Welcome to season 4 of the Reach Every Student podcast.
As I sit in my classroom, students are soon to arrive. I am preparing for what I hope will be an outstanding year. This will mark my 41st year in education, and as I prepare, I’m reminded about just how much what we teachers do matters. We have a unique opportunity to reach every student.
And boy are we facing challenges. AI has changed the world and certainly changed our classrooms. There is a growing techlash from parents, policymakers, and fellow teachers - that the misuse of technology in the classroom has harmed kids.
In the midst of all of this change, I come into this school year feeling extremely positive. Last year I felt that I had more impact and connection with students than ever in my long career. I attribute much of this connection to my implementing the MasteryFlip Framework, where human-centered conversations play such a big role. Built into the model are “mastery vivas,” short targeted conversations. And though the conversations focused on science stuff, it also helped me get to know my students so much better.
And over the summer, I continued to think about how to make this model better. In this episode, I walk through the steps I will be taking in the coming year to teach in the age of AI. Below are a few thoughts:
Improvements to the MasteryFlip Model
4-point scale for formative vivas: Last year, after a student did a mastery viva with me, I either gave them credit or not. This year, the rubric will change. If they understand the content of a lesson, they get a 3. If they can extend it, they get a 4. My hope is that they will strive for deeper understanding and even use AI to prepare them for the vivas.
Vivas on Summative Assessments: My amazing colleague, Erin - a math teacher - took the MasteryFlip Certification course and brainstormed with me about how she would implement it. She will use vivas formatively, but also make it a part of summative evaluations. I did this with a big PBL project last year (The Trebuchet Project) - but I didn’t do it on a regular basis. This coming year, I will make every student answer one question orally on every summative assessment, and it will account for a decent portion of their grade.
MasteryFlip Certification
Teachers and teams of teachers from around the world are starting to use the MasteryFlip Framework. I just got off a Zoom call with the Ministry of Education for a province in Missiones, Argentina, and they will be making it their primary teaching strategy for PD in the coming year.
If you are interested in becoming MasteryFlip Certified, you can simply go to the links below. There are three options:
Season 4 Teaser
Starting in early September—when schools nationwide are fully back in session—Season 4 will feature deep-dive interviews with world-class education leaders
Dr. Tony Wagner (Harvard/LPI) on why the global economy no longer cares what students know, but what they can do
Dr. Tina Grotzer (Harvard Project Zero) on the biological necessity of paper friction and user manuals for the mind
Dr. Justin Reich (MIT Teaching Systems Lab) on why Silicon Valley engineers can’t train novices with AI copilots
And others…
Episode 85 Key Moments: The Human-Centered Classroom Blueprint
00:00:00 — Season 4 Kickoff in Room 231: Setting up for Year 41 and navigating the nationwide classroom “techlash.”
00:01:08 — The Free 2-Seat Executive Pilot: How administrators can claim two free course passes (Principal + Lead Teacher) with zero district budget risk.
00:02:08 — Reclaiming Analog Roots: Why replacing online auto-graders with handwritten AP Physics workbooks stops students from bringing a “forklift to the weight room.”
00:03:44 — The 3 vs. 4-Level Viva Scale: Scaling oral checks with Teacher of the Year Erin (Math) and handling parent pushback on grading.
00:05:37 — The 15% Viva Test Bucket: Integrating 3-minute “questions out of a hat” oral defenses directly into summative exams.
00:07:46 — AI as a Rehearsal Coach, Not a Cheat Button: Reprogramming Flint K-12 to run practice simulations before students face the real teacher.
00:09:01 — Season 4 Fall Guest Preview: Announcing full-length September interview drops featuring Dr. Tony Wagner (Harvard), Dr. Tina Grotzer (Harvard), and Dr. Justin Reich (MIT).
00:10:48 — 41 Years in the Trenches: Why human connection and student relationships matter far more than rushing through content.
