This week I’m presenting a workshop focused on reading and supporting students as they interact in classes. Do you ever wonder how or if students read the 200-300 pages of materials assigned a week across all their classes? Why do students have difficulty answering questions about course reading, even if they’ve read the materials? This…
Several years ago, I was explaining to a colleague the challenges I was having in teaching my class on content area reading and writing. For those that are not literacy educators, this is a class that is taught to (primarily) middle grades and secondary teachers across different content areas (math, science, social studies). In this…
I’ve detailed my initial attempts at building an ungrading system in my classes on this blog. In this post, I’ll reflect on some of the results of my first semester and share some things I’ve already changed for the new semester. An Amuse-bouche In French cuisine, an amuse-bouche is a single appetizer that is a…
A course on #Gamergate, a controversy in gaming culture about the role of women in both the industry and fan culture, to emphasize issues around identity, race, equity, and inclusion.
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This week I had the honor of presenting a workshop on ungrading and alternative grading strategies. This session was sponsored by my good friends at the University Writing Program and the Department of Literacy Studies, English Education, and History Education at ECU. This session is part of an upcoming book group focused on Susan Blum’s…
As I’ve recently shared, I’m investigating an ungrading policy in my classes. I shared a post with my original thinking and rationale for exploring this topic. In this post, I wanted to share some of the feedback and questions I’ve received on the topic. Please note, this feedback is not for the faint of heart.…
Over the remainder of the Fall semester, I will complete another networked learning project. In a networked learning project, I will use the Internet, the connected learning community, and my own personal learning networks to teach myself something new. I will collect, curate, and synthesize this information into a final “presentation” of what I have learned.…
I believe the best questions are naive questions because they sometimes set you off on a different path. Incredibly naive questions “work” because they lower defenses. They allow us to put aside stock answers. They help activate prior knowledge and sometimes get to the root of the situation. Questioning enables us to innovate, solve problems,…
As many of us begin to head back to more face-to-face interactions with others, it is important to reflect on some of the challenges we’ve had over the last year. The materials below are from a session I organized with Adam Jordan on how to talk about mental health and well-being. Let’s face it… Times…
Over the past semester or two, as COVID has been disrupting most parts of our lives, I’ve been thinking more about teaching, learning, and assessment in my classes. This is more than just an opportunity to modify my practice when things go sideways. I think this pandemic has given us an opportunity to think deeply…