Supporting Educators Effectively

While institutions chase engagement metrics, they're ignoring decades of cognitive science about how memory actually works. We don't need more flashy content or group projects—we need to apply what we know about memory formation and retrieval. 1. Memory requires filtering, not flooding. Most courses overwhelm students with content volume instead of focusing on essential knowledge structures. This is why students retain only 10-20% of what we teach—their cognitive architecture can't process the flood of information. And 80% of the content is irrelevant to our academic needs. 2. Retrieval practice beats review every time. Yet we keep designing courses around passive consumption and content recitation instead of active recall, issue spotting, and problem solving. The science is clear: information that isn't retrieved regularly decays. Spacing retrieval events and increasing difficulty and complexity gradually builds lasting knowledge. An effective retrieval strategy is moving from questions to answer to problems to solve with the answers to those questions. 3. Learning transfer requires multiple contexts. One-off demonstrations in artificial environments don't create applicable skills. We need to scaffold complexity through varied scenarios while maintaining cognitive load at productive levels. Mastery is an overriding quality. It's not about the learner getting it right once, it's about them proving that they are unlikely to get it wrong. While others chase engagement metrics, let's keep focusing on what THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING shows actually works—deliberate practice, retrieval strategies, and proper spacing of learning events, et. al. The goal isn't to make learning entertaining; it's to make it effective. We can't network our way to competency, and we can't engage our way to expertise. Only evidence-based practice moves the needle. Here's a scaffolding aid. Happy Holidays :) #instructionaldesign #scienceoflearning #higherED #teachingandlearning

A Teacher's Simple Strategy That Changed 30 Lives Every Morning Ever wondered how one small gesture can transform an entire classroom's energy? Let me share a powerful thing that's reshaping how we think about starting our school days. Here's how it works: Each student gets to choose their preferred way to start the day: - A gentle high-five - A quick hug - A friendly fist bump - A simple smile and nod - A quiet "good morning" The results? Remarkable. Students who once dragged themselves to class now arrive early, excited to make their choice. Anxiety levels dropped.  Class participation soared.  Even the most reserved students found their comfortable way to connect. What makes this approach powerful is its simplicity. It: - Respects personal boundaries - Builds trust - Creates a safe space - Teaches emotional awareness - Promotes daily positive interactions This isn't just about starting the day right – it's about teaching our children that their comfort matters, their choices count, and their well-being is priority. What if we all took a moment each day to ask others how they'd like to be greeted? Sometimes, the smallest changes create the biggest impact. #Education #TeachingInnovation #StudentWellbeing #ClassroomCulture #PersonalizedLearning

How best can we support teachers in their adoption of Generative AI? This is a question I'll try to answer at tomorrow's Stanford's AI + Education Summit. Here's my answer based on the work we have done training teachers on GenAI over the past 6 months.   First, the reality is that even a year after the launch of ChatGPT we are still very much in the early stages of adoption.   • Per a recent EdWeek survey, 2/3rds of teachers have NEVER used AI in their classroom and only 2% have used it “a lot.”   Second, the current perceptions of GenAI run the gamut.     • Fear and uncertainty are common with nearly 50% of teachers saying they’re uncomfortable with GenAI.     • Cheating (72%) and the potential negative impact to learning (60%) are prevalent fears     • But there is also enthusiasm about GenAI’s potential - half said they were “excited or optimistic” about the potential of these tools.    We see all of this in every workshop we have run regardless of audience. By the end of our sessions, we often see that the same educators who are concerned about AI’s downsides are the same ones who light up when they see the tools in action.   So what’s the best path forward for responsible adoption?   At AI for Education Education, our focus is on building capacity and finding value, not becoming experts.   Here are our 5 top strategies:w   1. Comprehensive AI Literacy Training:    Educating the entire school community is vital for understanding AI's wide-reaching impacts and potential, fostering future readiness, enhancing learning, and enabling the informed decision-making that will help guide the future of AI.   2. Job-Embedded GenAI Applications    Focus on integrating AI directly into educators' daily tasks and responsibilities, showcasing practical uses of AI in educational settings that drive productivity and quality of instruction.   3. Strong Guidance on Responsible Use   We stress the need for clear guidelines on the appropriate use of GenAI by students and teachers, ensuring that AI tools are used in a manner that augments a user's ability and is deployed in an ethical manner is key.   4. Safe/Reliable GenAI Tools for Students   We must develop and implement student-focused GenAI tools that are both safe and reliable, fostering a secure learning environment.   5. Dedicated Resources for Innovation    We advocate for dedicated resources to support experimentation and innovation, encouraging continuous development and improvement of GenAI tools and methods in education.   Of course, none of this can be done without a strong change management strategy and dedicated budgets - but with these keys we believe it's possible to support teachers adoption of GenAI. For the link to the study: https://lnkd.in/eHz6883G #aiforeducation #aieducation #teachingwithAI #GenAI #responsibleAI

