What can a simple classroom ritual—and a pitch counter—reveal about language learning? More than you’d think it turns out. And just in time for playoff baseball season and our ‘Sportsmanship’ Stripe of the Month here at EA. #GoPhils ⚾️

🎉 Our 100th Beacon Post! This week’s WDYN digs into design for learning: – Oli Cav’s timeless slide rules – Jim Heal on retrieval routines – Carl Hendrick on learning from mistakes

This plus a side of choral response in MS chorus? ✅

Where’s attention right now in your class—and how do you know? This week's WDYN takes a look at: mechanics of attention, first-five minute routines, ASR, and a 90-sec clip on productive boredom.

Our first ‘AI Studio—Where Play Meets Practice’ kicks off shortly! A recurring space where educators tinker with AI tools, experiment freely, and uncover classroom-ready ideas.

Families don’t remember your slides at Back-to-School Night. They remember how you made them feel. This week’s WDYN: Challenge. Nurture. Inspire.

Early September is all mise en place—routines half-formed, names sticking, energy high. In this week’s WDYN: 🔪AI as sous-chef 🎁85+ study tips in 10 minutes 🧠Unlearning “learning styles" 💦 A 'Last Word' on muddy puddles vs. leaky ceilings.

📚 Teaching is a practice. 🌀 Teachers nearly own “busy.” ✨ The CTL exists to help maximize opportunities for students to learn—not by piling on, but by creating space. Not one more thing. A different kind of thing. 👉 Read the full post: episcopalacademyctl.substack.com/p/what-does-...

What if microlearning was an answer? We go heavy on the 7taps in this week's WDYN with two (2) separate offerings: One on the value of positive teacher-student relationships and one on the power of prequestions (see what we did there?)

Here's GREAT news for educators! You know all the hard work you put in to design outside of class activities to help your students learn? Well, when they do those things, in the order you intended, they actually learn more! Check it out: dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0... #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #EduSky

Interested in SoTL and looking for fodder for new studies? Take a look at this piece: We need something completely different: Catalysing new innovations in teaching www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

WDYN is back for 2025–26 with @remikalir.bsky.social on syllabus #annotation (plus a LS classroom pivot), a nod to the value of sports psychology in the classroom (h/t @jeffgreene.bsky.social), and a look at the info landscape in the age of generative AI. We've never been more back!

The FINAL Thursday's Three Things of the summer before shifting back to Wednesdays next week!

Three Things. On a Thursday. One of our final Thursday posts before shifting back to Wednesday during the school year. Come for the Science of Learning and AI intersections, stay for the bears this week. Special shout out to @icpetrie.bsky.social for the closing 'Moment of Zen.' #bears

We often reference Lee Shulman's work in @eactl.bsky.social. It's especially helpful when considering AI integration. Had a fascinating chat w/ a MS teacher yesterday on how differently 6th vs 7th graders respond to a specific AI tool, showing the importance of the left side in the image.

Three Things. On Thursday. It's a heavy AI week given the recent spate of announcements on this front.

Thursday's Three Things is live this week with links to: -A fun 7Taps microlearning we made on motivation - @paulkirschner.bsky.social's latest piece on 'Deliberate Errors and Learning' -Some reflections on the new NotebookLM update and Steven Johnson's great supporting thoughts.

Justin Cerenzia & Andrew Shimrock are excited to share CTL’s innovative work and leadership at Penn GSE’s 25th anniversary celebration this afternoon. Proud to represent EA and connect with inspiring educators!

Thursday's Three Things is back after brief hiatus for the 4th of July. Links to @dtwuva.bsky.social's first Substack post, designing inclusive classrooms from @teacherhead.bsky.social, and a consideration of context prompting with AI. episcopalacademyctl.substack.com/p/thursdays-...

We can make GIFs in Midjourney video now? It's all over. The speech bubble here reminds us a bit of @rodjnaquin.bsky.social's 'Dialogic Computing' model. Where is that third tail coming from? (Maybe check out tomorrow's Thursday's Three Things to learn more)

Many people (and Large Language Models) are talking about ‘The Beacon.’ Youre hearing it more and more. episcopalacademyctl.substack.com

SO excited for the new @edpsychjournal.bsky.social issue on including students with disabilities in research & theory! Kudos to guest editors @benheddy.bsky.social @alyssaemery.bsky.social Rebecca Louick and @jchow.bsky.social #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #EduSky www.tandfonline.com/toc/hedp20/6...

