Challenges and perspectives of the flipped classroom methodology in foreign language teaching

Nowadays, in foreign language teaching various approaches are used depending on the particular characteristics of the students and the educational process. In recent years the communicative approach has predominated and its main objective is to enable students to communicate in the foreign language. All versions have common characteristics and are focused on the mutual development of the different linguistic competences that make communication possible.

In the present study, we aim to approach the communicative teaching of Spanish and French as foreign languages using the flipped classroom methodology applied to problem-based learning (PBL). Our secondary objective is to highlight the lack of innovation in the design of teaching materials with regard to the application of new approaches in applied linguistics. It is safe to say that they include more content but the different existing concepts have yet to be thoroughly analyzed. Although the studies carried out regarding the learning of a foreign language show the importance of the native language in this process, most of teaching materials are aimed at groups of multilingual learners without focusing on the needs of a certain group of student who share the same language.

In conclusion, we can affirm that the level we acquire in a foreign language is the result of our effort and, at the same time, it is determined by the teaching method applied. It is the teacher’s responsibility to select the appropriate approach in each case and adapt it in a way that responds to the specific needs of his students.