A 1:1 learning pioneer, Sonny created and served as Principal of the first Cyberschool in 1995. A tireless advocate for digital equity, Sonny received the National Milken Family Foundation Educator Award, the Washington Governor’s Commendation for Educational Excellence, and the EdTech Digest Global EdTech Leadership Award. His innovative teaching and learning methods were peer-reviewed by global education scholars and inducted into the prestigious Oxford University Research Encyclopedia of Education.

Sonny is the author of the best-selling books, Enhancing the Art and Science of Teaching with Technology (co-authored by Robert Marzano), and Disruptive Classroom Technologies: A Framework for Innovation in Education, in which he introduced the T3 Framework for Innovation in Education. Synthesized from four decades of groundbreaking research, the T3 Framework strategies have a peer-reviewed effect size of 1.6 and higher (Magana, 2020). Michael Fullan wrote that Disruptive Classroom Technologies and the T3 Framework are, “A brilliant breakthrough in our understanding and use of technology for learning,”

Sonny latest book, Learning in the Zone: The 7 Habits of Meta-Learners, was recently published to global critical acclaim and has already been translated into Mandarin. Dr. Robert J. Marzano wrote, “Magana’s concept of Meta Learning has the potential to set the foundation for the new pedagogy of the 21st Century.” (Sonny is hard at work writing his next book, Teaching in the Zone: The 5 Essential Teaching Habits.)

Skillfully intertwining music with innovative learning methods, Sonny delivers the ultimate hands-on professional development experience from inspirational keynotes to half-day workshops to multiple-day engagements in schools or districts. Sonny’s one-of-a-kind presentation style is not only engaging and powerful, but has been shown to reliably accelerate learning.

Presentation Topics

1:1 Learning that Works: The T3 Framework for Innovation

Despite dramatic increases in classroom 1:1 computing tools, their impact on student achievement remains frustratingly low. The digital age demands that teachers gain basic technological knowledge, but is this sufficient to move the needle of impact forward? How can schools successfully prepare students for the future if the edtech impact needle is stuck on low? Using his unique vision, peer-reviewed research methods, and concrete examples, Dr. Sonny Magana shows how the T3 Framework strategies transform classroom instruction. Combining the art of music and the science of research, Dr. Sonny Magana will empower teachers to find their groove and realize the classrooms of their dreams. Participants leave understanding why John Hattie said, “Sonny Magana has truly become the Eddie Van Halen of learning.”

Learning in the ZONE: The 7 Habits of Meta Learners

Every student has the capacity to learn how to learn, unlearn and relearn. This is hardwired in every human brain, but too often this potential remains dormant, particularly among hard-to-reach students who view schooling as a boring parade of surface level memorization followed by an abundance of testing. It doesn’t have to be this way. Dr. Sonny Magana has devoted his life to developing a unifying theory of learning, what he calls Meta Learning. Meta Learning is an innately joyous and powerful learning process in which students’ passions and abilities converge to elevate their performance well beyond their known limits. In this life-changing workshop, the renowned learning futurist and Oxford Research Scholar shares the 7 Habits of Meta Learners, a sequence of powerful and easy-to-understand strategies that can help anyone find and sustain their Zone of Optimal Performance. You’ll leave this workshop understanding why Dr. Robert Marzano wrote, “Meta Learning has the potential to set the foundations for the new pedagogy of the twenty-first century.”

Teaching in the ZONE: The 5 Essential Teaching Habits

With and effect size of 1.57 (Hattie, 2023) Collective Teacher Efficacy is one of the most impactful influences on student learning and achievement. It occurs when every teacher in a school system believes that he or she can and will improve student learning by collectively improving their teaching practices. This isn’t magic, it is a real phenomenon that begins by helping teachers develop a language of essential teaching practices. In this career-affirming workshop, Dr. Sonny Magana shares his 5 Essential Teaching Habits that will restore the love of teaching in a way that is both sustainable and scalable. You will leave this experience understanding why Dr. Michael Fullan wrote, “For those of us on the frontier of deeper learning, Sonny Magana’s work is a much-needed gift!”

Leading in the ZONE:

The 5 Critical Commitments for Modern Educational Leaders

Recent research suggests that the disruptions to schooling caused by the global COVID pandemic have resulted in significant learning loss. What can education leaders do to reverse learning loss while ensuring learning continuity during future learning disruptions? In 1995, pioneering educational researcher Dr. Sonny Magana created and served as the principal of the first CyberSchool in the United States. Dr. Magana’s CyberSchool was the subject of a ground-breaking longitudinal research study which first surfaced enduring principles of effective blended schooling. These findings were further investigated and codified into the T3 Framework for Innovation and the 7 Meta Learning Habits. In this powerful session, Dr. Magana shares the 5 Critical Commitments that educational leaders can make to accelerate learning productivity in an era of unprecedented change. The 5 Critical Commitments are a blueprint that offers educational systems the direction, guidance, and tools needed to unlock students’ limitless capacities for learning and contribution while equipping students to successfully address tomorrow’s challenges.