Tim Riley

What should homework look like in 2026? Podcast Episode · The Broken Copier · March 4 · 53m

Full chat from yesterday available here!

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

The 1:1 conversations I've enjoyed with students about both their thinking and their writing SINCE the advent of AI gives me such optimism.

Teens want to be thoughtful about this, and we can model how. It takes some different approaches than we may be used to, but it's worth the effort.

What Worries Me About Teachers’ Use of AI A high school teacher reflects on how adult choices around AI use—particularly their approaches to transparency and focus on efficiency—can affect classroom culture.

I had a chance to expand on these concerns for @edutopia.org, as based on what I'm seeing/hearing, I continue to be worried about the trust that is being lost and the opportunities that are being forfeited

www.edutopia.org/article/teac...

3 questions that appear the end of my article for Edutopia on AI concerns with teachers

We are certainly at a crossroads around AI in education (and likely will be for some time) but I continue to think the focus needs to be centered on the choices ADULTS are making, not the students

Three questions I think are worth asking any educator using AI in their work right now:

AI error or not, Iran school bombing is a permanent stain on America’s soul | Will Bunch A debate on AI in warfare obscures the truth about an Iran school bombing. U.S. humans are to blame for this war crime.

They had names. They had beautiful faces. And they had the same dreams as your kids - crushed when American "precision" bombs slammed into their Minab elementary school, killing 175

Don't blame AI for this. Blame the sick humans who see war as a game

My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/iran...

scale for students to consider their confidence against their self-advocacy

As we're midway through our essay process with juniors, I shared out this image with them (and their families!) to visualize where they're at with (1) their level of confidence versus (2) their level of self-advocacy.

VERY good conversations with students from this!

Recording a few @thebrokencopier.bsky.social episodes over the next stretch—any education questions people want to toss in for us to potentially respond to?

What Policymakers Get Wrong About 'High-Quality' Curriculum (Opinion) Schools can't fix instruction without fixing curriculum, Doug Lemov warns.

it's so strange, these guys talk about this stuff as though they're inventing reading and knowing things: www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

Federal Grant Makers May Lose Job Protections: 5 Things to Know Trump has created a new employee category that he previously dubbed Schedule F. It allows for easier firings of those who are “subverting presidential directives.”

Federal Grant Makers May Lose Job Protections: 5 Things to Know
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

🎭 Theatre teachers: What if your students could rehearse anytime with a professional stage manager guiding them?

Interested? 🎬👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX1y...

Feedback Fridays Setting aside time each week to check in with students about what’s going well—and what isn’t—demonstrates unconditional positive regard.

But the activity can be adapted for any secondary setting, by making interviews shorter, talking to fewer students a day, or using digital check-in forms.

Read Nicole’s article to learn more: edut.to/3Pz7rAy

Teachers give students feedback with the expectation that they’ll apply it to their work and habits, says teacher Nicole Greene—yet, the process is rarely modeled for students.

So she decided to make feedback reciprocal to model the process *and* help foster deeper connections. Win-win! 🏆️

Cannot wait!

Sneak preview of the paperback version of More Than Words, including some updated chapters and additional discussion material. Coming October.

We are lucky, then, that this alternate reality is unimaginable. There is no apparent evidence that Trump is capable of even the slightest bit of deferred gratification. If life is a series of marshmallow tests, then he has failed one after the other, kept afloat only by his immense wealth and privilege. The actual Trump is so solipsistic, so plainly consumed with narcissism, so deeply indifferent to the details of governance and so eager to satisfy his basest impulses that there was little chance he’d ever complete the authoritarian consolidation of his dreams. All of this is simply to contrast what might have been with what plainly is: a presidency in terminal decline, if not outright collapse. Consider the big picture. Trump is nearly as unpopular now as he has ever been. His average approval ranges from a net negative of about 13 points to a net negative rating of nearly 20 points. He is underwater on every issue of consequence. The Supreme Court nullified his signature economic program and his immigration enforcement actions are so toxic with voters that they’ve forced him to fire his head of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. He has wrecked the coalition that brought him into office with ma

Trump Is the Anti-Trump www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/o...

4 Ways to Guide Disengaged Students to Try Again There are many reasons why students disengage in school. The tips here are not a panacea, but both research and teacher experience demonstrate that they can help.

There are many reasons why students disengage in school. The tips here are not a panacea, but both research and teacher experience demonstrate that they can help. ⬇️

#StudentEngagement #EduSky

When Students Say They're Burnt Out How do you respond as a teacher?

Last week students filled the "optional" space at the end of the survey with comments like this—putting me in a weird spot as a teacher: what should I do in response?

Here's what happened/what I did/how I feel now:

thebrokencopier.substack.com/p/when-stude...

