You are likely getting close to midterm. A time when you have to assign a grade to the human beings you have been teaching that conflates all they have been doing to a letter. At Oklahoma State University, we are also at midterm. Students want …
Imagining a No-Grades Classroom
In 2015, I began imagining a no-grades classroom. I wasn’t sure what this meant at the time. All I knew is that the letters and numbers that I put alongside students’ names didn’t even come close to representing who they were as learners and what …
Test Prep or Teaching?
A six-foot-ish seventh grade student sits with knees pressing the desk nearly off the floor, hunched over his device scrolling up and down to solve the mathematics equations of the new-not-new state test. The once blanket of snow beyond the window over his shoulder is …
Digital Portfolios: “Hello, Future Teacher! Allow me to introduce myself.”
Our students walked through the door of our classroom 174 days this year. The door has never been propped open. That would be against fire code. The door is always locked to make lockdown and fire drills more efficient. The magnetic strip in the door …
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Nurturing the Being and Becoming of a Reading Life
On September 30th, Kylene Beers posted a memo to teachers on Facebook with advice on how we can talk to administrators about the value of independent reading programs. She includes three research articles that teachers could share with principals. Then, she goes on to say …
Small Group Discussions and Self-Assessment
I try to keep Fridays a low-tech, relaxed, community day in our class. In reading, that means time to get into groups to discuss books. It’s our third week together, and I want to know how students think, talk, and behave in small groups. I …
Flipping the Classroom, Flipping the Mindset
Nameplates help teachers learn the names of students efficiently. Lesley Roessing posted an enhanced version of the nameplate strategy on Ethical ELA last year, which incorporated interest-imagery and art (see example on the right). This year, I opted for flipping the nameplate activity in order to …
Innovation Summit: Grading
This post is a supplemental resource for a presentation at CCSD15’s Innovation Summit 2017. A. Gathering Activity: In the comment section below, write the title of a book/movie you appreciated/found interesting this summer; the author/director’s name (if you know); and choose one or more of …
10 Months.10 Lessons.
Thank you for your readership of Ethical ELA this school year. Thank you for being my teacher-friend. In a typical school day, the only time teachers may be alone is when we use the restroom (until someone knocks on the door). Still, teaching can feel …