We spend a lot of time trying to motivate students. More engaging lessons, better tech, clearer instructions. But what if the people we’re trying to motivate already know what works best?

This week’s research looks at motivation from the student side of the desk. And this week’s Tech Tool offers a rare chance to learn about AI directly from the people building it.

You’re about to become an even better teacher in the next 7 minutes.

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And now back to making you an even better teacher 👇️ 

TECH TOOL

AI Explained By The People Building It

AI literacy is no longer a “someday” skill. It’s quickly becoming part of the everyday classroom conversation. The tricky part is figuring out how these tools actually work without falling down a YouTube rabbit hole at 11 p.m.

The Solution: Anthropic’s Skilljar

Anthropic - one of the biggest AI companies behind the Claude model - just released a free learning hub packed with short, approachable courses that explain AI in plain English, for educators and students alike.

Anthropic’s platform offers a series of free courses covering AI fluency, ethics, prompt design, and even how to build simple AI tools. Think of it as “AI explained by the people actually building it.”

There are dedicated courses for educators and students, and they’re refreshingly simple. No coding background required. Most modules can be finished in an afternoon or a couple of prep periods, making them realistic for busy teachers.

Is This For YOUR Classroom?

This platform wasn’t built specifically for K-12 classrooms, so some lessons may need a bit of translation for younger students. It works best for teachers learning AI themselves or for older students exploring future careers where AI will be unavoidable.

Strategies That Work:

1. AI Literacy Mini-Unit: Have students complete sections of the AI fluency course and discuss what AI can (and can’t) do.

2. Teacher Prep-Period Upgrade: Work through the educator course during planning time to better understand AI tools before using them with students.

3. Build-Something Challenge: Students design a simple idea that uses AI to solve a real problem at school.

AI isn’t slowing down. Platforms like this help teachers and students learn how to use it thoughtfully instead of just reacting to it.

🚀 Noteworthy News

👉️ Brutal: Silicon Valley promised ed-tech would fix schools - test scores say otherwise.

👉️ Sneaky truth: Your brain being “on” today could equal 40 extra minutes of productivity.

👉️ Plot twist: AI can boost creativity - but only if you actually think while using it.

BRAINY BIT

You Need to Ask Students What Actually Motivates Them

TLDR: Researchers asked middle schoolers what teaching practices actually keep them (not us teachers) motivated. Their answers pointed to clear themes: interesting tasks, supportive teachers, opportunities for choice, and detailed feedback all helped create a classroom climate that keeps students engaged.

The Study: Creating a Motivational Climate

Researchers interviewed 13 middle school students across Grades 6–9 about motivating and demotivating classroom experiences from their perspective. The interviews were semi-structured and lasted roughly 45 minutes each, allowing students to describe lessons they found engaging and what teachers could do to improve motivation.

The responses were then coded using the TARGETS motivational framework, which categorizes classroom practices across seven areas: tasks, authority (student choice), recognition (feedback), grouping, evaluation, time, and social relationships with teachers.

In simple terms: researchers organized student opinions into the major ingredients that shape classroom motivation.

The Results:

Students consistently pointed to engaging tasks and supportive teachers as major motivators. Activities that were interesting, understandable, or connected to real life made students more likely to stay involved.

Another strong theme was choice and participation. Many students said they wanted more opportunities to give opinions, choose assignments, or help shape lessons.

Relationships also mattered. Students described feeling motivated when teachers were friendly, respectful, and enthusiastic, while strict or overly critical classroom climates quickly reduced motivation.

In YOUR Classroom:

Middle school is the moment when students start shifting from learning because they must toward learning because they choose to.

Here’s how these results need to impact your classroom this week:

Strategies That Work:

1. Give students small choices: Allow choices in topics, task order, or partners so students feel ownership over their learning.

2. Upgrade your feedback: Students said specific comments about what worked and what to improve were far more motivating than vague praise.

3. Design the climate, not just the lesson: Humor, respect, and supportive interactions repeatedly showed up as key drivers of motivation.

This study only included 13 students, so it should be seen as exploratory rather than definitive. 

But it offers a simple reminder: the people we’re trying to motivate might be the best ones to ask how.

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!

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We’ll see you again on Monday 🍎

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