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 […]
Archives for January 2024
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 […]
Four Ways Students Forget Things
In the new course I’m rolling out this month (enroll today for access to first-cohort exclusives like great vibes and “Ask Dave Anything” Q&As), I just finished producing a module that has to do with how students remember things. So, let’s look at an inverse of this idea. How do students forget things? Specifically, how do […]
Who’s Got It Better Than Us?
The first principle in my new course (rolling out this month; enroll today for access to first-cohort exclusives like “Ask DSJ Anything” Q&As) is that “Learning is Hard.” According to cognitive science, this isn’t just an ethos or belief or classroom poster (below) or culture. Nope — it’s more than talk. It’s just how the […]