Zach Diamond 0:03 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 students. We believe teachers learn best from each other, so this is our way of lifting up the voices of leaders and innovators in our community. This is the modern classrooms project podcast. Hello and welcome to episode number 220 of the modern classrooms project podcast. My name is Zach diamond, and I'm a high school media production teacher in Washington, DC, and, of course, a modern classrooms implementer. And today I'm joined by Marlene Tapia-Garcia, who has been on the podcast before. And additionally, this time, I'm joined by three of her first grade students who I am super excited to have on the podcast, Olivia Arya and Ethan. Welcome everyone to the podcast. I am so excited for this one. I am really looking forward to hearing what you all have to say. But before we start with the actual podcast, I want to hear a little bit about all of you. So we're gonna go in this order, Olivia, Arya, and then Ethan, tell us your name and tell us something about yourself, maybe your favorite dessert, your favorite subject in school, just something about yourselves. Olivia 1:27 My name is Olivia, and at school, I learned how to read big books, which was one of my favorite things I learned. Zach Diamond 1:37 That's awesome. How about you, Arya. Arya 1:40 My name is Arya. My favorite animal is a panda and a flamingo, Zach Diamond 1:47 fantastic animals. Ethan 1:50 My name is Ethan and um, I learned it. The thing I really like in this school, my favorite part in this school in Ms. Tapia classroom is like, we do this, games, looking at tablet things. I just really like doing it. Zach Diamond 2:09 That's awesome. Thanks, everybody. And then Miss Tapia, could you introduce yourself as well to the teachers who are listening and tell us a little bit about who you are and how you started in modern classrooms. Marlene Tapia-Garcia 2:20 My name is Marlene Tapia-Garcia. I am a first grade teacher in a school that implements a two way to a language program. So there are students in here who are learning Spanish and our students in here who are learning in English. And I was highly interested in using the modern classroom model to help students who are learning languages to also learn content at the same time, and to make sure that I'm helping every student master the objectives, master our learning, develop the skills and develop that academic language in a in a way that is challenging and fun at the same time. Zach Diamond 3:02 Yeah, that's fantastic. And I mentioned this briefly, but I should say you have been on the podcast before to tell us all about this class. That episode was in Spanish, but I'll link it in the show notes, and there is an English write up of the episode as well, if listeners would like to hear more, because that's a really cool program, and I think we might just get to hear a little bit of Spanish later from from you. All right, yeah, yeah. All right. All right. Okay, so what's one thing you love about Miss Tapia's class, what makes it different or special? Olivia 3:36 Um, what makes it special and a little different is, the different thing is that this class has a lot of learning different reading skills and different math that I really like to do, learning different kind of math every day, and doing different kinds of math and then reading different books every Day. Zach Diamond 4:01 So you like, you learn a lot of different kind of stuff. Olivia 4:03 Yeah, Zach Diamond 4:04 cool. How about you Aria, Arya 4:06 um, I think what's special about Miss Tapia's class is that she, she helps us a lot. And I like that we used to, we get to like, try to to like, um. We get to like, um, we get to help people, and people help us, and then so and then, and then we can do it by ourselves. Then we can just learn more. Zach Diamond 4:31 That's so great. How about you, Ethan? Ethan 4:34 I think that this class is special because that, um, like, there's lots of interesting things, like this book she has that's very interesting. I want that book in English. And also there's, I really like spring math. I don't know why I really like that, and you probably don't know what spring math is. Zach Diamond 4:58 Can you tell us? Ethan 4:59 I. Spring math is when, when we when we finish it, we always move on to a new one. And this spring math is a paper that has different things. We have a math we have to finish like you have to find things. You have to put it in order. So you have to try to put the math in correctly, and then you can keep moving on. Cool. And when you finish it, you get percents, like 60% 10% Zach Diamond 5:31 Oh, cool. So Miss Tapia, can you tell us a little bit more about this class, and maybe spring math and how you use the model as well, Marlene Tapia-Garcia 5:40 we start the modern classroom model through a whole group activity. So in this case, we implement the spring math with all where all the students can work together. They work on different strategies, for example, addition, subtraction, tech families. They talk together. They discuss the strategies, and they meet a whole class goal, and then they move on to the next goal, the next strategy, the next the next challenge, and they adopt a role of teacher and in that, in that process altogether, and the class gets excited because they meet a goal as a whole class. Then after doing that, the students move to the blended