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Don't Leave It to Chance: Intentional IEP Planning for School Transitions

For many educators, the phrase “transition planning” immediately brings to mind postsecondary goals (such as college, career, and independent living). While those are critical, they are not the only transitions that shape outcomes for students with IEPs. In reality, students and their families navigate multiple transitions long before graduation: from preschool to kindergarten, elementary to middle school, middle to high school, and others in between.

These K–12 transitions can often be treated as routine, but for students with disabilities, they are anything but. They are high-stakes moments that can either accelerate growth or create regression, anxiety, and disengagement. If we leave these transitions to chance, we risk undoing months—or even years—of progress.

Why This Matters More Than We Think

Transitions disrupt the very things that many students with IEPs rely on most: predictability, relationships, and support systems. A student who thrived in a structured elementary classroom may struggle in the fast-paced environment of middle school. A student who had strong relationships with early childhood staff may enter kindergarten without the same level of individualized understanding.

Families feel this too. Many report that transitions are when communication drops off, expectations become unclear, and trust must be rebuilt from scratch.

From a systems perspective, transitions are where breakdowns are most likely to occur because:

Critical information doesn’t transfer

Supports are delayed or inconsistently implemented

Students enter new environments without preparation

Receiving teams are under-informed or underprepared

And yet, these are preventable challenges. Intentional transition planning is not about adding another compliance task. It’s about protecting continuity of support, preserving student confidence, and strengthening trust with families.

Expanding Our Definition of Transition Planning

Too often, transition planning is viewed only through the lens of postsecondary planning and IEP components. But effective teams broaden the lens so that transition planning is continuous, not episodic. It should occur at every major school change. This means treating transitions as:

A team responsibility, not just the case manager’s task

A process, not a one-time conversation

A system-level priority, not an individual effort

When we shift our mindset, we move from reactive problem-solving to proactive design.

Practical Strategies for Stronger Transitions

Now for the good news: Small and intentional shifts can significantly improve transition outcomes. Consider the following four actions as places to start.

1. Time IEP Meetings Strategically

Holding IEP meetings in late spring (rather than early fall) creates an opportunity to plan forward, not just reflect backward. Use this time to:

Anticipate changes in environment, expectations, and supports

Align goals and accommodations with the next setting

Involve receiving staff when possible

This simple shift can transform the IEP from a retrospective document into a forward-facing plan.

2. Build Structured Handoff Systems

Transitions should not rely on informal conversations or last-minute emails. Instead, create consistent processes such as:

Transition summaries highlighting strengths, triggers, and effective supports

Scheduled handoff meetings between sending and receiving teams

Shared documentation systems that ensure access to key information

The goal is clarity and continuity, not just compliance.

3. Prioritize Student and Family Readiness

Preparation should extend beyond staff. Consider:

Individualized or small-group school tours (not just large orientation events)

Conduct virtual tours, if unable to logistically schedule in-person

Visual supports, schedules, or social narratives for younger students

Opportunities for students to meet key staff in advance

Clear communication with families about what will change and what will stay consistent

When students and families know what to expect, anxiety decreases and engagement increases.

4. Create Transition-Focused Checkpoints

Instead of assuming a smooth start, build in early monitoring systems. Within the first 30–45 days:

Check implementation of accommodations and services

Gather feedback from students and families

Problem-solve quickly if concerns arise

Early course correction prevents small issues from becoming significant barriers.

Final Thought

Transitions will happen whether we plan for them or not. The question is whether they will be moments of disruption or opportunities for growth. For students with IEPs, the difference often comes down to intentionality.

When teams communicate, and prepare, transitions become less about uncertainty and more about possibility. Students enter new environments with confidence. Families feel supported. Educators start the year informed and ready. That’s not leaving it to chance. That’s leadership.

June 01, 2026

Five Ways to Give Your Brain an Upgrade

Have you ever wanted to give your brain an upgrade? Wouldn’t it be great if we could make an appointment, schedule a procedure, and immediately have a more powerful, flexible, productive brain? Sounds impossible—and it is, at least for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, there are steps we can take, habits we can build, and strategies we can employ to increase the capacity and productivity of our brains.

We do not have to rely on technology, take medications, or modify our genetics. By adopting and regularly practicing a few habits, we can experience significant benefits for our brain function. We can start by refusing to relegate our brains to serving as storage units. Memory is important, but our brains are built to be active, learn, and grow. We can increase our brain capacity by treating it much like a muscle and regularly stretching, exercising, and building strength. Here are five actions we can take and habits we can adopt to get started.

Attend to your attention span.

