Memorization creates meaning I’ll admit it. There was a time that I disdained memorizing. For some reason, I believed that memorization was no more than something one did in order to regurgitate information later. And I had experience to back up my prejudice. For example, I remember as a high school student memorizing dates andContinue reading “The Magic of Memorizing for High School Students”
Tag Archives: Student Engagement
The Web, Student Focus, and Ralph Waldo Emerson
Five Allusions to Emerson in The Shallows by Nicholas Carr Today, we mostly know Ralph Waldo Emerson, the popular nineteenth-century transcendental philosopher, through a handful of quotes that have filtered down through the centuries. Three examples: Beyond Emerson’s many well-known sayings, however, the larger ideas behind his writings ring few bells in the collective mindsContinue reading “The Web, Student Focus, and Ralph Waldo Emerson”
Contest #11 That Works for My Students: Stossel in the Classroom Argument Contest
Each year for the past three years, I have assigned an argument essay contest to my eighth-graders. The contest is sponsored by Stossel in the Classroom (SITC), an educational website hosted by John Stossel, former consumer reporter and correspondent for ABC’s 20/20, and current Fox News contributor. According to the SITC website’s About page, the “programContinue reading “Contest #11 That Works for My Students: Stossel in the Classroom Argument Contest”
Because bored students care about commas… and little else
Here’s what I do to spark passion in my students for writing part 1 of 4 And let’s get this straight right from the start: I am no expert. I repeat, I am no expert. I have a meager six years of teaching under my belt. However, I am more excited than everContinue reading “Because bored students care about commas… and little else”
A Facebook Status Can Be a Starting Point for Hesitant Writers
Originally published March 16, 2016 ©Edutopia | The George Lucas Educational Foundation One of my students wrote a 150-word personal essay. It was heartfelt. It was raw. It was also a Facebook status. So I’m a little confused. That’s because this student—let’s call her Lisa—often struggles to complete most of the writing I assign inContinue reading “A Facebook Status Can Be a Starting Point for Hesitant Writers”