🎯 The Ruckus Report Quick take: What if you could deliver six weeks of learning in a single hour? Simon Strong did exactly that — and the results are challenging everything we think we know about teaching, memory, and curriculum. 🤝 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker Simon Strong is the founder of Download Learning, a UK-based company partnering with schools and organizations to dramatically accelerate learning by sequencing information to align with how the brain actually works. 🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: Speed doesn’t kill learning — distraction does. <ul> <li>What’s broken: Slow, disjointed lessons overloaded with irrelevant detail.</li> <li>The shift: Simon’s team scripts, edits, and delivers content at 220 words per minute —nearly double classroom pace — to keep attention and trigger retention.</li> <li>Impact: Students retain foundational knowledge more effectively, especially those with ADHD or learning differences.</li> </ul> 🧠 Key Insight #2: One hour, one-half term (seriously). <ul> <li>What’s broken: Teachers covering complex topics in 6-week units with minimal retention.</li> <li>The shift: A single high-impact video lesson designed to fire synapses in precise time intervals.</li> <li>Impact: One hour of Simon’s approach produced equivalent learning outcomes to an entire half term of traditional instruction. Add teacher support, and outcomes doubled.</li> </ul> 🧠 Key Insight #3: Flipping modes ≠ mastery. <ul> <li>What’s broken: Constantly switching between direct instruction, stories, and activities in class.</li> <li>The shift: Presenting one “mode” at a time to avoid cognitive overload.</li> <li>Impact: Improved comprehension, less classroom disruption, and deeper long-term understanding.</li> </ul> 💬 Quotable Ruckus “Education doesn’t build character—it reveals it. Our job is to help students discover who they are and become the best version of themselves.” – Simon Strong 🚀 Your Do School Different Challenge Ready to implement these ideas? **Start here**: <ul> <li>Tomorrow: Audit your next lesson for unnecessary mode-switching. Stick with one mode longer.</li> <li>This Month: Try introducing a complex topic through a story, not a slide deck.</li> <li>This Semester: Partner with a colleague to design a one-hour “burst” lesson using Simon’s three-mode model.</li> </ul> 🔗 Connect & Continue 🎯 <a href= "https://www.notion.so/Simon-Strong-provides-half-a-semester-s-worth-of-learning-in-one-hour-218229bf615380f7907beeb4a72408fa?pvs=21"> Get the full episode transcript here</a>. 🔗 Learn more about Simon’s work: <a href= "https://downloadlearning.co.uk">https://downloadlearning.co.uk</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.downloadeducation.co.uk/">🌐 Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonstrong/">🔗 LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href= "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0321552"> 📄 Peer-Reviewed Research</a></li> </ul> 📌 Ruckus Makers Don’t Just Listen — They Act If education ain’t a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning? This show isn’t about doing school better. It’s about Do School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what’s possible. 🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey: <ul> <li>📬 <a href="https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe">Subscribe to the Free Newsletter</a> – Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work (3x a week).</li> <li>🗞 <a href="https://ruckusmakers.media/">Read Ruckus Makers</a> – Exclusive content on Substack featuring leadership insights, AI prompts, and new books before the bookshelf.</li> <li>💥 <a href="https://ruckusmakers.club/">Join The Ruckus Maker Club</a> – Our private network + workshops, The Automatic School tools, and AI Prompt Library.</li> <li>🧨 <a href= "https://www.betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind-application"> Apply to the Mastermind</a> – Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven Ruckus Maker Flywheel™.</li> <li>Every tool, community, and coaching program we offer is built to help visionary school leaders play the new game — one where leadership is creative, tech-enabled, and unapologetically student-centered.</li> </ul> The podcast is your starting point. The movement is just getting started. 🎙 Today’s RUCKUScast in Partnership With: ODP Business Solutions® <ul> <li>Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments.</li> </ul> 🔍 Learn more: <a href= "http://odpbusiness.com/education">odpbusiness.com/education</a> IXL <ul> <li>Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it empowers educators with real-time data and adaptive instruction.</li> </ul> 🔍 Learn more: <a href= "http://ixl.com/leaders">ixl.com/leaders</a> PLAY PIPER <ul> <li>Play Piper bridges gaming and STEM with hands-on kits that turn curiosity into confidence—and students into makers.</li> </ul> 🔍 Learn more: <a href= "http://playpiper.com/">playpiper.com</a> Twelve Practices LLC © 2025 | If Education Ain’t a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?

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