Laughter adds so much to our lives. Research the benefits and you find all sorts of them– engagement, higher levels of learning, greater sense of community, even health benefits… Just for those alone, it’s worth thinking about ways we can infuse humor and laughter into our instruction and the experiences we share with students.
Using a mentor text can be a little like taking a course from a published writer- we can allow him or her to teach us how to be stronger writers. This can certainly happen with our drafts… but we can also do this work in our notebooks. Oftentimes, doing so can free young writers up to do larger-scale revision. Here’s one way I tried that…
Eight educators share their expertise to help us understand the way to meet the needs of students who are learning English within the context of writing workshop.
Have you ever wondered how other teachers were meeting the needs of students with learning differences? Five educators share their expertise with us today.
Be a teacher who writes! Join us for the Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge today! #TWTBlog
Every year brings with it new surprises. I was delightfully surprised by just ten minutes this year. Ten minutes made a big difference.
If your students participated in the Classroom SOLSC, then please take three minutes to fill out this survey. Your responses will help us shape future Classroom Challenges!
Three things you maybe never thought of trying – add them to your writing workshop bucket list for the school year!
Writing is not limited to a center choice during play. It is a part of all centers! Read this post to find out how to invite different kinds of writing at the most engaging time of day.
Be a teacher who writes! Join us for the Tuesday Slice of Life Story Challenge today! #TWTBlog
Here’s a round up of our May 2019 blog series about professional learning.
This post offers a glimpse into the professional development structures of a progressive New York City public school, where common threads of learning are inquiry, collaboration, and choice.
Although the numbers and reasons vary depending on the year and on the study, there’s no doubt that first-year teachers face challenges, and sometimes don’t make it past the first few years of their careers. One of the ways we can increase the likelihood of positive experiences and retention rates is by knowing how to support them.
If the desire to strengthen your professional learning burns strong inside you (and perhaps in some of your colleagues, as well), consider organizing and facilitating a book club! In this post, I offer a simple-to-follow road map on how to make this fun and beneficial experience a reality for you and some of your colleagues.
If you’re like me, your to-be-read pile feels big and impossible! Let me share with you how I tackle my professional learning before, during, and after I’ve read a professional text.
Professional conferences are an excellent way to increase your knowledge and can fuel your enthusiasm for teaching. If you’re new to attending conferences — or just want some tips to help you maximize your enjoyment as a conference-goer — then this post is for you!
I didn’t have a video camera or a tripod. I didn’t have any microphones. I didn’t have another adult in the room to hold the camera. I didn’t have time or resources to get any of these things pulled together. How was this going to work?
It’s Tuesday! Come write, share, give…
It’s hard to fathom how many sites, blog posts, articles, songs, images, videos, and more are available to teachers at any given moment. There are so many brilliant and generous educators creating and sharing their expertise, lessons, and ideas. The challenge is how to keep it all organized and accessible! In this post, I will share some ways I digitally organize my resources.
Teachers cannot stop learning and growing. We cannot rely on the way it’s always been done or stay stuck in the methods we learned years ago in teacher preparation classes. We need to embrace opportunities to strengthen our professional learning. This week, our blog series aims to do just that! We hope you will share your best ideas and tips with us. Commenting on our posts in this series will put you in the running to win a copy of Welcome to Writing Workshop: Engaging Today’s Students with a Model That Works by Stacey Shubitz and Lynne Dorfman!