learning, mastery based, self paced portion, where they get a tracker. Every week, they learn about two to three lessons per week. They self pace, and it's it's a way for them to have choice and to be challenged as they learn at different rates. So they have should do a must do, I should do and aspire to do activities. So they always have to watch my videos, since they will help them learn the objective. Then they can play math games in their boxes so they can discuss strategies, use manipulatives and consolidate their learning. And also they have a paper so they can review strategies, or they can also review previously learned strategies. And then they can have some should do activities like I excel, where they can use technology. They also have their book. These are things that they don't have to do, but if they have the time and they mastered the objective, then they can continue doing that, so that continues to enhance their learning. And the aspires to do are for Olivia Arya, and even have done them a couple of times since they are fast learners, and that helps them prove what they have learned. And it also includes low floor, high ceiling activities that have more than one way to be solved, so they can challenge themselves, and they can get to explain their thinking, justify their thinking, which is is a higher rigor when we talked about the depth of knowledge, and they're ready, and they are. They love it that they can go beyond what is just the curriculum that we do at the school. Zach Diamond 8:30 Yeah. So how do you all feel about that? Olivia, Aria, anything do you like being able to do those should do and aspire to do is those like extra activities? Olivia 8:38 Um, I like doing, yes, and I also like doing the different things every day that we do. Like different videos and different papers. Arya 8:51 I like doing them too. And I also like doing like, same as Olivia. But there's another thing I like doing. I like like that we get, do we get to do different things every day in Ms. Tapia's classroom. And sometimes other teachers don't have this. But then, even though they have some other stuff, Ethan 9:15 I think it's a medium sort of because I'm not sure. I just think, like some things I don't want to do and some things I do want to do, like they said, I have to do the video, and I sort of don't want to so well, Olivia 9:37 I sort of want to do the video, but not that much. Then bucks, Speaker 1 9:42 no. Zach Diamond 9:45 But when there's when there's like the must and should and aspires, you can sometimes choose right, Olivia 9:52 like we know, like if we want, we can do our math book like we don't have to. But if. Want we can or, like, IXL if you want to do it, we can pick if we want. Zach Diamond 10:05 So how about learning from the videos and working at your own pace in Miss Tapia's class? Do you feel like you learn better that way and like, when you can take your time and slow down? Or if you want to go faster, you can? How do you like that? Olivia 10:19 Um, I like that. We can go at our own pace because we have the time, but, um, but we get our own pace at that time. So it's not like we have to fast forward a video, because we get enough time to try to finish. Arya 10:34 I like that too, because then you can just go at your own pace and learn. And then going at your own pace helps you, because then it will, then you can learn more. Yeah, Ethan 10:46 um. I like um, this piece, because that um, like, sometimes, like, when we have a time, I sort of like to finish it in like one minute. Then, for like time, I want to, like, draw things in the back. Sometimes I want Zach Diamond 11:04 and you get to because you finished faster. How about those trackers that she makes for you? Do those help you to know what you have to do and to stay on pace with your work? Olivia 11:14 Yes, because it kind of helps us know what to do at the minute. Because at the minute we kind of so time forget what to do. So that's what the trackers help us. Arya 11:27 Yeah, the trackers do help us, because then it tells us, like that, if we can't, if we forget what we're supposed to do, after we do one thing, then it, it will tell us, and MCP factor is all of like, one video, and then a few more things and like a second video. So it kind of shows like, what we like, what we have to do, and sometimes what we don't need to do, like, like we don't need to do art book of math, but like we do need to do the video that day. Marlene Tapia-Garcia 12:03 Another thing that I would like to add about the options that the students have is that, as blended learning entails, it has the options to do both digital and non digital activities. So students are in are involved in digital activities, such as the videos and I excel, but they also do a lot of hands on games that involve manipulatives, and also a lot of paper work. And doing those activities, they work in partners, so they're discussing their thinking, and that helps increase the learning of the students, as they are using the math vocabulary, and they are connecting what they have been learning through through my videos or through paper, also through the games. That is particularly important when we're doing with for example, if we're doing place value and they are hands on, we haven't done this game yet, because we haven't gotten there yet. So you'll hear it first. They can get to get things, bundle them and put a rubber band, or