The affordances of using a flipped classroom approach in the teaching of mathematics: a case study of a grade 10 mathematics class

Teaching secondary mathematics has a number of challenges, including the expectations that teachers cover the prescribed curriculum, help students learn difficult concepts, prepare students for future studies, and, increasingly, that they do so incorporating digital technologies. This study investigates a teacher’s, and his students’, perceptions of the benefits or otherwise of a flipped classroom approach in meeting these challenges, within a prescribed curriculum context. Data collection instruments included a survey designed to investigate the nature of students’ engagement with the flipped approach and semistructured student and teacher interviews. Analysis of these data indicated that the teacher and students were positive about their experiences with a flipped classroom approach and that students were motivated to engage with the teacher-created online mathematics resources. The study adds to the limited research literature related to student and teacher perceptions of the affordances of the flipped classroom approach and has implications for secondary mathematics teachers who face the challenge of the twin demands of covering the prescribed curriculum and catering for a range of students’ learning needs.