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This afternoon, my students took the world’s first-ever AP World History: Modern assessment, and they did so from their cars and homes and wherever else they’ve figured out how to get Wifi. Needless to say, there is plenty that they’re bound to be anxious about. Thankfully, the research evidence on test anxiety is that even […]

Recently, my family purchased an inexpensive used piano. My wife and children have all had piano lessons from someone who knows how to teach piano. Thanks to good teaching plus good practice, they are at various stages in the mastery process. But honestly, my children haven’t always loved practicing the piano, and my wife didn’t […]

I wrote a post this morning sharing a simple end-of-year survey for measuring the five key beliefs. The survey was developed by Ohio educator Kristin Foxworth-O’Brien. Within an hour or so, I received a great addition to surveys like this from Sarah McCambridge of Bishop Miege High School in Kansas. Sarah teaches photography, and she […]

There’s tons of science about human motivation, and in my work I’ve argued that a nice way of conceptualizing this science is in this idea: beliefs drive behavior. The degree to which our students 1) do the work of learning and 2) do it with care and effort can be predicted by the degree to […]

Human beings can explore space, cure disease, climb mountains, and compose epics, but one thing they cannot do is force a change in the internal world of another human. You and I cannot force a change in the hearts of the students on our rosters — nor could Gandhi, nor could King. This is an […]