Episode 36 - AP Prep CEO on How 7 Million Students Doubled the AP Pass Rate - Amanda DoAmaral

Episode 36 - AP Prep CEO on How 7 Million Students Doubled the AP Pass Rate - Amanda DoAmaral

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2488800/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the SupportED Learning Podcast, Dr. Joe Sebestyen sits down with Amanda DoAmaral, founder and CEO of Fiveable and a former AP teacher, to explain how a burned-out classroom teacher making less than her student loan payments built the largest AP prep platform in the country.  Amanda shares how she left the classroom, moved back in with her mom, and started building content for her former students — and how that turned into a platform that has now helped over 7 million students hit pass rates nearly double the national average. Dr. Joe Sebestyen and Amanda DoAmaral discuss what actually moves the needle in AP prep, including the new AI-powered FRQ scoring tool that grades student writing against the real College Board rubric, why writing was the missing piece for years, and what most parents get wrong about preparing their kids for AP exams. This episode is especially useful for AP students preparing for exam season, parents trying to support their first AP student, high school teachers looking for tools that fit how students actually study, and educators interested in how AI is changing assessment.  🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on academic strategy, college prep, and the future of student success. 📲 Connect with them: https://www.fiveable.me/ [https://www.fiveable.me/] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkFiveable/videos [https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkFiveable/videos] 📲 Learn more about us: supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/], @dr_joe_ap_exams [https://www.instagram.com/dr_joe_ap_exams/?hl=en] Thanks for tuning in to the SupportED Learning Podcast with Dr. Joe Sebestyen. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more insights on education, critical thinking, and AI integration in learning. Visit our website at supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/] Remember to share this podcast with fellow parents and educators who are passionate about reimagining education for tomorrow's world. Until next time, keep supporting learning!

Episode 35 - Founder of LSAT Unplugged on Going From 152 to 175 - Steve Schwartz

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2488800/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the SupportED Learning Podcast, Dr. Joe Sebestyen sits down with Steve Schwartz, Columbia grad, founder of LSAT Unplugged, and host of one of the top-ranked LSAT podcasts in the country, to explain what it actually takes to go from a below-average LSAT score to the top 1%.  Steve shares his own story of raising his score from 152 to 175 in a single year, how that experience turned into a 20-year teaching career, and why he never ended up going to law school after all. Dr. Joe Sebestyen and Steve Schwartz discuss what separates students who beat the LSAT from the ones who don't, including why the LSAT is a skills test built on pattern recognition rather than memorization, why 2 to 6 months of focused prep beats cramming every time, and the deconstruction approach he uses to teach students to recognize argument structures on test day. This episode is especially useful for pre-law students preparing for the LSAT, undergraduates considering law school, career changers thinking about a legal career, and parents trying to understand how the law school admissions game actually works. Steve gives clear, practical advice — including the one thing he wishes he could tell his 150-scoring self — for anyone serious about getting into a top law school the right way. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on academic strategy, college prep, and the future of student success. 📲 Connect with them: https://www.lsatunplugged.com/ [https://www.lsatunplugged.com/] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnpluggedPrep/videos [https://www.youtube.com/@UnpluggedPrep/videos] Free LSAT lesson: unpluggedprep.com/start [http://unpluggedprep.com/start] Free LSAT cheat sheet: unpluggedprep.com/sheet [http://unpluggedprep.com/sheet] 📲 Learn more about us: supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/], @dr_joe_ap_exams  [https://www.instagram.com/dr_joe_ap_exams/?hl=en] Thanks for tuning in to the SupportED Learning Podcast with Dr. Joe Sebestyen. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more insights on education, critical thinking, and AI integration in learning. Visit our website at supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/] Remember to share this podcast with fellow parents and educators who are passionate about reimagining education for tomorrow's world. Until next time, keep supporting learning!

Episode 34 - UPenn Professor on the Firm Goals, Flexible Means Framework That Reaches Every Learner - Dr. Katie Novak, Ed.d

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2488800/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the SupportED Learning Podcast, Dr. Joe Sebestyen sits down with Dr. Katie Novak, bestselling author of UDL Now!, former assistant superintendent, and one of the most widely followed voices in Universal Design for Learning, to explain why most schools are quietly built for a student who doesn't exist.  Dr. Joe Sebestyen and Dr. Katie Novak discuss what schools, teachers, and families need to do differently, including the firm goals, flexible means framework at the heart of UDL, why doing well on tests is a skill that doesn't transfer to lifetime success unless it's braided with self-motivation and perseverance, and how to give every student multiple pathways to the same standard. Katie also explains why the United States tests kids more than any country in the world without better outcomes, why schools reward performance over growth, and why she keeps showing up even when only 5% of educators give her positive feedback. This episode is especially useful for school administrators rethinking how their system serves all learners, K-12 teachers building inclusive classrooms, instructional coaches scaling UDL across a building, and parents of kids who don't fit the mold the school was built around. Katie gives a clear, practical framework for replacing the mythical average learner with real ones — and finally building a system that meets kids where they actually are. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on academic strategy, college prep, and the future of student success. 📲 Connect with them: https://www.novakeducation.com/ [https://www.novakeducation.com/] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NovakEducation [https://www.youtube.com/@NovakEducation] 📲 Learn more about us: supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/], @dr_joe_ap_exams  [https://www.instagram.com/dr_joe_ap_exams/?hl=en] Thanks for tuning in to the SupportED Learning Podcast with Dr. Joe Sebestyen. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more insights on education, critical thinking, and AI integration in learning. Visit our website at supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/] Remember to share this podcast with fellow parents and educators who are passionate about reimagining education for tomorrow's world. Until next time, keep supporting learning!

