Sophia.org has enhanced its social teaching and learning platform to include more than 25,000 free tutorials on math, science, English, and more—all in an ad-free environment. What’s more, the site has become a key destination for teachers who are looking to “flip” their classrooms, its makers say.

According to a survey of 400 teachers who use Sophia, 85 percent of teachers who have flipped their classroom have seen improved grades—and nearly all who have flipped would recommend it to others.  In addition, more than 80 percent of teachers who hadn’t flipped their classroom are anxious to learn more about how to flip.

Teachers who flip their classroom reverse the traditional homework model by developing and assigning multimedia tutorials that students watch as homework. Then, class time is used to complete assignments, projects, or discussions, when teachers can provide one-on-one assistance. With the ability to review information repeatedly on their own, students can learn at their own pace.

When asked why they flip their classroom, 30 percent of the teachers surveyed said it allows them to delve deeper into subjects during class time, and 23 percent said they’ve transformed their class from a lecture forum to an interactive learning environment.

Sophia also now offers a professional development credit for teachers who are interested in learning how to flip their classroom. The program includes webinars offered by teachers who use this instructional method.

Sophia is a free social teaching and learning platform that offers academic content to anyone, anywhere, free of charge. The website, which has been described as a mashup of Facebook, Wikipedia, and YouTube that is focused solely on education, also lets educators supplement their instruction with tools to create a customized learning environment in a private or public setting.

http://www.sophia.org