Dear colleague,

Today was one of those days: full schedule yesterday, full evening last night, busy morning this morning. As I was driving to school, a wave of anxiety and guilt washed over me: my first hour lesson wasn't in place! And class was set to start in under thirty minutes.

Noooooooot good.

Thankfully, I had a simple but powerful instructional routine already in place in my classes. As I've used and developed this routine over the years, I've seen its power time and again. It increases student confidence, content mastery, curiosity, open-mindedness, and civility. As students do it, they self-differentiate as if by magic, pushing themselves to their own personal best. When it starts to feel too easy for my students, I know the moves that help increase the cognitive load; whenever it gets too hard, I know how to peel off difficulty on the fly to get us to that just-right level of challenge.

And so today's first hour worked through their 13th Pop-Up Debate of the school year, to great success. We learned, we pushed, we laughed, we grew. It wasn't the only part of the last-minute lesson I pulled together, but it was the bright and shining core.

Many of you have indicated an interest in learning more about Pop-Up Debates. Some of you have never tried one, and others of you have been doing them for years and want to deepen your practice. Because Pop-Up Debates are a simple and deep instructional routine, in my new LIVE and interactive 2-hour workshop I'll be able to take you from where you're at with the strategy and empower you to move your practice forward.

What we'll cover in Pop-Up Debates LIVE:

• The basics of Pop-Up Debate, including classroom management concerns, prompt development, and how to get started.
• The three instructional hurdles of Pop-Up Debate, which are public speaking anxiety, speech delivery, and speech content. I'll provide practical guidance on how exactly to progress your students over each of these hurdles.
• What I'm doing this year in my general- and AP-level (ninth grade) classes with Pop-Up Debates. I'll share the good, the bad, and the ugly. 😉 From this insight into my day-to-day, you'll be empowered and encouraged to make adjustments for your setting. (And I'll be there to talk through that with you during the workshop.)
• How this instructional routine has saved my bacon more than once when my prep load gets overwhelming and I feel rudderless in moving my students forward.
• What teachers in other content areas have done with Pop-Up Debates. I'll include examples from classes like foreign language, ELA, visual arts, mathematics, science, and physical education.
• Answers to your specific questions. If you've ever wanted to pick my brain on my instructional thought process with Pop-Up Debates, this is your chance. (For folks who cannot attend live, you'll be able to ask your questions in advance of the workshop.)

What you'll get:

• Right when you register, you'll be prompted to complete a simple form indicating your current level of Pop-Up Debate experience as well as any questions you want me to answer during the session.
• Access to the live, interactive workshop (via Zoom) on the date you select.
• After the workshop, you'll get:
  • A recording of the session;
  • A streamlined, updated “Pop-Up Debate Cheat Sheet” to print and annotate and use as you plan and teach;
  • PDF excerpts of the pages in my books where I discuss Pop-Up Debates.

When is the workshop?

I'm offering two live sessions in later this month — one on a Saturday morning and one on a Monday evening.

• Saturday morning session: Nov. 22, 10a EST
• Evening session: Nov. 25, 8p EST

If you've ever wanted to talk shop with me in a small group setting, this is your chance. I'm confident that we'll all leave the session a bit more empowered and equipped to do the work we've been called to do.

You can register here.

If you have any questions, please let me know — just reply to this email or (if you're reading this on my website) email me at support_at_davestuartjr.com.

Teaching right beside you,

DSJR

PS Here are some questions I anticipate:

You are currently experiencing financial hardship yet believe the workshop can spur you on in your practice, benefitting you and your students.

• Why is it $100?This compensates me for the time it takes to prepare, plan for, and deliver the workshop, in which I'll refine a decade of experience with Pop-Up Debates and work with you on your specific questions. Were I rich in either spare time or finances, I'd offer it for free. Alas: I am neither.
• Do you accept purchase orders?Yes. Take the price of this workshop to your financial folks at school. Once they approve the purchase, they will create a purchase order. Email that to me (support@davestuartjr.com) and I will give you registration instructions.It is possible that your financial folks at school may request my W9 or other information. If they do, email me (support@davestuartjr.com) and I will provide that.
• Do you offer scholarships?I am open to inquiries re: a reduced price for the workshop, provided you can give evidence of the following:

You've requested that your school pay for your enrollment and that request has been denied.