It’s not that teachers don’t want to learn - it’s that the way we’re asked to learn now is exhausting.

If you’re reading this between Christmas errands, holiday family plans, or a rare quiet moment, we’re glad you’re here.

This week, we look at a tool that turns scrolling into something worth your time, and new research that explains why “research-based teaching” so often vanishes after graduation.

The common thread? Learning sticks when it respects attention, not when it competes for it.

What away to start your break - because you’re about to become an even better teacher in the next 7 minutes.

🚀 Noteworthy News

👉️ Alarming: Three-quarters of parents say they’re unhappy with how schools are educating kids.

👉️ Think-provoking: Why giving every student their own chatbot might actually hurt learning.

👉️ Curious: AI is being trained by teachers and students to reshape ChatGPT in schools.

🔉But first, a word from today’s sponsor for the teachers hoping to take their side hustle to the next level:

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.

Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

And now back to making you an even better teacher 👇️ 

TECH TOOL

Scroll Smarter, Not Longer

It’s “new year, new me” season. Some of us rest and some of us scroll for twelve straight hours between meals. Both are valid. But if you want to use your phone without losing your soul, keep reading.

Our phones are incredible tools that somehow keep turning into black holes. TikTok, reels, hot takes, repeat. The result? Less learning, more exhaustion, and somehow still no idea where the time went.

The Solution: Imprint

Imprint flips scrolling into something useful. Instead of dance trends or political shouting matches, you get beautifully visualized lessons on psychology, economics, history, science, and more. Think bite-sized learning that actually respects your brain.

It’s award-winning for a reason. The design is calm, the pacing is intentional, and the content makes you smarter without feeling like homework.

Is This For YOUR Classroom?

This isn’t for elementary students, and it’s not for unfocused free-for-alls. But for senior classes and all teachers who want to steal back their own phone time? Gold. If students are already on their phones, this gives you a learning-first option worth approving (with admin, of course).

Strategies That Work:

1. Teacher Refresh: Use Imprint over break to reconnect with your subject without grading or planning.

2. Student Research Starter: Assign an Imprint topic as a low-stakes entry point before deeper work.

3. Intentional Phone Time: Teach students that not all scrolling is created equal.

You don’t have to quit your phone. Sometimes, you just need to raise the bar for what earns your attention.

BRAINY BIT

Should Research Stop at Graduation?

TLDR: A new international study shows teachers aren’t ignoring research. We were just trained to treat it like a university assignment, not a classroom habit. 

The Study: The Goal of Research-Based Learning

Researchers interviewed 22 teacher educators in Norway and Finland to understand what “research-based learning” really means in teacher education. 

Using semi-structured interviews, they asked how future teachers are taught to engage with research, then analyzed responses through inductive, constant-comparative coding to find shared patterns.

This was not an experiment with test scores or control groups. Instead, it was a qualitative gap analysis: comparing how research is taught versus how it’s actually used once teachers enter classrooms.

The Results:

Teacher educators described four goals of research-based learning: academic writing, research skills, critical thinking, and lifelong learning.

Here’s the problem. Many programs emphasize research mainly to help teachers finish a thesis. Fewer focus on helping teachers keep using research after graduation.

Finland leaned more toward research as a career-long habit. Norway showed more tension between “getting the degree done” and “using research in practice.”

In YOUR Classroom:

If research feels distant or irrelevant, it’s not a failure. It’s how the system trained us.

Here’s how this study could improve your classroom approach this week:

Strategies That Work:

1. Read with purpose: Skim one new study a month looking only for classroom moves, not theory.

2. Share what you find: Forward useful research (yes, like The PEN Weekly) to colleagues to speed up real change.

3. Model curiosity: Tell students when you’re trying something new because “research suggested it.

For those who have been with us for a while, this study confirms why we at The PEN Weekly exist: research only matters when teachers actually use it. Let’s shorten the gap.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We would LOVE to hear from you!

Reply to this email, or send us a message on Instagram! We’re here to walk with you in these crazy times!

Part of what makes The PEN Weekly community so special is the fact that our readers are teachers from around the world! We’re not going to lie, we think that’s pretty darn cool!

We’ll see you again on Monday 🍎

Share this newsletter!

Do you know someone who would appreciate reading the PEN? Share this newsletter with them! Our goal is to reach as many teachers as possible, and to build a community of teachers supporting teachers.