Have you heard about the teacher-led, grassroots, ed tech model growing locally and nationally known as the Modern Classrooms Project (MCP)? This nonprofit organization leads a movement of educators in implementing a blended, self-paced, mastery-based instructional model that is adaptable to all classrooms. MCP’s model is designed to support students with a high diversity of learning levels and social-emotional needs by leveraging technology to create greater personalization and connection in classrooms. Created by educators who saw the shortcomings of our system’s one-size-fits-all approach to education, the MCP model is structured in an easy-to-understand format that any teacher can implement in their classroom.
What Is the MCP Instructional Model?
The best way to learn about the model is to watch this short explainer video and this five-minute video produced by Edutopia.
Any educator can discover MCP’s core practices by enrolling in the comprehensive Free Online Course that has already empowered over 45,000 educators worldwide. Those wanting to dive deeper and receive support from an expert mentor can enroll in the Virtual Mentorship Program (VMP). Individual enrollment is available, or schools, districts, or states can partner with MCP to offer the VMP to teachers who opt in. MCP also has Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter communities where questions are answered, and tips, techniques, and resources are shared among educators.
An Example of the Impact
In Texas, over 2,000 teachers have enrolled in the free course or VMP. During the spring of 2021, leaders at the Game Development Design School (GDDS) at Burleson ISD led a school-wide implementation of the model. You can read about their experience and results (teaser alert: STAAR scores improved!). According to Crystal Deaver, GDDS Principal,
“With this model, we’ve been allowed to take good teachers and make them great. And those great teachers move even higher. It also allows the administration and leadership team to grow and become better instructional coaches and instructional leaders on our campus. Ultimately, it allows our students to grow, and our scores show it.”
MCP at TCEA 2023
I will attend the 2023 TCEA Convention & Exposition, along with Crystal Deaver, and we will be available to share more about the MCP model. If you would like to schedule a time to connect, contact me at jim.flanagan@modernclassrooms.org. For now, I’ll leave you with a few additional perspectives from educators and administrators, across all grade levels and demographics, on what makes the MCP model unique, accessible, and impactful.
