I’ve written before on what I do for students who have official accommodations that prohibit mandated public speaking. But what about those students who do not have such accommodations but still refuse to speak? Here’s how one reader posed the question: Hey Dave,I agree that your pop up debate format can be a magical tool. […]
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Let’s Make Teaching Better.
Dave Stuart Jr. is a husband, father, and high school teacher who writes about education. He reads extensively across the disciplines so that he can create uniquely satisfying professional development experiences for his colleagues around the world. His mission is to encourage and equip educators on the journey to long-term flourishing and professional excellence.
Professional development. (The good kind.)
If we’re going to make teaching better, we’ve got to improve professional development. I’m not the guru, but I have spent thousands of hours practicing and researching the art and science of educator-centered, high-impact PD. My hope with all of these is that they help.
And oh yeah: I’m still a teacher. I’ve never left the classroom. With 120 students on my roster each year, it’s impossible for me to detach theory from practice.
Online PD
My schedule-friendly, all-online professional development courses are designed with busy educators in mind. Whole staff or district applications are available — email support@davestuartjr.com with your needs.
In-Person PD
I speak and lead education workshops for a limited number of schools and organizations around the world each year.
Books + Blog
My best-selling book, These 6 Things, has been read and cherished by secondary teachers around the world. My blog is read by over 35,000 educators each month.
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The Latest from the Blog
Does Teaching a Lesson Make You Brave?
“Does writing poetry make you brave? It’s a good question to ask. I think making anything is a brave thing to do. Not like fighting brave, obviously. But a kind that looks at a horrible situation and doesn’t crumble. Making anything assumes there’s a world worth making it for… [M]aking something is a hopeful thing […]
In the Tunnel? Find the Beauty.
Dear colleague, Yesterday I was speaking with some teacher-author friends about what teachers need right now. I found it a disorienting question because when I think about what I need right now, I feel disappointed. What I need is pretty normal for this time of year: energy, invigoration, a renewed sense of zest for the […]
*Unavoidable* Difficulties in Learning: Dr. Stephen Chew’s “Choke Points”
As I wrote recently, learning is hard for at least four reasons: These stable findings from the research on the human learning system are what Dr. Stephen Chew calls “choke points in learning.” You can’t erase them; you can only work with them. In the video below, I unpack each choke point in greater detail. […]
Forty Things I’ve Learned So Far
Hey there, colleague — happy Leap Day! Tomorrow is March 1, which means (as my students like to remind me) that it’s Justin Bieber’s birthday. And that means, it’s my birthday, too. So in honor of the great occasion of Justin Bieber’s birthday, today I’m going to share forty things I’ve learned during my teaching […]
Avoidable vs. Unavoidable Difficulty
Note from Dave: I’m currently taking inquiries for PD visits to schools for the spring, summer, and fall. Schools tend to use me for issues around student motivation and engagement, recovering teacher morale, or returning to the fundamentals of teaching. All my visits come with resources that enable schools to keep the learning going after […]
What If a Student Has an Accommodation that Prohibits Speaking in Whole-Class Discussions?
After my recent article on the magicality of pop-up debates, some colleagues wrote in with a common question regarding students who can’t participate in pop-up debate. I do sometimes receive documentation—a 504 plan, an IEP, or a note from a doctor or counselor—that excuses a student from public speaking situations in the classroom. At the […]
Need an Idea for Tomorrow’s Lesson Plan? Try a Quiz
Note from Dave: I’m currently taking inquiries for PD visits to schools for the spring, summer, and fall. To get an idea of the topics I cover, head here. If you’re a PD decision-maker or on a team that decides PD, use this form to be in touch. I’d love to explore coming to your […]
A Magical Tool 🦄
Is there a tool that helps students grow in confidence, content mastery, life skills, and joy — all at the same time, in any content area? While that laugh-worthy question sounds like something straight out of a snake oil sales pitch, believe it or not, I believe the answers is YES. That tool is pop-up […]
I’m Not Good at Much
Around this time of year, school leaders start thinking about next year’s PD. And so, I’d like to argue that when planning for next year, leaders should aim at giving their teachers permission to focus their professional improvement efforts on as few things as possible. A key to my teaching career so far is that […]
Students are Novices, and That’s Not a Bad Thing
In my last article, I argued that all students are novices. For some of you, this may have seemed “off.” After all, doesn’t this ignore the many ways in which our students are different? Doesn’t this pretend that each day we aren’t faced with daunting diversity in terms of our students’ prior knowledge, preparedness, interests, […]
The Expert Equation
What differentiates an expert from a novice? I unpack a few distinctions in the Principles of Learning Course. Looking at this list, it’s obvious to me that, though my classes contain a vast diversity of student strengths and interests and abilities and preparedness, they’re still all novices. (Because of this, one of the first recommendations […]
Great Ways to Learn with Colleagues
In my last article, I unpacked a powerful choir teacher’s lesson that I was privileged to witness not long ago. In this one, I want to give you an exclusive peak at one of the 40+ videos in the new Principles of Learning Course I’ve got available. This video lesson comes in the ninth module […]
The Science of Teaching Choir
Recently I was given the chance to observe a choir teacher in action. I watched the warm-ups, the instruction, the practice, the closing. What I saw was a beautiful class period. And what I saw was a clinic of many of the concepts I describe in the Principles of Learning Course. Making abstract concepts clear […]
Chris Hemsworth Can Lift More Weight than Me
It’s true. I can’t deadlift as much as Thor. Below, please find photographic evidence. If you look hard, you’ll find differences in our physiques. In every single school I’ve visited, I’ve yet to find a teacher who doesn’t struggle with the RANGE of students we teach. Urban or rural, affluent or free/reduced lunch, remedial or […]
Average Efforts + the Long-Term
“Sometimes all you need for exceptional results is average effort repeated for an above-average amount of time.” James Clear – May 11, 2023 Newsletter Whether I’m walking the halls of my workplace or those of a school across the world, I’ve long accepted an obvious fact: I’m an average teacher. If you were to come […]