class design so that they can have an opportunity to evaluate and reflect on each other and be reflected as soon as appropriate improvement measures are presented.
In the semester of this study, we changed the flipped learning contents of the experiment semester according to the needs of the learners and tried to reflect their opinions. Through this process, we realized that it is important to design efficient classrooms while respecting the autonomy of the learners, and that the most important competence required at the same time for the instructor and the learner was the communication ability.
The results of this study can be used in various ways.
- Foreign language grammar teaching in university
The results of this study can be applied to grammar teaching in French as well as other foreign languages at university. Most of the previous researches that have been published so far are limited to classes in elementary, middle and high schools. However, as mentioned above, the elementary and secondary curriculum and university curriculum have a difference in the learning environment and the characteristics of the learners. Therefore, the flipped learning method to be applied at the university should be differentiated. This study will provide an opportunity to raise interest in the field of foreign language teaching because there is no study, as far as we know, on the application of the flipped learning method to the French grammar teaching at local universities so far.
- Development of various teaching-learning models
The flipped classroom is one of the most popular teaching-learning models in Korea but it is just one of the many models that have been attracting attention and has been carried out so far. However, it is clear that there is a lot of observations and reports that many teachers have gained empathy, have clear learning effect and can help to improve their grades. This method is not a model that can be applied to all subjects in a lump, but it is an open class model and it is necessary to develop a model suitable for each subject. Although this study is limited to the subject of French grammar, there are ideas that can be used in other subjects with different personality, and it is expected that it will help learner-centered education not centered on teachers even if they do not adhere to flipped learning method.
- Contributing to cultivating core competencies in the 21st century
The '21st Century Core Competency 4Cs' presented by The 21st Century Skills Council of the United States is a topic that is mentioned everywhere nowadays. In order for current learners to adapt well to the future society of knowledge base and succeed, it is necessary to develop critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity. Therefore, it is thought that the flipped classroom which is able to provide individualized instruction according to the level of the learners is given the opportunity to speak with peers during the class, and it is a teaching-learning method suited to the demands of the times. We expect to contribute to cultivating core competencies in the 21st century.