Fast-growing online education firm
SOPHIA has been ramping up hiring and reach over the past 16 months, and with a new way to "flip" a classroom, it's likely to expand even more in the year ahead.
The Flipped Classroom Certificate was introduced in April, and since then, nearly 100 teachers have earned the designation, with another 500 in the process. The professional development certificate involves a relatively new teaching method that reverses or "flips" the traditional homework model.
In a flipped classroom, students view multimedia tutorials as homework, then use class time to complete assignments. This gives teachers the ability to provide one-on-one assistance, and to explore a concept more fully if it seems that students are struggling or particularly curious about an aspect of the subject.
Since students are online so much of the day, the model allows teachers to capture students' time more effectively.
Beyond the certificate, the company provides free teaching and learning tools in a variety of subjects, including math, science, English, humanities, fine arts, and languages. Founder Don Smithmier notes that bringing SOPHIA to the whole world was a goal from the start, and one that the company reached quickly. In just its first two days, SOPHIA saw people logging in for the tools from nearly 70 countries.
"We're working in a new category of education, which we call social education," says Smithmier. "It's at the leading edge of learning effectiveness, so there's no path to follow where someone else has led. That can be daunting, to be the first one to forge the path, but it can be exciting, too."
Source: Don Smithmier, SOPHIA
Writer: Elizabeth Millard