I created three videos a week for 31 weeks 

Prologue: 

To be honest, I wrote my frustrations during Summer 2021 somewhere. Probably in a draft I never posted. That or the pandemic is just blurring together. I ended the 2020-2021 SY doing all this crazy tech stuff. I earned a level 1 Nearpod Educator certificate. I got promoted to the head of the English department. And suddenly, we were expected to return to in-person learning despite the lack of vaccines available for children. 

In 2020, I finished clearing my preliminary teacher credential by creating a self-paced video series on argument essay writing:

Then, in 2021, and after learning how to use Nearpod, I tried to make a “better” version of these videos, which arguably are worse, because they’re really long videos. But the functionality behind the checks for understanding or student engagement was better formatted thanks to Nearpod:

In some capacity, I became obsessed with trying to figure out how to self-pace learning. Or create learning that met students’ varying needs. 

Right after syllabus day, Facebook fed me some article about self-pacing. And this teaching model that used videos, but focused on revision and practice so students could master what they were learning. It literally sounded like what I’ve been moving towards and what my capstone professor left me with. 

And I proposed to my students to give me a week to learn about this teaching model. And by the end of the second week, I spent 31 out of the next 38 weeks scripting my lessons, recording, editing, and posting instructional videos. 

Over the past three years, I made 138 videos.

There are about 38 weeks of school from August to May, according to my district’s academic calendar. And this year I expected to chill out. That by my 4th year, all my curriculum was set. All I had to do was pull up my slides and go auto-pilot into teaching.  

Over the past three years, I made 138 videos.

28 videos in 2020

18 videos 2020 – May 2021

92 videos from August 2021 – May 2022 

In the 10 months of the 21-22 school year and 31 out of the 38 weeks I developed and launched this teaching model, I made at least three videos a week. And it isn’t just about the videos, I felt like I found something that spoke to me as a teacher. And that I thought would benefit all my students throughout my entire teaching career. 

The teaching model was created by a non-profit organization known as The Modern Classrooms Project (MCP). It’s “a movement of educators in implementing a self-paced, mastery-based instructional model that leverages technology to foster human connection, authentic learning, and social-emotional growth.” 

MCP Overview video https://youtu.be/vtylYUZ3fks

After a week of completing their Free Course, I decided to start building my own Modern Classroom. I rabbit-holed into their podcast. I listened to it every day on the way to and from work. I introduced the model by lecturing the kids about it, only for the podcast to tell me “The best way to teach the model is to do the model”. I spent the first few weeks letting students self-pace through my typical community-building activities while I worked on my first instructional video that overviewed how the class will function as a Modern Classroom. 

I did a full unit for 10th & 11th grade:

10th grade YT playlist:

11th grade YT playlist:

It honestly was one of the most stressful and fun things I’ve done, though I think every year since I’ve embarked on this teaching journey has felt that way in some capacity. But I feel like this teaching model took all of my hobbies and passions, all these broken joints and tools I had about teaching, and put them together into a functioning machine. 

The results of this teaching model spoke for themselves before the unit was over. Within the first week, students were organically collaborating with their peers. They were asking deeper questions like “So I think I understand how Naturalism is like the counter narrative, but I’m not sure I fully get how…” versus “What are we doing right now?”. It opened up more 1:1 time with all of my students. And I could actually reach, each and every student if I wanted to.

MCP has their teachers do a before-implementation and after-implementation survey. And I was blown away with the results:

Student quotes:

1. I like that its self paced and everything is basically up to the students but if you ever need there is always time to talk to a teacher
2. I like that the assignment due dates are flexible (meaning you don’t penalize us if we don’t get it done perfectly on time). I also like that I have a lot of time to work in class, as I am usually very busy after school.
3. I enjoy that everything is self paced and that there isn’t any lecturing during class time. I also really enjoy how everything is mastery based grading rather than true correctness or having to be on time.
4. i like how we have the freedom to do things we need to during class and how you put videos and audio recordings to help us with the assignments
5. I like that this class allow us to work independently at our own rhythm because I think that working independently is a skill that is necessary for higher education and better time management. 
6. I really like how this class is self paced. Even though I always have something challenging to do in this class, I enjoy the amount of time we’re given to complete the assignment because it allows me to take a break from my other classes. 
7. That you give us so much induvial time, yet your always available to help us 
8. I like how I can take my time at my own pace and learn without feeling rushed to learn at a pace where I wouldn’t understand it is that I am learning.

The end of year data is even more absurd and drastic:

I’m shocked that even after all the stress I went through with grading (over 200+ late assignments on the last week of school), all the procrastination, the extensions of extensions, that students still felt MCP improved their livelihoods as academics. 

Epilogue:

I feel like I should do a separate post about what I did for MCP. My journey or more specifics creating everything. The process of making videos. Becoming the first Distinguished Modern Classroom Educator in San Francisco (getting certified) and even taking the virtual mentorship program for more insight. 

It was a transformative journey and I now find teaching more sustainable. And more exciting. I’ve always been an educator whose strong suit is the rapport, community, and relationships I have with my students. And now I can leverage that while also having a “rigorous” college-preparatory curriculum. 

To keep up with the lessons I’m sharing with students, stay tuned or subscribe to my YouTube Channel