The Digital Age offers many possibilities for pedagogical innovation. With the increase in recent years of free, online courseware sites such as the Khan Academy, more and more educators have adopted a blended learning approach combining online resources with in-class activities. The flipped classroom approach is one such blended learning method which has gained much attention in educational weblogs and magazines as well as mainstream media (particularly in the US), being hailed by many as the next revolution in education. But is it more than a buzzword?
In the flipped classroom, traditionally passive elements such as listening to didactic lectures or content presentations takes place outside the classroom so that class contact time can be utilised to engage students in deeper, more hands-on learning activities.
This study sought to explore the flipped classroom approach as a method for teaching digital design in a gifted education context. It was populated by former or present students of the Centre for Talented Youth, Ireland (CTYI) at Dublin City University. Classes ran alongside the existing 8-12’s enrichment programme and took place over six in-class sessions and five online sessions. Learners’ reactions to the experience were largely positive, although motivation was an important issue for the gifted learners. The online element of the flipped class allowed learners to tailor their learning to their own interests and ability, while the focus of the in-class element on constructivist, learner-centred activities afforded opportunities to work on interactive group projects, developing both hard and soft skills.