Hi, I'm Dave. I help teachers get greater. I've been building this blog since May 2012, so there's lots of schtuff — here are five easy steps to make the most of this place.
1. Join the movement
By far the coolest thing about this blog is its community of people who read, comment, interact, and write here. These are a special breed of educators. They refuse to freak out about everything from the Common Core to the common cold. They don't have time or energy to expend on Chicken Little antics. They are dedicated to one thing: getting better at our work.
Join these people by subscribing to the blog — all it takes is your email.
2. Get a feel for my work through reading three of my best posts
- A Non-Freaked Out Framework for Literacy Instruction Across the Content Areas, Common Core or Otherwise
- This is an overview of my distilled thinking on a sane, replicable approach to solid yet simple Common Core instruction. Critics call it reductionistic; I call it a powerful starting point. I lead workshops on this across the country.
- 9 Principles for Working Better with Fellow Educators
- This is part of a series that I eventually turned into an e-book called Never Finished: Continually Becoming the Teachers We Want to Be (and Staying Sane in the Process)
- An Obituary for Close Reading
- This post gives you a feel for my sense of humor: a little snark mixed with lots of love.
3. Read one of my books
The first ebook I wrote for this blog eventually became my first traditionally published book. Unsolicited reviewers on Amazon say it's a must-have on any Common Core teacher's shelf. My tone toward the standards has been described as fresh and “realistically optimistic.” Here's the book: A Non-Freaked Out Guide to Teaching the Common Core: Using the 32 Literacy Anchor Standards to Develop College- and Career-Ready Students.
My second ebook takes on teacher mindset. It's called Never Finished.
Now, for the record, when I say “read,” I mean read.
4. Check out my mix tape
Just kidding. But do check me out on video. Here's one of me reviewing my time at a national teacher conference. Here's one where I explain how to “closely read” an article of the week.
If you dig my style, subscribe to my ‘Tube channel.
5. Say hi to me on Twitter or the ‘Book
I didn't think much of Twitter until I realized how many teachers are on there, daily sharing ideas, asking questions, and encouraging one another.
At my Facebook page, over 1,000 educators chat about matters ranging from teacher excellence to argumentation strategies.
(You can always email me here, too.)
Did you subscribe?
If you haven't yet, do that. Once you subscribe, you get sent to a survey page — use that to tell me what you'd like me to write about someday here on the blog.