But why flip the classroom in the first place? Wouldn’t it be better to leave well enough alone?  The system we use now has worked for generations—why fix it if it isn’t broken?  The first answer to that question is simple: it’s for the good of the students.  Each child learns in a different way and at a different pace.  Students develop unique individual learning styles over the many years they spend in classrooms.  The four main styles are visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, or vocalic. Visual learners remember information that is presented through written words, illustrations, and visual aids. Auditory learners need to hear something before they retain it; they learn best when teachers speak to them. Tactile/kinesthetic learners are hands-on students, and they learn information more quickly when they can experience things first handVocalic learners pick up on things when they verbalize their thoughts.  Speaking things aloud either in the classroom or to themselves helps them to remember the material.  Most students, however, use a mix of the four learning styles.  Since there will be diversity of learning styles among students in a single classroom, teachers should attempt to provide ample learning opportunities for all students. 

However, that’s just not possible when you put a teacher in a classroom with 30 unique students.  There’s not enough time in the day to give each student a completely individualized learning experience.  That’s where the flipped classroom comes in.  By allowing students to learn new materials through an online course, a teacher gives them the freedom to learn in the way that works best for them.  Then when they come to class the next day, the teacher can spend time addressing the students greatest needs and working them through the things they still don’t understand.