Dear colleagues, Early this past fall, I decided to do something funny with my students. We had just finished the warm-up in first hour, and someone had a great share, and I said: “All right students, here’s the deal. You know how Mr. Simmons [our principal] often sits in on classes for a few minutes? […]
Any Thoughtful, Informed Response to AI = Better Than a Mindless One
Dear colleague, Last Friday’s “Let’s Talk AI” workshop was a real treat. You can access the recording and chat log right here, still at pay-what-you-want pricing. Thank you for supporting my work in this way. Before I discuss one of my chief takeaways and a follow-up opportunity, let me quickly plug the Secondary Educator Summit […]
A Change We Didn’t Choose
Dear colleague, When I started the research for The Will to Learn 10+ years ago, I didn’t know how important it would be. I mean, I knew — student motivation multiplies a given lesson’s impact like nothing else — but I didn’t know how critical an issue student motivation would become in the 2020s. First, […]
The Best AI Thought Pieces I’ve Encountered Recently
Dear colleagues, These are the AI-related thought pieces I have found valuable in the past month or so. The first one is good for either listening or viewing. It’s called “How Will AI Change Education?” There are a million low-quality thought pieces on this topic, but what I respect about this video is that he […]
All Right, Fine: Let’s Talk About It
Dear colleague, The most notable through line in my professional journey this year has been wrestling with the AI boogeyman. Every school year is a journey, no matter what. But this year my journey has been more intense and existential than any I can remember. Suffice it to say, I’ve come a long way since […]