Flipped Classroom Model

What is a "Flipped Classroom"?

A flipped classroom (FC) is a teaching method that has the students study the instructional content outside the classroom and solve math problems during class.  This order of student learning flips the traditional way of student learning and is deemed to help students get the maximum support from their teacher during class, thus improving their overall classroom learning experiences.  This flipped classroom model was first proposed by Militsa Nechkina, a member of the USSR Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, in 1984 and was later popularized by two high school chemistry teachers, Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams, in Woodland Park High School located in Woodland Park, Colorado, U.S.A., in 2007.

What do students do at home (before or after class) in the "Flipped Classroom" model?

Before coming to class, students have to do some assigned readings at home by either reading a section of the course textbook, watching online tutorials from YouTube or Khan Academy, or engaging in an online discussion related to the readings.

What do students do during class?

During class, students are given a set of activities (e.g., math problems that are used to be the homework in the traditional way of learning) to solve.  The teacher then offers help and support when the students are doing these in-class activities.

Are there other variations of the "Flipped Classroom" model?

Yes, there are other variations of the flipped classroom model, and they are the flipped classrooms with productive failure and with case-based learning.  All these variations have students do active learning during class and do pre-lesson and/or post-lesson readings outside class.