Flipping the Classroom for Small Group Settings

By Marisa Graser

Updated Mar 05, 2026

In quantitative courses like mathematics, statistics, or economics, small-group tutorials should be where students practise higher-level skills, ask questions, and build confidence. Too often, students miss these mostly voluntary sessions, arrive unprepared, or sit passively while the tutor works through solutions.

Typically, the main content is delivered in lectures, and students are given exercises to prepare before small-group sessions, a pattern also discussed in blended learning best practices from the perspective of students. When tutorial time becomes a set of worked answers rather than active problem solving, discussion and questioning fall away, and the learning opportunities of small groups are lost.

The flipped classroom approach

Becker and Proud (2018) propose a flipped-classroom approach to address these issues. While it is often used in lecture environments, the same idea can be adapted to small-group settings (see inverted learning methods in higher education for a broader overview). Following a lecture, Becker and Proud (2018) suggest students receive practice problems and an online clip with worked solutions one week before the accompanying tutorial. Ideally, the lecturer records the video to ensure consistency in delivery.

At the beginning of the tutorial, the tutor should spend around five minutes answering any remaining questions about the published problems. Students should then be given a new set of problems that replicate or extend the published ones. Their task is to work on the new questions in small groups of three to five students in an open-book environment for about an hour.

This structure shifts tutorial time from watching solutions to doing the work, together, with support when it is needed.

The tutor as facilitator of learning

During the tutorial, the tutor acts as a facilitator of learning (Becker and Proud, 2018). Rather than teacher-centred teaching, the tutor creates a relaxed atmosphere where students are encouraged to interact and make mistakes.

To support this, the tutor should walk around and help groups and individuals as they solve questions. A helpful tool here is open, guided questioning, for example: What lecture content does this problem refer to? Was there a question in the published problem set that relates to this question? (Becker and Proud, 2018).

Additionally, the tutor should encourage discussion within groups and ensure that everyone is included and participating.

If the tutor frequently faces similar questions from students on a specific area, they can pause the room and, briefly (no longer than five minutes), work out solution strategies with the group as a whole.

Since less experienced junior lecturers or PhD tutors might be new to this style of teaching, Becker and Proud (2018) suggest a one-hour meeting with the lecturer before the tutorial to make sure expectations are clear and guiding techniques can be discussed.

Overall, the tutor's role becomes less about demonstrating and more about prompting, diagnosing, and keeping students engaged with the thinking.

Key points for success

To support the success of a flipped-classroom tutorial, a few key points should be remembered. Firstly, the number of students per tutor should not exceed 20 (four groups of five). For larger groups, more staff is required.

Secondly, Becker and Proud (2018) point out that progress in flipped tutorials is often slower than in normal tutorials. Hence, it is important to be realistic about the content to be covered.

Thirdly, the tutor should encourage students to write answers in exam-style for their own practice. This also allows for a quick assessment of progress so the tutor can provide feedback easily.

Lastly, correct answers should be communicated clearly. However, Becker and Proud (2018) stress this with great importance: under no circumstances should worked solutions be published. Instead, students can be pointed towards worked solutions of the published problem set.

Flipped classroom tutorials facilitate higher-level cognitive skills

The flipped classroom environment has multiple advantages over the classic setup. It tests students’ understanding by encouraging dialogue. The interaction also encourages cooperation, expression of one's own views, listening, and discussion, which all enhance student success (Springer et al., 1999). Overall, students are given the opportunity to develop higher-level cognitive skills (Becker and Proud, 2018).

The students themselves also seem to prefer the flipped classroom approach (Waldrop, 2016; Calimeris and Sauer, 2015) and might even improve their grades compared to the traditional setup (DesLauries et al., 2011; Olitsky and Cosgrove, 2016). For one worked example that looks at attainment and survey responses together, see student feedback on flipped teaching.

However, it is essential to encourage students to engage with the preparation material and participate actively in the tutorial to achieve the full benefits of the flipped classroom approach.

FAQ

Q: How do instructors address the challenge of ensuring students engage with the preparation material before attending the flipped classroom sessions?

A: Common approaches include short pre-class quizzes based on the preparation materials, quick readiness checks at the start of the session, and prompts that invite students to share questions or sticking points in an online forum ahead of the tutorial. These tactics create accountability and give tutors an early view of where students need support.

Q: What specific measures are taken to train less experienced junior lecturers or PhD tutors in facilitating learning in a flipped classroom setting?

A: Practical preparation can be simple: brief tutors on the goals and structure of the flipped tutorial, share example facilitation questions, and agree how to respond to common sticking points. Pairing newer tutors with an experienced colleague, or holding a short meeting with the lecturer beforehand, can also build confidence and consistency.

Q: How is the effectiveness of the flipped classroom approach measured or evaluated in terms of student success and learning outcomes?

A: Effectiveness is often evaluated through a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures. Student feedback (surveys, interviews, or open comments) can capture engagement and perceptions of learning (see what student voice means and how it is collected), while metrics such as attendance, completion of pre-work, and assessment performance help quantify outcomes. Looking at patterns in what students say, alongside performance data, can clarify whether the tutorial time is shifting towards active problem solving.

References

[1] R. Becker, S. Proud (2018). Flipping quantitative tutorials. International Review of Economics Education, 29, pp. 59-73.
DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2018.01.004

[2] L. Springer, M.S. Stanne, S.S. Donovan (1999). Effects of small-group learning on undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: a meta-analysis. Rev. Educ. Res., 69, pp. 21-51.
DOI: 10.3102/2F00346543069001021

[3] J.B. Waldrop, M.A. Bowdon (Eds.) (2016). Best Practices for Flipping the College Classroom. Routledge.
ISBN: 9781138021730

[4] L. Calimeris, K.M. Sauer (2015). Flipping out about the flip: all hype or is there hope? Int. Rev. Econ. Educ., 20, pp. 13-28.
DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2015.08.001

[5] L. DesLauriers, E. Schelew, C. Wieman (2011) Improved learning in a large-enrollment physics class. Science, 332, pp. 862-864.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1201783

[6] N.H. Olitsky, S.B. Cosgrove (2016). The better blend? Flipping the principles of microeconomics class. Int. Rev. Econ. Educ., 21, pp. 1-11
DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2015.10.004

Request a walkthrough

Book a free Student Voice Analytics demo

See all-comment coverage, sector benchmarks, and reporting designed for OfS quality and NSS requirements.

All-comment coverage with HE-tuned taxonomy and sentiment.
Versioned outputs with TEF-ready reporting.
Benchmarks and BI-ready exports for boards and Senate.

Prefer email? info@studentvoice.ai

UK-hosted · No public LLM APIs · Same-day turnaround