Many factors affect our ability to sustain our attention. Distractions, interruptions, multitasking, and ongoing habits can reduce the time our attention stays focused on any one source. Some people argue that our attention spans have naturally shrunk over the past number of years, but the research is not consistent on that point. What we do know is that switching from one topic to another saps mental energy. We also know that most people can lengthen their attention span with effort and practice. Further, as our ability to pay attention grows, so does the information our brains take in and can apply to tasks, challenges, and other activities dependent on brain power. Paying attention is a skill we can build.

How to grow your attention: Pay attention to your attention. When do you feel your mind begin to drift? Are there times when paying attention is more difficult? When you feel your mind begin to wander, try reminding yourself why paying attention might be important at that moment. Try discretely timing how long you can sustain your attention. Having a purpose for paying attention, consistent practice, and noticing progress are three of the most effective ways to grow your attention span.

Ignite your imagination.

Imagination is a wonderful thing. It is too bad that it is so often most accessible to children. Imagination helps us to conjure, examine, elaborate, and create what could be. Our imagination is free from the constraints common to most other forms of thinking. Our imagination can also make what seems impossible possible. Meanwhile, the activities associated with imagining can stimulate new brain pathways, unearth hidden connections among ideas and issues, and even complete half-thoughts and partial understanding. Imagining is one of the most powerful and effective brain-growth exercises. The responsibilities and routines of life can keep us away from exploring and discovering through imagination. Yet, imagination allows our brain to roam and explore in ways rarely available through other means. Imagination is often called the brain’s stimulation engine.

How to free your imagination: Mental rehearsal can be a powerful way to prepare for an event or activity because it activates brain regions that simulate reality. Similarly, imagining alternatives can help you move beyond rigid thinking and improve your creativity, problem solving, and adaptability. Employing your imagination to create mental pictures and build contextual stories can also strengthen learning experiences and memory. Further, imagining future scenarios can help to anticipate consequences, rehearse decisions, and emotionally prepare for what may lie ahead.

Surround yourself with stimulating people.

Some of us had people in our lives when we were young who said things like, “Choose your friends carefully. Who you hang out with is who you will become.” We may have doubted this advice, but it turns out to be far more true than false. The people with whom we converse, hang out, and otherwise spend time can have a more powerful influence on us and our brains than we realize. They can influence our values, how we spend our time, what we talk about, and what we learn.

When choosing friends and colleagues: You cannot always choose with whom you must work, but you can decide who you want to listen to and with whom you will spend time when you do have a choice. Your selection criteria should be driven by what you aspire to be. For example, if you want to be an authentic person, you need to spend time with authentic people. If you seek to be more open-minded, you need to seek out open-minded people who can help you to grow in that direction. Life is short: Spending time with people who drag you down, limit your perspective, and narrow your interests can work against building your knowledge and deepening your wisdom.

Curate your curiosity.

Curiosity might be compared to the starter unit in an engine. It stimulates the brain to be alert, engaged, and ready to learn, and it is also proactive, seeking information rather than just receiving it. Curiosity enhances the pleasure of learning by improving the brain's efficiency in processing information. Further, curiosity deepens learning, enhances memory, and activates the brain’s reward system, resulting in the release of dopamine. Consequently, motivation, anticipation, and engagement grow.

How to become more curious: Curiosity rests and builds on other brain capacity-building elements, such as attention, imagination, and associations with interesting people. You can activate your curiosity by intentionally approaching situations and issues with questions rather than judgment or conclusions. Exposing yourself to novel concepts and experiences can stimulate curiosity. Allowing yourself to wonder rather than expecting to have answers can be a freeing experience and a stimulator of curiosity. Questions like “What would happen if...,” “What am I missing….,” and “How else might I think of this…” can be a great place to start and a way to form a curiosity habit.

Enlist your environment.

This strategy may seem too simple to work. Yet, research shows that when we shift, modify, or rearrange our surroundings, our brain takes note. Our brains notice novelty and unfamiliar contexts. Redecorating and resetting a room we occupy frequently can give us a new perspective, stimulate changes in brain waves, and improve our memory. Interestingly, even reorganizing our immediate workspace can refresh our thinking, stimulate ideas, and motivate us to begin a task we have been putting off.

Ideas for changing surroundings: Consider moving your desk or worktable to face another direction. You might add some artwork or pictures to create variety and stimulate your thinking. Occasionally, move out of your regular workspace and try thinking and working in another location. Changing environments can also be helpful in capturing information in memory. Moving from one location to another while reading or studying can “location-stamp” memories, making what you learned easier to recall.

