For Educators 

 

Exciting News!

Our website has moved to www.AntiBoringLearningLab.com. Please check out our new and improved courses/community designed for teachers, coaches, tutors, and all educators in between.  Feel free to read more below, but really truly, it’s so much better over on the new website. We’re. So. Proud. Please join us there!

 

Nope? You Still Want to Read This OLD Description? 😉 Ok… Here you go…

Do you work with students? Perhaps as a teacher, academic coach, school counselor, administrator, university learning center director… or as one of countless other educational professionals dedicated to helping improve student learning and well-being?

I’m guessing you’re here because you’ve noticed that students are struggling…

…to take charge of their learning, to effectively manage their time, to manage their mental health, and to juggle it all in a rapidly changing world. 

And most likely you are struggling too…

…to teach or coach students who are increasingly distracted, scattered, don’t study effectively (or at all), forget to turn in assignments, can’t advocate effectively for themselves — and so much more?  

The struggles might be because of overwhelm, lack of skill development, diagnosed learning differences, anxiety and depression, pandemic skill loss, or countless other barriers.

The struggles might be exacerbated by systemic inequities that come with being poor, under-resourced, of color, GLBTQ+, and/or other historically and institutionally marginalized identities?

Regardless of the reason — it’s rough out there in the world of schools and schooling.

I’ve been talking to educators and students, and everyone is saying the same thing:

students don’t have some basic executive function skills, and our training as educators (or as parents) hasn’t taught us how to teach those skills.

It was bad before the pandemic… and now it’s even worse. 

What do we do?! I don’t have a magic wand, but I do have some answers.

How to Help Students Thrive the Anti-Boring Way

A few years ago, I learned some basic brain facts at a Learning and the Brain conference that forever changed the way I work with students.

Unmotivated, bored, and struggling students turned into independent, motivated, self-starting learners.

How? It turns out that students are hungry to learn student success strategies, but only if they also understand why those strategies work. The combination of brain science plus strategies plus is its own kind of magic. Add consistent practice over time to integrate those strategies in executive function-friendly ways, and voila! 

Since that conference back in 2015, I’ve been perfecting my Anti-Boring Toolkit for inspiring students how to study, which also includes how to organize and manage their time and attention too.  

By popular request, I also turned it into a training for educators, to help you achieve similar success with your students.

Highlights of this training include:

Three concentric circles that lay out all the tools in the Anti-Boring Toolbox

  • A simple system that turns disorganized students into expert time managers, test-takers, and critical thinkers.
  • 7 academic toolkits that every teacher, tutor and coach and should master, and how to efficiently teach them to students so they stick for good…whether you are in a classroom or a 1:1 coaching sessions
  • 7+ transformative mini-conversations grounded in brain science that turn teens into test-taking powerhouses, and how to weave those conversations repeatedly into your work with students until they totally get it
  • 41+ concrete tools to have in your back pocket to help teens tackle procrastination, disorganization, weak note-taking, and haphazard studying
  • 12 short executive function trainings, with instructions how to apply the Anti-Boring Toolkit to support students with specific EF challenges
  • 12+ community calls and group mentoring sessions directly with Gretchen, accessible live or by recording
  • And more!

Does this sound good? Are you interested in learning evidence-based academic success and executive function strategies that actually improve student and educator outcomes?!

Keep scrolling for more info, or click on one of these links:


The ROCK YOUR COACHING Training

A new cohort of ROCK YOUR COACHING starts June 6, 2022! Join us.

In this unique training program for educators, you’ll build your expertise in concrete, research-based, brain-friendly strategies that help students become engaged, independent, anti-boring learners.

You’ll learn (1) the neuroscience of learning, (2) the strategies to help your students put that science into action and (3) exactly how to teach the science + strategies in your classroom and coaching sessions.

I’ve bundled together my best academic coaching & teaching resources to help you help students learn important study strategies and improve executive functions: 

  1.  The Art of Inspiring Students and Anti-Boring Approach self-guided course,
  2. The Habit and Grades Tracker Mini-Course,  and
  3. The Anti-Boring Educators’ Community (one stop shop for mentoring, troubleshooting, inspiration, and more)

Let’s take a look at each of these one-by-one:

1. Art of Inspiring Students & the Anti-Boring Approach

Three concentric circles that lay out all the tools in the Anti-Boring ToolboxA few years ago, I learned some basic brain facts that forever changed the way I work with students, to help them become independent, motivated, self-starting learners.

Since then, I’ve been perfecting my Anti-Boring Toolkit for inspiring students how to study, and manage their time, strategically… and therefore effectively.

