The History of Flipped Learning

And Its Possible Future (If It’s Still Alive)

For those wondering about the history of Flipped Learning, it began in 2007 when two high school science teachers, Jon Bergmann and Aaron Sams, started recording their chemistry lessons and posting them on YouTube so absent students wouldn’t fall behind.

This was only two years after YouTube launched, around the same time Sal Khan, social studies teacher Keith “Hip” Hughes, and math teacher Patrick Jones were experimenting with their first online “explainer videos.”

What set Bergmann and Sams apart, however, was how quickly they recognized the broader potential of video. Instead of using it just to help absent students, they used it to move direct instruction out of the classroom entirely. That shift transformed class time into a space for collaboration, problem-solving, and hands-on practice — the kinds of activities that deepen understanding and strengthen skills.

By moving lectures out of class and reserving class time for active learning, Bergmann and Sams created what became known as the flipped classroom — or what we now call Flipped Learning 1.0.

Flipped Learning 1.0.

Those of us who jumped in early felt like pioneers. The technology was new, the possibilities wide open, and — let’s be honest — for some of us, there was recognition. Suddenly, we were presenting at faculty meetings, hosting webinars and Twitter chats, and, if we were really lucky, even getting paid to write books and lead PD sessions. We shared not only the big ideas but also the tiniest details — which mic to buy, where to place the camera, even what shirt not to wear on video.

Flipped Learning 2.0

Then, around 2010–2012, the whole scene shifted. A wave of classroom teachers, including Adam Norris, Tom Richey, Jacob Clifford, and Paul Andersen, transformed themselves into “edu-tubers,” producing top-tier explainer videos directly from their own lessons. These weren’t rough recordings; they were carefully crafted, clear, and engaging, and they were shared freely on YouTube for students worldwide.

At the same time, institutions like TED-Ed, PBS LearningMedia, and PBS (through the Green brothers’ Crash Course channel) also began producing high-quality, content-rich explainer videos that quickly found their way into classrooms.

Teachers started showing them all, and students loved them — sometimes preferring the polish and style of the institutional productions, other times gravitating toward the teacher-made explainers from creators like Tom Richey or Adam Norris.

Regardless, for most teachers, and especially the ones that didn’t possess either the skills or screen presence of the edu-tubers, the message was hard to miss: why spend hours making your own when a library of high-quality content was already available, free of charge?

With that in mind, I went to Jon Bergman and encouraged him to think about creating a “Flipped Learning 2.0.” This version, I suggested, should redefine the term, moving it beyond teacher-created videos to include high-quality videos made by others, even if that meant less demand for those of us who were teaching video-creation workshops for a fee. The point, I argued, wasn’t who made the video — it was about freeing up class time for deeper, better learning.

Now, I can’t say for sure whether Jon was already thinking along these lines or whether my push simply reinforced what was already in his head. But not long after, he formally announced the launch of Flipped Learning 2.0. And sometime after that, much to my surprise, my name showed up on a list of the 100 Most Influential Flipped Learning Educators in the World.

Flipped Learning 3.0 — and My Problem With It

Then in 2017, Jon Bergmann and Emmy-winning producer and longtime education media commentator Errol St. Clair Smith teamed up to launch what they called Flipped Learning 3.0 — “an effort to expand the movement beyond videos and classroom routines into a more global, structured community with shared frameworks and professional development.”

From the day it launched, I wasn’t a fan. It was clear that under the banner of 3.0, little would actually change in classrooms. Teachers would still face the same hard choices and persistent challenges. And the 3.0 framework would do little to help them navigate either.

To me, it felt less like an educational breakthrough and more like a business model — a way for a very small circle of flipped learning thought leaders to travel the world offering PD sessions and workshops for a fee.

COVID and the Collapse of Flipped Learning

Then came 2020 and the COVID-19 school shutdowns. Overnight, every teacher was told to put their content online.

While parents generally appreciated the polished videos produced by institutions and by edu-tubers like Tom Richey, Jacob Clifford, and Adam Norris, they also quickly noticed the poor quality of many other teacher-made recordings. These weren’t the carefully crafted videos from the well-known creators, but hastily recorded lectures by teachers who had never embraced ed tech and weren’t willing or able to invest the time to learn. The result was uneven at best — and often embarrassing.

That poor quality made parents angry. In the middle of such a difficult time, they felt their kids deserved better. Some even suspected that teachers were taking advantage of the crisis, not putting in the effort to produce stronger videos and instead hiding behind calls for grace and lowered expectations.