put a put 10 in a cup, and that helps when to consolidate what they have been learning through my videos digitally to now build out more deep learning as they go through the games as well. Zach Diamond 13:32 Yeah, and I heard, I remember Arya talking before about working with partners, right, working in groups. Do you use your progress data to group them together, like based on who's on what lesson, or do they just Marlene Tapia-Garcia 13:42 Yes, that is correct. I I get the time to get to know the students, their personalities, and so there's a lot that goes into a partnership. Part of it is they're learning the rate of learning, since every student learn at different rates. So that helps them to work together in partners, as they get to aspires to do, for example, and also their their learning of the language. So I partner them up so that they can develop their academic vocabulary in Spanish. When they learn in partners, they're learning also the Spanish and personalities as well. Zach Diamond 14:20 Gotcha. And so, okay, Miss Tapia told me about these activities where you can crecer sus cerebros. Are those the Aspire to do's, or is that something different? Olivia 14:32 That's the Aspire to do's Zach Diamond 14:35 cool. Okay, so can you show me some of the Spanish that you're learning in those, crecer sus cerebros activities, or just in general Olivia 14:43 En los papeles de matemáticas que hacemos, ayudan a crecer la cerebro y ayudan a hacer mas matemáticas como con dos partes y tres Arya 15:00 Los papeles de crecer su cerebro están muy bien para su cerebro porque ayudan a crecer y a aprender muchas cosas Ethan 15:16 El cerebro papeles hay muy bien porque es todo matemática, yo pienso puedes hacer muchas matemáticas en papel o poquito. Necesitas hacer 10 partes, como hacer diez Zach Diamond 15:47 Increíble Marlene son totalmente bilingues! Ok, me pueden contar unos de lo de las palabras del vocabulario matemático Okay, conoce Arya 16:02 Vínculo Numérico Olivia 16:06 Enunciado numérico Ethan 16:07 suma y resta Zach Diamond 16:10 wow. I am impressed. Great job. What a great job I I'm just so impressed. I mean, the language learning alone is incredible, but the fact that they're learning math in Spanish is, I that's just unbelievably incredible. I'm so proud of you all. That's That's awesome. I this is just unbelievable. You know, my next question was to talk about your attitudes towards math. I'm kind of hearing like you're all so enthusiastic about the Spanish math vocabulary and learning math and doing the math.But Miss Tapia, could you tell me a little bit about because you mentioned this to me that your students have a better attitude towards math in the MCP model. So could you just talk a little bit more about that, and then I'll ask the students as well. Marlene Tapia-Garcia 16:57 I always get excited to do the model, because every year I have unique and special situations. For example, students coming to me with boards and telling them, telling me, oh, I would love to do another math problem. Or oh, I they get excited and and say, Oh, I get to do the book. And then when they get to do posters, we have some posters created, and kids get very happy when they when I tell them, just share what you learn this week, and they're ready to write it, to draw it, to put the academic vocabulary and share their learning. So they have a joy for learning. They have a joy to be challenged, and they develop a very strong growth mindset, too. Zach Diamond 17:45 And so Olivia, Arya and Ethan, how do you all feel about the subject of math now that Ms Tapia lets you work at your own pace and learn from the videos. Does math feel less scary that way? How do you feel about math? Olivia 17:57 It feels less scary when you're already into it, because when you're into it, then you already know what you're doing, and then, like, you're into it, so you already know, like what you can do and like what you need to do. So when you're more like, after you get started with it, it's more easy, because then you're into it enough and and then you don't have to worry about anything else. Arya 18:20 A little bit like Olivia, but a little bit different. Because I think it's actually more fun and easy when you start it, because then, like, because then you get to do some fun stuff before you have to do the math stuff. Ethan 18:36 I think maybe, like, um, it's it's not scary a lot, because that, like, for instance, I do lots of people in this classroom, like, just do it. They're like, they're not nervous to do what. I like seeing people do things. Zach Diamond 18:58 Maybe they should come and convince my high schoolers to do their work. So I have another question for you three. Okay, what happens when you make a mistake in Miss Tapia's class? How does she help you to understand the mistake and correct it Olivia 19:15 when when you make a mistake or just some something on accident? You can either try to turn it right, or you're allowed to try again, because we have a lot of them and but mostly, the first thing that we always do is try to try to turn it into the right thing, like if I put three plus four and I put nine inside a seven, I can try to turn the nine into a seven, or I could try again on another paper, and it's okay to make a mistake. Everyone always thinks, and when we make a mistake a friend sats, you can do it or you can do it again. Arya 19:54 Yeah, and sometimes, and