Even better, I’ve turned it into a training for educators, to help you achieve similar success with your students.

Highlights of this 8-module, self-guided course include:

    • A simple system that turns disorganized students into expert time managers, test-takers, and critical thinkers
    • 7 academic toolkits that every teacher, tutor, and coach and should master––and how to efficiently teach them to students so they stick for good…whether you’re in a classroom or 1:1 coaching sessions
    • 7+ transformative mini-conversations grounded in brain science that turn teens into test-taking powerhouses, and how to weave those conversations repeatedly into your work with students until they totally get it
    • 41+ concrete tools to have in your back pocket to help teens tackle procrastination, disorganization, weak note-taking, and haphazard studying
    • And more!

This course is your one-stop-shop for learning evidence-based academic success and executive function strategies that actually improve student and educator outcomes!! For detailed information about each module, check out the course syllabus

2. The Habit & Grades Tracker Mini-Course

When I first transitioned from teaching to coaching, I invented a method to help my one-to-one clients track their grades and habits. 

Students were amazed to notice that when habits were consistent, grades went up. Yay! And vice versa. Boo!

Later I helped design a charter school in Richmond California and trained their Learning to Learn teacher in how to help students track their grades and habits. Another huge success. 

When I started training academic coaches in this process, everyone raved about this system that no other educators seemed to train their students in.

In this 3-module mini-course, you will learn a system to help students:

  • be super specific about the habits they want to change/develop,
  •  stay focused on these habits over time,
  • visualize their progress over time,
  • look for patterns in their own behavior, and
  • see the direct connection between the quality of their grades and the consistency of their helpful habits

This mini-course is designed for academic coaches, homeroom and advisory teachers, learning specialists and special education teachers, and any educators interested in helping students’ executive functions through the language of habit formation. 

 

3. The Anti-Boring Educators’ Community

It’s one thing to learn effective teaching and coaching techniques. It’s another thing to take the time to integrate them into your practice with students.

Nothing beats learning in a cohort of inspiring educators under the guidance of an experienced mentor.

That’s what the Anti-Boring Educators’ Club is all about!

Every month you receive up to two live community calls led by Gretchen and/or a Teaching Assistant from her licensed Anti-Boring Approach coaches.

These calls are a great time to:

    • ask questions that come up as you implement the Anti-Boring Toolkit with your students
    • get clarification from Gretchen and other teachers and coaches about how the neuroscience and strategies can be adapted to different student groups and identities
    • get out of the silo of alone-ness that comes with being a classroom teacher or academic coach, and enjoy community and fellowship with other like-minded educators
  • The Anti-Boring Educators’ Club also includes monthly professional development resources:
    • full length recordings of Gretchen working with students 1:1 and in groups
    • 12 short executive function trainings, with instructions how to apply the Anti-Boring Toolkit to support students with specific EF challenges
    • access to guest expert interviews and other “surprise goodies” 
    • and more!

If you can’t attend the calls live, you can submit questions and comments ahead of time, watch the recordings, and engage in discussion with Gretchen on an online discussion forum.

The Google Calendar below contains the most up-to-date schedule the  of Anti-Boring Educators’ Club calls. Members of ROCK YOUR COACHING have access to the calls on the calendar marked “All”. 

 


“The Best Professional Development for Educators”

Educators consistently tell me “this is the best professional develop for teachers I’ve participated in.” Why might that be?!

The comprehensive ROCK YOUR COACHING program is built on a foundation of three “magic formulas” that are often incomplete in most teacher and coach professional development:

Click on image to read the full case study.

Magic Formula #1 – What STUDENTS Need to Know.

      1.  The brain science behind how learning happens and
      2. Practical strategies to put that science into action

Magic Formula #2 – How EDUCATORS Need to TEACH.

      1. Simple, practical tools, that can be woven into current lesson plans, rather than a complicated curriculum
      2. Mini-lectures and metacognitive questions that transfer the intellectual load from teacher to students, and
      3. Bite-sized practice over time, so tools are introduced when students most need them

Magic Formula #3 – How EDUCATORS Need to LEARN.

