To Flip Or Not To Flip? That's Not The Question: Exploring Flipped Instruction in Technology Supported Language Learning Environments

Abstract

Although the literature on flipped instruction to date appears to be relatively atheoretical, the benefits listed in the flipped literature fit well with theories of optimal learning environments (e.g., Egbert, Hanson-Smith, & Chao, 2007) and student engagement (Lin, 2012, and others). This conceptual paper links flipped instruction to these two models and then briefly describes an ESL teacher education course that involves U.S. pre-service teachers learning Chinese online as part of a flipped classroom. The paper concludes by suggesting how flipped instruction might work in other CALL contexts and related issues.