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Imagine This - Ideas & Stories for Creative, Meaningful Teaching

Imagine This - Ideas & Stories for Creative, Meaningful Teaching

By: Dylan Ismail
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Imagine This is a podcast about what’s possible in classrooms. Each episode features conversations with teachers who are building meaningful, creative (and sometimes boldly real-world) projects — the kind that help students create work that matters beyond school. From documentary field trips and immersive role-playing games to student-made podcasts and more, we explore ideas that make learning feel alive. Hosted by Dylan from Classmate — a team that partners with educators to co-create fun, collaborative learning experiences — the show blends reflection and storytelling. Some stories come from classrooms we collaborate in; others come from schools and educators we meet along the way. Each episode includes a teacher interview alongside reflection from the Classmate team on what worked, what surprised us, and what we’re still learning. This show is for K–12 educators (and really anyone who cares about learning) who want school to feel more meaningful, more imaginative, and more real.©2026 Classmate
Episodes
  • Learning From Place with Carlo Sayo

    Learning From Place with Carlo Sayo
    Jul 7 2026
    What does it mean to learn from where you stand?In this episode of Imagine This, Dylan sits down with EdTech coach and fellow Classmate teammate Carlo Sayo to talk about place‐based education. Carlo, who holds a master’s in art education, walks through the core principles of place‐based learning and how his own experience as the child of immigrants shaped his understanding of belonging, land and community.Together, they unpack the idea of the classroom as a “third teacher,” explore two field trips along the Fraser River that brought students face to face with the history of colonization in the Fraser Valley and Steveston, and discuss how intentional, low‐key use of technology, like an iPad used purely for documentation, can help students slow down, observe and reflect rather than simply consume.This conversation is for educators who want to help students build a genuine relationship with the places they live and learn, and who are curious about how field trips and classroom design can do more than decorate a lesson.About Carlo SayoCarlo Sayo is an EdTech and Creative Coach at Classmate, where he partners with teachers to design meaningful learning experiences that connect curriculum, creativity, technology, and student voice. Drawing on a background in design, community programming, and creative technology education, he collaborates with educators to turn ambitious ideas into authentic projects and experiences that engage learners through experimentation and creative problem-solving. He believes meaningful learning can happen anywhere, especially when people feel connected through a shared purpose. Whether through community arts initiatives, youth programs, or classroom learning, Carlo is drawn to experiences that invite people to become creators and contributors to something larger than themselves. Carlo is particularly interested in storytelling, migration narratives, place-based education, and the ways creative production can make learning more meaningful, memorable, and visible.In this episode, you’ll hear:[00:01:42] The core principles of place‐based education: locally rooted, experiential, cross‐curricular and service oriented[00:02:58] What place means to Carlo as the child of immigrants, and the influence of Seven Minutes From Home[00:06:52] Carlo’s two‐hour sit at the Filipino Plaza and what it taught him about making meaning of a place[00:09:42] The idea of the classroom as a “third teacher” and how environment shapes behaviour[00:16:31] A field trip to Fort Langley and an interactive mapping exercise on the history of colonization along the Fraser[00:23:30] A grade one field trip to Steveston, starting at the Britannia Shipyards[00:26:04] Designing an iPad scavenger hunt so students could document and interpret their own community[00:32:12] Bringing the experience back to the classroom through Seesaw journals and ELA statements[00:34:38] Carlo’s distinction: not all learning needs technology, but learning needs to be documented[00:36:04] Rethinking field trips as a launching point rather than a reward[00:39:13] What it might look like for students to practise observation skills across different locations and grades[00:41:09] Recording soundscapes as another way for students to relate to a place[00:42:36] Where to find both field trips written up in the Classroom ChroniclesClassroom Chronicles articles discussed:Vol .113 Grade 4 Fraser River Field TripResources discussed in this episode:Seven Minutes From Home by Lauren RichardsonThe Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching and LearningSolution Place by the River, Fort Langley, including the Colonization of the Fraser Valley school programBritannia Shipyards, StevestonSeesawContact Classmate: Website: Classmate.teamInstagram: @classmate.teamClassroom ChroniclesContact Carlo Sayo:LinkedIn: Carlo Sayo
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    44 mins
  • Assessment Pays for the Party with Jennifer Moroz

    Assessment Pays for the Party with Jennifer Moroz
    Jun 23 2026

    How do you make creative, cross-curricular projects easier to assess?

    In this episode of Imagine This, Dylan sits down with BC educator Jennifer Moroz to talk about the assessment frameworks that make rich classroom projects worth doing. From student podcasts to theatrical performances, Jennifer explains why assessment is what legitimizes creative learning and helps teachers clearly communicate what students have learned.

    Together, they unpack learning progressions, rubrics, depth of knowledge, mastery learning, and the difference between learning activities and learning intentions. Jennifer also shares practical advice for using frameworks, AI, and professional learning communities to better align projects with curriculum and assessment.

    This conversation is for educators who want to design engaging projects without losing sight of clear, meaningful evidence of learning.

