Viewing: writing
Pencils to 3D-Printers: A New Kind of Language Arts Class
“The printers have been ordered. Fingers crossed. Here we go…..” This was the email I received two weeks ago from my principal who is working with me to develop a whole new kind of Language Arts class. The plan
Tips on Embedding Evidence: Writing with Numeracy
As we journey deeper into the world of Common Core, the need for factual evidence rather than emotional opinion becomes more and more vital. So that got me thinking in a more targeted way: as an ELA teacher, what are
Twitter as Think Aloud
I was reading through my Digg headlines this weekend, and I happened on this article of the top 10 most extraordinary Twitter updates. I also did some digging (no pun intended) and found articles that range in claiming that there
Finding Your Own Theme in Life
I have an article in the new March/April issue of Imagine Magazine, put out by Johns Hopkins. It’s a beautiful magazine, whose audience is gifted middle schoolers. It’s always a pleasure to write for a middle school audience. I can
A teacher’s duty?
So by now I assume we’ve all heard of the sanctioned “cage fighting” in a Dallas, TX school. As AP reports, school officials apparently condoned the use of a steel cage in which students could bare-knuckle fight their way towards
Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition
There’s been so much talk lately of deep-needed reforms for education, but we neglect just how powerful a simple makeover can be. I’m lucky to currently work at a school that has a patch of green, which fixes the broken
CUE Conference: Podcasting with 70 Middle Schoolers – RU Crazy?
So here’s my Keynote presentation for all of you who wanted to flip through it for some reminders. To open up my handouts, click here. Hope you all enjoyed the session, and feel free to drop me a line
How to be an Ed Tech Advocate
OK, guys. So I got it from the horse’s mouth at CUE. According to the ISTE Director of Governmental Affairs, No Child Left Behind is not going away. In the weeks leading up to the election, the Obama administration
The Importance of The Classroom Library
I believe a classroom library is the heartbeat of a teacher’s environment. It is the window into their own personality, and it reflects the importance of literacy in the classroom. I believe every teacher, no matter the subject taught, should
DARPA to create metacognitively aware robots
The Register reports that DARPA (Defense Advance Research Projects Agency) is currently researching how to create robots that are “like some self-aware computer systems capable of “meta-reasoning” and “introspection…” Their goal is to “Provide machines with an ability to reason
Am I So Past My Prime?
Somehow, and maybe I’m reading into it here, I feel a little written off already. Education Week is reporting that some districts are pondering the possibility of “front-loading” new teacher salaries, increasing their compensation earlier in their career to aid
“I Statements” in Expository Writing
This weekend I’m presenting at the CATE conference in Santa Clara, CA. It’s a session on developing high level, critical-thinking commentary in expository writing. My feeling is that great commentary is the Voice in Expository, it is the Show, Not
Starting from scratch in teacher training
I recently heard Judy Willis (of “syn-naps” fame) speak at a conference. In her pre-teaching life, she was a neurologist and she brings her knowledge to the classroom and to her lectures. (See my recently published article in Teacher Magazine, “My
Test Prep-Bubbling Power
So I looked at my 8th grade students’ scores after they took the MMA and sighed. Their scores sucked.
Is EdTech changing how students think or is it addressing the changes in student thinking?
Science Daily is reporting that there has been a shift in how students are thinking as a result of their use of technology. They believe it possibly lowers critical thinking skills and analysis. Additionally, they wonder just how much schools
My New Interactive Whiteboard…an update
OK, you know when you get a new puppy and you love it and you couldn’t live without it and then you find out it has hip dysplasia? That’s a little of what my relationship is like with my
Marketing Metacognition
So I just got the January MindWare catalogue and I realize that here we have a toy catalogue that is solely for metacognitive purchases. So this got me thinking: how can schools market metacognition? I realized, of course, that until
Metacognitive Poetry: Writing About Thinking While Writing Lesson
Here’s a great metacognitive lesson that integrates poetry. Or is it a poetry lesson that is metacognitive? (Shrug) I believe that good writing and great structure can be taught through mimicking great authors. Using this philosophy as my guide, my
Recalling your own Metacognition
I’ve been working on metacognitive lessons with my middle schoolers in an attempt to teach reflection and the act of thinking about thinking. Anyway, one of the most important elements in teaching about thinking is in your own remembering of
Connect With Me
Latest Tweets
-
RT @ELmagazine: "Too many schools push reading outside the school day & then use reading logs, incentive programs, & comprehension… https://t.co/ebrj1UP35T
-
RT @edutopia: Do you have students for whom even a small setback is a catastrophe? Try these simple strategies to reduce negativi… https://t.co/oIQsl7Y7Xu
Asking for Student Opinions Isn’t Risky, It’s Rewarding
By heather on January 24, 2009
I was reading this great article from Slate Magazine about the cheese that is Billy Joel. And I thought back to many a car trip singing his “Themes from an Italian Restaurant.” I also remembered just how many times I’d