11/14/2025
"Educational trends are often compared to a pendulum, swinging back and forth between traditional and progressive approaches to teaching and learning. For decades, our profession has been caught up in battles between these two ideologies, with public sentiment periodically swinging one way or the other. But the constant back-and-forth has left many educators stuck in the middle, unsure of which ideas to trust, and wary of being caught on the “wrong” side.
Part of what fuels these swings is the way ideology influences our language. Instead of having constructive conversations about what works and why, we often fall into the trap of using loaded language in ways that label, dismiss, or disparage. This is where terms like “drill and kill,” “teacher-centered,” or “rote learning” come into play. They’re not neutral descriptions. Rather, they’re labels designed to make certain practices sound harmful or outdated, even when there’s solid evidence to support them...
When our decisions about teaching are based more on loyalty to a worldview than on what helps students learn, we all lose. And the kids who need effective instruction are hurt the most."
How teachers can move past educational pendulum swings to a more evidence-informed future.
