“Does writing poetry make you brave? It’s a good question to ask. I think making anything is a brave thing to do. Not like fighting brave, obviously. But a kind that looks at a horrible situation and doesn’t crumble. Making anything assumes there’s a world worth making it for… [M]aking something is a hopeful thing […]
In the Tunnel? Find the Beauty.
Dear colleague, Yesterday I was speaking with some teacher-author friends about what teachers need right now. I found it a disorienting question because when I think about what I need right now, I feel disappointed. What I need is pretty normal for this time of year: energy, invigoration, a renewed sense of zest for the […]
*Unavoidable* Difficulties in Learning: Dr. Stephen Chew’s “Choke Points”
As I wrote recently, learning is hard for at least four reasons: These stable findings from the research on the human learning system are what Dr. Stephen Chew calls “choke points in learning.” You can’t erase them; you can only work with them. In the video below, I unpack each choke point in greater detail. […]
Forty Things I’ve Learned So Far
Hey there, colleague — happy Leap Day! Tomorrow is March 1, which means (as my students like to remind me) that it’s Justin Bieber’s birthday. And that means, it’s my birthday, too. So in honor of the great occasion of Justin Bieber’s birthday, today I’m going to share forty things I’ve learned during my teaching […]
Avoidable vs. Unavoidable Difficulty
Note from Dave: I’m currently taking inquiries for PD visits to schools for the spring, summer, and fall. Schools tend to use me for issues around student motivation and engagement, recovering teacher morale, or returning to the fundamentals of teaching. All my visits come with resources that enable schools to keep the learning going after […]