Haidt offers this as as summation on his work:

“My central claim in this book is that these two trends—overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world—are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became the anxious generation.”

Let’s work to improve both in schools and environments where we have some control and influence. And, as always, let’s discuss the many gray areas that this book and research bring up, to get a clear picture of what works best for our kids and communities in this moment, and the future.

The Anxious Generation dives into the various societal shifts contributing to the growing unease among our youth (and adults), and offers a thought-provoking analysis of factors like social media, overprotective parenting, and media polarization.

However, Haidt's work has not gone unchallenged. Critics argue that some of his conclusions oversimplify complex issues, while others believe his emphasis on resilience and free play minimizes the legitimate struggles faced by today’s youth. Despite the debates surrounding Haidt's ideas, the lessons from his work provide a crucial lens through which to examine the forces shaping the education right now, and in the future.

Let’s dig in.

Every now and then you stumble across a resource that was truly made for teachers. When Tom Murray first showed me The Achievery, I didn’t know what to expect.

Then I dove in. And it has so many great lessons, activities, and resources.

Oh, and it is free. No catch!

The Achievery is a website and lesson hub that has 7 subject categories and over 1000 videos, all paired with learning activities that can be accessed at home, in the classroom, and in their communities.

Whether you are an educator looking for innovative ways to teach and plan your lessons, a parent or caregiver seeking additional resources for your children, or a motivated student searching for new challenges and opportunities, The Achievery provides the best experience for you.

Here in the United States, some of us are in the middle of our summer break (like my family on the East Coast), while others are getting ready to set their classrooms up and welcome students back.

A new school year is right around the corner, and the challenges many of us faced last year are rearing their heads again!

It’s about this time that I hear the words of my good friend, and author George Couros: “Change is an opportunity to do something amazing!”

Our kids, and us, live in an era of distraction. We can see the challenges of teaching and learning in this reality as insurmountable, or we can use them as an opportunity for change.

Imagine, for a moment, you are a student.

You just got home after a full-day at school. You took the bus to an away game, played and watched another game, took the bus back. Your parent is out, so you are helping younger siblings get dinner and ready for bed.

It’s late, you are tired, and remember all the homework you still have to do.

Your phone is dinging with messages and Snapchat notifications.

Your friend reminds you that you don’t really need to do all 30 math questions for homework, you can just pop open Photomath and jot down the work and answers.

What do you do?

Ultimately, we want kids to learn by acquiring foundational knowledge and developing key skills that will help them in the present and the future as they grow older. The knowledge and skills they develop in K-12, Vocational, and Higher Ed situations should lead to transfer in both work and life.

There seems to be a lot of arguing in the K-12 space about the best ways to build this foundational knowledge and skill set.

Some may be upset by the back-and-forth, but it shows me that folks care. They want what is best for kids, and believe strongly in their practices, strategies, and methods.

If you are like me (and most of the teachers and schools I’ve been working with all summer long around Artificial Intelligence), you probably fall somewhere in between.

You realize:

a) This is the world we live in and AI is not going away.

b) There are going to be times when your students should use this technology for learning purposes.

c) There are going to be times when your students should NOT use this technology for learning purposes.

How do we navigate this reality?

In my last article I shared 10 different AI-resistant practices you can use in the classroom. But, only focusing on AI-resistant activities, leaves many learning experiences out of the classroom.

There are plenty of times we’ll want students to be using AI at some part of the assignment or task. See my previous post about The Traffic Light Strategy for some examples.

We need activities and learning experiences that are compatible with an AI world, and make sense now that students, and adults, have access to these AI tools.

I want to dive a bit deeper into what it looks like to have A.I.-Resistant activities and assessments (and why).

This post will share 10 practices that support A.I.-Resistant learning, and in my follow up article later this week, I’ll be sharing 10 practices that support A.I.-Compatible learning.

Both are needed in our world, so let’s dig in!

When John Spencer and I wrote Empower, one core idea was at the heart of the book.

Our job is not to prepare kids for "something". Our job is to help students prepare themselves for "anything".

We believe every child deserves to own their learning (as do adults). Educators can empower student ownership of life-long learning.

This is the reason we educate students. It is for their benefit.

When I see folks fighting online about what is the “best” way to teach students, I see a lot of adults who care about our kids and their education.

Sure, there are a variety of opinions, supporting research, and debates that may take place — but ultimately, through it all, there is the hope that we can do better for our kids, and help them be successful in and out of school.

That hope gets me excited and fired up about the future of learning.

But, it does not make it any easier.

Chances are — if you are like many of the schools, districts, and organizations I’m working with around the country — you are planning an end-of-the-year workshop that includes Artificial Intelligence as a topic.

This is no longer “new” to anyone because we all know it exists (in and outside education). It is, however, “new” to all of us as an emerging technology that can be used in positive, and negative ways.

End of the year PD is an opportunity to reflect, share, and hopefully get excited for what’s coming next year. Too often, it is none of those things, and more often then not it is not engaging or at least fun!

If you are doing this work, I’ve got five structures for you below that bring the energy, fun and hopefully a ton of learning and excitement. Check them out below!

You’ve probably heard someone say, “Everything needs to change in education! Overhaul the entire system!”

Maybe you’ve heard that sentiment from many people over the years. I know I have. It irks me for many reasons, but maybe the biggest reason is: As a teacher, or school leader, I never had any ability to “overhaul” the system even if I wanted to.

I could make changes, and innovate inside the box. But, changing everything was never an option.

An overwhelming majority of the teachers I’ve worked with want to do what is best for kids. Schools, as institutions are set up with the mission to help students learn, grow, and be prepared for life as an adults. Parents, too, want what is best for their kids.

If there were a big Venn Diagram, the middle would be: We want what is best for kids.