Blog Thirty-One - Self-Paced Classrooms
Self-paced learning is meant to encourage students to take control of their education. It is a style of classroom instruction that can be applied to a variety of subjects, including mathematics. The core is that students guide themselves and decide what pace they would like to learn at. It is more of a concept that can be implemented in many different ways, from providing an asynchronous course for students to complete at their own pace to allowing students to move ahead in the curriculum after demonstrating mastery of concepts on their timeline. It is an acknowledgment of students learning at different rates that is woven into the curriculum. It can also be implemented to various degrees. Teachers may want to reconvene every once in a while, such as every unit or at a set time period, to ensure everyone is on the same page. The idea is flexible and adapts to the classroom needs.
The self-paced method encourages students to take an active role in their learning process by having them set their speed. Of course, this pace will differ from what it would have been in a traditionally paced classroom. Some students may have trouble with some parts of units, causing them to slow down there and speed through other parts that provide them with less difficulty. It also creates an opportunity for teachers to shift themselves from, as Jeremy Stedry’s “Self-Paced Learning in Middle School Math” describes it, a “sole proprietor of education” to a “facilitator role” through the use of outside resources. This means students can hear things explained to them in different formats, which is crucial for having all students understand the material in their style. It is unlikely that one type of explanation or thought process would work for everyone, which is where the freedom and variety provided by self-paced learning proves helpful. Resources such as Khan Academy, IXL, or other applications with lessons/practice problems can give the students a resource to learn at their own pace and ability level while the teacher acts more as a guide and facilitator.
However, a major concern of self-paced learning is that teachers deprive students of the opportunity to engage in collaborative learning by having students be at different paces throughout the curriculum. The discussion may not be as rich between two students if one is behind the other in their understanding of the material. Even if the instructor would like to have collaborative aspects to the course, it may be difficult to implement when students are all at different places in their learning journey. Self-paced learning relies heavily on students’ independent motivation and willingness to follow the course material. The amount of autonomy it gives students means that their success is mostly in their hands. Students who struggle with motivation or discipline may fall behind with the pace of learning, making them unable to receive the instruction they need. Also, it is likely that most students are used to traditional classroom environments where the teacher sets the pace and are still learning motivation and discipline.
The concern of students lacking opportunities to collaborate because of self-paced learning may be mitigated by bringing the classroom together at consistent points, such as at the end of a unit or on a regular schedule, to facilitate group discussions and collaborative learning. Self-paced learning is extremely different from experiences in traditional math classrooms, which may cause many problems or backlash with widespread integration. Changing the structure of education at such a level will take changes across branches in and outside of the classroom. For example, textbooks and resources are generally meant to be supplemental to teachers, as they assume that the teacher is the main provider of instruction. Such significant changes in classroom structure will likely require much effort and deliberation beforehand. Of course, hybrid approaches that blend self-paced learning with some whole-class instruction may be a good place to start and create a smoother transition or a way to have the benefits of both the self-paced approach and the traditional classroom approach.
