Is your Sunday night defined by a stack of ungraded papers and a sinking feeling that your students just “filled in the blanks”?
In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the most transformative part of my classroom: The Mastery Viva. After 40 years in the classroom, I’ve found that the only way to truly “reach every student” is to get away from the red pen and get back to the human voice. I call this the “Human Check,” and it is the final pillar of the Mastery Flip.
In this episode, Jon explores:
The 3 Pillars of the Mastery Flip: 1. AI Engines: Using tools like Flint K12 as a positive force. 2. Analog Roots: Why paper and pencil (”Old School is New School”) is the best defense against AI shortcuts. 3. Human Checks: The Mastery Viva.
The “Viva” Logistics: How to move through 30 kids in a period without creating a “queue of doom” at your desk.
The Curveball Question: My strategy for asking the one question that proves a student actually did the mental work.
Scaling the Viva: Why I sometimes “clump” students into groups of three for a rapid-fire mastery check.
The “Big JB” Signature: The simple physical act that replaces your grading time and authorizes a student to move forward.
Why it Matters Now
We are seeing a “stupefaction” of students who are incorrectly using AI to skip the thinking process. The Mastery Viva is the ultimate “cheat-proof” assessment because you can’t fake a face-to-face conversation.
It’s exhausting. It’s high-energy. But it’s the most rewarding way to teach.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
FlintK12.com (AI Oral Testing)
Formative.com (For digital submission after the physical signature)
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a colleague who needs to reclaim their weekends!