      1. Apply the tools to your own learning first, to develop empathy for the student experience,
      2. Teach students the toolkit while you learn it, to model learning-in-action and get a reality check, 
      3. Friendly & fun mentorship and community while you troubleshoot, so can reset from challenges faster, and
      4. Accountability over time, to help educators fully implement their learning before leaving the training program

Many trainings for educators incorporate one of these magic formulas. But I’ve noticed in my 15+ years teaching adult educators is that incorporating all three magic formulas is the training method mostly likely to move students and their teachers & coaches from surviving to thriving as quickly as possible:

  • Educators feel more hopeful, energized and effective
  • Students feel more competent and engaged, confident and happy
  • Everyone is less stressed… and doing their best! (Gotta love that rhyme…)

And all of this happens surprisingly efficiently. Isn’t that what we all want anyway — fast and impressive results for our students? Like the results Sondra McNair was able to achieve with her underprepared Advanced Placement students?

 


How to Make Sure ROCK YOUR COACHING Is Right For You

Yay! You’re considering joining us?! This program is especially ideal for the following educators:

    • classroom teachers and college instructors 

    • academic/adhd/executive function coaches 
    • educational/occupational therapists and other educators who work one-on-one with students
    • learning specialists and special educators 
    • school counselors and other administrators 
    • university learning center directors and their staff
    • parents of students with learning differences 
    • homeschool parents 
    • and more!

If you identify with one of these statements, the next step is to make sure the Anti-Boring Toolkit (in general) and Gretchen’s teaching style (specifically) resonates with you.

We are aware that the investment is a big one — both time-wise and money-wise — and we’ve created a number of complimentary options to help you give ROCK YOUR COACHING and the ANTI-BORING TOOLKIT a test drive. 

Here are some next steps that won’t cost you a dime:

The Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying | The Art of Inspiring Students to Study Strategically | Gretchen Wegner | Teacher | Teachers | Tutors | Academic Life Coach | Academic Coach | Academic Coaching | Academic Coaches | Tutors | Tutor | Study Skills | School Administrators | Parents | Parent | Student | StudentsTAKE THE FREE “STUDY CYCLE” COURSE.

Learn the brain science that originally inspired me, including how to weave it into your work with students so that they understand it too! Click here to take the free course and download this printable checklist.

DOWNLOAD THIS SIMPLE COMMUNICATION TOOL. 

So many educators ask how to get students to be more motivated. One of many answers is to learn how to communicate with students so that they feel respected and centered in their own learning. Click here to download this free communication tool

ATTEND FREE MONTHLY OFFICE HOURS.

Come chat with me. Live and in zoom!  This is a fun, free way to get listen to me share my latest anti-boring wisdom about working with students, and answer questions if you have them.  Click here for more info.

Once you’ve done your due diligence and are absolutely certain this is the right program for you, the links below will help you  jump into the program that’s right for you.


How to Sign Up for ROCK YOUR COACHING

Ready to learn these tools and move your students (and yourself) from barely surviving to thriving at school? 

Join ROCK YOUR COACHING at one of these two payment options:

No matter what kind of educator you are, there are training opportunities for you. They are evidence-based, anti-boring (which is another word for “fun” or at the very least “interesting”), skills-based and super practical and often called “the best professional development I’ve ever done”.


Praise from ROCK YOUR COACHING Alumni

“Your tools are easy to explain and quickly usable. The ROCK YOUR COACHING calls and the executive function videos get me so energized!  I now have the words to say, the scientific knowledge to explain why, and the confidence to know that I am really helping. I feel empowered, to know how to help students, but also what to say to teachers and administration. ”  ~ Jenny, School Counselor, Nashville, Tennessee

“On top of being energizing for me, the anti-boring toolkit has helped me engage my students and get buy-in. Collaborating with academic coaches reminds me that students are individuals, something that gets lost in the teacher training PD world.”   ~ Kar, K-8 Art and French, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

“Hands down, the two best student success toolkits out there are Gretchen’s Anti-Boring Approach and Sarah’s Ward’s EF Practice. Every academic, adhd, and executive function coach should learn the anti-boring toolkit, as well as every educator. I pay for all the coaches I hire to go through Gretchen’s program.” ~ Crista, Director of Connected Pathways Coaching, Virginia, USA.

“Teaching mini lectures is super engaging, fits into my 50 minutes sessions perfectly, and they are totally what I needed in my teaching repertoire to re-engage some of my students.” ~ Kim, Learning Specialist, Seattle, WA

Color Headshot“The training was flexible enough to help me explore and express my own style of coaching, while also equipping me with specific tools and step-by-step instructions about how to integrate those tools into my tutoring.” ~ Eve Chosak, Tutor & Academic Coach

 


Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some common questions we get about the program. If you don’t find an answer to your question here, please feel free to contact us and ask your specific question. We are happy to help! 

Why do you call it ROCK YOUR COACHING if it’s for teachers as well as coaches? 

