3.1 When would you use flipped learning?

Devising well thought through, structured activities that engage learners before you meet them is the essence of the flipped approach.

Figure 4 Flipped learning refers to how structured tasks are often undertaken before face-to-face teaching

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An image of desks, chairs, bookcase and curtains in a classroom – they have all been turned 180 degrees so it looks as if they are all fixed to the ceiling and upside down. A sign saying ‘flipped classroom’ hangs the right way up on the wall.

Figure 4 Flipped learning refers to how structured tasks are often undertaken before face-to-face teaching

You are most likely to use this approach if you have resources you can direct learners to; this might free up time in face-to-face contact. In a sense, this very course – if used as a pre-requisite for those attending coach developer training – could act as a form of flipped learning since everyone should arrive with similar baseline knowledge.

Both PBL and flipped learning have been termed active teaching approaches as opposed to passive i.e. learners do something rather than just sit and listen. In the next section you’ll consider the extent to which the marginalisation of so-called passive teaching approaches, like instruction, could be unjustified.