Stages of the COOL coaching model: Reflect, Plan, Try

This 3-phase coaching model draws on the principles of Universal Design for Learning to honor educators as learners. ⭐

Learn more: edut.to/4upiVXy

#UDL #InstructionalCoach #SchoolLeaders #EduSky

What the New Pew Study Reveals About Teens and AI Most teenagers are already using artificial intelligence for schoolwork and research. What educators and librarians should understand about the shift happening in classrooms.

Most teens are already using AI for schoolwork.

A new Pew study found:
• 57% use AI to search for information
• 54% use it for schoolwork
• 42% use it to summarize articles

The real question is whether schools will teach students how to use AI responsibly.

open.substack.com/pub/aischool...

"Dismantling the fledgling harm-reduction effort, defense analysts say, is among several ways the Trump administration has reorganized national security around two principles: more aggression, less accountability."

Illustration of a hot air balloon rising with clouds around it and the sun in the corner. Text in front of the sun says "7 questions to promote metacognition." Each cloud contains a question: 1) What should I do first? 2) Is anything confusing to me? 3) Can I explain what I've learned? 4) Should I ask for extra help? 5) Why did I get the answer wrong? 6) Can I apply this in different contexts? 7) How can I do better next time?

Want to post this in your classroom? Download a free, printable version here: https://edut.to/3NZhLBq

That led to Step 3: groups went through and chose their favorite question that ANOTHER group added to the document—and then we went around and made those favorites bold

The result? A high-energy, purposeful 10-minute activity AND a fantastic brainstorm doc for our upcoming essay 😎

spiral set-up for above post

Did a fun activity today as we arrived at the end of our book (King Lear) before we read the final scene: had a class "question brainstorm competition"

Step 1: individual jotting down of potential questions they felt the book had been asking up to this point:

Graphic titled “12 Ways to Activate Your Students’ Prior Knowledge.” The image lists four strategies: 1) Draw concept maps (with a map icon), 2) Adopt a different point of view, 3) Try a bait-and-switch quiz, and 4) Read children’s books (with a book icon). A note at the bottom reads: “Read the article to get 8 more strategies—and learn how to use these ones!”

12 strategies: https://edut.to/4aV12Iq

#EduSky

Making Instructional Coaching Standard for Every Teacher Instructional coaching works best when it is normalized as part of everyday professional life, not positioned as a corrective measure.

“In our experience, coaching works best when it is normalized as part of everyday professional life, not positioned as a corrective measure.”

Here’s how schools can reframe instructional coaching as collaborative problem-solving. 🤝

#InstructionalCoach #EduSky

Illustrated classroom floor plan titled “Room Layout.” Individual desks and chairs (shown separately) form rows around the perimeter and middle of the room. Cabinets line the left wall beside the door. Three rectangular tables sit in the center. At the front of the room are a podium and a whiteboard with bookshelves underneath. A note indicates that desks and chairs can be separated.

Diagram labeled “Caves” showing the same classroom layout with red arrows indicating students turning desks inward or toward walls to create individual, quiet workspaces. Desks face away from others to emphasize independent work areas.

Diagram labeled “Watering Holes” showing desks turned toward nearby classmates in small clusters. Red arrows indicate students facing one another in pairs or small groups to encourage collaboration and discussion.

Diagram labeled “Campfires” showing desks arranged in circles around tables and shared spaces. Red arrows indicate students facing inward toward group centers or the front teaching area, supporting group discussion or whole-class instruction.

Every time we publish an article on room layouts, everyone asks for pictures. Not this time—they’re already here!

@mrrablin.bsky.social left an admin “baffled,” but this layout really works. 🙌

Read the article for more info: https://edut.to/4bsh9gC

Cultivating Effortful Thinking With the Warm Demander Approach Combining strong relationships with clear expectations means teachers can create classrooms where every student feels supported—and accountable for sharing their thinking.

Striking that delicate balance between consistency and compassion is not easy—but the warm demander approach can help you find the right mix. ☺️

#ClassroomManagement #EduSky

In Pittsburgh, students with disabilities can rock climb to remedy learning loss School districts across the country are working to help students with disabilities make up for the supports they lost access to during the pandemic. In Pittsburgh, those efforts include rock climbing.

School districts across the country are working to help students with disabilities make up for the supports they lost access to during the pandemic. In Pittsburgh, those efforts include rock climbing.

Amidst pretty muddy waters right now with AI usage by teachers and educators, I feel like a lot of good could be done by just talking more with each other about what we're doing and why—and these 3 questions, I think, would be a good starting point.

An Interesting AI Conversation with Students and how leaning into hypotheticals was incredibly meaningful

Love this! and yes, yes, yes—hypothetical scenarios foster valuable conversations, including with students!

thebrokencopier.substack.com/p/an-interes...