Some thoughts on why I think the science of learning movement in England has been so effective, after attending their national conference last weekend: 1. It's by teachers for teachers. Hundreds of teachers from across the country come because they are dissatisfied with outcomes they're seeing and are personally motivated to make a change. Because the message they receive is delivered by their peers, who know the reality of managing a classroom, a (sometimes) delusional school principal, and uncooperative parents, the message is much more likely to land than if it comes from someone at the top who hasn't been in front of a class in decades. 2. It's holistic. There were sessions on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and crucially teacher coaching and development. Many attendees not only teach students, but also influence other teachers as headteachers or coaches. This extends the influence way beyond this room. After over a decade of doing this, it's likely that a significant portion of English teachers has come in contact with ResearchED and the science of learning in some way. 3. They keep it simple. The sessions on instruction and the science of learning focussed on the few things we really know to be effective. Spacing, working memory capacity, cognitive load, cognitive processing and memory consolidation. They also tied this to immediate improvements you can make in your classroom. 4. They say it how it is. Phones are bad. Behavior matters. Students sometimes cheat. Parents don't wanna be confronted. AI will be a huge challenge to deal with. Policy makers are afraid to say these things, teachers aren't. Sharing best practices how to handle these problems every teacher faces was what brought many of them there, more so than the messages about instruction. The clear message: if we can create and environment that's safe for students and teachers, where everyone knows and follows the rules, learning will happen. That's also what teachers will still be responsible for 10 or 50 years from now. Congrats to Tom, researchED, and the sceince of learning community in the UK. You've made a massive difference for your country and your message is starting to spread.

Gauntlet AI appreciation post: 18 months ago, I dropped out of my PhD to join the first cohort of GauntletAI. I had never been to the US before. A bunch of transatlantic flights later, I’ve gone from 0 software development experience to leading a team of over a dozen cracked builders, all Gauntlet grads themselves. Hiring from subsequent Gauntlet cohorts has been super fun and rewarding. We took a suite of products from 0->1, and they’re now reaching thousands of young users. That still feels surreal. I think having previously done Gauntlet together was a massive advantage. A bit like college roommates starting a company. I'm grateful that Austen decided to give me a chance 18 months ago. As one of a handful of Europeans in the program, it's truly been an American dream for me. Needless to say that everything in this post sounds insane to my fellow Europeans. Gauntlet is about AI. But it’s also about crazy ambitious people from unconventional backgrounds coming together, testing their limits, and then moving on to even bigger challenges. Thanks Austen. Thanks Austin. Thanks Gauntlet! PS: yes, the money is great too ;D