The Teacher Retention Crisis: Why Good Educators Are Walking Away Most schools don’t have a hiring problem. They have a RETENTION problem. Every year, schools scramble to fill vacancies. A passionate, skilled teacher leaves—burned out, frustrated, or feeling undervalued. The cycle repeats. Is this happening at your school? Why Are Teachers Leaving……? Here’s the truth: Teachers don’t leave because they don’t love teaching. They leave because the system they’re in is unsustainable. And it’s not just about salary either. The real issues? Lack of support, respect, and a sustainable workload. -         Endless demands with little work-life balance. -         Professional development that feels like a checkbox, not real growth. -         A culture that undervalues teachers’ expertise and voice. I once spoke with a veteran teacher who left after 16 years. She said, “I love teaching, but I can’t keep sacrificing my health and family for a job that doesn’t support me.” That’s a problem. What Can Schools Do Differently? Retaining great teachers isn’t about recruitment—it’s about creating an environment where they want to stay. ✅ Respect their time. Reduce unnecessary meetings and paperwork. ✅ Invest in meaningful support. Coaching, mentorship, and real growth opportunities matter. ✅ Listen to teachers. Give them a real voice in decision-making. ✅ Prioritize well-being. Burned-out teachers can’t give their best to students. Let’s Talk What’s one thing your school has done to keep great teachers? Let’s share solutions—drop your thoughts in the comments.

Educators are taught Bloom’s Taxonomy and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs but often forget that without one, they cannot truly have the other. Students, even the youngest ones, are sent to us to learn every day, but when their basic needs aren’t met, learning can be almost impossible. If there was one thing I would love every teacher and parent to understand, it would be this- we must Maslow before we can Bloom. Maslow taught us that the following needs must be met in order for children to learn: Physiological (water, food, shelter, sleep and clothing), Safety (personal security, resources, health, property), Love & Belonging (friendship, intimacy, family, sense of connection), Esteem (respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, freedom) and Self-actualization (desire to become the most one can be). If a child comes to us hungry, tired, sad, alone, feeling disconnected or unsafe, how can they possibly be ready to learn? As teachers, we must ensure that our students have their basic needs met when they are with us. We must meet their basic social emotional needs whether it be with a hug, kind word or a little extra patience so they can be relaxed and ready to learn. This task can seem impossible at times, especially when you have a full class of little people with big emotions that can manifest as behaviors, outbursts and other challenges, but it is possible. If we take the time to get to know our students, show them we care and become a reliable source of comfort for them, we can help them meet their needs and BLOOM as learners!

Having been trained by a great superintendent on the importance of developing happy kids, living in healthy relationships, on a path to gainful employment, the idea of relationships in schools has been firmly imprinted in my head. Today, during a regular follow-up call with a principal partner from River Valley School District, I asked about the importance of relationships and how our methods are helping in his school. He shared: "When I have a kid in my office, I can look in PowerSchool, and right next to their name is their #RIASEC code. That lets me look at the student a little bit differently—I know a little bit about them before our conversation even starts. And for the students who don’t typically open up, I can use their RIASEC to start a conversation and begin to build a relationship." His response reminded me of something Michael H. has emphasized in his postings—how critical relationships are in career education: "A lack of relationships between career practitioners and their students undermines the quality and equity of career education." (Groves et al., 2021) On the other hand, we know from research that: "Independent computer-based activities are significantly less impactful than career education delivered by an educator or counselor." (Whiston et al., 2003; Whiston et al., 2017) This is why we prioritize building a common career language, using self reporting methods for RIASEC alongside meaningful conversations. When students and educators engage in self-reflection and dialogue, it deepens understanding and relationships. As wonderful as the machines are, they can't care about the human. Philip Martell Trisha Martell Steve Regur Cristina Santos, PhD Dr Hoda Kilani CPCC #CareerLiteracy #CareerDevelopment #K12 #Principals #CareerConnectedSchools Educators Cooperative #PossibleSelves

