I’m pretty new to the group and after finishing the free course, my biggest question is how do you keep your class from getting monotonous? I teach 6th grade math and do a lot with manipulatives, movement, and anything I can to make my lessons interesting and engaging. How do you do that when your students are all at different places within a unit? - Avoiding Monotony

Dear AM,

You are asking a question that tells me you are focused on creating an engaging classroom for all of your students. We sometimes call this the “treadmill effect.” Once students get their routines in place, there is always the concern that instruction becomes too routine. A Modern Classroom can avoid this by creating intentional tasks that foster collaboration and by motivating students with intentional learner agency. 

Students are most engaged when they have opportunities to collaborate during their self-pacing. Try grouping student desks by their current lesson and allowing students to move between them. You could even add “collaboration tips” on a notecard at each table to coach students on how to work together. 

You can also try designing tasks within the self-pacing routine that require collaboration. I saw an Alamaba educator add a collaborative lab table to her classroom. As students were ready for the lab, they joined in on the investigation happening at this table. Another educator in Pennsylvania set up a peer review protocol for certain activities. Students used a peer review guide to check each other’s work and have conversations about their thinking. You could even create a station for student-led mastery check review games. This is a great opportunity to get creative!

Finally, while the values of a strong self-pacing routine are immense, it never hurts to break the routine once in a while. Try a whole-class Wednesday to engage with a game or have a seminar discussion. 

Don’t forget that a Modern Classroom is still your classroom. You bring it to life!

Matthew Hickson
Director of Partner Transformation

Matt Hickson is a community organizer turned school leader. He believes in leveraging the power of education to build more joyful, purposeful, and just communities. In more than a decade of work in North Carolina, he has organized movements for education justice while serving his community both inside and outside of school buildings. Matt was the Durham Public Schools Beginning Teacher of the Year before becoming a principal and central services director. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the Board of Directors at Student U and the Chair for Equity Through Innovation for the DPS Foundation. While teaching, Matt joined with colleagues to advocate for the inclusion and affirmation of LGBTQ+ students in the school system. He co-founded the Bull City Schools Unity project to train staff and promote more affirming policies. This project trained thousands of educators and led to the passage of district-wide policy supporting trans and non-binary students. When not organizing and agitating, Matt is an avid Buffalo Bills fan and dog dad to his new puppy Archie. He currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Looking for more Ask MCP questions? “How would you explain must do, should do and aspire to do activities? Shouldn’t students complete all their assigned work? ” Read Debbie Menard’s response to this question.