Tag: teaching

As Franklin Roosevelt famously stated in his 1932 inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” These ringing words probably also apply to the teaching of poetry. For a whole host of reasons, many people—not only teachers but general readers as well—feel intimidated by poetry. For teachers, a...

Teach for America is largely known for its Summer Training Institute, and this year the nonprofit is preparing to move its program online. Running June 11 to July 10, the full network of incoming corps members will participate in a virtual summer training program together. The institute will include members of 2,500...

How surreal it was as we said goodbye to our fellow teachers. We had, of course, no idea that it would be so long before we would be seeing our students. Before we left, the kids in my Intensive Reading classes were responding to the situation with little emotion, or none, like...

With school buildings closed across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, a new poll shows educators and their students face significant challenges in making the difficult transition to distance learning. The poll, which surveyed 1,936 National Education Association members, shows the complexity of teaching students with disabilities, providing the same level...

It has only been in the last decade or so that dyslexia has been recognized as a legitimate issue. In the past, dyslexia has been ignored, discounted, or morphed to fit under existing learning disabilities. With further research and clear evidence, it’s becoming not only recognized and understood but finally addressed in education. The movement is...

How shall I talk of the sea to the frog,if it has never left its pond?How shall I talk of the frost to the bird of the summerland,if it has never left the land of its birth?How shall I talk of life with the sage,if he is prisoner of his doctrine?Chung Tsu,...

Martha Edelson and Lori Langer de Ramirez share the consequences of motivation and affect in teaching middle school world languages and math As teachers of math and Spanish, we have both been approached on countless occasions by adults — friends, colleagues, parents — who share variations on the...

Complexity theory (CT) deals with complex, dynamic, and nonlinear systems. When I first encountered CT some 20 years ago, it was not in the context of language. However, I couldn’t think of many things that were more complex, dynamic, and nonlinear than language (Larsen-Freeman, 1997). And it soon...

Danny Brassell gets over himself to make learning fun for all ages When I first began teaching elementary school, my principal asked me if I knew any Spanish. After I replied, “Un poquito (a little),” he said, “Good. You’re our new bilingual coordinator!”

Joanna Duggan and Teddi Predaris examine the ten key components of an English learner master plan Imagine being the parent of a third grader new to a school in a large, urban district. Your child was designated as an English learner (EL) at her...