Implementing the Flipped Classroom Model and the CEFR to Enhance Learners' 21st Century Skills: A Practical Framework for English Language Teachers

Introduction

The goal of this chapter is to examine ways to meaningfully implement the key advantages of remote or distance education, which have been the norm for the past two years (2020-2022), in language teaching. More specifically, the focus is on the adoption of the flipped classroom approach in teaching English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL), but with a view to promoting 21^st century skills and cultivating information technology (IT) knowledge and skills. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the restrictive nature of traditional approaches to teaching, learning, and assessing, and therefore paved the way for more alternative ways of teaching and assessing languages. When the usual teaching (or lecturing) style in classroom-based learning became unavailable due to health regulations, teachers all around the world were forced to adapt their teaching style to the new reality; they had to abide by the rules of the ‘emergency remote teaching’ (Hodges et al., 2020). Similarly, students found themselves in an equally unexpected situation, where they had to get used to a new way of learning and interacting with their peers and their teachers online (Hamilton & Gross, 2021; Tümen Akyildiz, 2020). However, there are always two sides to each argument.

Without going into too many details, it is useful to mention that some teachers found some aspects of the new teaching accommodations more convenient, as online education opened up the possibilities of using multimedia in class sessions, while others longed for the return to a physical classroom (Gidiotis, 2021; Kulikowski et al., 2021; Russo et al., 2021). On a similar note, some students reported that they favoured the distance education format, while others found it unproductive. These are the obvious two-sided stories, or possibilities. However, this author would argue that most teachers and students found themselves in a constant alternation of emotions towards the ‘new normal’ (Cahapay, 2020; Pham & Ho, 2020); as with all new situations, there is always an adjustment period, when everything seems difficult or more challenging. Remote teaching was no exception to this rule: many students and teachers rushed to conclude that the distance education format was not going to produce the right results (Adnan & Anwar, 2020; Bhamani et al., 2020). Maybe this was because it was forced to both teachers and students, as there was no alternative. Governments and educational institutions around the world struggled to keep the impact of this pandemic as low as possible for education (Gozgor, 2022; Tadesse & Muluye, 2020). For many, it was uncharted territory in the beginning. For others, distance education was a familiar concept, so the disruptions were minimal. For everyone, undoubtedly, there was a learning curve (Hassell et al., 2021; Millar et al., 2021; Stein, 2020).

Going back to the aims of this chapter, the author wants to focus on the positive outcomes of the emergency remote teaching period. More teachers got educated in enhancing their teaching with technologies, and more students got acquainted with distance education and some of its positive influences (Baber, 2020; Gonzalez et al., 2020; Gopal et al., 2021). Throughout this process, regardless of their willingness to adapt into the new ways of learning, more students developed their autonomy and their IT skills, even if they did not realize it in the process. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and technology-enhanced learning gave their way to web-based language learning (WBLL) and, possibly, to computer-based language learning, a useful mix of CALL and WBLL. Both educators and learners became familiarised with online learning technologies, which creates hopes for a more meaningful implementation of technologies and web-based tools in the classrooms and the (language) curriculums of the future (Sánchez-Cruzado et al., 2021; Zulkarnain et al., 2020).