With a Flipped Classroom, teachers pursue an active and interactive teaching method that enables them to motivate students and make the most of the social component of face-to-face classes.
There is always room for debate about the future of education. The various participants involved-teachers, parents, students or associations, to mention a few-tend to not agree on homework, schedules, and curriculums; however, they can’t deny the role that technology plays in current and future education.
Technology must not only be used as a tool, but as an end in itself. For this reason, the Flipped Classroom method has been gaining ground in recent years precisely because it has made intelligent and deliberate use of technology, involving both students and teachers. This is a 180⁰ turn from traditional teaching and it has transformed teaching into an equally active and interactive education, while also promoting socialization and participation.
A Flipped Classroom, also known as an inverted classroom, is a proven teaching method that has been producing excellent results in schools and universities around the world for years. It is based on two key factors:
- Using learning time in the classroom for discussions, critical thinking and reasoning.
- The relationship young people have with technology, including their interest level and ease in using online spaces.
As we have mentioned on other occasions, Flipped Classroom consists of teaching in a way that is totally opposite from traditional teaching. Traditionally, students would attend classes where they would listen to the professor’s lecture and then do practical exercises at home to apply what they had learned, but the flipped classroom method alters this order.
Instead, students study the lesson at home before going to class and once there, the teacher takes the opportunity to discuss what they have learned, engage students in hands-on exercises, organize group activities, etc. Furthermore, by working with Dexway language courses on the Voluxion learning platform, you will have access to statistics and Dexway Analytics, which allows you to monitor students’ progress outside the classroom.
Any questions that arise, which usually emerge when knowledge is put into practice, can be answered in the classroom right then and there. In addition, this system enables students to think critically and is designed so that they don’t just memorize concepts, but actually understand them.
Its most interesting features are:
#1 It respects individual progress
Students study the lessons at their own pace at home, without the fear of getting lost during the teacher’s lecture and potentially disconnecting.
#2 It promotes an effective learning process
Active and interactive teaching is much more effective than traditional passive teaching.
#3 It facilitates teachers’ work
Teachers meet with students who already know the concepts that they’ll be working on and are better prepared to participate in activities.
#4 It maintains motivation
Teachers can assign not only traditional readings, but also videos or interactive exercises, which help maintain interest levels and motivation.
Technology plays a very important role in the active teaching approach that a Flipped Classroom proposes. For this method to be effective, homework can not be limited to the class book. The interactivity that online courses offer helps to keep students interested. Teachers give access to videos, links, chapters of books and complete digital extensions that supplement the teaching material.
When studying foreign languages, the Flipped Classroom method has proven to be a great ally because it allows teachers to use classroom time for hands-on activities such as conversation groups or vocabulary games to help solidify what has already been studied. In this regard, Dexway has been offering this method for several years thanks to its blended learning language courses, which are prepared so that teachers can teach using the flipped classroom approach, if so desired.
Dexway courses in Flipped Classroom mode provide multiple tools and educational resources for teachers and students. The variety and interactivity of the materials keep students motivated and teachers benefit from that extra focus in the classroom.
If you are interested in implementing a Flipped Classroom in your language classes, contact our experts in e-learning language training.
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