    About Jennifer Moroz

    Jennifer Moroz is a BC educator who has taught kindergarten through grade eight and currently works as a resource teacher. She is passionate about helping educators implement best practices in assessment. Through her YouTube channel, The Assessment Syndicate, Jennifer shares frameworks, tools, and conversations to support teachers in their day-to-day practice.


    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    • [00:03:17] How Jennifer discovered that “assessment pays for the party”
    • [00:07:55] The researchers and books that shape Jennifer’s assessment practice
    • [00:11:47] Why time and assessment literacy are major barriers for teachers
    • [00:13:35] Depth of Knowledge and cognitive rigor explained
    • [00:17:53] Applying assessment frameworks to an immigration podcast project
    • [00:20:10] How to reverse-engineer a project from the final learning goal
    • [00:23:57] Rubrics, learning ladders, and gradations of quality
    • [00:27:26] Why BC curricular competencies require unpacking
    • [00:31:44] The difference between a rubric and a learning progression
    • [00:37:50] Managing cross-curricular assessment across subjects
    • [00:40:13] Why learning intentions matter more than task completion
    • [00:43:16] What AI reveals about weak assessment design
    • [00:47:04] Using AI to support learning progressions
    • [00:49:23] How schools can build shared assessment language through PLCs
    • [00:50:27] Where to find Jennifer’s resources and connect with her

    Resources discussed in this episode:

    • Implementing Mastery Learning by Thomas Guskey
    • Using Depth of Knowledge by Karin Hess
    • Karin Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix and DOK
    • Larry Ainsworth’s work on unpacking standards
    • BC Curriculum Learning Pathways

    Rubrics and Learning Progressions by Jennifer Moroz

    • Download Editable Podcasting Rubric and Learning Progressions for ELA, Socials and ADST competencies.

    Contact Classmate:

    • Website: Classmate.team
    • Instagram: @classmate.team
    • Classroom Chronicles

    Contact Jennifer Moroz:

    • Website: Jenmo.org
    • YouTube: The Assessment Syndicate
    • Email: jenmoteach.assess@gmail.com
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    53 mins
  • When Field Trips Become Field Work—Animal Documentaries at the Vancouver Aquarium

    When Field Trips Become Field Work—Animal Documentaries at the Vancouver Aquarium
    Jun 9 2026

    What changes when students stop going on field trips as visitors and start showing up with a job to do?

    In this episode of Imagine This, Dylan sits down with fellow Classmate teammate and Educational Technology Coach, Jen, to explore a project that transformed a traditional visit to the Vancouver Aquarium into a full-scale documentary filmmaking experience.

    Instead of simply observing exhibits, Grade 6 students arrived as filmmakers, researchers, and storytellers. Armed with iPads, shot lists, and documentary techniques inspired by professional filmmakers, students captured footage, interviewed experts, studied animal behaviour, and created advocacy documentaries from the perspective of the animals themselves.

    Jen shares how the project evolved across multiple years and classrooms, what they learned from their first attempt, and why pre-production, scaffolding, and authentic purpose completely changed the way students approached both the aquarium and their learning.

    This conversation dives into documentary storytelling, field trip design, media literacy, inquiry learning, and the power of giving students meaningful roles in real-world learning experiences.

    If you’ve ever wondered how to make field trips feel more purposeful, immersive, and memorable, this episode is full of practical ideas and inspiration.

    About Jen

    Jen is an educational technology coach with Classmate who collaborates with teachers to design engaging, creative, and inquiry-driven learning experiences. With a background in science education and experiential learning, she is passionate about helping students move beyond passive consumption and into authentic, hands-on learning roles.


    Through projects that blend storytelling, technology, media creation, and curriculum integration, Jen helps classrooms rethink what learning can look like both inside and outside of school.

    In this episode, you’ll hear:

    • [00:00:29] Turning field trips into field work
    • [00:07:23] How the Vancouver Aquarium project began
    • [00:11:21] Recon day and planning the experience
    • [00:17:51] Students filming documentaries at the aquarium
    • [00:24:16] Teaching documentary and filmmaking skills
    • [00:30:57] Pre-production meetings and shot planning
    • [00:36:24] The Caiman footage moment
    • [00:40:15] Students naturally using filmmaking language
    • [00:41:48] Editing and reflection back at school


    Get Your Tickets to the 2026 Deeper Learning Canada Conference: July 2–4 in Chilliwack, BC

    Classroom Chronicles articles mentioned:

    • Vol 68. Aquarium Field Research Part 1: Designing the Visit
    • Vol 72. Aquarium Field Research Part 2: Animal Advocacy Videos
    • Vol 105. Aquarium Documentarians Part 1: Preparing and Shooting
    • Vol 109. Aquarium Documentarians Part 2: Filmmaker Q&A and Editing

    Resources discussed in this episode:

    • Vancouver Aquarium
    • Canva
    • March of the Penguins
    • Ian Kerr | CHURCHILL - Polarbear Documentary

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    Contact Classmate:

    • Website: Classmate.team
    • Instagram: @classmate.team
    • Classroom Chronicles
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
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