David Snyder

My long teaching career massively changed when I began learning about cognitive science about 2 years ago. In this podcast, I hope I respected the work of: @Doug_Lemov, @dylanwiliam, @DTWillingham, @C_Hendrick, @New_Old_Paul, @MegVertebrae, @MrZachG, @greg_ashman, @teacherhead, and MANY others. Thank you Eric and Nick of the @EdtechThrowdown! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/des…

Boris Becker dropped some powerful wisdom on the High Performance Podcast: He discovered Stoicism in prison and it changed everything. The story that hit him hardest? Marcus Aurelius — the most powerful man in the Roman Empire, basically Trump and Putin combined — was miserable despite having it all. Meanwhile, his slave Epictetus was always smiling and at peace. Aurelius asked him: “I have everything. You have nothing. How are you happier than me?” That moment birthed a core Stoic truth: the only thing you truly control is your own thoughts. Not your wife, kids, job, reputation — just your mind. Master that, and you master your life. Becker learned it the hard way behind bars: when you’re completely alone with your thoughts, you’d better make them beautiful… or they’ll destroy you. In a world full of noise, comparisons, and things we can’t control, Stoicism reminds us where real power and peace actually live — inside. I’ve found this idea quietly life-changing during tough seasons — the freedom that comes from focusing only on what’s truly yours to manage. What about you — what’s one thing outside your control that you’ve had to let go of, and how did it change your peace of mind?

@MrZachG @Doug_Lemov Zach, this session was stellar.

@Doug_Lemov’s What to do cycle 🔁

@eduleadership This is so good! The biggest issue is that when teachers adjust grades based on their professional assessment of a student’s effort, attention, and resiliency, their administrators need to support them. Without that admin support, the teacher will get burned (and burnt out).

Should grades be pure, objective measures of learning? Or should they include subjective teacher judgments about effort? Parents are clear about what they want!

@greg_ashman @SoLInTheWild And if the students in the groups do not have the schema for the project, they might just get frustrated.

I am sure there is a version of project-based learning, led by researchers, that’s not like what I’m about to describe. However, in my experience, setting kids a 3-week history or science project is mainly about the teacher not having to prepare lessons for 3 weeks. The teacher can check emails and catch up on other work while the kids cast about ‘researching’—which now often means using AI—and focus their attention on presentation, if they focus their attention at all. Some students won’t do much for three weeks. They will chat and sometimes resent not being taught anything. This lack of work may or may not be addressed, but if it is, the teacher will quickly move on. Three valuable weeks of teaching will slosh its way down the drain. If it is a group rather than individual project, I can guarantee that a maximum of two kids in each group will do any significant work. Project-based learning of this kind is very tempting for time-poor teachers because they don’t have to do very much, but it isn’t teaching.

@Doug_Lemov @dylanwiliam @DTWillingham @C_Hendrick @New_Old_Paul @MegVertebrae @MrZachG @greg_ashman @teacherhead Doug, thank YOU for all the work you do for teachers, students, coaches, and players. I would not have done that podcast without your expertise.

@shpdsnyder @dylanwiliam @DTWillingham @C_Hendrick @New_Old_Paul @MegVertebrae @MrZachG @greg_ashman @teacherhead Thanks, David!

My long teaching career massively changed when I began learning about cognitive science about 2 years ago. In this podcast, I hope I respected the work of: @Doug_Lemov, @dylanwiliam, @DTWillingham, @C_Hendrick, @New_Old_Paul, @MegVertebrae, @MrZachG, @greg_ashman, @teacherhead, and MANY others. Thank you Eric and Nick of the @EdtechThrowdown! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/des…

@MegVertebrae @Doug_Lemov @dylanwiliam @DTWillingham @C_Hendrick @New_Old_Paul @MrZachG @greg_ashman @teacherhead I can't believe that I didn't mention Jim Heal. So sorry Jim! @DrJimHeal

@shpdsnyder @Doug_Lemov @dylanwiliam @DTWillingham @C_Hendrick @New_Old_Paul @MrZachG @greg_ashman @teacherhead An honor to be included, Dave. Looking forward to listening.

@greg_ashman @Doug_Lemov @dylanwiliam @DTWillingham @C_Hendrick @New_Old_Paul @MegVertebrae @MrZachG @teacherhead Would love your feedback Greg!

@shpdsnyder @Doug_Lemov @dylanwiliam @DTWillingham @C_Hendrick @New_Old_Paul @MegVertebrae @MrZachG @teacherhead Thank you, David. I will try to have a listen.

@MrZachG Thank you Zach! I will take any feedback!

There are countless testimonials for the role that learning science has played in developing teachers and influencing curriculum. At a time when this knowledge and effort is under attack, it’s wonderful to hear more like David’s

@rpondiscio @New_Old_Paul I haven’t read an article this densely packed with educational gold since I first read Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction.

I less than 24 hours, @New_Old_Paul 's "Instructional Illusions" is already the most widely-read guest piece ever on my Substack. And one of the most read ever. Not to be missed. thenext30years.substack.com/p/paul-kirschn…

@thewinningdiff1 @SheaRalph We are trying our best! Please see this free/open website. shp.org/hzf

"You don't get to pick when the adversity comes. You don't get to pick for how long it stays. But, we can control our response...our gratitude, and how we treat people as we are going through it. Imagine if we can give our young people that skillset, that mindset." @SheaRalph

Jack Hughes. Megan Keller. Overtime American heroes. #WinterOlympics

@coachajkings Coach, if you take a deep dive into this high school website for its kids, you’re going to LOVE it. shp.org/hzf

Most parents and leaders mean well - but end up doing harm. Why? They protect too much, control too tightly, and fear failure. Here are 4 mindset shifts every parent and leader must make:🧵 (Bookmark it)

@TheShiftJournal We teach this at our school. In fact, we have this video and tons of others connected to the ten strategies we teach. A must see: shp.org/hzf

“Wasting your time doubting whether you’re going to be successful is pointless.” — Kobe Bryant

@readswithravi If you could use some encouragement… shp.org/hzf

“Greatness does not come out of intelligence, it comes from character. Character is not formed out of smart people: it is formed out of people who have suffered.” — Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO

@AdvFtbAcad So good!

7 ball & wall drills that ANY player can do to improve at home 🏠⚽️🔥 (credit: cooper.coaching on instagram)

@thesigmamindset We are trying to establish this mentality in our students at our high school. Thank you for your video! Here is one that we made: youtu.be/RgRzZaE3y7s

This is one of the simplest ways to understand trauma and healing... ‼️‼️

Novak Djokovic shut down the “mental toughness is a gift” myth in 90 seconds of pure gold. Interviewer: “Your mental strength is your greatest gift.” Djokovic: “I have to correct you. It’s not a gift. It’s work. Every single day.” He trains his mind like his serve: - Conscious breathing under maximum pressure - Feels the full storm of doubt & fear EVERY match - Rejects the fake “just think positive” nonsense “I acknowledge it. I might scream. Then I reset — fast.” The difference between 24 Slams and everyone else? How quickly you leave the darkness. This isn’t motivation porn. This is the actual operating system of the greatest ever. Watch with sound — it will rewire how you think about pressure.

I have written a free science of learning implementation guide that is based on the How Learning Happens course but contains many principles any school can use