We might think of the brain as a place to store information, but its real value lies in building meaning, making connections, and expanding our ability to think and learn. However, unless we consistently focus our brains in these directions, we risk allowing them to become stale and to atrophy rather than to grow, strengthen, and perform.

May 29, 2026

Why Boredom Belongs on Your Summer Agenda

Summer break features a wide variety of activities, roles, and responsibilities for teachers. Contrary to popular assumption, most teachers do not have the luxury of taking the summer off to relax and do nothing. Teaching summer school, completing curriculum projects, engaging in professional learning, and taking temporary jobs to supplement income are just some of what fills the summer months—either by choice or necessity.

Obviously, boredom is not what most teachers anticipate and plan for when the school year comes to an end. Yet, finding time and ways to experience and embrace boredom can offer some important benefits, both personally and professionally. Seeking to be bored may seem counterintuitive, but boredom can create conditions for and be a source of important mental and emotional work.

Consider that many of history’s most creative people and greatest thinkers used boredom as the context and stimulus for some of their most important work. Isaac Newton developed some of his most significant theories while idling away hours at the family farm during the plague. Charles Darwin depended on his daily walks to allow his mind to wander and wonder. Maya Angelou chose to write in hotel rooms devoid of pictures, decoration, and distracting views to create a boring backdrop for her creative work. These innovative people and others leveraged the mental space offered by boredom to synthesize their thinking, make connections, complete ideas, and generate possibilities.

We may not have the luxury of extended time to become bored, but we can create space to reflect, make connections, integrate information, and generate ideas. We might set aside time on weekends, take advantage of time while driving, schedule regular hikes or strolls, or choose other spaces and activities that allow time to think. Be assured that the choice can be more than worth the effort. Here are just a few benefits you can experience:

Recovering mentally. When our brain is not occupied, it shifts into default mode, much like reflection. The rest can refresh our thinking and renew our energy; thinking about nothing can be very therapeutic.

Rebalancing emotions. In the absence of input and focus, the brain can resurface unresolved thoughts and lingering emotions, allowing up to work through unhealed wounds and decide how to deal with them. This space can also help us to process residual stress and allow it to dissipate rather than carry it with us.

Repositioning our relationship with time. During the year, we might seek to make every moment productive. Setting aside time to be bored can remind us that time can be experienced and valued as a pause as much as for activity.

Unleashing creativity. Boredom can create space for our unconscious mind to see connections we might have missed, to complete thoughts or finish partially formed ideas, and to generate new insights.

Reconnecting with purpose. We might spend most of our time during the year planning, responding, completing tasks, managing deadlines, and other time-consuming activities. During such a level of activity, we can lose track of what is rewarding about our work and what renews our spirit. Boredom can interrupt the cycle and create space to reconnect to why we choose this profession.

Expanding identity. Taking time to be bored can invite us to be curious and explore. We might rediscover interests we have abandoned, try a new activity, or explore a hobby. Boredom can create space to expand our sense of who we are and who we want to become.

Finding or making time to be bored isn’t likely to be at the top of most educators’ list of summer priorities, though maybe it should be. Finding time to renew, refresh, and reframe our thoughts and emotions can be a great way to let go of the past year and create space and anticipation for what lies ahead.

May 21, 2026

Gratitude: The Emotion That Changes Everything

On a daily basis, we may not think much about gratitude as a powerful emotion or significant influence on how we experience life and engage with others. Yet, when we regularly and consistently practice gratitude, the effects can be life changing. We see more options, discover more and better solutions, and we are more optimistic about our circumstances. Regardless of our role—administrator, teacher, staff, or other personnel—gratitude can have a determinative impact on how we feel about and perform our work, as well as how we experience life.

Gratitude has the power to reshape our thinking, transform our relationships, and guide our behavior. Few other emotions, if any, can generate such a potent and sustained impact on multiple aspects of our lives. Consider these benefits of gratitude:

Gratitude shifts our perceptions. While gratitude can lead us to think positively about what we experience, it also has a powerful influence on what we pay attention to, how we interpret it, and what we remember. Gratitude leads us to notice opportunities around us, reminds us of the support others provide, and increases our awareness of our progress and that of those around us.

Gratitude builds and sustains relationships. When we express gratitude to others, we assure them that they are seen, respected, and valued. As a result, they are more likely to trust, collaborate, and invest emotionally in us.

Gratitude diminishes negative emotional patterns. When we choose gratitude, emotions such as envy, resentment, and ungratefulness no longer thrive in our thinking and feelings. Practicing gratitude signals the brain to pay attention to what is positive and worthwhile rather than what is negative and trivial.

