In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m joined by Jonah Davids. Jonah and I met while participating in a panel discussion around declining behavior in schools (listen here), which led me to invite him to discuss the evidence base behind Restorative Justice and Social-Emotional approaches in education. Are we on track or has there been … Continue reading S4E34: Jonah Davids on the Debates Over Restorative Justice and SEL
Anything but boring: The power of direct instruction
Something of a movement is brewing in education these days. A renewed interest in the science of how kids learn has led to greater adoption of effective teaching principles: We should regulate student attention, manage the cognitive load of tasks, over-practice concepts with students, and use student responses to adjust lessons. This is called direct … Continue reading Anything but boring: The power of direct instruction
When something matters, we make time for it
I'm often told that schools don't have time to focus on teaching and learning. The reality is they don’t make time. Instructional coaching doesn’t demand a ton of time—it takes just 20-30 minutes to deliver a sharp and purposeful feedback session around a single, granular action step. Done right, it not only improves instruction but … Continue reading When something matters, we make time for it
S4E33: Peps Mccrea on Great Teaching and Human Flourishing
In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I am delighted to host Peps Mccrea, the Director of Education at Steplab and the mind behind the must-read online newsletter, Evidence Snacks. Peps has dedicated his career to improving education through evidence-based practices. His latest project includes Great Teaching, Unpacked, a Netflix-style documentary that is pushing the boundaries … Continue reading S4E33: Peps Mccrea on Great Teaching and Human Flourishing
Song-and-Dance Consulting
If you're under 30—or as chronically online as I am—you will know the YouTube influencer, Mr. Beast. Regardless of whether you have an opinion of Mr. Beast, he has some interesting things to say about consultants: Consultants are literally cheat codes. Need to make the world's largest slice of cake? Start off by calling the … Continue reading Song-and-Dance Consulting
Harnessing Attention and Explaining Better
Blake Harvard, a teacher and author of the best-selling book, Do I have your attention?, and I share an obsession with improving teaching through evidence-based practices. A major focus of both of our work is the translation of principles of learning science into practical strategies that can be used in tomorrow's lesson. You can hear … Continue reading Harnessing Attention and Explaining Better
The Direct Instruction Podcast and Conference
Over the past year, I have released 10 episodes of The Direct Instruction Podcast. It has been well received, and my hope is that it has inspired discussion not just about the delivery of instruction, but the design of effective materials and the organization of effective schools. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh1xxmQ8V6XInWAHACcvXJEVVNESodLZF&si=LfH1CKRdf0IgqSmh Listen to The Direct Instruction Podcast: SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon … Continue reading The Direct Instruction Podcast and Conference
S4E32: Rachel Ball on Scaffolded Instruction and Adaptive Teaching
In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I am delighted to host Rachel Ball, Coaching Development Lead at Steplab and a passionate advocate for effective teaching based on the science of learning. Rachel will explore her new book, The Scaffolding Effect, and the Explicit Instruction Conference we are both keynoting in New Mexico (sign up here!). … Continue reading S4E32: Rachel Ball on Scaffolded Instruction and Adaptive Teaching
Minimally Guided Instruction Doesn’t Work in Math, Either
Just last week I ran an instructional coaching intensive in Philadelphia with my colleagues at Steplab. If you haven't heard of Steplab, I would sincerely hope you reach out. Several attendees, including from The Writing Revolution and The Reading League, called it the best training they'd ever attended. It is no surprise why so many … Continue reading Minimally Guided Instruction Doesn’t Work in Math, Either
A Refreshing Case for Explicit Instruction
I was happy to see a fantastic and thorough review of my book, Just Tell Them, in the Learning & the Brain blog. This comes after I just presented at Learning & the Brain alongside folks like Doug Lemov, Haili Hughes and Dan Willingham (click those links for podcasts of mine that they each featured … Continue reading A Refreshing Case for Explicit Instruction
Education Rickshaw 
You must be logged in to post a comment.