Flipped Classroom

As you well know, the methodology justification of my unique ENGLISH through BOARD GAMES approach matters to me. This article is about FLIPPED CLASSROOM. 

The specific way I teach English is massively DIFFERENT from what 99 percent of English teachers do. I simply have a unique angle. For me board games are not just a tool to teach English, they are one of my LESSON aims. Moreover, they are what will help my course participants make friends and, crucially, get regular English speaking practice into their life. 

This is my main mantra and I admit it might lead some to believe that I disregard the proven traditional teaching methods, which are naturally based on research and academia. In fact, it is not the case at all; it happens to be the opposite.

Having done a Master's and DELTA, I am well aware of what is important and I reflect that when I plan the sessions of my course. I always try to combine the tried and tested methods with my own unique APPROACH. I teach vocabulary and grammar in context, I ensure there is enough controlled and freer practice, and I teach English in a COMMUNICATIVE way.

One of the well known strategies I have implemented in my own course is what is commonly known as “flipped classroom”. Flipped classroom means that students work on teacher-created CONTENT before the class (similar to homework - but it is not the same). This allows them to gain necessary knowledge and gives the teacher an opportunity to be flexible in the actual class where the topic of the selected material is studied in more DEPTH. An EXPERIENCED teacher can assess how the students dealt with the task and adjusts their lesson plan. If the students struggled with the material, more work is done with it. If they did not, more advanced tasks can be introduced. Alternatively, the teacher can simply move on to a whole new subject.  

The way it works in MY COURSE is that before each session I send my students what I call an ASSIGNMENT. This is essentially a google document that I created for them. It always has an accompanying VIDEO which is divided into several parts. The parts of the video are linked with different tasks in the google worksheet. Typically, there is a listening task; often a fictional dialogue which fits the theme of the game of that particular session. It provides context for vocabulary and grammar that is presented in the subsequent tasks. Sometimes I simply teach the language directly or give my students an opportunity to drill pronunciation. Other times I pre-teach the rules of the game we are about to play in the session. I do this mainly if the game has slightly more complex rules. 

I believe that this system really helps me prepare my students for the game that is played in each session. It also promotes student autonomy. It is up to the participants of my course how much time they spend on the material. It can usually be finished in 30 minutes, but if they want to, they can study the material in more depth. This simply hands the responsibility over to the learners, which I am convinced can be truly empowering when you study a foreign language. 

In the actual session, I can focus on what is really necessary. I can differentiate. If I see that the participants found the session assignment easy, I move on to the game itself faster; if I see more work needs to be done, I spend more time on it. Weaker students get more practice, stronger students are challenged with more advanced tasks. I can also easily modify the difficulty of the course in the following sessions. As a teacher, I cannot praise the flipped classroom concept enough. It gives me a lot of flexibility and I can offer a tailored approach to my participants.