sometimes, Miss Tapia sends, sends some. Is the person that made a mistake with another partner, that that already did the paper. Ethan 20:06 When I make a mistake, I try to like x them. I try to like x what, whatever it is, and then I like put it over somewhere, side or somewhere. Zach Diamond 20:21 Do you ever go back and watch the video again or use some other resource? Or do you always ask somebody else with with you? Ethan 20:29 I like seeing lots of pee like, after the video, like, or maybe inside when you're looking at the video, you let go to table six. There's numbers for tables we have, and um, then Miss Tapia brings two partners at a time, and um, then she, then she likes, um, makes it just a feel. I forgot that to say the name, yes, Zach Diamond 20:58 that's a feel. Yeah, a challenge. Ethan 21:00 Um, yeah, um. So then um, like, I think so if they, like, don't know what it is, or something like that Ms. Tapia's, like, go watch the video again and listen, Olivia 21:14 um. Or if there's a mistake or something wrong on your paper, she either tells you if there's a mistake, or she has a table that she teaches other kids what the video said or asks them, and she has little features that she sits on the table makes little stories. You have to do a repeat and it's just like doing a few stories over and over again. It's about doing different stories. If you mess up one, you can try again with different ones, but you don't want it to be the same, because if you already know it, then you write down again. So like, I think that it's fine when you make mistakes, but just don't make the same mistake again if you so Zach Diamond 22:00 you learn from your mistakes, so you don't make the same mistake again. Yeah, that's a great point. Arya 22:07 And try to make sure that you don't make the same mistake. Olivia 22:10 Um, like, um, if you did a paper, made a mistake, then made it right, but then, like, you and then you got the paper again to just do it again. You don't want to do the same mistake that you did last time, because she miss happy. Why did you make the same mistake, if you already learned from your mistake? Zach Diamond 22:31 So Miss Tapia, you wanted to talk in this for this question about growth mindset, which clearly, I think that we're hearing from from the kiddos here. But can you talk a little bit more about how you sort of foster that growth mindset in your class, because clearly they have, Marlene Tapia-Garcia 22:44 yes, it is, it is a process for us as a community to to build that independence and to work on this appeals our mastery checks and to know that we're going to do that mastery check on our own and without help, and by looking at our videos, and by taking our notes and preparing and we learned that that we it's okay if we do a mistake, then we can use our resources, which is, re watching the video, going through a small group with Me, and learn it in a different way. Or go with another student, which is a math teacher, somebody who has previously learned a master the objective to then talk a little bit about how to correct it. And again, don't make that mistake again. It's okay to make mistakes, but let's just learn it. Let's just use the feedback. And as students have a have a routine for that. They go with, with the students. They put a necklace and and then we learn our phrases. You can do it. And let's, let's listen to what we have to do and, and let's, let's learn from that feedback that that we have. And I show them a video of a little gymnast and a little girl gymnast and a teacher of the gymnast. And we talk a little bit about the role, the role that that a teacher has, and the role that a student has, learning from a teacher. And and it is also about building that independence, also on the student, and saying you can do it, and then for the friend to try and and, and then for them to at the moment, even just watch the student. Watch the student, after giving that that feedback and and asking the questions. And do you want me to show you how to do it? Then have a moment to say, No, give it a try. You can do it. You can do it. So partners do that. Math teachers do that. And then they come and they know they will try again. The the new mastery check, which is that there's a few in Olivia 24:47 the necklaces for, um, if you are, if you already did this paper, whatever it was, and this friend is struggling on doing it, there's a necklace that says. Optimal teacher that wins math teacher, and when you put it on, you help the student try to get there, to try to get their work just like theirs, to make it right Arya 25:13 and Miss Tapia will give you a board that has some math problems that, that, that, that this, that, that the other person has to solve, but then you can help, um, him or her a little bit, and then they have to do it by themselves. Zach Diamond 25:32 Yeah, that's awesome. Ethan 25:34 So um, when Miss Poppy draws the board, um, she, um, like, on the on the top, on one, like first two persons, like help that one person, and then on the second twos under um would, would, um, um, The persons would just whoever's helping him or her would look at the two last ones for for him or her to solve at the end. Zach Diamond 26:12 You know, this is again, this is so incredible. I mean, I hear the growth mindset, and I also hear you Miss Tapia calling it out, right? Like saying explicitly, this is one of the goals. And I, you