Josh Eyler
@josheyler.bsky.social
Senior Director of the University of Mississippi's CETL & Assistant Professor of Teacher Education | Author: Failing Our Future (https://bit.ly/3UUdctd) and How Humans Learn (2018) | Speaker: http://bit.ly/jeyler | https://josheyler.wordpress.com | he/him
I'm in Minnesota today to give a workshop on alternative grading and a keynote on focusing on student learning in the midst of all the chaos in the world of higher ed, the rush to AI, etc. at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University. Looking forward to the discussions!
February 9, 2026 at 3:01 PM
I'm in Minnesota today to give a workshop on alternative grading and a keynote on focusing on student learning in the midst of all the chaos in the world of higher ed, the rush to AI, etc. at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University. Looking forward to the discussions!
TL;DR The "Mississippi Miracle" narrative is truly a double-edged sword.
Mississippi is badly in need of positive stories about its schools, so while I really want to celebrate this (and to continue celebrating the hard work of teachers & students), I also know that the "Miracle" narrative obscures how our kids are demoralized by so much practice testing... 1/2
It's astonishing to witness the improvement in public education--reading, math, attendance, grad rates--in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. But we're busy fighting culture wars rather than scaling up what these three states have done. Please do read: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/o...
February 9, 2026 at 2:44 PM
TL;DR The "Mississippi Miracle" narrative is truly a double-edged sword.
Mississippi is badly in need of positive stories about its schools, so while I really want to celebrate this (and to continue celebrating the hard work of teachers & students), I also know that the "Miracle" narrative obscures how our kids are demoralized by so much practice testing... 1/2
It's astonishing to witness the improvement in public education--reading, math, attendance, grad rates--in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. But we're busy fighting culture wars rather than scaling up what these three states have done. Please do read: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/o...
February 9, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Mississippi is badly in need of positive stories about its schools, so while I really want to celebrate this (and to continue celebrating the hard work of teachers & students), I also know that the "Miracle" narrative obscures how our kids are demoralized by so much practice testing... 1/2
This is a really excellent post about developing and using a version of collaborative grading in a pre-professional program. I always encounter folks who tell me this can't be done. It can! Here's proof!
Today on Grading for Growth, a guest post by Ainsley Vergara about her path to using alternative grading in Speech Pathology. gradingforgrowth.com/p/removing-t...
Removing the Training Wheels
How I shifted toward student self-assessment and collaborative grading in a pre-professional program
gradingforgrowth.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:36 PM
This is a really excellent post about developing and using a version of collaborative grading in a pre-professional program. I always encounter folks who tell me this can't be done. It can! Here's proof!
Reposted by Josh Eyler
Let's talk about things going wrong in teaching & learning! Join the #SnafuEdu (@oupress.bsky.social) @perusall.com book club, 2/17-3/16. Register: www.perusall.com/engage-book-....
February 5, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Let's talk about things going wrong in teaching & learning! Join the #SnafuEdu (@oupress.bsky.social) @perusall.com book club, 2/17-3/16. Register: www.perusall.com/engage-book-....
Reposted by Josh Eyler
Good reporting there by @bethmcmurtrie.bsky.social. And I appreciate the comment from @josheyler.bsky.social about the value of centers for teaching and learning.
January 23, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Good reporting there by @bethmcmurtrie.bsky.social. And I appreciate the comment from @josheyler.bsky.social about the value of centers for teaching and learning.
Reposted by Josh Eyler
UT shutters teaching center, undergraduate research unit, advising unit for at-risk students all in name of "optimizing" resources
January 23, 2026 at 2:35 PM
UT shutters teaching center, undergraduate research unit, advising unit for at-risk students all in name of "optimizing" resources
This is just devastating news. www.chronicle.com/article/ut-a...
UT-Austin Is Closing Its Teaching Center. Faculty Members Ask: Why?
A series of shutdowns announced by the provost are short on detail. Professors say they make little sense.
www.chronicle.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:17 PM
This is just devastating news. www.chronicle.com/article/ut-a...
Reposted by Josh Eyler
It’s the define-a-sandwich activity! In its full, peer-reviewed glory.
My newest paper about defining sandwiches is out!
@drew-lewis.com @sbagley.bsky.social @annemho.bsky.social Mary, Jessica, Bill, @matthematics.com Kate, Sarah
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
@drew-lewis.com @sbagley.bsky.social @annemho.bsky.social Mary, Jessica, Bill, @matthematics.com Kate, Sarah
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Humanizing Defining in Mathematics with Sandwiches
This paper discusses multiple versions of an activity in which participants create, discuss, and analyze possible definitions of the term “sandwich.” This activity has helped us humanize mathematic...
www.tandfonline.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:43 PM
It’s the define-a-sandwich activity! In its full, peer-reviewed glory.
This new article, "Advanced Placement African American Studies as a Master’s Tool," by Dr. Suneal Kolluri is just amazing. One of the best pieces I've read in the last year. Check it out! journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.....
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:47 PM
This new article, "Advanced Placement African American Studies as a Master’s Tool," by Dr. Suneal Kolluri is just amazing. One of the best pieces I've read in the last year. Check it out! journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.....
Apparently, I have fans on Reddit.
January 21, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Apparently, I have fans on Reddit.
I've been listening to my students, and they've been telling me that they want to participate more in class, but they haven't been in many discussion-oriented classes and want help building the skills necessary to succeed. So this semester (in about 30 minutes!), that's our starting point!
