Flipped classroom explained: why it works

Earlier this year, ExCel London played host to the Bett Show 2013. I attended the show, like many passionate about the transformational power of learning technology, to get an insight into the development areas new technology suppliers have been concentrating on over the past year and what this could mean for teaching and learning.

This year’s three-day conference focused on the recent changes in education and the escalated need for schools to strengthen their provision of teacher training and information. Web-linked coaching, turbo-charging professional development and plenaries on what head teachers need to know about the high impact (but high-risk) world of mobile learning – these were just a few of the sessions on offer.

Yet, while teacher training had a rightful place in this year’s agenda, it was difficult to ignore the discussions taking place in conference sessions, in social lounges and around the many coffee bars outside the main hall and on the exhibition floor. The ‘flipped classroom’ for me was the real focus of attention and drove many of the conversations I had with delegates.

The interest around flipped learning has not just happened overnight. The evolution of classroom resources and mobile applications has primed our behaviour, but it is only since senior leaders have identified the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies that we are starting to see real traction.

But what really is a flipped classroom, what isn’t it, how is it achieved and why does it work?

Student viral videos – tips and ideas to get started

In our previous blogs we’ve discussed the rise in cloud computing and the upward trend in the integration of smart devices in the classroom. Schools throughout the UK are becoming hubs for innovation, which is helping to raise learner engagement and promote higher levels of learning. But where will this take us next?

A teacher’s guide: helping students use Google Search effectively

In this article we consider the Google resources and lesson plans developed to help teachers and educators enhance their learners’ search skills.

Classroom tasks are becoming increasingly digitalised and, with greater access to the internet, teaching professionals are acknowledging the need for students to conduct greater levels of independent study and research. In the recent past, learners would head to their school or local library to refer to journals, newspapers and other literature. Nowadays, the first port of call for the majority will be Google and the somewhat infinite and instant access it offers to literary content.

This has significantly expanded students’ access to information from a wider range of sources, but conversely, it has also increased their access to misinformation and to material unrelated to an exam syllabus.