Erica Woolway and I had a great visit to University Prep Middle School in the Bronx yesterday. What a warm and positive school with real rigor and a focus on knowledge. Kids focused, worked hard, took pride in their learning and seemed genuinely happy. One of the classes we especially loved was Spencer Davis’ sixth grade…
Teaching writing well is one of the most important things we can do in the classroom as teachers. The ability to capture and idea with precision and nuance is deeply connected to the ability to generate ideas of precision and nuance. And as Judith Hochman wisely points out in The Writing Revolution, there’s a big difference…
How you ask students to answer a question is often as important as the question you ask. If you don’t get everyone to answer, if you don’t cause everyone to think deeply about the answer, even the best question will only be so useful. So great teaching relies on clarity about Means of Participation–that’s what…
Several years ago, we piloted the first two cohorts of our Teach like a Champion Fellowship. The TLAC Fellows were a small group of excellent teachers who engaged with the TLAC Team in a sustained multiyear professional development relationship and conversation. The group met regularly—both in person and remotely–to dig deep into the craft of…
The challenge of post-pandemic schooling in a nutshell: Students face the biggest learning crisis in generation as a result of a year and a half of suboptimal schooling- despite the often heroic efforts of teachers. Many students are struggling emotionally at the same time. Isolation, anxiety, loneliness and depression have spiked at historic rates and…