A very sensitive area tied to equity is found in how many CI classes are made to read “class novels”. If thirty five kids have a wide range of reading ability, because of their background down to elementary school, availability of books throughout their childhoods, family wealth, etc. then many of them will be odd-man-out […]
L: What are the best novels to buy these days? What are people recommending? I need to spend $440 in grant money fast on some readers for my very literate Level 3s and 4-APs. Me: The thing is if you read my “Hit List of 26” [the reader can search it on the PLC] you
Sometimes we feel like this guy, but we stay in the game. And we win. But if we keep our focus on our mental health and using non-targeted instruction to guarantee same, then we won’t ever feel this way, even in March: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-volleyball-players-face-is-the-real-championship-mvp_us_56fae910e4b083f5c605e141?section=india
I am reposting this article (revised 64 times and reposted many, many times as well). I apologize for the length and the repeated postings, but since these assumptions form the bedrock of the newest (non-targeted) work we are doing, I want new PLC members who may have a background in TPRS to know where we
What we do when we let go of the need to teach lists reminds me of the scene in Dead Poet’s Society between 21:00 and 26:00. It expresses what underlies my own personal view on education. If you need a pick-me-up for school’s beginning this year and you are doing non-targeted comprehensible input, you may
What is teaching? It’s a lifetime of learning how to access one’s personal power. That’s one definition. I haven’t written this anywhere, but I feel that one of the root issues of bad classroom management is a lack of personal power in the teacher. That’s not an easy one. We are taught to please others
So if you are new to the group don’t forget that what we do when we run into problems in class (this group is focused now in August and September on our Classroom Management 101 homework) is simply email the problem to me at benslavic@yahoo.com and we talk about it. Three group members are currently
This is a good question for the group: Hi Ben – Do you know which books are getting positives from teachers? I am using them for Free-Choice Reading this year, and have $450 burning a hole in my pocket. Leigh Anne
Cute Idea #10: Taste the Word When doing a one word image, or just about anytime you feel like doing it, you can just stop with the comprehensible input and taste the word. What does this mean? It means that as language teachers we are here to represent all aspects of what language is, and
Cute Idea #9: Pets A powerful way to get kids quickly involved in class is to talk about their pets: Some teachers ask their students to produce drawings of their pets on their Card Talk cards, in addition to things they like to do. This is a good move. Instant discussions of high quality happen
Here’s another question: Hi Ben, I have a situation that is tough and I’m not sure where to go with it. This is what I’ve sent to one of the counselors (and have asked him to come observe): I am in need of some help. I have a student who is diagnosed with ASD in
A question from Salema Jenkins in KY: Hi Ben, Concerning a mixed 7th and 8th grade class I received an email from a parent asking if her 8th grade daughter will be prepared for Spanish 2 in high school. I will be doing BICS, Invisibles, etc. in this class all year after your recent trainings
