What if professional development for educators actually practiced what it preached? In this new post, Gretchen Wegner explores how the Anti-Boring Learning Lab naturally aligns with the four research-based principles for effective PDoutlined by education expert Peps McCrea.

From making learning easy (without dumbing it down) to creating a safe, social, and timely space for teacher growth, the Lab demonstrates how evidence-informed routines can transform both educator and student learning. Through practical micro-credentials, live “Practice Labs,” and a vibrant coaching community, teachers gain the confidence and curiosity to apply cognitive science in real time.

It’s graduation season here in the United States… and in the Anti-Boring Learning Lab, as well.

We opened the new-and-improved Learning Lab in March 2024, and the first cohort of coaches is wrapping up their learning of the Anti-Boring Toolkit and submitting their applications to become Certified Anti-Boring Coaches.

Congratulations! Today I thought it’d be fun to celebrate some of our newly minted Anti-Boring Coaches, in their own words.

As a part of their application for certification, we ask coaches to submit:

• Hone It Notes. A set of “Hone It Notes” where they consolidate all their learning onto one graphic organizer (this is a process we teach them to teach students how to do, so, of course, we ask the educators to do it for themselves!)

• Reflection Paper. A paper where they reflect on their main takeaways from this training, and how it has impacted their work with students.

• Testimonial. If they found their training to be transformative, they are invited to share a testimonial that we can share with the public.

Let’s take a look at some of excerpts from these incredible educators’ final reflections about how their coaching and teaching has improved with the Anti-Boring Toolkit.