The Flipped Classroom and ICTs: The Perfect Combination towards Effective Differentiated Instruction in an ESP Environment

Differentiation is without any doubt one of the major challenges an ESP teacher must face. Indeed, learning preferences, readiness, learning styles, interests and all the specificities of each student should have an impact on planning instruction and assessment. Innovative educational approaches and methodologies seem to have at their core two fundamental aspects: the integration of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) and the acquisition of competences through cooperation. These two key aspects are strongly related to the shift from Teacher-Centred Teaching to Learner-Centred Teaching. When investigating the fields of ICTs, project-based cooperative learning, and the student-centred approach, the concept of flipped learning turned out to be recurrent. In this paper, we are going to expose how flipping the class using ICTs can allow teachers to respond to the diversity of interests, cultural backgrounds, academic readiness and learning styles in an ESP environment in order to move away from one-size-fits-all teaching. We will also raise awareness on the challenges that had to be faced when flipping the class.