How to Use Social Media to Strengthen Student Writing

This post was originally published on Edutopia. When Advancement Placement and The National Writing Project surveyed teachers regarding social media use in the classroom, they found that 78% agree (26% strongly agree) that digital technologies “encourage student creativity and personal expression”. Digital tools of course give access to social media, which is a powerful outlet … Continue reading How to Use Social Media to Strengthen Student Writing

Social Media and Student Communication Skills

This post was originally published on Edutopia. With social media taking up such a large space in our lives, many of us question whether it’s impacting our communication skills, more importantly, our students’ communication skills. As an English teacher, a writer, and a mom, I am always worried about the repercussions social media will have … Continue reading Social Media and Student Communication Skills

Cultivating Student Voice through Narrative Writing

Every day, students at University Laboratory School, a public charter in Honolulu, Hawaii, have the opportunity to spend a quiet 10-15 minutes with their teachers for a Writer’s Workshop. One on one, they talk through the student’s progress on writing assignments they were assigned to complete during class. But these aren’t the stale essay responses … Continue reading Cultivating Student Voice through Narrative Writing

Critical Thinking & Textual Analysis: an example

This is an example that accompanies my Edutopia blog post, Teaching Literary Analysis. Remember that the questions posed and the answers provided should be worked out as part of a process. Students can have many different answers, but the teacher should facilitate questions throughout the process that encourage critical thinking.   Choose a topic: Character: … Continue reading Critical Thinking & Textual Analysis: an example

Blogging as a self-reflective tool is overrated!

 Blogging in the beginning was a reflective tool, one to share thoughts and ideas while teaching, outside the classroom, or in a conversation. Many see blogging in this way, as a self-reflective tool. Instinctually, blogging is a self-centred act. It usually centres around the self and attempts to amplify the voice of the writer. Here's … Continue reading Blogging as a self-reflective tool is overrated!