What is flipped classroom? Generally speaking, it has three parts: students watch instructional videos at home, teacher scaffolds students' homework in class, teacher gives feedback and assessment after class. The videos should truely provide the comprehensible input for the students to help them finish the homework. Teacher need to control the time in class to make every minute valuable. In the flipped classroom, teacher does not need to explain everything to every student. Instead, the teacher provide help for individuals based on their own problems.
Why we want to flip the classroom? Some students may find it difficult to finish the homework by themselves. Although they feel like they understand what the teacher said, and took notes in class, homework can still be challenging. Group study is a way to change the scenario, but it also has many problems. For example, the advanced students may not want to waste their time to help others, or unwilling to help their competitors. The opinions from peers are likely to be wrong also. However, if the students discuss their homework in class, they will have chances to ask for help from the teacher directly. They do not have to write down their questions and struggle all night with their homework. Having a question and receive help right away will surely make them feel less frastrated.
According to
Three Reasons to Flip Your Classroom, a flipped classroom can (1) increases comprehension of the material; (2) increases interaction with instructor and peers; and (3) increases critical thinking as a natural part of the learning process. The students can control their learning pace by pausing and repeating the videos. Therefore, they can understand the materials better. The teacher, although s/he does not truly teach the class, s/he still need to "lead the class from behind".