Gratitude builds our resilience. Gratitude makes it easier to identify meaningful elements and worthwhile efforts in challenging circumstances. Consequently, we have more reasons and energy to persist through difficulty.

Gratitude is contagious. When even one person practices gratitude in a group or on a team, it can have a ripple effect. Before long, others begin to reflect gratitude in how they speak and behave.

Obviously, gratitude does not always come naturally or easily. Experiencing the power of gratitude requires us to mentally position ourselves to tap into it. Consider that:

Gratitude grows out of awareness. Failing to pay attention, constantly rushing, and taking people for granted lead to overlooking actions and circumstances worthy of gratitude. Pausing to notice matters.

Gratitude depends on us being present. Focusing on the past or being preoccupied with the future can prevent our experiencing gratitude in the present. Savoring the moment makes it more meaningful and impactful.

Gratitude requires acceptance that we need and rely on others. While we may seek to be self-reliant, we also need to acknowledge that the support and contributions of others are necessary for our success. Our efforts and others’ support can coexist.

Gratitude grows with reflection. Gratitude often emerges following experiences. Taking time to reflect and make sense of what happens can increase our awareness and feelings of gratitude. Journaling can be a simple but great way to facilitate this process.

Gratitude does not require abundance or perfection. Constantly focusing on what is missing or what we do not have diminishes gratitude. Comfort with enough and understanding what is essential can be stimuli for gratitude.

Gratitude does not thrive when we feel entitled. Believing that we deserve everything we get can undermine appreciation and diminish feelings of gratitude. Entitlement blocks gratitude.

It may seem like an overstatement to say that gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions in the world. Yet when we examine its power to shift our thinking and behavior, and its ability to influence others' behavior, it is difficult to deny its potential. How are you tapping into this powerful life tool?

May 21, 2026

What the Most Successful Teachers Do Differently

No two classrooms operate exactly the same way. Teachers choose different teaching strategies. They may choose different materials to support their instruction. They have students engaged in different learning activities. They may even have entirely different classroom management systems.

Yet, these are not the elements that usually separate the most successful teachers. In fact, it is not the programs and techniques they adopt. What sets them apart is much deeper. Their secrets of success lie in the ways they think about and approach their practice. Their success is shaped by hundreds of small decisions made every day. These decisions—and the habits associated with them—over time quietly compound and generate momentum for learning that can be profound.

Remarkably, the practices and habits in which highly successful teachers engage do not require special talent or unusual intellect. Their power is found in authenticity and consistency. Let’s examine seven of these habits and the power they possess to positively impact students and learning.

Habit #1: They prioritize relationships that support learning. Highly successful teachers understand that relationships are the grease that makes many important aspects of learning possible. Building trust, showing respect, and making connections leads students to feel valued and as though they belong. The presence of strong, positive relationships creates a foundation for high expectations, confidence in feedback, and commitment to persist and succeed. Of course, these relationships are not confined to students. They extend to families, colleagues, and others whose support is important in fostering learning.

Habit #2: They reflect regularly and improve deliberately. Highly successful teachers recognize that experience is not the same as expertise. Taking time to reflect on what worked, what did not work, what was anticipated, and what surprised are starting points for gaining insight and strengthening professional practice. Growth comes from examination, analysis, and adjustments, not repetition.

Habit #3: They remain fully present, despite distractions. Successful teaching requires constant awareness. Students signal their confusion, engagement, emotions, curiosity, and other learning-related information constantly. Being fully present makes it more likely that subtle cues are noticed so that adjustments can be made in real time.

Habit #4: They avoid unnecessary multitasking. Like being fully present, focusing attention on what is most important increases the impact and boosts the productivity of highly successful teachers. Obviously, teachers face multiple competing demands, but trying to do too many things at once diminishes effectiveness. Focusing on what matters most for learning also minimizes the energy lost to less important and impactful activities.

Habit #5: They treat mistakes as feedback, not failure. Highly successful teachers understand that mistakes are nothing more than data that provides clues about what to avoid, adjust, and improve. When errors are seen as evidence, experimentation is easier, risks are less scary, and refinement is more likely. Additionally, when teachers see and use mistakes as information for improvement, mistakes become less risky for students.

Habit #6: They constantly check for understanding. Highly successful teachers know that instruction is important, but learning is what counts. Regularly gathering evidence of learning during instruction ensures that students remain engaged, are in sync with teaching, and are processing the information shared with them. As a result, instruction can be adjusted before confusion and misconceptions become entrenched. Checking for understanding following instruction allows teachers to discern where students need reinforcement, clarification, and additional practice.

