Zach is joined by three of his students, Hansi, Ian, and Kennedy, to talk about their experiences in his class, both when they had his class in Middle School and, currently, in 10th and 11th grades.
Show Notes
DCI's student podcast, The Lair (check back here after 12/10/2025 to hear Hansi's alien invasion segment)
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guests: Hans Neseth, Ian Paulino, and Kennedy Pendleton.
TR is joined by Drea Aguirre, an instructional coach, to talk about genuine, realistic, and humanistic coaching, and the importance of intentionally modeling the techniques that best serve students
Show Notes
Connect with Drea by email at drea_aguirre@dpsk12.net
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Drea Aguirre.
Live from GaETC2025, TR is joined by Daniel Forrester, Sarah Eiler, Nick Provenzano for a discussion of ed tech, AI, and implementing innovative approaches to teaching
Show Notes
[Needlepoint](https://needlepoint.com/)
"The Promises and Perils of AI in Education" by Dee Lanier and Ken Shelton
[Lumio](https://www.mairie-lumio.fr
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guests: Daniel Forrester and Nick Provenzano.
Zach is joined by Hui Couch to talk about how she uses the model to inspire her multi-lingual learners in math class, and to talk about how she approached designing a presentation for other teachers on using MCP in math classes
Show Notes
Connect with Hui by email at hui.couch@modernclassrooms.org
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Hui Couch.
Zach is joined by Steve Schlarman and two of his students, Molly and Ella, to talk about the student experience of learning in a modern classroom and how teachers can develop modern classrooms where students can thrive
Show Notes
Steve's previous appearance on the MCP Podcast, episode 174: Planning for Multiple Preps
Connect with Steve in the MCP Educator Facebook group or on Twitter (X) @mrschlarman_fzn
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Steve Schlarman.
Zach is joined by Laura Campbell to talk about how she implements the MCP model in her elementary math class, and how it brings balance and sustainability to the teaching profession
Show Notes
Connect with Laura by email at laura.campbell@modernclassrooms.org
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Laura Campbell.
TR is joined by Mike Friedberg to talk about middle school science and using success criteria to check for mastery and track student progress
Show Notes
Edutopia videos profiling MCP:
Connect with Mike on Twitter/X @mfriedbergteach
Learning Experiences for the Upcoming Week
Transform your classroom conversations! Join us for Book Club Session 2 on October 30, 7pm ET, to explore The Shift to Student-Led by Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak, with a focus on Workflow Shift 2: moving from whole-group, teacher-led discussions to student-led small groups. Discover strategies that give students the reins, spark deeper dialogue, and create meaningful collaboration. Let’s rethink discussions—together! Register here
MCP will be exhibiting at ASA Fall Leadership Conference from October 26-28 in Tucson, AZ. Dr. Cecelia Gillam, Cory Henwood, Wavio, and MCP are presenting at FullScale Symposium from October 25-28. Miguel Melchor will be presenting at WIDA Consortium from October 27-30 in Seattle, WA. If you’re attending, make sure to check them out and say hi!
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Mike Friedberg.
TR is joined by Jataune Jones and Freddie Alarcon to talk about how they supported teachers in a district-wide rollout of the MCP model and the positive outcomes of implementing at a large scale
Show Notes
Connect with Jataune on LinkedIn @jataune-jones and by email at jataune.jones@cpschools.com
Connect with Freddie on LinkedIn @freddie_alarcon by email at freddie.alarconjr@cpschools.com
Learning Experiences for the Upcoming Week
It often feels harder to miss school than to teach when you’re sick. But it doesn’t have to be that way! In this webinar Stress-Free Sub Planning with Insta-Lesson on October 21, 7pm ET, we’ll show you how a free AI tool called Insta~Lesson (insta-lesson.com) can help you create complete, fully editable, student-facing lessons in seconds. Plus, we’ll share how Insta~Lessons can be used to facilitate makeup work, extension activities, and self-paced learning. Insta~Lesson works for all subjects and grade levels so we hope you’ll invite your colleagues and administrators too! Register Here
MCP Co-founder, Kareem Farah, is speaking at EDTECH Week on October 20, in New York City, NY. MCP will be exhibiting at CGCS 69th Annual Fall Conference from October 22-26 in Philadelphia, PA. If you’re attending, make sure to check them out and say hi!
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guests: Freddie Alarcon and Jataune Jones.
