Student-Centered Learning Opportunities For Adolescent English Learners In Flipped Classrooms
April 19, 2016
AVARY CARHILL-POZA, PH.D. AND PANAYOTA GOUNARI, PH.D.
As schools look to raise standards and close achievement gaps, they need effective strategies for serving English language learners, the fastest-growing segment of the school-age population who have historically lagged behind their native English-speaking peers on state assessments and in graduation rates.
Flipped learning, which blends in-person and online learning to maximize student and teacher interactions, shows potential for accelerating English learners’ progress. In a flipped classroom, students access direct instruction on their own time, while class time is used for interactive lessons, collaborative projects, and personalized teacher support.
This study from the University of Massachusetts-Boston examines how flipped learning can be utilized to improve the language and content acquisition of adolescent English language learners.
Student-centered approaches to instruction show potential to close the achievement gap between English learners and their peers, supporting students’ acquisition of both academic language and content.