Design

Are They Working or Learning?

Let’s be honest. For decades, classrooms have been filled with compliant work disguised as learning. Neatly filled-out worksheets, meticulously copied notes, and essays that are polished but lack real thinking. Rows of learners working in silence, heads down, obediently completing tasks designed to check off standards but never designed to spark curiosity, challenge assumptions, or […]

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Are We Teaching & Designing for Independent Learners—Or Just Hoping They Show Up That Way?

Educators love to talk about learner ownership. We want our classrooms filled with motivated, self-directed, reflective, and critical-thinking learners. We praise initiative. We admire resilience. We celebrate deep thinking. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: we expect these qualities to show up, but do we actually teach them? Do we design learning spaces where they can

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Rigor Because of Relationships: Redefining the Classroom Mantra

Picture this: A classroom where learners know their teacher not only cares about them but expects great things from them. It’s a space where trust fuels risk-taking, where mistakes are part of the process, and where learners push themselves further than they thought possible. Too often, we hear the mantra “relationships before rigor,” as if

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Scaffolding Learning: The Construction Blueprint for Classrooms

Imagine walking past a construction site and seeing scaffolding towering alongside a building. What strikes you first? It’s not permanent, yet it’s essential. Without it, progress would grind to a halt. Scaffolding provides access to the unreachable, safety in precarious situations, and flexibility to change as the project grows. This image mirrors what effective classroom

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Cooking in the Classroom with Cognitive Load

Imagine you’re in a kitchen, preparing a meal. Some recipes are simple, like scrambled eggs, while others require more focus, like preparing a soufflé. Like cooking, learning most often involves managing complexity. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), proposed by John Sweller, explains that our brains have a limited working memory capacity. This theory categorizes the mental

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A Different Take on Differentiation: From the Doctor’s Office to the Coach’s Playbook

Differentiation has long been characterized by an analogy that paints a daunting, almost impossible picture for educators: A single doctor stands in front of 30 patients, all with different ailments, and is expected to treat each one. It’s an analogy that resonates with many because it accurately reflects the overwhelming nature of trying to meet

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