From Estate Sales to Learning Science: A Christmas Reminder for ISDs

During the Christmas season, I love estate sales even more. Homes are quieter. Decorations are packed away. You can feel the history.

When you bring home a treasured ornament, a well worn book, or a hand carved piece, you are doing more than decorating. You are honoring someone else’s care and choices. You protect it. You use it with intention. You pass it on better than you found it.

#InstructionalDesign works the same way.

Every year brings new tools, AI features, platforms, and engagement tricks. They sparkle. They promise magic. But without hashtag#LearningScience, they are just decorations with no structure holding them up.

Cognitive load. Retrieval practice. Spacing. Feedback. These are the heirlooms of our profession. Proven. Durable. Worth preserving.

Innovation still matters. Just like modern lights on an old tree. But the fundamentals are the branches. Ignore them, and everything falls apart.

This season is a good reminder. Our job is not just to create something new. It is to care for what works, honor the science behind it, and thoughtfully bring it forward for the next generation of learners.

Design like you would decorate with a family heirloom. With respect. With purpose. And with the intent to make it last.

#LearningAndDevelopment #RepurposeWithPurpose #HolidayReflections