Habit #7: They prioritize impact over affirmation. Not all teaching-related decisions are popular with students and not all decisions that are popular result in learning. Learning can be challenging, and it is not always enjoyable. Prioritizing actions that produce important learning and lasting growth leads to the success students deserve, even when other options may generate short-term enthusiasm.

These habits make one thing clear: Teaching success is less about activities and techniques and more about the ways we think about and approach our work. When we consistently practice these and similar habits, we create conditions to support learning growth and position us to become more effective.

May 01, 2026

How to Help Students Recognize and Develop Their Talents

Our first responsibility as educators is to ensure that students develop the broad base of knowledge and the skillset necessary to prepare them for life after they leave formal education. While this challenge is, of course, worthy of our time and attention, there is also a second challenge to which educators need to attend: to scout, find, and develop students’ special interests, aptitudes, and talents.

Gaining skills and a broad understanding across the general curriculum provides students with important preparation for life. However, when we find and tap students’ special gifts and interests, we open the door for them to move beyond compliance with what is expected of them and to pursue a deeper learning experience featuring a sense of purpose, persistence, and commitment that drives their learning.

A first step in discovering a student’s special gifts and talents is to simply be aware of the student's potential and look for these gifts and talents. When we believe every student has talent—even though it may be hidden or undiscovered—our relationships with them shift. We pay attention to signs and signals in students’ words and behaviors that might be evidence of academic, artistic, physical, creative, or leadership talent. We see flashes of creativity, a facility for problem-solving, or a spirit of compassion and empathy as potential evidence of a latent talent to be developed.

While we want all students to grow and progress across a broad array of areas, talent cultivation focuses on an area or areas in which a student might continue to grow in depth and at a rate that exceeds what might be envisioned or expected in the general education context. Often, these specific areas of interest can lead to focused career exploration and help the student make decisions that chart a course for their future.

Of course, uncovering areas of potential interest and talent is only the first step. Our most impactful work lies in cultivating the potential students possess. We can begin by helping students to be aware of what excites them, comes easily for them, or attracts their energy. However, we need to be careful to nurture what the student finds interesting or is passionate about, not what we believe should drive them.

We also need to define talent broadly. Academic, artistic, physical, creative, and leadership talent are commonly noticed, but we might also include empathy, compassion, persistence, and problem-solving in our definition of talent. Many emerging careers and employment options depend on talents that have not traditionally been recognized and celebrated.

Further, we can think of talent development as a continuum. A student may not demonstrate a high level of accomplishment now, but their talent can grow and become increasingly apparent and valuable over time. Talent rarely comes fully developed. Time, practice, commitment, and support are crucial elements for moving toward full development.

We can match growth opportunities with practice and exploration. Students need opportunities to practice and develop new skills. Depending on their ages, we might identify and encourage students to engage in internships, apprenticeships, and other related experiences to grow their talent and skills.

We need to treat mistakes and setbacks as learning opportunities. Students can easily become discouraged when they attempt a difficult task or a challenge and are not immediately successful. We need to help them see less-than-successful attempts as important opportunities for learning rather than evidence of inadequacy or reasons to give up.

We can give students choices and space to develop. Students grow and develop at their own pace. They also need to feel ownership for the path they are pursuing. We may need to step back and give students opportunities to try and fail and make choices about the path that is best for them. In the end, students need to feel ownership and commitment on their own terms, not in response to our and others’ expectations.

Finally, we can allow students to see us stretch and grow. We can be useful models for students when we take risks and continue to grow our skills. When students see us stretching, making mistakes, and learning from our experiences, they can feel freer to try difficult tasks and take on significant challenges without expecting perfection.

Helping students build the knowledge and skills contained in the curriculum can often be a challenge. Students may struggle to see relevance and perceive learning as a compliance activity. When students find areas of special interest and uncover their unique talents, they’re more likely to persist in the face of challenges and commit to their learning path. Our job is to notice, nurture, and nudge.

Visit our Paraeducator Career and Technical Education Pathway page to see how this program for high school students aligns with your school’s Grow-Your-Own program!

April 09, 2026

Share Your Tips & Stories

Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.

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When Learning Stalls—Shift Your Teaching Stance

Most of us are familiar with the teaching stance popularly known as the warm demander, the educator who holds high expectations while communicating high levels of warmth and care. This approach is particularly effective because it helps students feel a sense of belonging while also holding them to high standards for success.