Three Things. On Thursday. Links this week to strategic leadership, nudging in the classroom to create positive culture, and a neat AI mapping tool that's well worth your time.

Thursday's Three Things is live! Links to: - @carlhendrick.substack.com's recent defense of the Science of Learning. - @drcindynebel.bsky.social's piece on motivation at The Learning Scientists' blog - A new math series from @stevenstrogatz.com in the NYT (Bonus: A murmuration of starlings)

It's like our regular WDYN Wednesday. But it's three things. And on Thursdays. Plus, with a weekly moment of Zen. The vibes? Many are saying they're immaculate.

Today at The Beacon, we're kicking off five reflections on integrating SoTL into pK-12 classrooms. First up: Buckley Executive Director Justin Cerenzia explores 'Constructive Retrieval.' Tomorrow brings our first summer edition of Thursday's Three Things.

Hit the road this evening for the ‘AI & The Future of Education’ event at Penn’s Pennovation Center. Great space. Tons of learning.

WDYN is live (it's still Wednesday!)

WDYN is live this morning, highlighting May Term—EA’s 2-week immersive adventure, when Upper School students and faculty will step beyond the traditional curriculum, exploring fresh, interdisciplinary experiences locally and globally, sparking curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking.

WDYN is live, and this week we're all about celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week here in the U.S.—highlighting the incredible work teachers do every day and exploring what makes teaching so challenging, rewarding, and essential.

WDYN this week takes a look at some useful end-of-year exercises ranging from exam prep to what to do on 'lame duck' school days, before pointing to a neat NYT feature this week to help you remember of poem (with lots of considerations on memory embedded throughout). #Terrific

Today on 'The Beacon' CTL's Dr. Allison Schultz reflects on the use of AI as a partner in her work as an instructional coach with some early career teachers. We especially like her reference to the 'Three Point Communication' dynamic afforded by AI.

Working on it!

*Hearing reports of Team CTL’s presentation this morning*

👀

Team CTL is hitting the road (or tracks in this instance) this weekend to present at the Learning & the Brain conference in NYC. Our Sunday session will explore the benefits of classroom research to illuminate promising principles of teaching AND as a means of powerful teacher PD.

🎭 🎨 WDYN is live with a healthy dose of materials celebrating the Arts as we embark on Arts Fest this week. We also look at the value narrative structures in the classroom, and the potential of a homework audit before closing with a clip from David Bowie. 👨‍🎤

I’m pleased to announce the publication of the first of a three-issue special volume from Thresholds in Education about generative AI’s impact on teaching and learning coedited with Stephen Monroe. We have amazing essays from educators. Please give them a read! open.substack.com/pub/marcwatk...

We've got a guest writer over at The Beacon today! Head of school @tjlocke.bsky.social shares his reflections on his recent AI field test in Multivariable Calculus. We love this piece and think school leaders, and their faculty, can really benefit from this approach.

WDYN is live this week with a look into some internal programming, a link to @retrievelearn.bsky.social's new book (and a helpful '10 Tips' sheet), and a quick peek at the link between diet and brain function. PLUS we consider Austin Kleon's 'Scenius vs. Genius' in 'The Last Word.'

This is happening currently for those interested in the AI stuff.

I, along with Pooja and a number of the other chapter authors, will be at the Zoom launch party on 4/15! Come join us!

🚨 New WDYN is live with—EA Stemposium highlights, a conversation with David Yeager on motivation, AI prompting tips, and reclaiming wonder amidst the AI onslaught.

🚨WDYN is live🚨 -We point to a great 'Teach Tools' resource from ed developer Michael McCreary at Goucher -We consider the fun '24-7 Lecture' as a review exercise, [email protected] "dogfoods" a fall assessment with some AI assistance.

My TEDx Talk on “Teaching and the Vanishing Art of Connection” #EduSky #AcademicSky #EdTech #Education #Teaching #Learning #PsychSciSky #AcademicChatter

A lovely review of my book, Do I Have Your Attention? by @cerenz.bsky.social for Learning and the Brain. Check it out: www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/attenti...

Interview w/ Doug Harris about the new @aefpweb.bsky.social Live Handbook (the Wikipedia of education research): www.the74million.org/article/scho...

Some March Madness inspired review on the Peel Commission in Mr. Fraggos’ middle school Social Studies class this AM using @myshortanswer.bsky.social. Love the wrapper exercise at the end!