Welcome to the Modern Classrooms Project Podcast. Each week we bring you discussions with educators on how they use blended, self-paced, and mastery-based learning to better serve their learners. In this episode, Toni Rose Deanon is joined by Ylaiza Perez, a math educator implementing mastery-based teaching and learning strategies, to discuss teaching authentically and promoting true mastery.

Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:

• Moving Beyond Individualism: Toni Rose acknowledges the societal pressure to be independent learners. They argue that students benefit from a collaborative environment where asking for help is encouraged. "We often get questions and comments like, my students are rushing through the mastery checks, and then they just do it five times, 10 times, and they're still not mastering it." That is why it is important to create a safe space for students to grapple with challenges instead of focusing on test performance or completion.

• The Power of Productive Struggle: Productive struggle is essential for learning. Effective assessments go beyond rote memorization and instead encourage students to reflect on their thought process and identify areas of confusion. Ylaiza shares, "One thing that the director of STEM had in mind...was how do we create metacognition for kids, for them to really reflect on what they learned? What were they confused about in the first place?" Supporting metacognitive development allows students to target their weaknesses and develop a deeper understanding of the material.

• Growth Mindset for Everyone: A growth mindset is not just for students. Teachers can also benefit from reflecting on their practice and embracing opportunities to learn and grow. Ylaiza states "I think one thing I have gathered... in the past few months is the importance of really understanding growth - your own growth and not becoming stagnant in life, just because you're comfortable." Educators who want to promote the values of lifelong learning with their students must be lifelong learners themselves.

Overall, this conversation highlights the importance of moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach to assessment and creating a learning environment that fosters deeper understanding, celebrates growth, and promotes a love of learning.

Discussion questions for PLC and PD: 

• How can we create a classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking for help and collaborating with peers, even when we want to support students to become independent learners? 

• Beyond traditional tests, how can we design assessments that encourage productive struggle and metacognition to deepen student understanding?

• Reflecting on Ylaiza’s quote, "I think one thing I have gathered... in the past few months is the importance of really understanding growth - your own growth and not becoming stagnant in life, just because you're comfortable,” how can we, as educators, cultivate a growth mindset within ourselves to continuously improve our teaching practices?

Our Host

Toni Rose taught MS English for 10 years and will forever identify as a teacher. Toni Rose strives to be the teacher that they never had growing up, so they focus on anti-bias, anti-racist work and wants to create a brave space for everyone around them. As a queer Filipinx, they understand just how important it is to be represented, be valued, and belong. They especially love being a thought partner for and celebrating teachers.

Our Guest: Ylaiza Perez

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