Over the 15+ years that I’ve been training educators, I’ve noticed two significant patterns — teachers often lecture too much and academic coaches often coach too much. As a result, teachers benefit from incorporating some elements of student-centered coaching into their teaching practice, and coaches  benefit from learning the art of a well placed lecture and how to teach specific skills. I’ve created a training program that helps educators learn both the art of coaching and the art of the mini-lecture. I call it ROCK YOUR COACHING because it de-centers common assumptions about the role of the teacher in classroom life. 

Can I start anytime? What if I learn better with a dedicated cohort? 

Both! Many educators learn better in the context of a community of peers, and so we gather together cohorts of educators a couple times a year to begin their learning side-by-side. Typically there is a summer cohort, a fall cohort, and a spring cohort. That said, we also acknowledge that sometimes teachers, depending on their work and life context, need to learn at their own time and pace. To that end, you are welcome to join us for ROCK YOUR COACHING on a rolling basis. 

How much time does the ROCK YOUR COACHING program take to complete? 

As you may know, this program has two main components: (1) self-guided courses, and (2) community calls. The program is designed to be a year of learning and practice broken up into phases. First, most educators typically work through the Art of Inspiring Students course to learn the anti-boring pedagogy and toolkit. The course was designed to be completed in 8 weeks of about 3 hours/week of work. That said, many teachers find the curriculum so useful and engaging they work through it much more quickly. Once you are done working through the Art of Inspiring Students, you can expect to spend about 2-4 hours/month inside the training resources for the rest of your year in the program. This time is spent honing your ability to teach the anti-boring toolkit effectively with your students, troubleshooting issues that arise, and deepening your understanding of how to use the tools to target students’ executive function development. 

Why is the program a full year? That seems like a long time.

It turns out that spaced practice over time is the “magic” behind learning new skills. So many professional development programs teach you the tools but expect you to be self sufficient as you practice including them in your teaching context over time. With ROCK YOUR COACHING we provide both the toolkit and the time. I know a full year seems like a long time. Because that’s what I’ve noticed it takes to learn the tools, practice teaching them, and getting support as you hone your new teaching and coaching skills. I’ve priced the program to actually be incredibly cost effective given that it’s a full year. Even if you only show up to half the training calls over that year, as long as you are practicing the tools in your classroom or coaching sessions throughout the year, you will still have gotten full value from the course. 

Do I get professional development hours?

Yes! We will give you a certificate after the completion for your time spent in Art of Inspiring Students. We will also provide you with certificates for your time participating in community calls, and learning from the additional resources offered as a part of ROCK YOUR COACHING. We are not able to provide official hours through any official governing body, though we can offer graduate credit for Art of Inspiring Students through Humboldt State University in California.  We are also working to provide International Coaches Federation hours, so feel free to email us to inquire whether those hours are ready yet. 

What if I can’t come to the community calls live? 

No problem! You are always welcome to email questions and concerns ahead of time, and we will address them in the call and then time stamp the calls so that you can easily find the discussion about your situation. In order to receive credit for attendance, you can watch the recordings in the online portal and then comment meaningfully below the recording to show that you participated. We also have a monthly unrecorded “Need a Boost” call at different times each month, to provide an additional touchpoint to folks who can’t make the regular call times. 

What if I want to get certified? 

We do not provide certifications for the Anti-Boring toolkit. However, anyone who takes the training can call themselves and “Anti-Boring Approach trained” coach or teacher. If you are an academic coach and would like to become a licensed “Anti-Boring Approach Coach who is listed on Gretchen’s website, that is available too. You will have an opportunity to discuss that as your ROCK YOUR COACHING year progresses.

What age groups is this Anti-Boring Toolkit appropriate for? 

I originally designed the Anti-Boring Approach tools for middle school through university. However, the training has also been enjoyed by elementary educators as well as graduate school coaches. The truth is that every student needs this toolkit, and even the older students appreciate the anti-boring nature of the strategies.

What if I want to learn the Anti-Boring toolkit but don’t want to participate in a year’s worth of training? 

I get it. Not everyone feels like they have this much time to give. Of course, I strongly recommend the full ROCK YOUR COACHING program so that you get to benefit from the three Magic Formulas of teacher training. However, you are more than welcome to purchase The Art of Inspiring Students and the Habit & Grades Tracker courses individually on our courses page. 

What if I want to bring you in to my organization or school and present a custom training?

Great! That’s totally possible. Please see the “Speaking” page on this website in order to understand the full menu of options for you. I’ve supported a number of organizations in learning the Anti-Boring toolkit and transforming their school/organizational culture, and I look forward to helping you.