Tips

Sixty seconds of actionable advice, based on science

Not to Worry

How to quiet anxious thoughts

The Less You Know

How struggling can help you learn

Leading Questions

How to get unstuck

Joy Division

The benefits of breaking up fun

Walk the Talk

Grading policies need to match teaching philosophies

More Than Luck

The importance of believing you can cultivate opportunities

Critical Support

Honest feedback helps students more than pure affirmation

Room to Improve

A better way to seek guidance

Hindsight Bias

Anything seems obvious, after the fact

Judgment Skills

Teach kids to play devil’s advocate

Small Wonders

Finding everyday moments of awe

Striving Wisely

How to aim for the right goals for you

Invest in Connection

Being present pays dividends

Speed Limits

There’s no such thing as a fast learner

Forward Flow

Use curiosity to propel you toward goals

The Fewer the Better

Prioritize your requests to get more done

Knowledge Transfer

How to use teach-back for effective communication

Nothing to Hide

Building the courage to admit when you’re confused

Confidently Humble

The right way to think about being wrong

Good Enough

The problem with perfectionism

Fail Safe

Kids don’t always need your protection

Guardian Angels

Why gritty people ask for help

Style and Substance

Help teachers create the classroom of their dreams

Table Settings

Longer meals help kids eat more fruits and vegetables

Future Strangers

How to think about tomorrow today

Better Options

How to help kids make good decisions

Everyone’s an Artist

The surprising benefits of creativity

Keep Thinking

Your most creative ideas aren’t your first

Free Play

Leave room for creativity to bloom

Machine Learning

Preparing kids for the age of ChatGPT

Mind the Gap

Use cues to change a bad habit

Seeing Is Believing

Images can lead to action on complex problems

Jump Start

How to encourage proactivity

The Wallet Test

How honest are you?

Stay True

Use consequences to promote honesty

The Honest Truth

Everyone struggles with honesty

Talking to Strangers

Fleeting interactions with others can brighten their days—and yours

Take the Sting Out

Teens don’t mean to be unkind

Better Together

What we get wrong about kindness

Lock Screens

Social media is the worst

No Need to Wait

How to beat procrastination

Environmental Science

Choose surroundings that support your goals

Goal Check

How to prevent self-sabotage

Know Thyself

Your values are your compass

Echoes of Fear

Consistent exposure keeps anxiety at bay

Feel Free

There are no bad emotions

Experiences Endure

How to give gifts that last

Center of Attention

Noticing joy in the everyday

Vitamin G

The expansive power of gratitude

Share and Share Alike

Make group projects more equitable

Tough New Growth

A combination mindset that can build resilience

Imitation Is Inspiration

Copy-paste your way to success

Cultures of Growth

Creating an environment where struggle is a part of learning

Getting to Yes

How to spur treatment for mental health

Alter Ego

Using values to fight peer pressure

Longing to Belong

The psychology of fitting in

The Paramecium Principle

Life lessons from a single-celled organism

I Think You Can, I Think You Can

Giving kids the self-confidence to succeed

How Did You Do?

