The Bridge
Welcome to The Bridge, the CTTL blog, where we analyze aspects of teaching and learning through a Mind, Brain, and Education Science research-informed lens. Here you will also find news from The CTTL as well as articles authored by teachers for our research publication, Think Differently and Deeply.
We’re Answering AI and EdTech Questions in the Wrong Order
Integrity, equity, acceptable use, ethics, environmental cost. All real questions about AI in schools, and all downstream of one we rarely ask first: how does learning actually happen?
FEATURED POSTS
Reclaiming Loose, Sensory Outdoor Play-a call to attention Categories
Moving Beyond 1968: A Research-Informed Update to the Simple Model of Learning
Let’s Talk More About Instructional Design (and the science of learning)
Teaching Biology in a Brain-Friendly Way
CATEGORIES
Coaching the Student Athlete’s Brain
In high schools and colleges across the country, student-athletes are reporting back to campus for preseason practices. As a three-sport athlete in high school and a two-sport athlete in college,
From Belonging to Becoming
by Dr. Ian Kelleher and Lorraine Martinez Hanley Four weeks ago, the CTTL concluded its 2025 Winter Webinar series, Belonging and the Brain: Creating the Conditions for Student Achievement. Why
Teaching Science Through Hands-on Learning, Connection and Storytelling
In a compelling interview, veteran chemistry and forensics teacher Brittany Shields shares insights into her evolving teaching methods and the innovative ways she brings science to life in the classroom.
Are We Just Teaching to the Mold?
By Chuck James, CTTL Design Thinking Research Lead In 2024, when visiting a market in Mexico City, I came across a woman selling ice molds. The ice molds were in
Grappling with Technology in Middle School, and Winning (No, Really)
When I started as a Math teacher at St Andrew’s in 2017, there was an established norm that the sixth and seventh-grade students who brought phones to school were not
A Veteran Educator’s Journey from Traditional to Student-Centered Learning
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School middle school history teacher Dewayne Lawson shares insights from his transformative 20-year teaching journey. This article explores his shift from traditional lecture-based instruction to innovative, student-centered
Setting the Conditions for Learning: Why Belonging and Great Teaching Always Matter
Written in collaboration with Lorraine Martinez Hanley, Ian Kelleher, and Meg Lee. In 2007, during a strategic planning session at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, we asked ourselves this generative question:
Avoiding the “Year of the Brain” Trap
There is a point during each summer when schools and districts begin to accelerate preparation for the opening of a new school year. This is often geographically dependent, as schools