Yet, while the stance of a warm demander can yield positive learning results for many students in many circumstances, it is not a panacea. Some students may be less focused on supportive relationships, and others do not necessarily need high levels of accountability to be successful. There are times when students need to be challenged, coached, or stimulated to lift their levels of engagement and learning. Consequently, they may be more responsive to a different approach than the one employed by warm demanding.

Occasionally, we can also feel as though our teaching is stalling, our students are not responding, and we are struggling. We may be facing the need to change our teaching stance. When this happens, we need options. Let’s consider four additional teaching stances beyond “warm demander” from which we might choose and when they might be most effective:

Learning coach: This stance offers high support and high productivity. The focus is on the importance of practicing to develop skills, normalizing struggle, using feedback, and monitoring and marking progress. This approach works best when students need to believe success is possible and identify a path to reach it.

Academic organizer: This stance features high expectations accompanied by high levels of structure and consistency. The approach features predictability, clarity, and consistent routines, and it offers scaffolding, checkpoints, and gradual release of responsibility. It works best when students need organization and increased self-regulation, would benefit from structure, and need focus.

Credible consultant: This approach maintains high standards but also offers high confidence in students’ abilities to learn. This stance focuses on providing clarity, structure, and expertise. Students respond best to this approach when they are seeking clear guidance, content coherence, and depth of expertise to find success. Students want clear expectations, an absence of distractions, and confidence that their teacher possesses deep knowledge and wisdom.

Cognitive stimulator: This approach, like the others, features high expectations, but those expectations are accompanied by a high level of challenge. The focus is on finding and presenting intellectual and skill challenges that attract students’ interest, sense of possibility, and self-competition. This stance works best when students are working below potential, are energized by ideas, and seek intellectual respect.

Considerations for deciding which stance to take:

We may be more comfortable with some stances than others, but our students’ needs and interests should drive the stance we choose.
We can shift among teaching stances during lessons as conditions and student needs emerge and shift. They are meant to be circumstance-dependent!
We may choose one teaching stance with some students and a different one with others.
We may not be certain of the teaching stance to take. When that is the case, we can stop and ask ourselves what we are seeing and hearing—compliance, confusion, disengagement, avoidance, or something else. Once we understand the behavior, we can choose the best response.

What is most important is that we start with what students need and what will stimulate the learning behavior that is most likely to lead to success. The correct choice of teaching stance offers the best opportunity for teaching and learning success.

Of course, the list of teaching stances discussed here is not exhaustive. What other stances have you found to be useful? How do they contribute to developing effective learning habits and academic success?

March 27, 2026

How to Help Students Take the Risks Learning Demands

Have you sensed that young people today are less inclined to take risks than previous generations? It may be more than your imagination. According to a recent CDC Youth Risk Behavior Report, today’s adolescents less frequently choose to engage in risk-related behaviors such as drinking and sex, and for an increasing number of adolescents, even driving is seen as risky and frightening.

On the surface, this may seem like good news. Yet this shift in behavior also suggests some bad news. While we want young people to be safe, part of learning to be independent is gaining experience in trying new things and learning to take risks and understand consequences.

What is driving the changes in behavior is open to speculation. Some blame an uncertain world. Others point to overprotective parents. Still others speculate that today’s youth are just more afraid of making mistakes and facing failure than previous generations. Regardless of the cause, it is a concern to monitor and address where practical.

Of course, students’ reticence to take risks also finds its way into the classroom. Students can be reluctant to take on complex projects and persist when faced with difficult challenges. Yet we know that trying hard things and finding a path to success, despite uncertainty, are important learning experiences. These experiences also help students to build confidence in their abilities and skills.

While we might advise and encourage parents to allow their children to take responsible risks and confront occasional lack of success, we cannot control that part of students’ lives. Nevertheless, there are strategies we can employ in our classroom to encourage and support students to take learning-related risks. Here are seven actions to consider.

We can start by making learning-related risks safe. We can create and protect a psychologically safe environment where students are not subject to public shame and criticism for trying, even if they are not completely successful. Building a learning community where students feel they belong can also make taking risks feel safer.

We can treat mistakes and missteps as natural to learning paths. We might use phrases such as “not yet,” “draft thinking,” and “evidence of progress” to help students understand that learning that is challenging rarely means getting things right on the first attempt. When students offer answers that are less than correct or complete, we can recognize and reinforce elements and aspects of their response that reflect thought and effort while continuing to coach them toward full understanding and skill development.

We might focus our praise and feedback on productive effort and effective strategies. Learning what it takes to succeed can be more important in the long term than succeeding without significant effort.

We can create scaffolding to support early efforts. We might provide exemplars, frameworks, checklists, and other resources to give students confidence to take early steps. We can also break complex tasks into manageable parts to prevent students from feeling overwhelmed.