Episode 33 - Father of Flipped Classroom on Why AI Is Quietly Destroying Your Kid's Ability to Think - Jon Bergmann

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2488800/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the SupportED Learning Podcast, Dr. Joe Sebestyen sits down with Jon Bergmann, the father of the flipped classroom and one of the most influential voices in modern teaching, to explain how two teachers in the mountains of Colorado accidentally started a global movement — and why Jon now spends his days warning parents and educators that AI is quietly eroding the next generation's ability to think. Jon shares the origin story of the flipped classroom, the "rule of three" that makes video lectures three times more efficient than live ones, and why he believes flipped mastery is the second revolution that education is finally ready for. Dr. Joe Sebestyen and Jon Bergmann discuss what's actually working in classrooms right now, including the difference between students who use AI as a crutch and students who use it as a thought partner, the trebuchet project that forced his physics students to defend their work in a ten-minute oral interview, and why the cognitively hard work can no longer be sent home in an AI world. Jon also explains why critical thinking is measurably diminishing in adolescents, why banning AI in schools is the wrong answer, and why he tells parents that chemistry is supposed to be hard. This episode is especially useful for high school teachers rethinking their classroom model, science teachers navigating AI in lab work, instructional coaches building mastery-based systems, and parents worried about what AI is doing to their kid's ability to focus and think. Jon gives a clear, urgent framework for using AI without surrendering the cognitive development that turns adolescents into capable adults. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on academic strategy, college prep, and the future of student success. 📲 Connect with them: https://www.jonbergmann.com/ [https://www.jonbergmann.com/] Podcast: https://reacheverystudent.com/ [https://reacheverystudent.com/] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JonBergmann1 [https://www.youtube.com/@JonBergmann1] 📲 Learn more about us: supportedtutoring.com, [https://supportedtutoring.com/] @dr_joe_ap_exams [https://www.instagram.com/dr_joe_ap_exams/?hl=en] Thanks for tuning in to the SupportED Learning Podcast with Dr. Joe Sebestyen. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more insights on education, critical thinking, and AI integration in learning. Visit our website at supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/] Remember to share this podcast with fellow parents and educators who are passionate about reimagining education for tomorrow's world. Until next time, keep supporting learning!

Episode 32 - Master Physics Teacher on How to Prepare for AP Physics - Dan Fullerton

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2488800/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the SupportED Learning Podcast, Dr. Joe Sebestyen sits down with Dan Fullerton, NY State Master Physics Teacher, author of seven physics prep books, and founder of APlusPhysics.com, to explain how a microelectronics engineer who built semiconductors at Samsung and Kodak ended up teaching high school physics and pioneering an approach that flipped the traditional classroom on its head.  Dr. Joe Sebestyen and Dan Fullerton break down what students and families actually need to succeed in AP Physics, including the real difference between AP Physics 1, 2, and C, why math is the language of physics but not the point of it, how to recover from a bad first quarter, and the free resources he recommends students use alongside textbooks. Dan also explains why 1:1 device rollouts haven't fixed learning, why "whoever does the work does the learning" should be every teacher's north star, and why grades are just a silly letter on a silly piece of paper. This episode is especially useful for students preparing for AP Physics, parents trying to understand which AP Physics course fits their kid, high school physics teachers rethinking their classroom model, and educators interested in flipped learning. Dan gives a clear, honest framework for building resilience, owning the struggle, and using physics as a way to learn how to learn anything. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on academic strategy, college prep, and the future of student success. 📲 Connect with them: https://www.aplusphysics.com/ [https://www.aplusphysics.com/] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aplusphysics [https://www.linkedin.com/in/aplusphysics] 📲 Learn more about us: supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/], @dr_joe_ap_exams  [https://www.instagram.com/dr_joe_ap_exams/?hl=en] Thanks for tuning in to the SupportED Learning Podcast with Dr. Joe Sebestyen. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe for more insights on education, critical thinking, and AI integration in learning. Visit our website at supportedtutoring.com [https://supportedtutoring.com/] Remember to share this podcast with fellow parents and educators who are passionate about reimagining education for tomorrow's world. Until next time, keep supporting learning!