The flipped classroom

In traditional training, the trainer possesses the required knowledge about the topic and tries to pass it on to the learners during their time together; either face-to-face or online.

A flipped classroom is one where learners access materials about the topic before they meet, and they spend the time when they are all together in applying the new knowledge, addressing any queries and discussing the issues. You can use a flipped classroom approach in face-to-face settings, but it works particularly well for online learning.

The following video explains the concept further, using the example of a school setting, but the same concept can be applied to all types of learning, including fully online learning where there is no face-to-face time.

Activity: The flipped classroom

Timing: Allow about 10 minutes

Watch this video and then think about the benefits and disadvantages of this approach for your own training by filling in the grid below.

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Possible benefitsPossible disadvantages
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Discussion

Your answers will depend on the training you were thinking about, but here are some answers we thought of:

Possible benefitsPossible disadvantages
  • Learners can study at a time that suits them. This may mean that more people can access the training overall.
  • Learners can study at their own pace.
  • Time together (whether face-to-face or online) can be spent on group activities and application.
  • The trainer can be more of a coach or guide and less the person who delivers the knowledge.
  • People often find it easier to keep a specific time in their diaries clear for a meeting, than to protect time for something that can be done at any time.
  • Learners may need to be more self-disciplined and self-motivated. If they encounter technological problems accessing the materials, the trainer will not be immediately on hand to help.
  • You may find when you meet up that people have not done the preparation work, and you end up having to teach material you were not expecting.
  • Some trainers might not be comfortable as a coach or guide. They might need additional support to take up this new role.

Do you think that a flipped classroom would work well in your context?

If participants are used to turning up to a face-to-face training without undertaking any preparatory work, it can require a change of learning culture in your organisation to make a flipped classroom work well.

It is helpful to be clear when people sign up for a flipped classroom course that it will work differently from other courses they may have attended, and to give them practical tips such as blocking out specific time in their diaries for the preparation work.

The sections Off the shelf: using existing online materials [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   and Making your own: creating and adapting content discuss some of the ways you can prepare online materials for learners to study independently.