Can #teachers really cut it outside the classroom? Do #educators really have skills that extend beyond working with kids? The worst part about questions like these is that they most often come from the teacher's own mind. It is hard for you to see yourself as anything else because teaching and school are what you know. Maybe this will help you: Here are 3 anecdotes from teachers I have worked with who now have other jobs, and they are crushing it BTW. "Planning graduation felt like climbing a mountain...late deliveries, last-minute changes, the usual chaos. But guess what? That's project management with a side of high-stakes problem-solving!" "Remember that time the entire baseball tournament nearly got rained out? We scrambled, found a new field, and adjusted the whole schedule. Turns out, that's called crisis adaptability!" "As a principal, I remember that year we revamped our whole PD program. Stakeholder feedback, needs assessments, scheduling nightmares... it was like strategic planning on steroids!" You see, these quotes came from teachers who, at first, didn't see how they had anything to really offer. They didn't even list Planning Graduation, Organizing a Baseball Tournament, or Building a PD Program on their resume. You have skills. You have experiences that prove them. Teachers (and principals!), imposter syndrome wants you to forget these moments of brilliance. Don't let it! Your skills are in demand. Dig for those wins: Translate your experiences into the language of your target industry. Remember your impact: The moments you're proud of reflect skills that go far beyond the classroom. Find your cheerleaders: Connect with educators (or leaders!) who've transitioned – they'll believe in you! Oh, and connect with me. I want to know your story. I transitioned out of the classroom in January 2020. I now help educators on the path to career transformation, and I help coaches who are trying to find their audience. Wondering what to do next: 1. Leave a comment with your "transferable skill" and example of putting it to work. 2. DM me for a free career chat. #teachertransition #principalleadership #careerdevelopment #educators #transferableskills

Am I wrong for thinking we are just wasting millions to billions of dollars on standardized testing in education? How can we keep justifying these outdated systems especially in a post-pandemic era?!? What's more, how can districts and board justify standardized testing when schools are still struggling to secure teachers? We can't expect to get any kind of accurate measure of a student's learning when there hasn't been a certified teacher there to guide them. Here's what doesn't work: Pouring $700+ Millions of dollars into testing corporations is not going to improve student learning. It's time to rethink how we use standardized testing funds in education. Instead of over-testing, let's invest in areas that truly benefit our students and teachers: 1️⃣ Enhanced Teacher Support: Continuous professional development, mentorship programs, and mental health support can empower our educators and improve retention. 2️⃣ Holistic Student Services: More counselors, wellness programs, and extracurricular activities can ensure students' mental, emotional, and physical well-being. 3️⃣ Innovative Learning Approaches: Personalized learning paths, project-based learning, and expanded STEAM programs can make education more engaging and relevant. By reallocating these funds, we can create a supportive and dynamic learning environment that prepares students for the future and supports teachers in their vital roles. What do you think? #TooManyTests #EducationMatters #SupportTeachers #StudentSuccess #EquityInEducation

(8/8) “Louisiana has a teacher shortage, and we know what can be done to make it better. If you pay teachers more and give them a better standard of living and smaller class sizes, teachers are more willing to stay in the profession. We know that's the fix, but we know that's not what our politicians are doing, and so we have to come up with our own ways to try to figure it out. There's a program called Reach University that offers districts an opportunity for the people who work in their classrooms to become teachers. It gives paraprofessionals and aides a pathway who wouldn't otherwise have one, because colleges are expensive, or they're working full time, or they have kids. It allows them to go into a program where professors teach night classes virtually, and for an incredibly low amount of money, they can get their bachelor's degree to become teachers and increase both their income and their staying power. I’d like to see more programs like that. Teaching gives me hope in ways that nothing else does. Teaching younger people and seeing that they're passionate, and they're ready to make changes and they're ready to work hard, is incredibly motivating.” –Chris Dier Teacher at Ben Franklin High School New Orleans New Orleans, LA #teachersintheirpower #teaching #careerpathways #teacherretention teachersintheirpower.com

🤷🏽♂️I don't know if this has ever happened to you before as a leader, manager or boss, but it happened to me when I was a school principal. 😓Several teachers told me during 1-on-1 conversations that they were "exhausted", "extremely tired", or "really looking forward to a break", and this was mid-September, only a few weeks into the school year. It made me start thinking of ways that I can support my staff and I'll share a few quick tips for you. 👂1. Practice Active Listening Teachers have a difficult job, and it's essential they feel comfortable in being transparent with talking to their administrators. They should feel confident in coming to their principal to discuss issues in the classroom, problems with students, or anything else that affects their school day. 🧰2. Provide Great Resources Teachers often struggle to manage their classrooms with minimal resources. It is a common theme that teachers use their own money to ensure their class is adequately supplied with resources. If possible, give your teachers the tools and resources they need to successfully educate their students. ⭐️3. Recognize Teachers Often Teachers thrive on recognition and a positive school environment. When someone has done an impressive job, celebrate it! The recognition may be public or it may be a quiet comment or note to the teacher, letting them know they’ve been seen and appreciated. 🧘♀️4. Monitor Teacher Burnout 80% of teachers claim burnout is a major issue. Creating a respectful, safe, and supportive work environment helps guard against burnout. Often, a mental health day can help ease the stress a teacher might be feeling. ❤️These actions really helped keep my teachers engaged and supported them in feeling emotionally and psychologically safe. If you need more support in this area, schedule my workshop for your staff entitled, "Burning Up Instead of Burning Out!" 🙌🏽Please share your thoughts and strategies you use to support teachers to be high performers and excel with their students.