January 20, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I've been listening to my students, and they've been telling me that they want to participate more in class, but they haven't been in many discussion-oriented classes and want help building the skills necessary to succeed. So this semester (in about 30 minutes!), that's our starting point!
It's the first day of the spring semester here at @olemiss.bsky.social! Wishing everyone a term filled with new knowledge, big questions, bold curiosity, and compassionate inquiry. And remember, in the words of Nel Noddings, "The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter."
January 20, 2026 at 2:22 PM
It's the first day of the spring semester here at @olemiss.bsky.social! Wishing everyone a term filled with new knowledge, big questions, bold curiosity, and compassionate inquiry. And remember, in the words of Nel Noddings, "The student is infinitely more important than the subject matter."
I've re-booted and updated my old Wordpress site. This will be my sole professional website and blog going forward. It has information about my books, details about speaking inquiries, some musings about the state of education, and more! josheyler.wordpress.com
January 19, 2026 at 10:24 PM
I've re-booted and updated my old Wordpress site. This will be my sole professional website and blog going forward. It has information about my books, details about speaking inquiries, some musings about the state of education, and more! josheyler.wordpress.com
Reposted by Josh Eyler
"The sweeping study... found that using AI in education can 'undermine children's foundational development' and that 'the damages it has already caused are daunting.'"
They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 15, 2026 at 12:14 PM
"The sweeping study... found that using AI in education can 'undermine children's foundational development' and that 'the damages it has already caused are daunting.'"
They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
They include limiting kids' cognitive, social, and emotional developmen, and increasing inequity.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
Shout it from the rooftops! www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Shout it from the rooftops! www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
Reposted by Josh Eyler
Great talk by @josheyler.bsky.social at Temple this morning! “Ariadne’s thread” (thank you for the myth references!) leading us out of the labyrinth of pedagogy misconceptions: human-centered learning through curiosity, authenticity, emotion, sociality, and (low-stakes) failure
January 7, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Great talk by @josheyler.bsky.social at Temple this morning! “Ariadne’s thread” (thank you for the myth references!) leading us out of the labyrinth of pedagogy misconceptions: human-centered learning through curiosity, authenticity, emotion, sociality, and (low-stakes) failure
I didn't think the finale of Stranger Things was meh, but I did think it suffered from Lord of the Rings syndrome--they spent at least 45 minutes saying goodbyes over and over again.
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 1:53 AM
I didn't think the finale of Stranger Things was meh, but I did think it suffered from Lord of the Rings syndrome--they spent at least 45 minutes saying goodbyes over and over again.
Quantum Leap, The Good Place, MASH--that's just off the top of my head. I can think of many more that were terrible, which is evidence that it's really hard to do endings well.
Given that apparently the Stranger Things finale was meh (idk, didn't watch it, just the scuttlebutt) and we're not that far removed from the disastrous GOT finale that retroactively made everyone have never cared about the show:
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
What's the *best* ending to a show you've ever seen? Quote/reply etc
January 7, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Quantum Leap, The Good Place, MASH--that's just off the top of my head. I can think of many more that were terrible, which is evidence that it's really hard to do endings well.
Reposted by Josh Eyler
I'm hatching a new nest of syllabus eggs (see #SnafuEdu Intro @oupress.bsky.social)! Next week I start teaching an honors seminar called "Problems with Grades." We're reading @josheyler.bsky.social's Failing Our Future & using negotiated grading system (@drtink.bsky.social @writandrhet.bsky.social).
January 6, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I'm hatching a new nest of syllabus eggs (see #SnafuEdu Intro @oupress.bsky.social)! Next week I start teaching an honors seminar called "Problems with Grades." We're reading @josheyler.bsky.social's Failing Our Future & using negotiated grading system (@drtink.bsky.social @writandrhet.bsky.social).
Reposted by Josh Eyler
It's hopefully a good sign that more people are reflecting on meaningful learning now, though I wish it hadn't taken this much of a push to get back around to it!
I've noticed something interesting happening. I have been getting a lot of speaking requests related to my older book--How Humans Learn. I'm still having many conversations about grades, but in an age of AI, people want to talk about learning itself & how to preserve it. bookshop.org/p/books/how-...
How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching
The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching
bookshop.org
December 31, 2025 at 6:11 PM
It's hopefully a good sign that more people are reflecting on meaningful learning now, though I wish it hadn't taken this much of a push to get back around to it!
Over the summer, I spent time working through pretty severe burnout. One tool that really helped me was the work of Thich Nhat Hahn. Wishing everyone a 2026 full of meaningful, joyful engagement with each day!
December 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Over the summer, I spent time working through pretty severe burnout. One tool that really helped me was the work of Thich Nhat Hahn. Wishing everyone a 2026 full of meaningful, joyful engagement with each day!
I've noticed something interesting happening. I have been getting a lot of speaking requests related to my older book--How Humans Learn. I'm still having many conversations about grades, but in an age of AI, people want to talk about learning itself & how to preserve it. bookshop.org/p/books/how-...
How Humans Learn: The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching
The Science and Stories Behind Effective College Teaching
bookshop.org
December 31, 2025 at 5:36 PM
I've noticed something interesting happening. I have been getting a lot of speaking requests related to my older book--How Humans Learn. I'm still having many conversations about grades, but in an age of AI, people want to talk about learning itself & how to preserve it. bookshop.org/p/books/how-...