How can academic coaches teach students effective study skills without doing all their thinking for them?
Recently, a member of the Anti-Boring Learning Lab sent me a short piece from Seth Godin's blog called “Don't Steal the Revelation.”
Seth argues that great teachers don't simply hand students the answers. They create opportunities for students to experience their own aha moments. They set things up, provide some tension, and trust students to do the intellectual work.
I love this idea. And I think there's something particularly interesting here for those of us who work as academic and executive function coaches.
We can introduce a brilliant study strategy, help a student create a beautifully organized planner, or walk them through exactly how to prepare for a test. But have we actually helped them discover how to learn and manage their work more independently?
Because the art of coaching isn't simply knowing what to teach. It's knowing how to help students discover something for themselves.
And that, my friends, is a craft we can learn.
When Teaching Too Much—or Too Little—Gets in the Way
I've noticed that coaches can have very different instincts about how much teaching belongs in coaching.
Some coaches are reluctant to teach explicitly. They feel that coaching should be about asking questions, helping students discover their own answers, and resisting the urge to give advice. They worry that if they start teaching strategies, they're no longer really coaching.
Other coaches LOVE teaching. (Hello, fellow learning-science nerds!) We learn something fascinating about how the brain works, or discover a study strategy that seems absolutely brilliant, and we can't wait to share it with our students.
Surely, once students understand WHY a strategy works, they'll be inspired to use it!
Except… not necessarily.
Understanding a strategy isn't the same as being able to use it. And asking students to figure something out for themselves isn't necessarily going to help them discover something useful, either.
Both approaches can miss something important: the relationship between what we teach, what students actually experience, and what they're ready to learn next.
The Art of the Unfolding Revelation
Here's how I've come to think about it: The art of coaching is the art of the unfolding revelation.
We don't have to choose between teaching and coaching. We need to learn how to move between them.
Sometimes we explain a little brain science. Sometimes we demonstrate a strategy. Sometimes we ask an empowering question, invite students to try a tiny experiment, or help them notice something about their own learning.
And then we pay attention.
What did the student understand? What happened when they tried it? What surprised them? What might they be ready for next?
There's a learning-science foundation for this approach. Research on scaffolding describes how an experienced tutor can help a learner accomplish something that would otherwise be beyond their reach, adjusting support as the learner develops greater independence (Wood et al., 1976).
In other words, we provide the structure, but we don't do all the thinking.
And we don't have to deliver the entire curriculum in one sitting.
What Does This Look Like With an Actual Student?
I was looking back through some of my old coaching notes recently (well, honestly, I asked Gemini AI to read back through them) and found a wonderful example of what "the unfolding revelation" can look like in an academic coaching session.
Maia's Question
Back in 2019, I was working with a student I'll call Maia, who was taking AP Statistics. We'd been working together for a while, and I'd already taught her a number of the Anti-Boring Study Skills Mini-Lectures. This means she'd been introduced to the science of how the brain learns, and she'd also learned how to Hone It—our process of revisiting, clarifying, and improving notes after class.
During this particular session, we were working on a larger question: How could Maia develop a more effective study routine for AP Statistics?
Here's what I wrote in my coaching notes about that session:
"She said that she had worked on Honing her notes right before the last test, and she thinks it helped. But wondered if she should be honing her notes more often."
Now, I could have simply answered Maia's question and told her that yes, honing her notes more regularly would probably be helpful. After all, we'd already discussed the science behind these strategies, so she knew somewhere in the back of her mind about the power of spacing.
But knowing the science of learning as I do, I also knew that starting with retrieval could help Maia figure out what she actually needed to hone. Rather than giving her a quick answer about frequency, why not practice together and see what we discovered?
I didn't want to "steal the revelation," after all!
The Experiment We Ran
So we pulled out her current AP Statistics packet and tried something together.
I suggested that, before actually looking at yesterday's notes, she might first try to retrieve everything she could remember from the lecture. THEN she'd look at her notes and fill in the gaps.
She was skeptical and resistant at first. She didn't think she'd remember much from yesterday's lecture without looking at her notes.
This is so typical for students. Retrieval practice feels hard, and sometimes note-making and note-honing feel "easier" than the effort of quizzing oneself.
But I encouraged her to try it as an experiment, and guess what? She remembered WAY more than she'd expected!
Instead of starting with her notes in front of her, Maia had started with what was already in her brain. She was testing her memory, figuring out what she knew, and identifying what she still needed to work on. Then she could use her notes to fill in the gaps.
I reinforced her discovery by revisiting two mini-lectures I'd taught her previously—the Study Cycle and the Formula for How to Learn Anything—and connecting the science to what she'd just experienced.
Afterward, Maia commented that starting with retrieval BEFORE "copying" her notes made the process feel more like actual studying. She recognized that she was hitting the whole Study Cycle and that doing it this way "overall will take a shorter amount of time than making the notes pretty."
Want to help your students study more effectively?
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Explore the Free Study Resources →Brilliant observations, but wait—WHAT?! "Making the notes pretty"?!
Looking back at my coaching notes, I'm realizing something else. Maia had been telling me she was honing her notes, but apparently she'd been recopying them!
