In last couple of years we have seen significant growth in the number of teachers who are using the flipped model of blended learning. This shouldn’t really be a surprise as the majority of teachers using this model give very positive feedback about the impact on learners and results. What is interesting though is the fact that the flipped learning model is not generally driven by leaders of schools, colleges or businesses, but initiated by the teachers themselves. In the infographic below 93% of the 2,358 teachers surveyed said they started the flipped model using their own initiative. This contradicts what we would always advise that learning and development strategy driven by leaders is the most effective way of achieving change within an organisation. In the case of the flipped model it appears that teachers themselves are driving the change.

I deliver a lot of workshops to teachers in the UK and in my experience the success of any blended model is down to the awareness of opportunities, planning and pedagogical skills of the trainer, not their IT skills. Flipping the blended model, so that the online element of the programme is completed prior to the face to face element, is certainly a good driver for learner completion, but poor planning, content and support, as with all training, have a negative impact. There is a huge selection of off-the shelf online learning, as seen on the Elearning Marketplace, and tools to create engaging online resources, but the learning objectives must come first and then the right online content, or tool to create the content, must be chosen to ensure the best fit to enable learners to achieve the required learning objectives. The best online content is not the content that looks visually impressive, but engages the learner and enables them to meet the intended learning objectives.  Learner engagement is most often achieved by the variety of online content that provides them with the opportunity to read, listen, watch and interact.

I was interested to read the infographic, at the link below, as it shows some interesting facts about flipped learning, including that almost half of those using this model have been teaching for more than 16 years. This backs up our view here at Elearning Marketplace that e-learning is not just for those who are often labelled as ‘digital natives’ or young techies.

http://www.elearningmarketplace.co.uk/blog/growth-in-flipped-blended-learning