Kym was convinced that she had a disorder: she was unable to speak in class, and there was no way to solve it. This is what I learned on the first day of school when Kym filled out an index card telling me a bit about herself and who she wanted to be. I can […]
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Nine Tips for More Energy
We’ve all got the same hours in our days, but the way we experience those hours is affected greatly by our energy levels. In this article, I’d like to share nine things I’ve learned this summer about keeping my energy optimized for work, for love, and for play. 1. Chip away at sleep debt rather […]
Australia! Key Takeaways from My Week at a Re-Engagement College
As I shared in my newsletter, last month my wife and I traveled to Queensland, Australia for my first international professional development engagement. This was all thanks to the generous work of the staff of Kingston Learning College, particularly Ms. Kelley Cowley, who ginned up the idea, and Ms. Leeane Theodos, who believed in Kelley’s […]
Knowledge-Building Helps Student Motivation, Too
Last time, I discussed how critical thinking is not the “holy grail” transferrable skill that we tend to think it is. Rather, it is a function of knowledge, something most deeply practicable in domains we know enough about. This isn’t a new idea in my writing, as I discuss it in the knowledge-building chapter of […]
Critical Thinking Comes from Knowledge-Building
“Clearly, the only appropriate response to North Korean aggression is nuclear destruction.” I rubbed my temples as the fifth student suggested nuclear holocaust as the best response to the latest North Korean action. This was several years ago in my ninth grade world history classroom. We were holding an impromptu pop-up debate on the week’s […]
The Effort Belief in Action: Read Naturally as a Case Study
Nic was convinced that no matter how hard he tried, he would never do better in school. Unsurprisingly, this meant that Nic did not want to try at all. His conviction wasn’t built on laziness or bad intentions. Nic, like all of the students I’ve ever taught, didn’t want to be unsuccessful, and in other […]
20 Years x 1 Hour Per Day
Here’s a useful exercise. Think of an hour in your day where you get to do something discretionary. Maybe it’s watching a great TV show, reading a book, conversing with a loved one, getting ahead on tomorrow’s work, or working through your email inbox to get it down to zero. If you do this thing […]
“How Do You Do It All?”
Sometimes someone will say to me, “Dave, how do you do it all? Teaching, writing, speaking, being a husband, being a dad… how do you find the time?” The answer is always the same: I find the time because I don’t do anywhere close to it all. Let me give a few examples: I can’t […]