When I talk to other teacher friends, a common concern seems to be how to get our students engaged in the classroom lessons. So many students seem apathetic about their education, and it’s up to us to be creative in piquing their interest. One such way to engage kids and to teach them a multitude […]
reThink ELA #006: Interview with Marisa Thompson
How would your students react if you didn’t give them any parameters for a project and simply told them to “figure it out”? Is this asking for trouble by putting the kids in charge of the classroom or is it an exercise in critical thinking and collaboration? In traditional classrooms, students are often given a […]
reThink ELA #005: Interview with Scott Bayer
How much time do you allow your students to write in class? What is the appropriate amount of time you think kids need to write? Or are you so busy lecturing (Just say no!) that you send them home to do their writing? While the appropriate amount of writing time may be arbitrary and subjective […]
reThink ELA #003: Interview with Aaron Blackwelder
What would you think if your principal said, “We’re doing away with report cards, but you still have to tell your students and their parents how they’re doing in class.” How would you measure a student’s success? In today’s episode, we delve into the idea that teachers, students, and parents place too much emphasis on […]
reThink ELA #002: Interview with Jennifer Williams
It’s so easy to do things as they’ve always been done. Why fix what’s isn’t broken, right? But what if that tried-and-true way of doing things doesn’t work in your classroom or for your kids? Today’s topic is Rethinking the Literary Canon. While this canon is a general compilation of the best literary works of […]