Recently, researcher and professor John Hattie released a paper regarding his research-based perspectives on what truly matters for education (and what does not) during this time of global pandemic. Thus, when I ran across his latest thinking, I became eager to share some of it with you here…
Many caregivers believe that grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling is what matters most when reading their child’s writing. Children’s writing should be readable, not perfect. What matters most RIGHT NOW is that kids are engaging in the act of putting words on the page or on a screen. Therefore, we can teach young writers how to use a personal editing checklist to help them make their writing more readable anytime they finish crafting a piece of writing.
It’s the final Tuesday in April… Come write, share, give! All are welcome!
In the last two months, our world has required us to live in the space of continuous new experiences. All of us, but especially the world of education, have taken a hard and immediate shift. It would be blind denial to say it has been easy, but this past week has taken me by surprise.
Twenty-five days of student writing are now behind us, and we are closing in on the end of the 2020 Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge. Students have worked hard to write stories… Continue reading
Is it possible to duplicate the live, in-person experiences? Of course not, but maybe some of you could feel the authenticity of a high-five or hug I’m sending your way.
So let’s think about some ways to bring virtual classrooms to life, maybe thinking of it as duplicating some of the processes of your classroom in a virtual world.
Maya Angelou said, “Prepare yourself, so that you can be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.” I’m working on it. I hope you’ll join me.
Rasha Hamid and Kelsey Sorum present three videos to guide families with writing anywhere, anytime, with anything they have.
Today is Tuesday! Time for the Slice of Life Community to come together. Come write, share, give…
How are you finding ways to connect and bring a community of learners together?
Students have inspired us with the craft of story, building themselves into stronger writers each day. What a beautiful way to have students feel so close when they are so far from us.
In these days where we are home so much, take your class on a virtual field trip or two and allow them choices of what they will write about! This post includes 6 trips all ready to go with writing menus for each trip. Many thanks to Clare Landrigan and Pernille Ripp who both inspired what I am sharing here with you today.
During the Teachers College Virtual Teaching Institute a few weeks ago, staff developer Natalie Friday introduced an idea for learning during the current global pandemic: Passion Projects. With schools now closed, several of them for the remainder of the academic year, some students (and teachers!) may feel like they are actually living the movie, “Groundhog Day.” So with this gift of time (if we can see our way to interpreting it that way), why not encourage students to pursue a passion they have or would like to grow?
Brevity, choice, and routine matter when you’re trying to encourage a reluctant writer to put words on the page when you’re engaging in remote schooling.
Today is Tuesday! Time for the Slice of Life Community to come together. Come write, share, give…
Meeting the needs of our students may sometimes require much more than paper or pencils, but it is not always as hard as we might think.
At the start of April, students around the world began the journey of storytelling, connecting them to each other, teachers, and families in important and meaningful ways. Students are writing during this historic month of April, as we all live history through a global pandemic.
Like many of you, I am learning how to teach my own two kids at home. I’m a little hesitant to say “homeschool” because what I’m doing isn’t really the same as true… Continue reading
By now, you’ve probably made a video lesson, or at least you’ve woken up feeling stressed about the prospects of doing it. You can do it. Here are a few tips.
THIS is what teachers need right now. This is my work as a coach, and this is what we can all do for each other in this challenging time.
