Ready to Blend

This is what building schools in remote places actually looks like.

Students need a clear visual to see the skills they’ve completed and those that they need to do next. 3 ways I’ve found to do that: wall charts, paper trackers, and digital trackers.

Patience is a core Guide skill in student-driven classrooms. When you guide individual students instead of teaching from the front, several students often need help at the same time. I've found that managing that moment well requires patience. A few ideas: 1. Provide tools Empower, and then empower more. Give tools and routines that empower students to learn independently as much as possible. Tools and routines like these help: • A checklist of Four Moves to do first before asking the Guide • A routine for asking an AI tutor • A routine for asking a neighbor 2. Reframe frustrating behaviors Many behaviors that test patience reflect skill gaps: • repeated questions → weak independent-learning habits • interruptions → developing impulse control • attention-seeking → need for connection Seeing the skill gap helps Guides respond calmly. 3. Narrate the order Simple language helps students feel patient: “Three people need help. I’m helping Maya, then Leo, then you.” A patient Guide creates a peaceful classroom.

I made this mistake for years. When training teachers to design microschools in their districts, I’d walk through the entire day: Launch. Core Skills. Projects. 1-1 check-ins. Close. Logical, right? But they were uneasy. They didn’t trust the academics yet. So they’d quietly turn the morning Launch back into a direct-instruction lesson. They were scared not to “teach the content.” So they squeezed it back in — during what was supposed to be a warm-up. That’s when I realized: Don’t start at the beginning of the day. Start by designing the 9am–noon academic block. That switch unlocked the entire design session. (1/8)

You don’t need to know pre-calculus—or hire a $60-an-hour tutor—to give your child real 1-on-1 support at home. The truth is, many kids leave class confused, and parents are left feeling stressed.

In Malawi, we offered two paths: use Khanmigo to improve traditional lessons, or redesign the classroom so students learn directly in Khan Academy while the teacher shifts into a Guide role. Each option sparked interest in its own way.

In Malawi, many students were new to both MAP testing and laptops. After quickly troubleshooting connectivity and setup issues, we’re positioned for smooth sailing.

I’ve seen one Guide support 50 students—and I’ve seen one support 4. Here’s what actually works.

Applications open soon! Beginning Feb 4, TX parents can apply for a Texas Education Freedom Account. They'll get $2k (homeschool), $10.5k (previous public school student), or up to $30k (special needs) to pay for a private school or homeschool. Mark your calendars. educationfreedom.texas.gov/#…

Starlink+Popup Site+Human Guide = 🔥 Total cost for this one: $6k Roughly $6/kid/year @elonmusk gofund.me/d056fdea1

I stopped having students set academic SMART goals—and learning got faster.

My faith in adaptive software + human facilitators to educate marginalized or underchallenged youth grew significantly this month. Education lifts kids out of poverty. We innovate or they perish. Lecture on Learning Ep 6: youtu.be/LOa3V40ZgwI?si=_1n-…

Where should we pop up a lab school this summer to demo how to be a Guide in AI-based Flex blended learning classrooms? Poll below…

Where would you prefer to spend 3-4 days this summer to try a classroom that mixes AI apps for core skills with projects, deeper learning, games, friends, hands-on application, warm/demanding guides, and fun?

Success metric I like for high schools: Can graduates earn more than minimum wage because they have a useful skill? From @tvanderark: “Designing intentional pathways [in schools] requires awareness of workforce needs.” gettingsmart.com/2025/02/21/…

School choice gives students the option to be 1st in line for the inevitable #disruption: schools that use smart apps for the core and then free the rest of the day at school for art, projects, music, sports, CTE, human flourishing. @RobertEnlow realcleareducation.com/artic…

A K-12 prediction for 2025 and hope for an informed strategy ... Click here to link to the @ChristensenInst blog I mention: christenseninstitute.org/blo…

Do you have a clear plan for #blendedlearning in your district? Register to join me this Thurs. Aug. 11 at 2pm ET when @Catlin_Tucker, @Kareemfarah23 & I share how to guide your teachers through blended learning. ow.ly/9yo750K3zFq @D2L @modernclassproj @r2blend.