Mid-Career Teachers

In addition to helping my students navigate their social and emotional needs, I wanted to help them build executive functions and effective study habits. I also wanted to learn better strategies for motivating my students, deliver more effective feedback, and design lessons that kept them focused and engaged. In a world filled with distractions, from social media to the latest viral trends, it’s hard to compete for their attention. I knew I needed to change my approach. 

Before the Academy, I enrolled in Track 1 of Neuroteach Global®. My mentor recommended it and said it would prepare me with a lot of the foundational concepts and vocabulary around the science of learning that we would build on during the Academy. In those micro-courses, I learned about neuroplasticity, the impact that classroom design has on memory and attention, and how to manage both social and academic belonging for students. 

At the Academy, I was able to meet educators and school leaders from different geographic areas and types of schools. The CTTL asked us to take the NeuroEducation Confidence Diagnostic so that we could understand our current strengths and areas for growth in the science of learning. The data in my diagnostic report helped me to set goals for myself at the end of the Academy. We also received our own deck of the Face the MBE Facts Card Game. I’m already thinking of ways I can incorporate this game into my class to help my students better understand how they learn, and which study strategies are useful. Every Academy attendee got their own MBE Strategies Tool based on the grade level they teach. My tool is the MBE Strategies Placemat for Secondary Educators, and I use it constantly to help with lesson planning, to decide which teaching modalities work best for what I’m teaching, and to make sure that I’m following the best practices for delivering feedback on my students’ work. 

After the Academy, I was very conscious of fostering a more supportive classroom environment. I encouraged a culture of mistakes as part of learning and introduced structured check-ins to help students reflect on their own growth. I implemented a feedback system that focused on specific, actionable steps rather than just grades. This shift not only reduced my workload but also empowered students to take ownership of their learning. To take the next step in my professional learning, I enrolled in Track 3 of Neuroteach Global®. Now, I’m learning how to use formative and summative assessments appropriately, design lessons using retrieval practice and spaced learning, and use novelty and choice in assignments to keep students engaged.