UNSchoolification: Confronting Sophophobia (Fear of Learning) in Teacher Education

Have you been “schoolified?” Do you find yourself: -Separating your personal interests, feelings, and relationships from school? -Going through the motions to get to the end? -Afraid of saying the wrong answer or doing something the wrong way? -Thinking of play is as nonintellectual and work as passionless? -Working to learn only what you are…

Guest Post: Learning to Talk About the Power of Stories – 5 How-To Guides for Innovative Literature Circles

In this post, we share five How-To Guides for facilitating literature circles that help learners uncover the power of stories. The guides range from grades Pre-K-6th grade. About Literature Circles: Literature circles (sometimes called book groups or literature groups) are book discussion groups organized around a book, theme, genre, or author. Students must learn to be…

What does “trust the process” really mean in teaching?

  This week, my pre-service teachers celebrated the end of their “writing workshop” fieldwork experience with an authors celebration of their fifth graders’ writing. The middle school halls were lined with tables full of poetry, short stories, and magazines. Kids strolled around reading each others’ work and writing endearing messages on comment sheets that the…