Teach Every Child: Strategies for Diverse Learners

I love when I do interviews how conversations come together with a message of caring, empathy, and excellence in education. Today’s show is like that. We have so many different needs and diverse learners. In today’s show we talk about the importance of early childhood education, how to reach English Language Learners from the first day, how to reach every student using mastery-based learning, and discipline strategies that work as well as misunderstandings from some of the strategies being used today.

Watch: Teaching Every Child on YouTube

Listen to Teaching Every Child on the Podcast

What You’ll Learn on Today’s Show

The Power of Kindergarten with Isabelle Hau
Isabelle shares why the early years are the foundation of everything else. She reminds us that relationships, play, and care in early childhood have lifelong impacts on learning, health, and well-being.

Questions Every Teacher Should Ask English Language Learners with Andrea Bittner
Andrea provides a simple but powerful framework of questions to ask new multilingual students. These questions build trust, honor identity, and help teachers better understand each child’s story.

Blended, Self-Paced, Mastery-Based Instruction with Robert Barnett
Robert explains how the Modern Classrooms Project empowers teachers to reach every learner by combining videos, pacing flexibility, and mastery checks. It’s not about replacing teachers—it’s about freeing them to build stronger relationships.

Trauma-Responsive Behavior Strategies with Joshua Stamper
Josh shares how relationship-based approaches can transform behavior management. He reminds us that punishment alone doesn’t work—kids need connection, trust, and trauma-informed care.

Essential Vocabulary from This Show

Relational Intelligence
Definition: The ability to successfully connect with people and build strong, long-lasting relationships.
🔗 Bandelli and Associates

Early Childhood Education
Definition: Organized practice of educating children from birth to age eight (third grade), with a focus on developmental milestones, social-emotional growth, and foundational learning.
🔗 Institute of Education Sciences

English Language Learner (ELL)
Definition: An ELL student is a student whose primary language is not English, and whose English proficiency or lack thereof provides a barrier to successful learning.
🔗 Council for Exceptional Children

Blended Learning
Definition: Blended learning allows teachers to give students some element of control over the time, place, path, or pace of their learning in order to better meet varied learning needs and interests.
🔗 Christensen Institute

Self-Paced Learning
Definition: A style of instruction in which learners progress through the material at their own speed and on their own schedule. In contrast to traditional classroom-based learning or cohort-based learning, self paced learning is directed by the learner, not the instructor.
🔗 Digital Learning Institute

Mastery-Based Learning
Definition: The basic idea of mastery-based learning is that learners progress from one skill, activity, or lesson to the next only when they have shown that they are ready to advance. In other words, they move to more complex learning tasks only once they’ve shown an authentic understanding (mastery) of the fundamental skills they need in order to truly learn (master) those complex tasks. In a mastery-based learning environment, each new thing that students learn builds on itself, helping students develop sophisticated skills and understandings that prepare them for complex learning. The progression from lesson to lesson prevents learning gaps from forming, and also helps learners develop confidence and self-esteem along the way.
🔗 Modern Classrooms Project

Trauma-Responsive Teaching
Definition: Trauma-informed teaching considers how trauma impacts learning and behavior.
🔗 Understood.org

Behavior Management
Definition: When teachers provide clear, consistent expectations for classroom behavior—and take actions to promote positive, pro-social behaviors—students report a stronger sense of connectedness to school and their peers.
🔗 CDC

Guests on This Episode

Robert Barnett

CoFounder – Modern Classrooms Project

Robert Barnett is a former teacher and the co-founder of the Modern Classrooms Project. He taught math, computer science, English, social studies, and law, from the middle-school to university levels, at public and private schools in the United States and abroad. He hopes his own children will learn in Modern Classrooms someday.

Blog: Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-s-barnett/

Andrea Bitner

EL Expert

Andrea Bitner is an educator, author, and speaker. She lives in Philadelphia, PA. She has worked with students in grades K-12 throughout her twenty-two years in public education from all around the world. Her first book, “Take Me Home,” was published by Austin Macauley in July of 2021. “Take Me Home” is the true story of 11 of her former EL students who give a first-hand account of what it’s really like to become bilingual in America. She is also a co-author of Chip Baker’s “The Impact of Influence-Volume 3 and Dr. Rick Jetter’s 100 No-Nonsense Things ALL School Leaders Shout STOP Doing.” She teaches EL’s daily, and travels the country speaking and teaching educators how to teach and reach EL students, and effectively communicate with EL families!  

You can find Andrea at www.andreabitnerbooks.com  Blog: www.andreabitnerbooks.com Twitter: @BitnerAndrea

Isabelle C. Hau

Executive Director – Stanford Accelerator for Learning

Isabelle Hau is a visionary leader who is dedicated to transforming the way we nurture and educate our children. As executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and former head of US education at Omidyar Network/Imaginable Futures, she champions innovative, effective, and inclusive solutions toward a bright future of learning for all.

Blog: https://www.isabellehau.com/

Joshua Stamper

Creator – Aspire to Lead

Joshua Stamper is a dedicated educator, speaker, author, and creator of Aspire to Lead. With a rich background in teaching and school administration, Joshua brings invaluable insight into the challenges and opportunities within the education system. His personal journey as a struggling student, combined with nine years of experience as a middle school administrator, fuels his passion for creating supportive and transformative learning environments.

Joshua is committed to helping educators and leaders unlock their full potential, fostering growth, and inspiring lasting change in education. As the author of the new book The Language of Behavior, Joshua focuses on equipping educators with trauma-responsive strategies and alternative behavior practices to support student success. Through his work, he continues to empower education professionals to lead with empathy, implement innovative approaches, and make a meaningful impact in their schools and communities.

Blog:
Twitter: @Joshua__Stamper
Linked In:
Podcast: Aspire to Lead:
The Language of Behavior:
@joshuastamper.bsky.social