For educators looking to increase student engagement and performance, flipping the classroom holds great promise. With an educational model that works for more learning styles, the flipped classroom may be the classroom of the future. Understanding this model and the potential educational gains will help the modern educators make wise decisions.

What Is the Flipped Classroom?

In the flipped classroom model, students gain their first exposure to the material outside of the classroom, either through video, slideshows, textbook reading or some other education format. Then classroom time is used to help students process and fully grasp what they have already been exposed to, leaving time for group projects, open discussion and interactive experiments in lieu of constant lecture. The theory behind the model is that it embraces more learning styles than the traditional classroom lecture model.

Does the Flipped Classroom Work?

In theory, the flipped classroom seems as though it would work well, but how does it actually work with real students? A report from Vanderbilt University cited several studies that showed significant gains in learning when compared to traditional instruction models. One of these, a 1998 study of 2,084 students, found that students in a flipped classrooms exhibited learning gains almost two standard deviations higher than traditional classroom students. In another study cited by Vanderbilt University, student engagement increased from 45 percent to 85 percent simply by flipping the classroom.

Flipping the Classroom Practically

These gains are significant and make flipping the classroom an educational model worth considering. Yet how does an educator make the transition without tremendous changes in the classroom or a huge increase in prep work?

The Echo360 Active Learning Platform is designed to create a flipped classroom in less than an hour. Educators can record, edit and assign videos, then track whether or not students have watched them. Students will come to class with an understanding of the material, ready to perform the task the teacher has devised. The Echo360 program makes flipping the classroom easy and attainable for teachers.