We might provide students with multiple opportunities to practice. Practicing in a low-stakes environment can build confidence and lower feelings of risk. When the time comes for formal assessment or public performance, students are more likely to see the experience as an extension of practice than a “high wire” act.

We can normalize risk-taking language. We might talk with students about the importance of productive struggle and moving beyond their comfort zone into their learning zone. We also can build in opportunities and expectations for revising early attempts, engaging in reflection, and using what is learned to retry.

We can resist stepping in too early to rescue or fix mistakes. We might ask questions rather than immediately provide answers and solutions. We can inquire about what students are seeing and thinking rather than starting with our interpretation. The key is to offer support without removing ownership or lowering the challenge.

Our goal is to help students see learning-related risk-taking as a natural part of learning. Taking risks offers opportunities to succeed with things that are hard. When risk-taking becomes normalized, students are more likely to see risks as expressions of confidence rather than tests of courage.

Citations:

Baron, J. (2026, January 26). Why today’s teens are taking fewer risks. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-teens-through-connection/202601/why-todays-teens-are-taking-fewer-risks

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Youth risk behavior survey data summary & trends report: 2013–2023. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/yrbs/dstr/index.html

March 13, 2026

Help Students Apply Out-of-School Learning in School

When we teach our students new skills, we want them to apply these skills beyond the specific assignment or context in which they initially learned them. We call this additional application of skills transfer. For example, when students learn a mathematical process, we want them to be able to use the skill to solve problems involving different values, to answer related questions from other subject areas, and to understand relationships; this is called near transfer. Taking this idea even further, we might claim complete success when students use the new skill to generate new insights beyond our instruction or to create new knowledge or a unique application; this is far transfer.

Students often think of learning in school as separate and that academic skills are disconnected from learning and knowledge elsewhere. This perceived separation can lead students to overlook opportunities to use what they learn in academic settings in their everyday lives, limiting their motivation and understanding. By helping students recognize how academic skills connect to real-world contexts—such as using math for budgeting or interpreting data—they can become more engaged and see greater relevance in their learning, ultimately enhancing both their confidence and success.

Equally important, transfer is not limited to students using what they learn in class or school in a different context or in other aspects of their lives. The truth is that students develop skills, strategies, and insights outside of school that can benefit their learning in school. However, too often they fail to realize that they can transfer and apply much of what they know and practice outside of school to improve their success in school. We might think of this process as “reverse transfer.”

Helping students to see how outside-of-school skills and strategies can be applied in school can be an exceptionally beneficial revelation and learning accelerator. Let’s explore some outside-of-school skills that students can tap and leverage to support their in-school learning:

Outside-of-school skill: Playing video games and competitive sports develops persistence, strategic thinking, learning from mistakes and unsuccessful attempts, and involves constant improvement.
- In-school learning: Sticking with difficult learning challenges, mining mistakes for learning, finding and using new strategies, and building on past learning to support new learning.
Outside-of-school skill: Learning from YouTube, social media, and peers without formal teaching and structured lessons.
- In-school learning: Using varied resources to supplement formal instruction, learning from peers, and searching for information and learning independently.
Outside-of-school skill: Pushing back on unfairness and injustice and advocating for increased personal independence.
- In-school learning: Writing arguments, participating in debate, engaging in inquiry, and applying a claim-evidence-reasoning framework.
Outside-of-school skill: Creating videos, writing memes, and composing music.
- In-school learning: Using voice and focusing on the audience when writing, storytelling, and developing arguments, and choosing the appropriate format and vehicle to communicate messages.
Outside-of-school skill: Persuading friends, organizing activities, and being aware of group dynamics.
- In-school learning: Seeking and assuming formal leadership roles, learning and applying formal leadership skills and strategies.
Outside-of-school skill: Engaging in hobbies, part-time jobs, and pursuing career interests.
- In-school learning: Leveraging experience and connecting interests to increase relevance of academic content and skills.

Without question, many skills and habits students develop outside of school can benefit their learning in school. However, too many students miss this connection and fail to take advantage of the full range of skills and capabilities they possess. We can help by pointing out potential connections and helping students to transfer—or reverse transfer—what they already know to enhance what we ask them to learn. What additional out-of-school skills and strategies might you add to this list?

March 11, 2026

Nine Cognitive Science Practices That Accelerate Learning

The term “cognitive science” isn’t new, but the research-based, experience-proven practices that make up the body of cognitive science are compelling. Yet, for many educators, the collective body of knowledge and practices that comprise cognitive science may be less than familiar.