TR is joined by Eileen Ng to discuss her use of visual rubrics to enable authentic assessment, reflection, and learning
Show Notes
Examples of Eileen's visual rubrics:
Eileen's article on Edutopia: "Representing Student Proficiency and Progress With Visual Rubrics"
Connect with Eileen by email at eileen.ng@modernclassrooms.org or on the Edutopia Facebook page
Learning Experiences for the Upcoming Week
Want to start building your own Modern Classroom and work one-on-one with an expert educator? If you’re an educator in Chicago, St. Louis, Alabama, or any of the districts we’re partnered with, you can sign up now for the Virtual Mentorship Program! The next session runs from October 20 to January 19, and the whole program is virtual and self-paced. See if there’s an opportunity in your area by going to [modernclassrooms.org/apply-now](modernclassrooms.org/apply-now)
Ready to reimagine your classroom? Join Kami, ScreenPal, and MCP as we dive into The Shift to Student-Led by Catlin Tucker and Katie Novak, focusing on shifting from information transfer to student-driven discovery for our first Book Club Session 1 out of 4 on October, 16, 7pm ET. Explore Workflow Shift 1: strategies to empower students as active learners and leave with fresh ideas to transform your teaching. Let’s chat, collaborate, and spark change—one page at a time! Register here
Cassie Fontaine and Zuzka Blasi are presenting at MassCUE on October 15-16 in Boston, MA. MCP will be exhibiting at NCTM Annual Meeting & Exposition on October 15-18 in Atlanta, GA. If you’re attending, make sure to check them out and say hi!
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Eileen Ng.
TR is joined by Travis Hammer to talk about how he uses the MCP model in his Dungeons and Dragons class to teach social and soft skills through gaming
Show Notes
[Example DnD Assignments](https://open.bu.edu
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Travis Hammer.
TR is joined by Catlin Tucker to talk about the Station Rotation model of blended learning
Show Notes
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
TR is joined by Erin Luckhardt and Kim Weaver to talk about the importance of relevant, differentiated professional development opportunities for teachers
Show Notes
Kareem on the Cult of Pedagogy podcast:
Connect with Erin and Kim by email:
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guests: Erin Luckhardt and Kim Weaver.
Zach is joined by Candi Williams to talk about the MCP virtual mentorship experience and the value of personalized coaching and feedback in the MCP program
Show Notes
Connect with Candi by email at candi.williams@modernclassrooms.org
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Candi Williams.
Toni Rose is joined by Dykeisha Hill to talk about using games of all types to bring joy into the classroom and connect with students
Show Notes
Some of the games Dykeisha mentions:
Ed Tech tools Dykeisha mentions:
Comic book characters Dykeisha mentions
A few of the anime and manga mentioned on this episode:
Dykeisha's interactive classroom resource "Innocent or Guilty," based on the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series of video games
Connect with Dykeisha by email at dhill@bronxhaven.org
Learning Experiences for the Upcoming Week:
Want to start building your own Modern Classroom and work one-on-one with an expert educator? If you’re an educator in Chicago, St. Louis, Alabama, or any of the districts we’re partnered with, you can sign up now for the Virtual Mentorship Program! The next session runs from October 20 to January 19, and the whole program is virtual and self-paced. See if there’s an opportunity in your area by going to modernclassrooms.org/apply-now
Looking for virtual connection? We’ve renamed the implementer meetups to The Co-Lab. Join our first one Wednesday, September 10, at 7 pm EST to connect with other Modern Classroom educators and talk about building authentic relationships with students through Unit 0 and beyond! Register here
Ready to Transform Your Classroom? Dive into our Back-to-School Toolkit—your go-to guide for building a self-paced, blended, and mastery-based learning environment. Don’t miss out on the tips and strategies that’ll make this school year your best one yet! Click here to access the toolkit
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Dykeisha Hill.
Zach is joined by Erin Luckhardt, Michele Deming, and their former student Eve Willoughby, to talk about CTE and using the MCP model to prepare students with real-world career experience
Show Notes
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guests: Erin Luckhardt, Eve Willoughby, and Michele Deming.
Zach is joined by Miguel Melchor to talk about his approach to working with multilingual learners and coaching teachers using the MCP model
Show Notes
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Miguel Melchor.
Toni Rose is joined by Zena Brown to talk about the Eduprotocols frameworks and explore the ways Zena uses them in her Modern Classroom
Show Notes
Edutopia videos profiling MCP:
Follow Zena on social media @zlbrownschools
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Zena Brown.
TR is joined by Katie Collins, MCP educator and Alabama Teacher of the Year, to talk about how she uses the model to build community in her classroom and develop a growth mindset with her 1st graders
Show Notes
The Anxious Generation, by John Haidt
Connect with Katie on Instagram @alabama_teachers_of_the_year
Contact us, follow us online, and learn more:
The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond on Twitter and Learning to Teach
Special Guest: Katie Collins.
You can hear the full episode here
Zach is joined by special guests Michael Carr and Toni Rose Deanon to talk about social emotional learning and how the Modern Classrooms Model helps us cultivate authentic relationships with students, in person and virtually.
Show Notes
Follow us online and learn more:
Mike: MCarr121314 on Twitter
[The Modern Classroom Project](www.modernclassrooms.org)
[Modern Classrooms Online Course](learn.modernclassrooms.org)
Special Guest: Michael Carr.
For this feed drop, here's an episode of The Exit Interview, with Dr. Asia Lyons. We hope you enjoy!
You can learn more about The Exit Interview and subscribe here