Have you ever stood in front of your class and thought, It's going to be impossible to meet the needs of every single student for this lesson?

You're thinking about the advanced learners who finish before you even finish explaining, the students with gaps who are struggling to keep up, and the ones who are chronically absent ... and the list goes on.

In episode 331 of the Truth for Teachers podcast, I spoke with Rob Barnett, a former high school math teacher and co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project. Rob is also the author of the new book, Meet Every Learner’s Needs: Redesigning Instruction So All Learners Can Succeed.

Rob shared a teaching approach that changed everything for him—a way to individualize learning for every student without creating an unmanageable workload for teachers.

No time now? Here are my biggest takeaways ...

Rob’s approach is built around self-paced learning in which students move through lessons at their own speed, with support and accountability built into the process::

1. Warmup and Community Building: Start each class with a whole-group activity to connect and engage your students.
2. Instructional Videos: Instead of teaching the same lesson live to everyone, record short, simple videos that students can watch at their own pace. This frees up your time in class to work directly with students.
3. Collaborative Practice: After watching the video, students work together to apply what they’ve learned, whether it’s solving math problems, analyzing a historical document, or practicing vocabulary.
4. Mastery Checks: At the end of each lesson, students complete a quick mastery check (just 1–2 questions) when they feel ready. This lets you see who’s ready to move on and who needs extra support.

Here are just a few of the benefits Rob has seen from this approach:

• It gives students ownership of their learning. Advanced learners can move ahead, while struggling students can take the time they need to master the material.
• It supports students who are chronically absent. Instead of falling behind, these students can pick up right where they left off.
• It builds strong teacher-student relationships. Because you’re not tied to the front of the room delivering the same lesson repeatedly, you can spend more time connecting with students individually.
• It reduces teacher stress. Once a video is recorded, you can use it for years. And mastery checks keep your workload focused and manageable.

There are small change you can make to meet students needs while making teaching more sustainable for you.

If this resonates with you, I encourage you to check out the full article + episode, where Rob shares more about:

• Motivating students who are content with just doing the minimum
• Using incentives and recognition to foster engagement without creating dependency on rewards
• How schools can support teachers in implementing self-paced learning.

I hope this gives you something to think about—and maybe even try—this week. You don’t have to do it all, but one small change could make a big difference for both you and your students.

Enjoy!

Angela

Angela Watson Stay connected on social media: ​​​​​​

P.O. Box 175, Bushkill, PA 18324
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