Self-evaluations have a gender bias

Step by Step

Think of goals as part of the journey, not the destination

Through the Eyes of a Child

Empathy can conquer bias

The Anxiety Paradox

Helping kids feel bad can help them feel good

Me to Me

Make comparisons with yourself, not with others

Better Your Best

How to be more moral

Selfish for a Reason

Using your power to help others

Sample, Then Specialize

What comes before a hot streak

All In

Crossing the Rubicon

The Power of Praise

Positive reinforcement can lead to positive outcomes

Fundamental Beliefs

How you see the world matters

Seeing Red

What a wonder-full world

Retrieval Practice

The importance of doing

Space to Learn

The best way to schedule studying

Change Is Good

Vary what and where you practice

Learning to Learn

The importance of embracing desirable difficulties

The Danger of Small Lies

Dishonesty can snowball

Honest People

Telling the truth, even when it hurts

Take Note

When (not) to ban laptops from classrooms

Uncertain Incentives

Inconsistent rewards can be motivating

Eating Together

Sharing food brings you closer

Compound Interest

Problem solving starts with engagement

Finding Flow

When work feels like play

Missed Connections

Social media has its benefits

The Adaptability Advantage

We need more than just resilience

Roots & Shoots

Feeding curiosity

The Money Trap

More isn’t always better

Unrecognized Strengths

The power of being you

See What’s Possible

Role models matter

All Together Now

The lesson of Swimmy

Guided Mastery

The scaffolding you need to grow stronger

Choice Architecture

How to make daunting decisions feel doable

Rebel With a Cause

Help teens resist the pull of social media

No Two Alike

The surprising variability of brothers and sisters

Fear Factor

Overcoming the awkwardness of asking for help

Judge Not

Don’t let disagreements lead to disdain

Unbroken

Acceleration is more effective than remediation

Well-Being Matters

An index to measure student thriving

Step Outside

Have an awe-some summer

Take Notice

Foster mindfulness through observation

Choosing Wisely

Show the process, not just the outcome

Success Story

Describing wins helps build resilience

Oops!

Why you don’t learn from failure

Reserve Judgment

How to get closer to the right answer

The Romeo and Juliet Effect

Coercion is counterproductive

Temptation Bundling

Treat yourself to accomplish your goals

The Element of Surprise

Something to chew on

Less Can Be More

The overlooked power of subtraction

Step Back

Let kids do it themselves

The Key to Reading People

Channel your inner detective

You Are What You Feed

How to bring out your best

The Crowd Within

Which “you” do you like most?

Decoding Emotions

Thoughts before feelings

Career Paths

Having many aims doesn’t make kids aimless

More Than Meets the Eye

How to look beyond race

Tell Me Something Funny

Make ’em laugh—and remember

Heart

Friends for life

Myth of the Lazy Genius

Talent and hard work aren’t mutually exclusive

The Problem With Venting

Real help provides both support and perspective

Talking to Yourself

You’ve got a friend in you

Admitting Mistakes

Confessions are convincing

Hack Your Space

Putting distance between you and your vices

We Can Do It

Teamwork in the classroom—and in life

The Stories We Tell

Writing about—and growing—competence

Cultivating Confidence

Succeeding one step at a time

Can I or Can’t I?