know, it clearly takes a lot of work, like I hear these routines that you have, like you're building this into the structure of your class. And as somebody who has just met these kids for the first time, it really does sound like it's working, I'm just so impressed. So I want to hear from you all how you think of yourselves as learners, self guided learners, like when you learn on your own right, without being taught directly by the teacher. How does that feel? And how do you feel like you'll do in future grades as learners? How do you see yourselves as students and learners? Olivia 26:58 I think it's really cool to try to learn by yourself, and sort of like copying the teacher, because when you learn by yourself, you can learn more. And I think when you learn more and you you finish your goals in the future, you could probably get more goals done, because you already learned that instead of skipping it. Arya 27:19 I think that when, when I go to a new grade, then I think that I can learn more, but then I also will still know what I learned from the last grade that I've been in, Ethan. Ethan 27:37 So usually I just look at what it's set. Usually I feel like I'm going to get it correct, because I I just know lots of math. So I just and this is how I do it. So I just look at the paper. I I think in my head, then I just know the answer. Arya 28:06 So, you mean, you try to, you try to recognize it, Ethan 28:11 yeah, like, I, I'm trying to recognize it first. So, like, I get it wrong because they didn't recognize it correctly. Zach Diamond 28:19 But then you don't make the same mistake twice, right? You recognize it correctly the next time. So Miss Tapia. How about you? I mean, it sounds to me like things are going great for you, but what goals do you have for yourself and how, how do you envision this growing Marlene Tapia-Garcia 28:33 I will definitely continue using the modern classroom model. I I know that it that it helps the students, and I know that it helps them learn how to learn and learn skills that go beyond just just the curriculum, and it is also about them. Learning how to persevere, learn how to be independent, learn how to develop their metacognition skills and how to reflect on their learning and and even to know how they learn best into saying, Do I like to learn through the video? Do I like to learn through my notes? Do I like to learn from another student? Do I like to learn from the teacher, there's so many options, and they get to know that at the young age of six or seven, and the positive disposition into saying, I just we just do it, and we just correct our mistakes and and and believe that learning is is a process and and it is not about just being right or wrong. It is all about how you learn. So I really hope to continue developing that, continue refining my strategies, and continue i. I'm doing the model and adding new things as I as I continue implementing it Olivia 30:06 and a math paper looks like this, which it has no problem here, and then down here, you make like plus or minus, Arya 30:16 yes, but also nobody can see this. This is just our voice. Sorry. Zach Diamond 30:22 Oh, I'm absolutely including that part in the audio podcast. That was fantastic. Wow. Well, thank you all so much. Miss Tapia, how can listeners connect with you? Because if I were a first grade teacher, I would want to talk with you. So how can listeners connect with you? If they like to ask you some more. Marlene Tapia-Garcia 30:40 You can contact me via email at mtapiagarcia@cps.edu Zach Diamond 30:47 awesome, and I will have that linked in the show notes. Olivia, Arya and Ethan, you all have been fantastic. I am so impressed with your learning and all the hard work that you have done. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Ethan 30:59 Yay. Zach Diamond 31:03 That's probably Ethan, right? I'm sure that was Ethan and Miss Tapia. Thank you again. Thank you for bringing these kiddos and thank you all for staying after school. This has been such an incredible episode, and I just appreciate it so much. So Miss Tapia Marlene, thank you so much. Marlene Tapia-Garcia 31:22 Thank you. Zach. Thank you Zach Diamond 31:24 listeners. Remember, you can always email us at podcast, at modern classrooms.org and you can find the show notes for this episode at podcast dot modern classrooms.org/ 220 we'll have this episodes recap and transcript uploaded to the blog on Friday, so be sure to check there or check back in the show notes for this episode if you'd like to access them. Also, we're asking our listeners to leave a review. If this podcast has been helpful in supporting you to create a blended, self paced, mastery based learning environment, it does help other folks find the podcast. Thank you all for listening. Have a great week, and we'll be back next Sunday. Thank you so much for listening. You can find links to topics and tools we discussed in our show notes for this episode, and remember, you can learn more about our work at www.modernclassrooms.org and you can learn the essentials of our model through our free course at learn.modernclassrooms.org you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at modernclassproj, that's P, R, O, J, we are so appreciative of all you do for students in schools. Have a great week, and we'll be back next Sunday with another episode of the modern classrooms project podcast. Transcribed by https://otter.ai