A meeting place for a world of reflective writers.
A topsy turvy year brings with it surprises. Some have been valuable enough to carry forward. I’m looking forward to bringing the best of the year with me and letting the challenges become a memory.
Carving out space and time for experiences that honor student agency and their diverse writing lives is not only empowering but also gifts them with the habit of writing and the identity as writers. We can write our way through this pandemic, together and emerge as writers.
Intentionally putting a focus on rehearsal took me on a deeper exploration of its importance in my remote classroom.
Janet Ahn and I share our strategies and ideas for teaching the youngest writers in remote settings.
Small groups are possible through breakout rooms, and just as in the classrooms, they offer targeted lessons for what students need right as they need it. It’s so worth figuring how to keep this important type of instruction happening, no matter where!
The work of Elfrieda (Freddy) Hiebert, professor and founder of textproject.org, explains further that “lists do not help our kids retain or expand their word knowledge. Students need networks of words that are grounded in ideas.”
I have learned from Meghan Hargrave, “Hold tight to what we know works and let go of concerns that we can’t control.”
As we all venture into another week of instruction, no matter what that may look like, I have three tips for surviving and thriving in these times.
As the 2020-2021 school year sets to start, we recognize that educators need each other more than ever. We need to hold onto our beliefs about the teaching of writing … Continue Reading Inviting Voices from the Community
No matter where we gather to teach children, the values we have for children and education should not change.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, probably like many of us, I sought out voices of hope. For me personally, I knew one of those voices would be Cornelius Minor. I knew him to be the kind of teacher with the capacity to help us all see things in a new way during this unfamiliar period of virtual teaching. Fortunately, I was able to reach him by text. We sat down recently on a Zoom call to discuss his views on teaching remotely, his book, and a way forward.
It can be done.