To top things off, there were the equity gaps. Not every student had a device, reliable Wi-Fi, or a quiet place to work. That made parents even angrier.

So when schools reopened, parents were blunt: “We don’t want our kids parked in front of screens at home in the name of learning. That time is over!”

The Launch of ChatGPT and the Dinosaur in the Tar Pit

And if that wasn’t bad enough, November 2022 brought something even more disruptive: the public launch of ChatGPT, coupled with the fact that, following the launch, time and again on social media, teachers were asking me if flipped learning was now dead.

My answer? From where I sit, the movement sure feels dead. If anyone has doubts, they just need to look around: the Flipped Learning Teachers Facebook group barely stirs, aside from the occasional video from co-founder Jon Bergmann and a few posts I’ve shared myself. Otherwise, there’s nothing — not even the admin chips in. On top of that, no new books of consequence with ‘flipped learning’ in the title have appeared since COVID. No conference presentations, no webinars, no teachers bragging about being a flipped learning educator.

So if there’s a vibrant flipped learning community out there, it’s surely not visible in the usual spaces that once defined the movement.

But let’s imagine I’m wrong. Let’s say I’ve missed something — that there are still thousands of teachers proudly calling themselves “flippers.” And let’s even imagine that, abracadabra, they all stand up and tell me: “You’re wrong, Paccone. We’re still here. This thing isn’t dead.”

In that case, here’s what I’d tell them: Okay, maybe flipped learning isn’t dead. But if you’re still clinging to the old 2.0 or 3.0 models, you’re like a dinosaur stuck up to its shoulders in the tar pit. You may technically still be alive, but it’s only a matter of time before you’re as dead as a doornail — unless you make some serious, significant changes.

And asked what those serious and significant changes are, my answer would be simple: it all boils down to what I’m calling Flipped Learning 5.0.

Flipped Learning 5.0 — AI Everywhere

Flipped Learning 5.0, as I envision it, is a big, bold leap forward — one that skips entirely over any talk of first launching a 4.0. Why? Because any version of 4.0 will almost certainly be just a token nod to AI. And that won’t cut it.

In 5.0, AI isn’t on the sidelines. It’s not an optional add-on. It’s everywhere.

1. Learning at Home with AI: Students no longer rely only on videos, readings, or podcasts. Instead, they go straight to the bot — asking it to teach them the content their teacher assigns, in whatever format or pace works best for them.
2. AI-Generated Checks for Understanding: When students return to class, they’re assessed on that content through AI-generated multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Feedback is immediate, showing both teachers and students what was mastered, what was missed, and where to focus next.
3. AI-Shaped Classroom Activities: Teachers use AI to create in-class experiences that fulfill what Bergmann and Sams envisioned nearly twenty years ago — not direct instruction designed to deliver content, but rich opportunities for discussions, role plays, simulations, and projects.
4. AI-Supported Classroom Work: Students complete some tasks with AI support and some without — with the key shift being that AI now has a legitimate, accepted place in their work, even when it comes to creating content.
5. AI for In-Class Group Accountability: During group work, teachers use AI to generate checks for understanding that reveal what each group — and even each student within the group — has actually grasped. This ensures accountability, balances participation, and makes group learning more transparent and equitable.
6. AI-Enhanced Wrap-Ups and Extensions
   Teachers use AI to wrap up lessons and design opportunities for students to extend and apply their learning. Closure activities become richer, more targeted, and more responsive — helping students connect content to new contexts and deeper applications.
7. AI-Generated Assessment
   Unit-ending exams and major writing assignments are built with AI — both in generating questions and helping to score responses.

That’s Flipped Learning 5.0: not a token gesture, not a half-step, but a wholesale reinvention where AI moves from the edges to the center of the Flipped Learning instructional approach.

But let me be clear — this does not mean I believe students, under 5.0, will need to hand over everything to AI and hence never write without AI, read without AI, or engage in peer review without AI. Nor do I believe it means teachers will need to hand everything over to AI.

What it does mean is that if flipped learning is still alive, then its survival in the Age of AI will depend on one thing: moving boldly into Flipped Learning 5.0, where AI shares the stage as an equal partner in teaching, learning, and assessment.

Sidenote #1: Using AI to Check for Understanding

For Flipped Learning teachers wanting to learn how to use the AI-powered platform Class Companion to check for understanding, click on the image below.

This slideshow specifically shows how Class Companion can be used to check for understanding after students have learned some content — whether from a YouTube video, a reading, a podcast, or a slideshow lecture.

There’s enough text on the slides that all you need to do is walk through them to grasp the key ideas.

