Adapting an OER Textbook for the Inverted Classroom Model — How To Flip the Classroom with BBC micro:bit Example Tasks

Full Paper Research-to-Practice The current COVID-19 crisis has created significant challenges for schools. The growing importance of “flipping the classroom” and the needful emphasizing of online-learning were owed to the situation. To meet these requirements, materials and tasks must be adapted. The Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook “Computational Thinking with the BBC micro:bit” was developed for the introduction of Computational Thinking (CT) for 10-14-year-old pupils in Austria's secondary schools. Example tasks in the textbook are designed with an open end and present extensions with ideas for further development instead of ending abruptly. This article provides a guideline for a clear distinction in redesigning existing lessons following the Inverted Classroom Model (ICM) using videos for pre-class work and live task extensions for in-class work. Which parts in the learning design must remain as live lessons and which parts can be adapted for video lessons? The respective research shows that examples that have a makerspace activity as an extension are especially helpful for an efficient determination of the appropriate part in the learning design and particularly suitable for an adaptation with ICM. The central advantage of the ICM is that it responds flexibly to the individual learning needs of each student. It allows students to take their time reviewing the material at their own pace without getting left behind. The textbook used here encourages pupils to find their own solutions by explorative learning using the block-based programming environment MakeCode. Additional information to be uncovered by the learner is provided for every single step in the accompanying online wiki website. Results from observations showed that this uncover-function, being a central element of the online material, encouraged the learners to explore their own way in finding a solution with playful elements and increased motivation. The many haptic elements of a makerspace activity are in particular useful for consolidation of the learned and are predisposed for in-class work and deepening the understanding following the constructionism theory. A Design-Based Research (DBR) approach is used to create and evaluate the redesign of a proven example task in a pilot project. Teachers, who are already familiar with the BBC micro:bit and the OER textbook, were trained on how to use the “flip-version” of an example task in their lessons and asked to develop a lesson plan for implementation. The didactic approach to redesigning the material and teacher training was evaluated during the first cycle of DBR. Results from expert interviews showed that the redesigned material and training deliver a solid ground for rework and further research on a larger scale.