Eltam journal no 2 8th eltam iatefl tesol international biannual conference managing teaching and learning

Keywords: flipped classroom, collaboration, student engagement
1.
Introduction
The classroom environment is always changing, and teachers must adapt in order to meet 
student needs. In the last five years teachers have been asked to integrate new technologies into 
their classroom. One of the reasons for this is because today’s students have grown up in a 
world where there has always been Google, iPods and YouTube. Prensky (2001) regarded the 
individuals born into this modern world as “Digital Natives” and stated that “computer games, 
email, the internet, cell phones and instant messaging ar
e integral parts of their lives” (p.1). In 
2001, Chan also noted that the growth of information and communication technology, 
especially internet-related technology, has changed how, what, who, when, where and why we 
learn (as cited in Lee, 2005).
A rece
nt trend that has developed in education is known as the “flipped classroom” or “inverted 
classroom.” A flipped classroom, as its name implies, is a class where the lecture and homework 
have been reversed or “flipped”. In other words, the activities and exercises normally completed 
at home are worked on in the classroom, and the lectures normally given during class time is 
given as homework through video lectures, podcasts, or some other direct instruction delivery 
method. 

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If we look at the reasons why teachers started implementing the flipped classroom model into 
their classrooms, we can come up with the following conclusions: students learn at different 
paces (slow, medium, fast); sometimes students miss important pieces of informationfrom class 
even thou
gh they are “present”; occasionally students are absent (due to being sick, sports) and 
miss lessons; often students do not complete homeworkfully or correctly at home because they 
“forgot” how to do it from class (or simply copying from a friend); teacher spend most of class 
time lecturing and not giving students a lot of time to practice on their ownwithout support; and 
teacher spend many extra hours tutoring and re-explaining 
to students who didn’t “get it” in 
class. 
There are some misconceptions about what the flipped classroom actually is. Some 
misconceptions about the flipped classroom are that students spend the entire time in front of a 
computer, students work without structure, the videos replace the teacher, students work in 
isolation, or that it is an online course. An effective flipped classroom is one that, the time 
normally spent lecturing, is used for in-class activities, discussions, problems, and group 
projects. The most meaningful learning in a flipped classroom occurs as a result of efficient use 
of the extra class time (Tucker 2012). The direct instruction given to students as homework can 
take the form of a video, a power point, a handout, or a combination of these.
The purpose of action research project was to examine the effects of the flipped classroom 
model on the learning environment and student achievement. I collected data on lecture time 
in-class, interactions between students, student engagement, and overall grade assessments. 
Ultimately, utilizing technology should reduce class time traditionally spent on lectures. As a 
result, I hoped the flipped classroom would provide students with more time to interact with 
each other and with me, hence increasing student engagement and achievement in my 
classroom. 
The main research questions were: 

How does flipped classroom model change the learning environment?

Does the flipped classroom model reduce lecture time in class, and consequently, allow 
for more interactions between students? 

Does the flipped classroom model increase student engagement and achievement?