Flipping the Foreign Language Classroom and Critical Pedagogies

Abstract

Since the foundation of the Khan Academy (2006), a great deal of attention has been generated to the term flipped classrooms (also known as reverse or backwards classrooms), which is a (new) pedagogical movement that reverses the traditional paradigm of class lecture and homework. This approach subordinates teacher-centred lectures to a secondary level of importance and proposes that lectures should be carried outside of class time in the form of screencasts/video recordings that students can watch at home. As a consequence, this newly freed class time can be used for discussion, questions and assisting students with meaningful practice and hands-on activities.

This article first defines what a flipped foreign language (FL) classroom is, and what it is not. The discussion then moves to the fundamental tenets of critical pedagogy (following Vygotsky and Freire), namely: (a) the opposition between banking education and problem-posing education, (b) scaffolding and the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and (c) accountability of the student’s own learning. It is argued that flipped classrooms and problem-posing models of education are in fact two sides of the same coin. Then, the author addresses some of the most common concerns among FL instructors regarding the flip and proposes possible solutions. Finally, the limitations are discussed.