How to Be a Good Student in a Flipped GMAT Class
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This article is particularly for students who are currently enrolled in a flipped GMAT class. Your teacher will tell you if you’re in a flipped class on the first day. If you’re not in a flipped GMAT class, but you just like investigating different methods of learning, feel free to read on!
What is a Flipped GMAT Class?
At Manhattan Prep, we always strive to develop ourselves as teachers. Part of the way we do that is by experimenting with different learning delivery systems. Most of our classes function the way normal school classes function: a concept is introduced in the classroom by the teacher and then it is practiced at home by the student. But why get entrenched in the conventional school-model way of learning? What if the concept were introduced at home first and then practiced in the classroom with the guidance of a teacher? Maybe the conversation behind the concept could then go even deeper. That is exactly the thinking behind a flipped GMAT class.
What Should I Do for Homework in a Flipped GMAT Class?
Given the reverse nature of a flipped GMAT class, your number-one priority for homework is getting prepared to come to the next class session. So that means you should be doing the Interact lesson ahead of the scheduled class session. (In case you forgot, Interact has all of our class lessons as interactive videos.) Currently, on Atlas—the learning management system you use to find your homework and other resources—our Interact lessons are listed as reinforcement for the lesson you just covered in class. So the Session 2 Interact lesson is listed under “After Session 2.”
BUT, for a flipped GMAT class, you need to be thinking ahead. So, for example, between Sessions 1 and 2, you would want to watch the Session 2 Interact lesson to prepare for your upcoming session. So even though it’s listed under “After Session 2,” you would actually watch this lesson BEFORE Session 2. And then you would continue always doing the Interact lesson ahead of the class. (So Interact “After Session 3” is actually done BEFORE Session 3. “After Session 4” is actually done BEFORE Session 4. etc.)
This way, you get to take time on your own to begin to understand the basics of the concepts we’re going to be covering in class. These Interact lessons aren’t just passive videos that you’re watching. You will be inputting answers and actually learning along the way. Then, in class, we can move a little faster on the basics and spend more time on deeper analysis of problems. It is imperative that you keep up with Interact because everyone else in the class will be doing so. If you don’t do the lesson ahead of time, it will be hard for you to understand what we’re talking about in class.
Don’t forget that the Interact lessons might take 3-4 hours in between sessions. So you must make time in your schedule to do them! You can still continue to do the other homework that is assigned (remember, we say homework usually takes 5-10 hours between sessions), but the priority is Interact.
What Will a Flipped GMAT Class Actually Be Like?
A flipped GMAT class will be like a breath of fresh air. It will be rainbows and puppies.
Okay, maybe not quite that far, but I personally think it feels great and I’ve heard the same from students. When everyone comes to class with the same foundational knowledge, it allows the teacher and the students greater freedom to stretch the boundaries of learning. Sometimes we’ll do a question that might have been in Interact—just to reinforce an important concept!—but most of the time, we’ll be doing similar-but-different or more complex questions than what you’d normally see in a class. I promise you, it will be fun!!
If you want to learn more about the history of flipped classes, check out this quick infographic. Or, if you want something more academic, check this article out.
So, I hope this little tutorial on how flipped GMAT classes work has gotten you prepared and excited to continue in this great experiment that we call learning! Now, go do your Interact lesson. ?
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Elaine Loh is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in psychology and a desire to teach others. She can’t get enough of standardized tests and has been a test prep tutor and teacher for over half her life. Check out Elaine’s upcoming GMAT courses here.