Flipping out for Flipped Learning

02/12/11

According to the Times Educational Supplement recently, ‘flipped learning’ is the latest teaching craze. But what is it?

Today we are in little doubt that technology has, and is having, an enormous impact on the way we teach. We only have to look at the ongoing popularity of events such as BETT, and the proliferation of discussion around the topic of social media to see its impact. However, up until now, the focus on classroom technology has been just that: technology for the classroom.

Flipped learning takes this trend and literally turns it upside down; it takes technology out of the classroom and puts it instead in the home, making the classroom a place for learning rather than teaching.  On a practical level, this means that students are given videoed lessons or online activities to complete at home, and in class the teacher would set the work that cements a grasp on the topic that would usually be given as homework. This suggests that the actual applied learning can therefore happen in the classroom, with the added benefit of the teacher being present to help facilitate it.

For those that attended university I hear you say, hang on a minute – isn’t the way you learn in higher education similar? I recall needing to go away and watch a video, prepare a reading or research a topic in my own time. The following day the actual discussion and debate could then take place to reinforce this learning in seminars or tutorials. However, this has always been easier said than done in schools as student co-operation and dedication can prove hard to stimulate outside the school walls where there is no direct teacher involvement (how many of us have used the ‘the dog ate my homework’ excuse?)

On a day to day basis here at Mango, we see, hear and work with technology that is designed to have take-home ability. As a result, I can see the benefits of flipped lessons; allowing students to take responsibility for their own learning, offering the flexibility to progress at their own pace without the distraction of other students, and allowing contact time to be used in a more meaningful way to discuss what has been learnt. However, to be successful, it will require students who are willing and committed to taking control of their learning, educators trusting their students to do so, and will need to ensure that each student has equal opportunity to access resources in the home environment – something that is not always easily possible.

Flipped learning certainly sounds like an interesting proposition, but can it really be the future of education? Could it support a greater education divide? We will have to wait and see.