Collaborative Learning - A cornerstone of the Flipped Learning 3.0 framework
Mastering the Group Learning Space
In the Flipped Learning 3.0 Framework, the Group Learning Space is a cornerstone of active, collaborative learning. It transforms traditional classroom time into a dynamic environment where learners engage in problem-solving, discussion, and peer interaction. Unlike passive lecture formats, this space is intentionally designed to foster higher-order thinking, creativity, and social learning.
By relocating foundational content acquisition to the Individual Learning Space—using interactive videos, adaptive modules, and other engaging digital resources—learners build essential knowledge aligned with the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, such as remembering and understanding. This active, self-paced environment ensures that students arrive equipped with the conceptual groundwork needed for deeper exploration.
Ultimately, the Group Learning Space embodies the andragogical shift at the heart of Flipped Learning 3.0: from content delivery to learner-centered design, where collaboration and engagement drive success.
Understanding the Learning Space
The Group Learning Space (GLS) in Flipped Learning 3.0 is more than a replacement for passive lectures. It represents the core environment where learners move from understanding to application, creation, and critical evaluation. Unlike the traditional classroom model, often marked by passive reception of information, the GLS is designed to maximise active participation, peer collaboration, and instructor facilitation. This makes it the engine room of higher-order learning, where the knowledge acquired in the Individual Learning Space (ILS) is transformed into skills, competencies, and attitudes through social interaction.
The Effective Learning Environment
An effective group learning space should combine creativity, safety, motivation, and diversity of views. Creativity is essential for generating new ideas, designing content, and developing knowledge and experience. Safety ensures that every learner feels comfortable, confident to ask questions, and willing to share personal thoughts. Safety also includes trust—both among learners and between learners and trainers.
Motivation grows out of this safe environment. When learners feel secure, they are more willing to make the effort to learn and to engage with challenging content. A motivational culture is not accidental; it can be nurtured through a well-structured and supportive environment. Finally, diversity of perspectives is crucial. Each learner brings a unique background, personality, and experience, and this variety fuels discussions and strengthens collective learning. Additionally, it should be clear that inclusive measures must be considered in the implementation of the learning process [1].
Modern Elements of the Group Space
The idea of modern learning spaces has been explored in various contexts. A report published by European SchoolNet in 2018 [2] described possible future learning environments in schools, emphasising investigation, creation, presentation, interaction, and exchange. These concepts can also be transferred to adult education, particularly when combined with the principles of Flipped Learning. The notion of flexible group spaces had already been discussed earlier, for example at the “Higher Education Flipped Learning Conference” in Istanbul in 2017[3].
The Group Space in Flipped Learning
In Flipped Learning, the group space is central. It is the place where learners apply what they have prepared beforehand and transform knowledge into more profound understanding. The Flipped Learning Global Initiative (FLGI) [4] identifies fifteen elements as essential components for effective group-space learning.: Higher Blooms, Clear Expectations, Embrace Failure, Never Lecture, Student Centered, Promote Collaboration, Model for Students, Differentiation, Multi-Levelled, Active Strategies, Digital & Analog, Student Creation, Reflection, Regular Projects, Plan for Incomplete. In future articles, I will discuss and explain these elements as far as not just done in the following text.
Higher Bloom’s
Every type of learning has learning objectives. In FL3, you should always define competence-based learning objectives (in the form of knowledge, skills and abilities, and behaviours).
The GLS serves to teach skills and abilities after the necessary knowledge has been acquired in the ILS. This inevitably leads to the necessary differentiation of learning content in the two learning spaces. That is why flipped learning relies on Bloom's taxonomy to determine the type of learning content.
One key aspect is the use of higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy [5] such as applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating. This means that the group space is not reserved for repetition or listening to lectures, but for active knowledge work. Alongside this, clear expectations are essential. Both learners and trainers need to know what is expected in terms of outcomes, responsibilities, and processes.
From Lecture to Learner Agency: Redefining the Classroom Dynamic
The group space also thrives on innovation. Activities may not always succeed on the first attempt, but embracing failure as part of learning encourages experimentation and improvement. Traditional lectures should be avoided; learners who have not prepared must find other ways to catch up, as class time should never be used to repeat pre-class material. Instead, student-centred activities dominate. Here, the role of the teacher shifts from instructor to facilitator, guiding and supporting rather than delivering information.