Ability is in the eye of the beholder

Authoritative Mentors

Demanding and supportive is a powerful combination

The Why of Education

Doing well and doing good

Tough Teachers

Beloved isn’t always best

Turn Weakness Into Strength

Improvement comes from challenging yourself

ikeaeffect_web

Harnessing the IKEA Effect

How to make hard work a labor of love

Ask, Don’t Tell

Teaching is about listening, not just about talking

The Holy Trinity of Healthy Relationships

How to forge true connections

Watch Your Words

Why it’s important to say what you think

Work Smarter, Sooner

How to develop a strategic mindset

Under the Influence

When conformity works for good

V Is for Vulnerability

Admitting failure is its own kind of victory

Hard Choices Made Easier

Ask yourself what’s good enough

Rituals as Resets

Make back-to-school season a fresh start

Facing the Future

This I believe

How to Benefit From Boredom

Why you get bored and what to do about it

Choosing Challenge

A model of mastery

Proactivity in Your Inbox

An email can build a door

Risky Business

Calibrating confidence when making decisions

How to Be Supportive

The power of presence

Making the Grade

Achievement does not require winning

Thanks to Teachers

The magic of the gratitude letter

Emotions Are Contagious

But you can control what spreads

The Other Side of Stress

Adversity can make you stronger

High Anxiety

Imagining the future helps the present

Keep Your Distance

Staying connected from afar

Free Your Mind

What you can do wherever you are

Name That Feeling

Reading your emotions takes practice

Wash Your Hands for Grandma

How to close the intention-behavior gap

Environments, Past and Present

How stress influences future behavior

Preach What You Practice

What we say reinforces character

Harnessing Curiosity

Curate what you can’t control

The Parenting Trap

When to neglect your kids

Let Teens Sleep In

The benefits of later school start times

Meaning Is Subjective

Self-control 303

Attention Is Selective

Self-control 202

Situations Are Objective

Self-control 101

Sleep Success

Setting yourself up for New Year’s resolutions

Character on Autopilot

Harnessing your habits

The Roots of Optimism

The power of believing people can change

Planting a Growth Mindset

What you believe changes what you do

Letting Kids Drive

Why doing leads to learning

Thank Teens for Giving

The need to contribute in adolescence

Oh, the Places You’ll Go…

The secret to creativity

The Creative Spirit

Open yourself to possibilities

A Lesson in Active Learning

How to make difficulty desirable

Desirable Difficulty

When effort is better than ease

The Soul of Empathy

Getting, not taking, perspective

Honesty Nudge

The grateful don’t cheat

practice-makes-perseverance

Practice Makes Perseverance

The lesson in hard things

Life, Unplugged

Time for a screen test

Give and You Shall Receive

How to help teenagers help themselves

Mood Meter

Emotional Intelligence 101

A beginner’s guide to feelings

The Secret

Permission to feel

intelligence-plus-character

Intelligence Plus Character

The purpose of education

imagine-that-illustration

Imagine That

How reading a good book can make you a better person

peak-end-rule

The Peak-End Rule

How to leave an impression

Summer Is for Sampling

Planting the seeds of passion

grading-report-cards

Grading Report Cards

What’s in an A—and what’s not

great-expectations

Great Expectations

Ask for what you want

think-it-do-it

Think it, Do it

Developing an implementation mindset

power-of-proactivity

The Power of Proactivity

You are someone

power-of-questions

The Power of Questions

Self-explanation over other-explanation

lost-in-translation

Lost in Translation

The art and science of communication

thought-of-the-week-bragging-backfires

Bragging Backfires

The hidden costs of self-promotion

Social Blind Spots

Social Blind Spots

Why we need feedback to develop social intelligence

making-kindness-common

Making Kindness Common

How to raise kind kids

lemons-and-lemonade

Lemons and Lemonade

Whatever life gives you, give back

Knowing What You Don’t Know

How to impress an audience.

Naive Realism

Even the left think they’re right.

Values Affirmation

What we care about.

Beyond the Self

Purpose over pleasure.

Valentine’s Day Mindset

Beliefs about romantic love.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Everyday excellence.

The Salvation of Habits

How to make self-control effortless.

Self-Monitoring

How to keep your eye on the ball.

The Best-Laid Plans

Making your resolutions a reality.

Fine-Tuning Your Fresh Start

How to keep hope afloat in the New Year.

Heart and Will

Gratitude opens the door to self-control.

Gratitude Nudge

Making gratitude easier.

Paying it Forward

Gratitude sparks generosity.

Gauging Your Gratitude

How grateful are you today?

Capturing the Moment

Filming and forgetting our lives.

Headwinds Versus Tailwinds

Barriers loom larger than benefits.

Social Media and Well-Being

The double-edged sword of social media.

Nature versus Nurture

What we can do with our DNA.

Situation Modification

Out of sight, out of mind.

Resilience

The power of positive relationships.

What Matters

How our environments shape our behavior.

Gratitude Letter

Remembering Walter Mischel.

Would You Rather

How the right questions open doors to meaningful conversations.

Birds of a Feather

Sometimes we need help—just a tiny clue—to assure us that we belong together.

Belonging Mindset

How can we change kids’ mindsets during transition periods?

Fitting In First

What happens in the brain when you feel like you don’t fit in?

Perfect Storm

On cell phone usage and self-control in teenagers.

The Flynn Effect

How could it be that as a species, we’re getting smarter?

Psychological Distance

Why are kids today better at delaying gratification?

Kids Today

Why does it seem like kids today have worse self-control than they did 50 years ago?

Hard Fun

Are “fun” and “hard” mutually exclusive?

Gratitude Is Always Eloquent

On the magic of gratitude letters.

Throughlines

Our mindsets can powerfully shape how we interpret our objective situations.

Sampling

There are many paths to a calling. Some are short and direct, but most are not.

Curiosity Counts

On the importance of curiosity in our everyday lives.