And recopying is NOT honing. Honing involves actively thinking about the material, checking your understanding, clarifying ideas, and making connections—not just reproducing information on a prettier page.
Thank goodness we actually practiced together instead of simply talking about how often she should hone. Otherwise, I might have encouraged Maia to spend even MORE time doing something that wasn't helping her learn very much!
Five Aha Moments From One Little Experiment
So yes, I had my own revelation. But more importantly, Maia had a whole slew of them by the end of this session.
She knew more than she thought she did. Retrieval revealed how much she'd actually remembered from class.
Retrieval felt more like actual studying. It required her to think and remember rather than simply copy information.
She could recognize the Study Cycle in action. The learning science we'd discussed was becoming something she could experience for herself.
More effective studying didn't necessarily mean MORE time studying. In fact, changing her approach might actually save her time!
Retrieval could help her decide what to hone. By checking what she already knew first, Maia could identify gaps in her understanding and use her notes more purposefully.
In fact, we ended the session by creating a plan for Maia to study AP Statistics more regularly. She'd start by seeing what she could remember without looking at her notes, then use those notes to fill in the gaps. She'd practice this weekly and revisit the material again before tests.
Notice that we hadn't abandoned note honing! We'd simply made retrieval the starting point, so Maia could use her notes more purposefully.
So Maia's original question wasn't simply answered with "Yes, hone your notes more often." She discovered a more purposeful way to hone them in the first place.
I love this example because it shows why teaching and coaching need each other. I'd already taught Maia quite a bit about how learning works. But knowing the science, and even knowing the steps of a strategy, hadn't guaranteed that she was applying it effectively.
Instead of assuming I knew what Maia needed, we experimented together. Maia discovered a more effective way to study, and looking back, I learned something important about the gap between what I'd taught and what she'd actually been doing.
That's the art of the unfolding revelation: knowing when to teach, when to experiment, and when to step back and see what emerges.
The Tricky Part Is Knowing What THIS Student Needs Next
Of course, knowing when to teach, when to experiment, and when to step back will look different with every student.
A neurodivergent learner who struggles with working memory, task initiation, or processing multiple instructions may need more explicit modeling, smaller steps, or additional opportunities to practice. Another student might be ready to experiment more independently.
There's no one-size-fits-all formula. The goal is to become more skillful at noticing what THIS student needs, right now, to take the next meaningful step.
And this is one of the things I love about the Anti-Boring Learning Lab. We don't have to figure out these complicated coaching decisions alone!
In our community calls, coaches bring real situations from their work with students. Together, we wrestle with questions like: Should I teach something explicitly here? Ask another question? Model a strategy? Invite a tiny experiment?
It's also what we're practicing in our fall masterclasses, Beyond Cornell and Beyond the Highlighter. We learn the science, experiment with strategies, and explore how to break complicated skills into teachable pieces that students can actually use.
Because knowing a great strategy is one thing. Helping a student discover what that strategy can do for THEM?
That's where the art of coaching comes in.
Your Turn: What Might Your Student Discover?
Think about a student you're currently working with. Is there a strategy you've explained that they understand intellectually but haven't quite figured out how to use?
Instead of explaining it again, what tiny experiment could you design with them to help them discover something for themselves?
You might be surprised by what BOTH of you learn. And if you feel like sharing your thinking in the comments below, then we get to learn too! Thanks in advance.
In Sum: Your Teaching and Coaching Questions, Answered
What's the difference between teaching and academic coaching?
Teaching often focuses on helping students acquire knowledge or skills, while coaching helps them develop the awareness and agency to apply those skills in their own lives. In the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, we integrate both. Coaches can explain, demonstrate, ask questions, and invite experimentation—all within the same session. The important thing isn't choosing one approach over the other, but recognizing what will help the student learn and become more independent.
How can I teach students a strategy without stealing their aha moment?
Teach enough to give students a useful starting point, and then create opportunities for them to experience the strategy themselves. You might explain the science, demonstrate a step, or suggest a tiny experiment. Then pay attention to what happens! Ask students what they noticed, what surprised them, and what they might do differently next time. The goal isn't to withhold information. It's to help students discover why and how a strategy might work for THEM.
What if a neurodivergent student needs more explicit instruction?
Give them more explicit instruction! The Anti-Boring approach isn't about withholding support or expecting every student to figure things out independently. Some students benefit from modeling, visual examples, shorter steps, repeated practice, or more structured scaffolding. The goal is to make learning accessible while preserving opportunities for students to think, experiment, and gradually develop greater independence.
How can I get better at knowing what a student needs next?
Practice noticing the relationship between what you've taught, what the student actually does, and what happens when they try something new. Sometimes the next move is a mini-lecture. Sometimes it's an empowering question, a demonstration, or a tiny experiment. The Anti-Boring Learning Lab gives coaches opportunities to practice these decisions, learn from one another, and develop the judgment to respond to the student in front of them. There's no perfect formula—and that's why coaching is a craft we keep learning.
Works Cited
Godin, S. (2026, August 19). Don't steal the revelation. Seth's Blog.
Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 17(2), 89–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x