The traditional pattern of corporate teaching has been to assign students to listen to lectures and take tests in class while reading textbooks and working on small problem sets outside the company.
In flip teaching, the students first study the topic by themselves, typically using video lessons prepared by the teacher or third parties. In class students apply the knowledge by solving problems and doing practical work. The teacher tutors the students when they become stuck, rather than imparting the initial lesson in person. Complementary techniques include differentiated instruction and problem-based learning.
In my opinion, more than anywhere else, the concept of the Flipped Classroom can, and should, be applied on corporate environments:
- The instructor should begin by selecting the course material, searching for tutorials, videos and textbooks on the internet, creating them only when absolutely necessary, as in company specific training like organizational culture or history.
- In the training “kick-off”, the instructor presents the course calendar, goals and organization and points to the first material, preferably videos, tutorials and interactive media.
- During the next “encounters”, the instructor fosters and facilitates discussions and problem-solving, using coaching techniques and encouraging full participation, mutual understanding and shared responsibility.
References
Salman Khan shows the power of interactive exercises, and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script — give students video lectures to watch at home, and do “homework” in the classroom with the teacher available to help.
PS: Special thanks to my colleagues at work, who pointed me to the Flipped Classroom concept ;)