Collaboration – learning from others and with others
Collaboration is another cornerstone. Learners work together, pooling ideas, experiences, and skills to reach stronger results. Trainers can model activities to make tasks clearer, for example through the ACAT method [6] (Analogous Comparison and Transfer), which uses familiar content to prepare learners for new knowledge without predetermining the outcome.
Differentiation ensures that learners of different abilities can succeed. Activities are designed with varying levels of complexity, allowing each participant to engage at an appropriate depth. Similarly, courses should include multi-levelled practice, ensuring that all learners have access to material slightly above their current ability.
The group space should also integrate a range of active strategies, including project-based learning, inquiry, mastery learning, or peer instruction. These strategies can be digital, analogue, or ideally a combination of both. Technology may play an important role, but handwriting, drawing, or creating with paper and pen remain equally valuable tools.
Implementing the Group Learning Space On-Site
The Group Learning Space must be experienced in a physical environment to unfold its full potential. On-site training enables direct interaction, trust-building, and collaboration among learners, which cannot be fully replicated in a purely digital setting. The physical space fosters creativity, spontaneous discussion, and active problem-solving, while also supporting diverse perspectives and social learning. Implementing the group space in this way ensures that learners engage not only with content but also with one another, creating a dynamic and motivating environment that strengthens both individual and collective learning outcomes.
Creation, Reflection, Projects, and Planning for Gaps
A further element is student creation. Learners should not only consume content but also create their own, evaluate the work of others, and apply what they have learned. Reflection is another critical aspect. At the end of each session—and throughout the process—learners should be encouraged to reflect on what they have achieved and where they need to grow.
Projects can be embedded into the group space as well. A carefully planned project provides opportunities for independent or collaborative work with a defined aim and tangible results. Finally, planning for incomplete preparation is important. Not all learners arrive fully prepared, and trainers need strategies to help them catch up without disrupting the flow of group activities.
Assessment
Assessment in the GLS should focus on learners’ active engagement, collaboration, and higher-order thinking. Formative assessment is central and can take the form of quick feedback rounds, peer- and self-assessment, or short reflective tasks that make learning progress visible. Additionally, action-research formats [7] can be used, based on the learners’ observation.
Educators should provide timely and constructive feedback, guiding learners to improve their work and deepen understanding. Summative elements, such as project rubrics or presentations, may also be integrated, but always in a way that reflects the collaborative and creative nature of the GLS.
Next steps
The practical setup of the Group Learning Space will be explained in the next articles. A clear step-by-step guide will be provided, showing how to design and organise the space effectively.
About this series
This text is part of a series of articles explaining Flipped Learning 3.0 and aimed at adult education organisations, adult educators and trainers.
The following parts have been published so far:
- https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/beyond-homework-your-guide-flipped-l…— From Classroom to Framework. Link: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/understanding-flipped-learning-classroom-framework
- Beyond Homework: Your Guide to the Flipped Learning 3.0 Individual Space. Link: https://epale.ec.europa.eu/en/blog/beyond-homework-your-guide-flipped-learning-30-individual-space
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About the Author
Mag. rer. nat. Peter Mazohl is an Austrian educator and researcher specialising in digital learning. With master’s degrees in physics and mathematics, he has over 40 years of teaching experience in secondary, vocational, and higher education. He is the founder and President of the European Initiative for Education (EBI/EIE). His work focuses on innovative teaching methods such as active learning, the Flipped Learning 3.0 Framework, and blended learning. Besides this, he is working as a professional photographer.
Contact: peter.mazohl[at]advanced-training.at
[1] An inclusive Group Learning Space in Flipped Learning 3.0 ensures all learners can actively participate and thrive by integrating cognitive, social, linguistic, physical, and reflective supports tailored to diverse needs. A detailed article will be published timely!
[5] https://www.quincycollege.edu/wp-content/uploads/Anderson-and-Krathwohl_Revised-Blooms-Taxonomy.pdf
[6] https://umu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1951346&dswid=-9614#:~:text=The%20Analogous%20Comparison%20and%20Transfer%20Method%20(ACAT)%20was%20developed%20in,transfer%20to%20the%20scientific%20problem.
[7] Action research in education is a reflective process in which educators systematically investigate their own teaching practices to improve learning outcomes. It involves identifying a problem or question, planning and implementing a change, collecting evidence, and reflecting on the results to refine practice. In FL3, the reflection is replaced by the trainer’s observation, the teaching practice is replaced by the learning outcomes.
