Stuart Smalley
Al Franken as Stuart Smalley famously said this memorable line on SNL years ago: “I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!” Why did this particular line reverberate with so many people? What in it spoke to me
Reading
Anne sent this question in today: Hey Ben - This discussion has probably been had on your blog and on the facebook page 100 times, but I've missed it, and I really want to know: When assessing reading comprehension, how is it fair
Report from the Field – Craig West
I got this email from Craig today. He shares an awesome insight: So now in my 5th year at this school (continuation school). I'm really seeing that language learning and language ability is all about imagination and creativity. I've worked this
Four Truths and a Lie – Instructions
I call the Monday after a break Snarky Monday. The kids just seem to get basted with an extra layer of snark over the break - who knows why? Since trying the same stuff that our classes were doing before a
Kierkegaard
There is this quote from Soren Kierkegaard: “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” I connect this to what is happening in the CI world
They Just Want to Play
This is a repost from 2009: I was running this evening and passed a little league baseball practice. The kids, beautifully attired in new uniforms, were being spoken at by their equally decked out coaches about what to do in case
Krashen Burn
How's this for an unnecessary and professionally embarrassing website? http://www.angelfire.com/az/english4thechildren/krashen.html
Thanksgiving Movie Talk
Here is an excellent MT clip from Craig for Thanksgiving: https://goo.gl/UJUjfR
Reading Material
In the next year it would be nice to collect some readings here and put them all in one place. I remain convinced that we don't need the novels. They are pretty boring. We can generate our own reading materials
Challenge Them!
I was just reading a thread in an online group. It said, "Challenge them by introducing more vocabulary." I don't agree with this. "Challenging" kids is code for "make them think harder," or "make them aware that the class is