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 Sean Aker to discuss the challenges and opportunities within the modern education landscape.

The conversation highlights the need for a paradigm shift in teacher preparation, emphasizing the importance of developing developing skills in adaptability, collaboration, and a growth mindset for all educators.

They emphasize the significance of transparency in educational processes, stating, “If you’re not transparent, people will write their own stories.” Sean also emphasizes the importance of clear and accessible assessment practices for student success. Both Toni Rose and Sean agree that the traditional "college-track" mentality needs to be challenged, providing students with a broader range of post-secondary options.

Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:

• The dual nature of the teaching profession: Ways of being refer to mindsets and attitudes, and ways of doing refer to practices and procedures. Educators have to do the work on both sides of the scale to be successful, and strong professional development options will address both.

• Assessment has to change: Clear and accessible assessment practices are crucial for student success. In addition to a culture of over-testing, our assessment practices culturally don’t serve to support student learning.

• College is a great post-secondary option, but it isn’t the only one: Many educators were trained up to believe and socialize that college readiness was the goal of K-12 education. However, a shift away from the exclusive focus on college preparation is needed to provide students with diverse pathways for post-secondary options.

Discussion questions for PLC and PD: 

• How can we effectively integrate "ways of being" and "ways of doing" into teacher preparation programs to better equip educators for the modern classroom?

• In what ways can we create more transparent systems and processes within our schools to foster trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility among staff?

• How can we shift our focus from a traditional "college-track" mentality to a broader range of post-secondary options for all students? What specific steps can we take to support students in exploring their interests and talents?

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 Guests

Sean Aker

Sean Aker is an education leader with over 18 years of experience, most recently serving as a Program Coordinator at Willamette Education Service District. He has a history of building positive work environments and fostering collaboration to improve systems and outcomes.

Sean serves on the ACCUPLACER National Advisory Committee, the Oregon Career Information Systems Board of Directors, and the Oregon Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. He has facilitated numerous workshops and presentations on topics such as equity leadership, reducing chronic absenteeism, career and technical education, and language access.

Sean was trained in Educational Leadership at the University of Concordia - Chicago, holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Western Oregon University, and a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Western Oregon University.

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