The Disruptive Power of the 'Flipped Classroom'

As I wrote previously, I tried using a 'flipped classroom' approach for my English-taught course, Multi-level Governance. The idea is to replace lectures with videos that students watch in preparation for class. During class, I assign a theme, divide students into groups to discuss it, and have them give presentations. This is the 'flipped classroom'.

As you know, our university switched from in-person to web-based classes, so the course format became one where everyone participated via ZOOM.

When I actually tried it, it was incredible. Of course, since it was my first attempt, there were many problems, but the results far outweighed them.

First, the lecture portion, which would have been boring and caused students to yawn in a traditional class format, was condensed into a 30-minute video. I made the parts involving theories and concepts—which are boring but actually important—available in a format that students could review as many times as they needed.

In the virtual classroom, I divided the 35 students (all international students) into 7 groups using ZOOM breakout rooms. I prepared 7 PowerPoint files in Google Drive in advance, shared them with the students, and had each group work on them online.

I moved between the 7 groups on ZOOM to check on them. At the same time, I accessed Google Drive to monitor the progress of their PowerPoint creation. I had them finish the group work in 40 minutes, then had each group give a presentation, and I provided comments for 1-2 minutes each.

The lesson was on 'Fiscal Policy and Tax Policy,' and I had them choose one country and summarize that country's policies and their associated issues. As a result, various examples emerged in the presentations, including Vietnam, South Korea, China, the United States, Japan, and Australia.

Diverse examples were presented, such as emerging nations like Vietnam and resource-rich, relatively stable countries like Australia. Furthermore, the fiscal and tax systems of each country were neatly organized, and their problems and potential solutions were also presented.

If I were to lecture for 90 minutes by myself, I would at most be able to talk about the case of Japan. With the flipped classroom, in addition to my 30-minute video, students were able to learn about the cases of 7 different countries researched by the 7 groups.

Since it was my first time, it was a bit chaotic, but there is no doubt that they achieved incredibly deep learning. I realized the overwhelming power of the flipped classroom.

I call it 'flipped,' but that is only because it is 'flipped' from the Japanese style of teaching; it is a standard teaching format in the West. In that sense, I am keenly aware of how shallow learning in Japanese liberal arts universities is. And I cannot help but feel that this gap leads to the current difference between Japanese and overseas leaders, and the lack of strategic thinking among Japanese leaders in areas like COVID-19 countermeasures.