While I showcase how this can be done with Class Companion, it’s important to note that there are literally dozens of other AI-powered assessment platforms that can be used in similar ways. The only reason I emphasize Class Companion is that, as a consultant for the platform, I’m especially familiar with how it can be applied to these instructional purposes.

Sidenote #2: Using AI to Wrap Up In-Class Activities

For Flipped Learning teachers wanting to learn how to use the AI-powered platform Class Companion to wrap up in-class activities, click on the image below.

This slideshow specifically shows how Class Companion can be used to wrap up in-class activities typically categorized as discussions, role plays, and simulations.

Like all of my other decks, this one is also designed to stand on its own: just move through it slide by slide and the key ideas will be made clear.

When doing this, just keep in mind that while I use Class Companion to illustrate the process, there are many other AI-powered assessment platforms that can serve the same purpose.

Sidenote #3: Using AI to Extend and Apply Learning

For Flipped Learning teachers wanting to learn how to use the AI-powered platform Class Companion to extend and apply learning, click on the link.

This slideshow specifically shows how Class Companion can be used to enhance six major types of student projects:

• Research Projects
• Presentation/Demonstration Projects
• Creative & Performance Projects
• Service-Learning Projexts
• Civic Action Projects
• STEM Design/Build Projects

This one is also designed to stand on its own, with teachers able to use many other AI platforms in a similar way to extend and apply learning.

Sidenote #4: Using AI to Enhance the Peer Review Model

For Flipped Learning teachers wanting to learn how to use the AI-powered platform Class Companion to enhance the classic peer review model, click on the image below.

In the classic peer review model:

1. Students exchange written work (essays, reports, labs, or other drafts — usually at the middle/high school level)
2. Students are provided the same rubric or scoring criteria the teacher will grade with
3. Students provide structured, systematic feedback, not casual (instead of vague comments like “good job” or “you need more,” they give rubric points plus written comments that explain strengths and suggest specific improvements; sometimes followed by discussion)

The goal is twofold: help peers strengthen their drafts and help reviewers internalize the standards. Research shows that evaluating others’ work improves students’ own writing.)

Here’s a summary of the approach I’ve created and share within the slideshow:

1. Students handwrite their responses to a writing assignment (such as a short-answer question, an essay, a lab report, or a research project) then upload a photo of their work to Class Companion, which can read the photo and assess it.
2. Then before receiving feedback from CC on their own writing, each student reviews their partner’s response, scoring it with a rubric and adding comments about strengths and areas for improvement.
3. Then, once both partners have exchanged feedback, the teacher releases Class Companion’s AI feedback, giving students a second perspective to compare with their peers.
4. Finally, students reflect on both sets of feedback and revise their work.

How/Why This Approach Represents a Compromise:

Today, in many online teacher communities — especially in spaces where writing teachers gather — there’s an active debate about the future of the classic peer review model in the age of AI.

Some argue it’s dead, because AI can deliver feedback faster, more clearly, and often more accurately than students, and that teachers who keep using the model are wasting students’ time and energy. Others argue AI should be kept far away from the classic model, warning that it dulls students’ thinking and takes away the productive struggle that comes from engaging with a peer’s writing.

The approach I’m proposing in this slideshow is meant to find a middle ground. By having students complete a full peer review before receiving AI feedback, we keep the authentic peer-to-peer exchange intact, while still adding the consistency and clarity AI can provide. The result is that students see their work through two lenses — their partner’s and the AI’s — giving them more to draw on when they revise and more opportunities to grow as writers.

Sidenote #5: Using AI to Enhance Group Work

For Flipped Learning teachers wanting to learn how to use AI to make group work more interesting, informative, and engaging, (aka to enhance group work), click on the image below.

This slideshow specifically shows how Class Companion can be used during and after group work.

As with all of my slideshows, this one is also designed to stand on its own.

Sidenote #6: Other Ways to Use AI

For Flipped Learning teachers wanting to learn how to use AI for any of the following, check back in this space before the end of the year:

• How AI can be used to enhance civic learning
• How AI can support FRQ success
• How AI can help personalize learning
• How AI can support project-based learning

Yes, each write-up will showcase specifically how Class Companion can be used, though many other AI-powered platforms can surely be applied in similar ways.

Sidenote #7: Jon Bergmann and Aaron Samms Way Back When

Sidenote #8

Click here to listen to a Jon Bergmann ‘Reach Every Student’ podcast in which Jon directly responds, and in a very supportive way, to the contents of this blog post.
https://www.jonbergmann.com/.../reach.../episodes/2149088785