FAQ: The Modern Classroom Model — Modern Classrooms Project

Every student, group of students, and school community is different - and you know their needs much better than we do!

What we can say is that we've seen this approach work across all grade levels and subject areas in every kind of school imaginable. To get a sense of who these educators are and what they do, we encourage you to explore these articles written by our teachers or to ask around in our Facebook group.

Ultimately, if you believe this can work for your students, we agree - and we'll do everything we can to help make it happen!

Transforming the way you teach is not easy. Planning and recording instructional videos, tracking students' progress daily, and holding students to high standards of mastery all take time. This is especially true at the beginning when these processes all feel new and unfamiliar.

Over time, however, this style of teaching becomes much more efficient - we find that teachers who are comfortable using our model usually take 1-2 hours to plan a new Modern Classroom lesson. And once those lessons are planned, they can be reused yearly, with minimal revision! Once your instruction is on video, you won't need to repeat it again and again.

Despite the initial time investment, a recent program evaluation from Johns Hopkins University of teachers we've trained showed that 78% find teaching more sustainable as a result of our training and that 94% will continue to adopt Modern Classroom practices for the rest of their careers. So, we encourage you to give it a try!

Absolutely not! In fact, our model is designed to maximize the high-quality time you spend interacting with your students. Because videos deliver most of the direct instruction, you'll spend class time working closely with your students, individually and in small groups. You'll also have the time to get to know your students and address their social-emotional needs.

In fact, our most recent program evaluation indicated that both teachers and students in Modern Classrooms had stronger interpersonal relationships than did their peers in traditional settings. Computers in these classrooms aren't replacing human interaction - they're enhancing it.

For one teacher's perspective on the ways in which Modern Classroom instruction affected his relationships with his students, we recommend this article by one of our Expert Mentors.

Our model works best in classrooms where each student has access to a computer (or other connected device), in order to access instructional videos.

However, it is possible to implement even in settings where technology is limited. For instance, teachers can set up stations (with just a few devices) where students can watch videos or have students watch videos on their phones. Watching videos should take up only a small portion of class time, after which students can spend the rest of their time learning with their peers.

As an example, in this Edutopia video notice how little time students actually spend on computers - and how much time they spend collaborating and working on paper or whiteboards. Even a few devices can go a long way in a classroom like this.

Change always takes time. If members of your school community are skeptical, we encourage you to:

Share our impacts.
Explain why you use our model and how it benefits students.
Invite them to visit your classroom.
Show them this course!

Remember that skepticism is inevitable and that feedback from those around you can always help you improve. The best way to change others' minds is ultimately to show them that your approach really works.

We are limited in our ability to provide support through this free course. However, we do offer several premium supports for educators, as well as a lively Facebook group for our educators. We hope to connect with you there!

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Who We Are MissionApproachTeamDEI

ResourcesBlogPodcastsPublicationsWebinars

Take ActionContact UsDonateLearn with UsWork at MCP

Who We Are
Mission
Approach
Team
DEI

Resources
Blog
Podcasts
Publications

Webinars

Take Action
Contact Us
Donate
Learn with Us
Work at MCP