A flipped classroom model is an instructional strategy that inverts the traditional cycle of content acquisition and application. In a flipped classroom, students gain necessary knowledge before class, and instructors guide students to actively and interactively clarify and apply that knowledge during class. The principal goals of flipping are to increase student engagement and learning by having pupils complete readings at home and work on live activities in class. Lectures are shared outside of class time for individual review as homework, and classroom time is reserved for class discussion and interactive projects. The flipped classroom is structured around the idea that lecture or direct instruction is not the best use of class time. Instead, students encounter information before class, freeing class time for activities that involve higher order thinking.
Some of the benefits of a flipped classroom include:
- Flexibility: students can learn at their own pace.
- Students take responsibility for their learning.
- Students learn more deeply.
- Students engage in self-paced learning, think critically, and collaborate with classmates.
To implement a flipped classroom, instructors typically introduce new content through pre-recorded lectures or assigned reading as homework, which prepares students to come to class ready to engage in activities that promote higher-order thinking. The process of flipping a class begins with identifying the information students will need to learn and to participate in class, and then developing resources and homework assignments that introduce key concepts and prepare students to apply the concept or skill while in class.
Research on the effectiveness of flipped learning has grown exponentially since 2012. Studies have shown that flipped classrooms tend to produce better academic outcomes, and courses that combined flipped and lecture-based approaches tended to be more effective than those that were fully flipped.
