Use Flipped Learning to Enhance the Classroom

There are such a vast variety of trends in education today that it can be daunting trying to determine which ones are best for which students and classrooms. Flipped learning is on the rise within education industry trends and is being seen as a successful method for improving students learning. As this method begins to gain some visibility, many educators are experimenting with forms of flipped classroom models. 

What exactly is flipped learning?

The term flipped learning means to flip the “classroom” around by allowing the students to watch the instructor lecture at home via video, and then enter the classroom to actually apply the lesson by doing homework with the aide of the teacher. The students will watch online lectures of their teacher at home and at their own pace. They can also communicate with their peers and teacher through online forums and discussions. The students will then use the classroom to illustrate and apply the concepts they learn to complete their homework, projects, labs, activities or lessons. While in class, the teacher now has the opportunity and time to engage with students one on one to help them work through homework problems to achieve mastery or assist their trouble areas.

How was the concept created?

In early 2000’s, there were several teachers who began using software to record Powerpoint presentations and live lectures, which they posted online for their students who missed class, or for those who wanted extra help with the subject areas that were more difficult for them. One of these educators was Salman Khan, who founded the Khan Academy videos. These online lectures became valuable to students and began spreading, while educators began to see that the students were coming to class prepared with valid questions and ready to accomplish the work. Classroom flipping started to take effect as new approach to enhance learning.

What are the driving factors?

One of the primary factors in education that is increasing this platform of teaching is the high rate of poor learning outcomes in the traditional and public school settings. The linear methods found in traditional schools use a “one size fits all” type of teaching, which often results in lower engagement and mastery for the students. Some of the benefits that flipped learning provide, are less frustration from the students trying to complete homework that they needed help with, mastering the content of subject areas since teachers can revisit the concepts that each student doesn’t understand, as well as instant feedback and support from the teacher rather than waiting for a poor grade on an assignment then being pushed into the next subject area. 

Students who will benefit most from this type of teaching model are those that struggle in the larger class sizes for a variety of reasons. Many private schools today are emphasizing smaller student to teacher ratios in order to increase the learning capacity and engage each student. Halstrom Academy, with its unique model of one to one teaching and mastery content, embeds the flipped learning approach into its platform. At Halstrom, teachers have the ability to tailor the 45-minute instruction whether in person or via Skype, to that particular student’s learning style. Then students are assigned 3 to 5 hours worth of work before next week’s lesson. Students then spend their days on campus completing their course work with the aide of the teacher, campus director and tutor, thus getting instant feedback as to whether they have achieved the desired 80% mastery before turning in their work. Result: academic success.