Flipped classroom: what is it, model, examples, and approach

The flipped classroom emerged with the e-learning revolution as an active and mixed educational method that combines face-to-face with distance education thanks to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). 

The idea is to introduce technology in the classroom and replace some learning activities with others supported by ICTs. This pedagogical model requires teachers with the necessary skills, means, and resources to successfully “turn the classroom around.” 

In this post, we will explain the characteristics of the flipped classroom, the benefits it can bring to your educational environment, and how you can implement it.

What is a flipped classroom?

If we look for the flipped classroom definition,  we will discover that it is a pedagogical model in which the order of a conventional class is inverted. Thanks to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), the students document and prepare themselves on a given topic to deepen their knowledge before a face-to-face class.

This approach is based on active learning as opposed to the passive learning proposed by traditional methods and is included in the so-called Blended Learning (B-Learning or mixed education). 

It arose in a military academy in the United States at the beginning of the 19th century. There, they proposed a learning methodology based on students learning autonomously through the sources provided by their teachers and using class time to solve the problems that arose jointly. 

The flipped classroom allows trainers to adapt their techniques to the current pedagogical and technological context to make the most of the innovative possibilities offered by ICTs and social networks.

Features of the flipped classroom

The development of the flipped classroom is based on four pillars that make it an innovative and adaptive methodology.  

Flexible educational context

In a flipped classroom, we use different resources, such as audio, video, or text. The work pace is changeable and customized for each didactic unit and each student or work group. 

In addition, educators should be aware that their classes may be louder than a conventional passive class because of their participatory and collaborative nature. 

Fostering a learning culture

Students experience learning continuously, being able to review the content at their own pace and at any time to, once in class, deepen the topics and exchange ideas and perspectives.  

The learner becomes the receiver of learning and the driving force. 

Content selection

To make the most of the time shared in class, the teacher must intentionally select the content to be exploited through different cooperative learning methods, such as peer learning, problem-solving, or learning by doing, among others.

Specialized and motivating teachers

Any innovative and groundbreaking methodology must have a motivated and motivating teacher who knows how to work autonomously, accept the intellectual challenges throughout the practice, and is open to implementing new ideas.

Benefits of the flipped classroom

Wondering about flipped classroom pros and cons?

The truth is that flipped classroom promotes active learning based on exploration and respectful communication. It thus favors the transfer of content and the exchange of ideas, but it also offers other benefits such as these that we tell you about: 

1. It tends to collaborative work.
2. It closely involves the student in the learning process.
3. Attends to the diversity of learning rhythms and the use of knowledge. 
4. It develops students’ skills such as oral and written communication, analysis and synthesis capacity, time management, self-criticism, adaptation to new situations, decision-making, and creativity.

Another interesting point is the ability to apply knowledge to practice, which motivates students to find meaning in practice. 

Personalized learning is a maximum in a flipped classroom. 

Despite all these benefits, there are some drawbacks, such as the fact that students may be reluctant to implement this new methodology in order to remain in their comfort zone.

Drawbacks can also come from non-specialized teaching staff or the lack of adequate tools and facilities to work with new technologies.

To avoid these flaws, it is necessary to follow some guidelines to implement the flipped classroom.

Flipped classroom approach: how to implement it

If you want to implement the flipped classroom methodology, keep in mind these 4 steps for class preparation. 

1. Specify the students’ objectives and the skills they need to develop to improve their understanding of a subject or acquire instrumental competencies.
2. Plan the classroom tasks and explain how they will be developed to the students so that you can integrate them from the beginning and they can appreciate the richness of this type of learning.
3. Select and prepare the resources. At this point, videos are the main tools for facilitating adaptive teaching, although you can use tools such as ebooks, concept maps, infographics, web pages, etc.
4. Students should be able to access the contents as often as they wish, which also benefits people with functional diversity to work on verbal and nonverbal language.  
5. Prepare the work in the classroom and choose cooperative work techniques. 

The teacher-student relationship is reinforced in a flipped class, achieving beneficial results for all participants. 

The closing phase of the flipped classroom methodology is the evaluation based on two factors: on the one hand, the student’s autonomy, and, on the other hand, the results of the face-to-face part. For this last part, you can use gamified tools to answer a quiz, for example.

In any case, our proctoring products allow you to create secure environments for your assessments and access customized reports that will enable you to objectively explore your learners’ achievements. 

Feel free to request your free demo, where we will share solutions that you may not be aware of and can help you.