How the First Day of School Became a Metacognitive Practice
Students don't just need to show what they know — they need to notice how they learn. A co-created first-week routine that replaced the syllabus.
Never Worry Alone: Takeaways from The Good Life for Educators
Every time I teach this course, I think I know where it will go — and every time, I'm off. A few lessons from this summer's Good Life for Educators cohort, carried into the new school year.
When Good Enough Is Good Enough
A science-of-learning reflection on perfectionism, retrieval practice, self-compassion, and ending the school year well.
Open Hearts and Minds for End-Of-Year Connections
At the end of the school year, reflection can become retrieval helping teachers and students notice growth, remember connection, and carry learning forward.
Let Students Lead When the Year Feels Anything But Over
It’s that strange time of year when everyone reminds me that summer is almost here and the school year is winding down… and yet, when I sit down to plan, the end doesn’t feel close at all. The class periods feel long and my mind feels scattered. I
Write & Discuss: Reduce Cognitive Load Through Co-Created Text and UDL
After watching the same three students contribute every time, I rebuilt Write & Discuss from the ground up. Here's the step-by-step routine—rooted in UDL and cognitive load research—that finally got my entire class co-creating text together.
Universally Designing for Attention: A UDL and Cognitive Load Strategy for the Real Classroom
Spring, seniors, and 80 minutes to fill — here's what I learned about designing for attention using UDL and the science of cognitive load.
A Door for Every Shape
What if the barrier was never the learner, but the design? A three-part UDL lesson that gets students thinking about how we build spaces that work for everyone, starting with a round door and a room full of shapes.
5 Teaching Myths That Are Quietly Hurting Your Students
From learning styles to "easy means learned," these five teaching myths feel true — but the research says otherwise. Here's what cognitive science actually proves, and simple classroom strategies that work.
Celebrating Forgetting: Lessons from NECTFL
What if forgetting isn't the problem — it's the setup? A recap of my NECTFL session on retrieval practice, spaced learning, and why the struggle to remember is exactly where learning happens.
How to Make Retrieval Routines a Classroom Habit: Edutopia Jam Session
Stop treating retrieval practice as "one more thing." Join us and Maureen Magnan on Edutopia to explore low-prep strategies that make retrieval a natural, daily classroom routine.
Cognitive Overload Is Why Students Disengage Before the Lesson Even Starts
Students disengage before the lesson even starts — not because the work is too hard, but because cognitive overload has already shut down their working memory. Here are the practical moves that clear the path.