In my new book, one of the 10 strategies I feature is “Define Success Wisely, Early, and Often.” This made the cut from my initial list of over 50 strategies because, for most students, success is a deeply ambiguous and murky thing. And for many others, success is an overly simplistic thing, like “all As.” […]
Did Last Year’s Teachers Fail? Or, a Reflection on the Recursivity of Growing Greater Skills
Back when I first started blogging, I remember coming across an idea buried in the Common Core Appendix A. It was the most mundane-seeming of paragraphs, buried in the most mundane of documents. And yet, to me, it was revelatory. Here it is: Grammar and usage development in children and in adults rarely follows a […]
42 Prompts to Get Students Speaking or Writing at the Start of the School Year
I’m not as much a “connection over content” guy as I am a “connection AND content” guy. In my high school classes, relationship building is most often done in the context of skill or knowledge building. There’s a whole essay I could write on why I’m that way, but that’s not the point today. The […]
Can Writing More Make Sense in Classes like Phys Ed, Band, or Computer Science?
Last time, I told you to have your students write more this school year. I argued that both your life and the lives of your students will be better if you do this. But that’s pretty big talk coming from an English/history teacher, isn’t it? What about folks who don’t teach these kinds of classes? […]
This Year, Get Your Students Writing Provisionally
This year, get your students writing more. It’ll make your job easier, and it’ll make their minds and hearts stronger. When you’re thinking about where and how to get them writing, use this pyramid to help you prioritize. (That’s from p. 172 of These 6 Things: How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most.) […]