089: Designing Uncheatable Learning With Story, Agency, And Real Audiences with Michael Hernandez
From SEL in EDU by Powered by Resonance Education
February 4, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
Michael Hernandez discusses innovative approaches to assessment and learning that prioritize agency and authenticity.
What if students did work they couldn’t fake and didn’t want to? We sit down with award-winning educator and author Michael Hernandez to rethink assessment, culture, and the role of technology by anchoring learning in agency, responsibility, and authentic audiences. Instead of building classrooms around compliance and bans, we explore how trust and clear boundaries create a sandbox where creativity thrives, and cheating loses its appeal. Michael walks us through a step-by-step PSA project that turns SEL from a talking point into a daily practice. Along the way, we dig into assessing for impact, originality, and courage; teaching ethical research and credibility; and using phones, mics, and cameras as microscopes and telescopes for inquiry. We also talk about oral histories as a powerful listening-first approach that builds digital literacy, empathy, and real communication skills. The conversation widens to film festivals, cross-school collaboration, and policy shifts away from standardized tests toward portfolios and a portrait of a graduate. We frame the classroom as a think tank with real deadlines and audiences, where feedback and iteration are the norm, responsibility has…
People in this episode
Guest: Michael Hernandez
Topics covered
- assessment
- social emotional learning
- creativity
- authentic audiences
- technology in education
Keywords
- uncheatable learning
- SEL
- education
- assessment
- digital literacy
- creativity
- authenticity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Resonance Education
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