Humanizing Teaching Practices
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, Zach Diamond is joined by Paul France, an author and advocate for sustainable teaching practices, to delve into the need for more humanized and sustainable approaches in education.
Paul highlights the importance of shifting from a conventional view of consequences as solely negative to recognizing their positive potential within classrooms. He emphasizes the power of reframing consequences as results or outcomes stemming from actions, This can help you to foster a deeper understanding among students. He mentions, "There are good consequences when you operate within the boundaries we set in our classroom," illustrating the idea that maintaining agreements can lead to positive outcomes.
Zach and Paul champion the Modern Classrooms model for its ability to humanize teaching. They see it as a means to prioritize relationships, nurturing a student-centered approach that respects individual learning paces. Paul reflects, "Mastery is the ability to connect one's efforts with one's progress," emphasizing the model's focus on personalized growth rather than rigid timelines.
Here are three key takeaways from this podcast episode:
Reframe "consequences" to encompass both positive and negative outcomes, encouraging better student understanding. Paul states, "There are good consequences when you operate within the boundaries we set in our classroom.”
The Modern Classrooms model empowers teachers to build relationships and prioritize mastery-based learning. Zach shares, "Mastery is the ability to connect one's efforts with one's progress.”
Sustainable teaching is not about reducing workload but fostering an enjoyable, student-centered environment.
Discussion questions for PLC and PD:
How can we reframe the concept of "consequences" within our classrooms to help students better understand the positive and negative outcomes of their actions and decisions?
In what ways can we incorporate mastery-based learning and self-pacing, as seen in the Modern Classrooms model, to prioritize relationships and create a more student-centered educational environment?
What strategies can educators adopt to make teaching more sustainable, keeping in mind that sustainability doesn't necessarily mean reducing workload but creating an enjoyable, student-focused learning experience?
Our Host
Zach Diamond studied Music History and Theory at Oberlin College and received a Masters of Music in Music Education from Boston University. He taught music for five years in Lima, Peru, and is currently a Middle School music teacher at DC International School, a language-immersion school where he teaches in Spanish. He began implementing the Modern Classrooms Model in the 19-20 School Year and enthusiastically continues his work with the organization as a mentor and podcast producer.
Our Guest: Paul Emerich France
I am a National Board Certified Teacher, Literacy Specialist, adjunct professor, keynote speaker, and the author over 40 publications, including Make Teaching Sustainable and Reclaiming Personalized Learning.
With over a decade of experience as an elementary school teacher, my work has been endorsed by thought leaders in education, including Carol Ann Tomlinson (The Differentiated Classroom), Tony Wagner (Most Likely to Succeed), Jim Knight (The Impact Cycle), Doug Fisher (Distance Learning Playbook), and Jo Boaler (Mathematical Mindsets).
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