A Flipped EFL Classroom- The New Age Teaching Approach

21 Oct, 2022 Education

New Age blended learning and teaching approach

The word classroom immediately conjures up images of a teacher imparting lectures and writing on the chalkboard in a room full of students, who are listening and taking down notes. In a reverse of this conventional method, teachers share the study material of a new topic or chapter in advance with the students. Before coming to class, students are expected to study and jot down their queries and comments. In class, the teacher comes prepared with a session full of activities and discussion with the students.

Flipped classroom teaching methodology thus is a new age teaching approach wherein teachers conduct interactive and practical sessions with students. The flipped classroom teaching is being effectively used in ESL/EFL teaching and learning as well. Language is key to communication. Hence, by conducting active classes where students are driven to talk by means of discussions, debates and develop good elocution skills along with learning English as second language is the new age ESL/EFL teachers’ task.

Benefit of modern methodology

English language teachers observe that students from flipped classroom learning emerge more confident and prepared in English language. Flipped classroom, a modern teaching and learning approach when applied to ESL/EFL teaching fosters self-learning culture in students. Internationally, EFL flipped classroom teaching has been receiving wide attention as it focuses on the learner-centered modern teaching and learning approach.

Flipped classroom technique benefits both ESL/EFL teachers and learners who get sufficient time for problem solving and developing an in-depth understanding on the topics discussed. Some significant concepts of the modern approach observed by English language teachers are - students perform best when they are involved in what they are learning and, prior knowledge is required to help in-depth learning, flipped classrooms facilitate an enduring learning path that continues even after the course ends.

Novel education technique

Flipped classroom teaching has become a popular pedagogy. In this approach, introduction of any new topic by a teacher is partly shifted outside the classroom to the students. As in the traditional teaching approach, group learning in class time is followed by individual learning by doing homework at home. The EFL flipped classroom teaching simply reverses the traditional approach. The new age teaching is an inverted classroom where the teacher conducts discussions, questions, and different interactive activities in class involving all students.

The flipped method inculcates self-study and class preparedness among students before coming to class. This way, students get more time for group work and cover subject activities like discussions and peer reviewing. Further, it allows students to learn at their own pace and in their own time.

• Smita Mehta
• Writer & Editor | PG Journalism & MA Sociology