I wrote this for the March 2025 edition of Exceptional Needs Today magazine.
I first made the switch to a self-paced learning model in my special education Algebra 1 class in 2021. My students were a diverse bunch whose general deficits in math had been compounded by the fog of pandemic schooling. But I was pleasantly surprised by how well self-paced learning ended up working with them and in several other inclusion classrooms I co-taught that same year. I have been using this model exclusively with my students ever since and believe that it has particular benefits for students with disabilities (SWD).
What is self-paced learning?
I initially learned about the self-paced and mastery-based learning model from an interview with Modern Classrooms Project (MCP) co-founder Kareem Farah. MCP provides free materials and resources for teachers interested in pursuing this style of teaching, as well as a virtual mentorship program for those who want extra support. With MCP’s help, I learned how to deliver instruction to students using short, focused videos which my co-teacher and I made ourselves. We created a classroom where students could move through the curriculum at their own pace, meeting requirements for mastery of each lesson before starting the next one (they do this by taking short assessments called “mastery checks”).
Self-paced learning and special education
Most of my students receive special education services because they have been diagnosed with a learning disability, “other health impairment” (often ADHD), or autism. I have used the MCP model in both self-contained classrooms (all the students have disabilities and there is a single special educator leading instruction) and inclusion classrooms (some students have disabilities and instruction is led by a general educator and a special educator). I have found self-paced/mastery-based learning to have the following benefits in both settings:
Students who have struggled with school (most of the students in our classes) often don’t learn well from a traditional lecture. With pre-recorded instructional videos, the teacher is freed up to spend most of their time talking with individual students. Ideally, students come to us with a baseline understanding and a completed note shell to use as a reference. At that point, we can build on what they gleaned from the video by answering questions, giving more examples, and correcting misconceptions. This sort of individualized instruction wouldn’t be possible in a lecture-based classroom.
Teachers who have taught in an inclusion classroom know that the differences in student ability can be sizable. Self-paced learning allows more advanced students to learn alongside those who need more support. Faster learners are never bored and can even access extension lessons along the way. This was my single most striking observation after a few months of self-paced learning: a surprising number of students are being held back by a traditional teaching approach. This would be especially true in our inclusion classrooms where learning gaps can be vast.
For a self-paced classroom to function, the teacher must invest significant energy in developing systems that allow students to get what they need when they need it. The result is a structured classroom that benefits struggling learners. For example, within a few weeks of starting self-paced learning we built (out of necessity!) clear labels for all materials, seamless integration with learning management systems, paper and digital access to materials, and an accessible digital tracker where any student or stakeholder could check on progress through the course. This organized learning environment generally benefits SWD. As an added bonus, it allows for easier support from the constellation of other services that SWD tend to have. For example, a student with a resource room service can easily access videos and notes there (with a short primer for the teacher on how the system works).
Managing the hurly burly of a classroom of students doing self-paced learning can be overwhelming, especially with a large group. Since practice and checks for mastery are often scored in real time in our inclusion classrooms, we are continuously talking with individual students. Educators all over the world have used self-paced learning in many settings and there are ways to make it work even in a large class with a single teacher. But although our inclusion classes are somewhat large, there are two of us to work with students. This is a great advantage when implementing self-paced learning in such a setting.
Our inclusion classes are populated with some of our school’s most vulnerable students. Attendance and transience (frequently changing schools) are serious issues. Self-paced learning won’t fix the myriad problems students with poor attendance face. But students who have been absent are able to pick up where left off when they return to school, working on material they are familiar with rather than being thrust into a unit that they are unprepared for. New students can be easily started at the beginning of a unit so they can build the skills they need on a more natural timeline.
There are certainly challenges that using the self-paced model presents for SWD but they can be overcome with careful planning. It is important to fully understand students’ IEPs so that all necessary accommodations are provided. For example, several of our students get filled-in copies of our note shells. Students that get test accommodations may need these for mastery checks. The biggest obstacle to success with self-paced learning is the fact that almost all of our students are unaccustomed to being in the driver’s seat when it comes to their education. All students need clear expectations, modeling, and regular reinforcement when trying self-paced learning for the first time.
My co-teacher and I find it hard to imagine returning to our old way of teaching. Self-paced learning has unlocked benefits for our students with disabilities and, frankly, we both enjoy our jobs more than we did before (this is mostly a function of having hugely more meaningful interactions with students). Setting up our modern classroom was a sizable investment of time and energy but the rewards for us professionally and for our students have been worth it.
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