Nevertheless, cognitive science is rapidly becoming one of the hallmarks of the education profession. It provides vocabulary to describe, a language to use, and a framework to discuss key elements of teaching and learning. Interestingly, cognitive science tends to be more widely known and practiced as a comprehensive approach in countries like the United Kingdom and Australia than in the United States. Meanwhile, most of the research supporting cognitive science has its origins in the United States.

At its core, cognitive science explains key aspects of how our brains process, think, and remember what we learn. Implementation of cognitive science principles and practices have been credited for steady academic progress among English students and a fifty-percent reduction in their reading gender gap. Other countries are taking notice and are applying cognitive science principles in their school and with their students.

So, what are the key elements of cognitive science? Here are nine of the most common and relied on principles and practices. (We have also provided links to other In Your Corner blogs that discuss many of these elements.)

Instructional strategies

Activating prior knowledge. Connecting what students are going to learn with what they already know is a great way to prepare students to grasp unfamiliar content and build new skills. We can engage students in discussions, conduct refresher lessons, ask linked questions, and other activities to connect with past learning, draw on prior knowledge, and relate to student life experiences. This also is a key time to be alert for misconceptions that may interfere with new learning.

Dual coding. This practice draws on two key learning modes: visual and auditory processing. The power of the approach is that the brain responds and retains more information when information or experiences feature multiple entry points. Combining explanations with graphic organizers, matching what students read with visual representations, and having students draw as they build understanding of a new concept are examples of dual coding. However, it is crucial that the visual and auditory input be aligned and focus on the same concept, content, or skill to avoid confusion and misconceptions.

Cognitive load. The entry point for new learning is working memory. This temporary holding place sorts and processes information for later storage and recall in long-term memory. Unfortunately, it has limited capacity to hold new information. It is easy to overload working memory, and it is susceptible to distractions. When we overload working memory, we risk students missing key information or not recalling it later. To maximize the functioning of working memory and avoid cognitive overload we can minimize distractions, break information into manageable parts, and provide timely breaks for the brain to process what is being learned.

Learning strategies

Metacognition. Metacognition describes the process of thinking about one’s thinking. As students develop this skill, they become increasingly aware of their thinking strategies and how to monitor and modify their thinking processes. Metacognition can be developed by teaching reflection practices, planning actions, and sharing monitoring and adjustment strategies.

Interleaving. Interleaving is a powerful study strategy that mixes topics and subjects intentionally to encourage the brain to process and connect information as students learn. For example, students might study English for twenty minutes, followed by a similar amount of time spent studying history. Students might focus on new information followed by a review of content they already know. Or they might engage with content out of chronological order. Interleaving keeps the brain alert and improves its ability to differentiate elements and aspects of the content students are learning.

Learning support

Motivation. We need to tap motivation that comes from within students whenever possible. Learning that features opportunities for autonomy, features a clear and compelling purpose, presents the potential for mastery, and allows students to practice self-determination is nearly impossible for students to resist. We can supplement these elements by varying learning formats and activities to gain and hold attention.

Feedback. Feedback can be a powerful support for learning. However, to make a difference it must be timely, specific, actionable, and purposeful. Students need to receive feedback as soon after a learning experience or action as soon as practical. Feedback needs to focus clearly on what the student has done. Effective feedback also includes the next step students can take to move their learning forward. Finally, feedback that has an impact needs to be connected to a worthy purpose, such as accomplishing a goal, mastering a concept, or making important progress.

Deepening learning and extending recall

Retrieval practice. Retrieval practice is a particularly effective way to help students refresh previously learned content and skills and extend their recall of past learning. Students might be asked to conduct a “brain dump” of everything they can recall about a previously learned concept or skill. They might be given low stakes quizzes that refresh past learning. Or students may be asked to retrieve past learning as warm up activities and/or to complete exit tickets.

Spaced practice. Intensive, compressed studying can offer short-term learning benefits. However, learning sticks better when practice is spread over time. Spaced practice also tends to deepen learning and extend recall. The brain reads repetition as important. For example, we might introduce new content or a skill and help students to build initial understanding or competence and then follow up in a few days with practice and extension of the new concept or additional elements of the new skill. This process might repeat in several days or a week and over an extended period. The cyclical nature of this approach continually strengthens learning and extends students’ ability to recall and apply it.

Cognitive science can provide excellent guidance and useful tools to help our students ramp up their learning and extend their recall far beyond what they typically experience without these practices. If cognitive science is part of your instruction and support repertoire, keep up the good work. If some of these approaches are unfamiliar, now is a great time to try them.