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Jul 8

Book Review: Pose Wobble Flow

By Haley Master

Why a Second Edition?:

In September of 2015, Antero Garcia and Cindy O’Donnell-Allen released the first edition of Pose, Wobble, and Flow, providing a fresh liberatory framework for deconstructing the idea that there is a “best” way to teach. They concluded that first edition by stating “By various measures, we are in a cultural, social crisis today. Radical persecution, the stratification and thinning of the middle class, and salient examples of violence- symbolic and physical- toward nonheterosexual or transgender members of society run rampant today. This is not a hyperbole” (2015, p. 133). They then open this second edition affirming “We take no joy in the accuracy of these predictions, but we could not have imagined the breathtaking scale, scope, and speed with which the social, cultural, and global fabric of the world would unravel” (2026, p. 2).  Garcia and O’Donnell’s methods and pedagogy around teaching are not only, and unfortunately, extremely relevant, but more important than ever. This second edition further expands on the significance and impact it has to ensure that children and young adults from all backgrounds have the same opportunities for success and that educators, parents, and administrators feel empowered by the work they’re doing rather than dehumanized.

Overview:

Adapting the pose, wobble, and flow method of yoga as a pedagogical model, they encourage readers to move through the challenges of teaching rather than striving for impossible perfection. The book presents six different “poses” of teaching in order to guide teachers through the numerous challenges that teachers face in this current climate as well as presenting ways to promote equity, social change, and vulnerable learning. What it means to pose in teaching is to take up a “liberatory stance” toward your practice (Garcia and O’Donnell, 2024, p.7). Garcia and O’Donnell make it very clear that this is not a “foolproof” method to teaching, but rather “touchstones” as a way to guide teachers through different settings (Garcia and O’Donnell, 2024, p.8). The book introduces the idea of wobbling when Teachers will always be presented with unexpected challenges and complex situations that will test their limits and push them into an area of uncomfortability. Garcia and O’Donnell argue that this push is not meant to be a breaking point, but rather a point of transition. That transition and nonlinear process is how teachers strengthen their practice and learn how to move through dynamic circumstances. Garcia and O’Donnell refer to “flow” as “the moments of psychological well-being one experiences in singular moments during the everyday course of teaching”  as well as “the complementary poses together over the span of one’s teaching career” (Garcia and O’Donnell, 2024, p.10). They maintain that the ambiguity of teaching can make it difficult to feel as though you are hitting goals or climbing new peaks in your career. The objective of the “flow” phase as a teacher is to enter a flow state that incorporates both different poses as well as wobbling to be constantly growing as an educator.

Read more: Book Review: Pose Wobble Flow

Key Takeaways:

Garcia and O’Donnell set the foundation for the book with their pose of “teaching for liberation” which is recognizing the inequities, identities, and backgrounds of different students as a way to not only be an active advocate for social change, but to encourage students to recognize those nuances as well. Rather than striving for perfection, they foster the idea that a liberatory pedagogy is a “process of becoming” that requires necessary transformation  in order to move through the challenges that educators will inevitably face. While this may seem like a daunting task, they urge for small but meaningful moments that will work towards a collective shift in the way institutions and classrooms operate. They then highlight the importance of being a “vulnerable learner” which can help “retain a sense of agency in your work and, even on darker days, can consistently infuse it with meaning” (Garcia and O’Donnell, 2024, p.37). The significance of this pose is to encourage teachers to see themselves and their students as continual learners rather than a part of a larger systemic machine. Instead of referring to the individual experience of vulnerability, Garcia and O’Donnell also emphasize that a lot of the challenges that students face are a part of a collective problem that requires vulnerability in order to broach and change. Garcia and O’Donnell’s third pose is a push for literacy for civic engagement and how teachers can both acknowledge the different civic identities of students in their classroom, but also how to purposefully tie those identities into literacy activities and classroom practices. Even though conversations about systemic issues with students can be difficult, it does not go away by choosing to not address them in the classroom. In addition, the ways that active practices around civics will transform students’ and teachers’ lives inside and outside of the classroom are the heart of why this field is so important. 

Pedagogical Tools:

Garcia and O’Donnell added the pose of developing an identity as a writer who teaches as well as a teacher who writes because it “maximizes the learning outcomes of your students” and can be “central to your own professional growth” (Garcia and O’Donnell, 2024, p.98). The value of this pose is so that teachers can both be frequently involved in the practice of writing in a similar way to their students and to the practice of writing instruction. The underline the importance of writing has specifically to BIPOC students and their identity given that it has historically not been something that education systems have encouraged. The act of writing itself is an act of civic engagement. Along with writing, reading and literacy plays a substantial role in what students learn and how they perceive the world. The curation of texts that schools develop and the ways that teachers must wobble around ones that are less accessible for students are essential to nurturing a lifelong passion for reading and literature. An interesting point that they raise is the responsibility teachers have to “help students understand their agency as readers” and to “shift stances and practices based on the texts they encounter” (Garcia and O’Donnell, 2024, p. 128). Teaching and engaging with texts is not a black and white process, but rather a fluid method of meeting students where they are as readers and incorporating recommendations that will expand their horizons and connect with them.

Recommendation:

This book is essential for not only educators, but for parents, administration, caregivers, and leaders who aspire to cultivate a learning environment that encourages and inspires students well after their time spent in the classroom. It breaks down the idea that a teacher is someone with all of the knowledge and students are simply there to absorb what a teacher says. Garcia and O’Donnell approach learning as a nuanced and complex system of shared information where both students and teachers are constantly learning and improving in order to enact change and work towards a better tomorrow. 

Pose, Wobble, and Flow: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literary Instruction, Antero Garcia and Cindy O’Donnell Allen, Teachers College Press, Second Edition, 2024, #6.95, ISBN: 9780807769348

Bio: Haley Master is a West Chester University English M.A student as well as a sales associate for Schiffer Publishing.

Jun 26

Research and Reflections on Building a High School Writing Center

Throughout the past year, I had the opportunity to work alongside two truly brilliant educators to research, reflect, and write about one of the projects I’m most proud to be part of: bringing a university-supported writing center into our high school. This program is a collaborative effort between classroom teachers, university faculty, and preservice teachers, all centered around one simple belief – every student deserves an authentic audience and meaningful support as a writer.

The article shares how the program came to life, what we learned along the way, and why partnerships like these can make such a difference for both high school students and future teachers. In the introduction, we explain, “This case study matters because it outlines the importance of school-university partnerships, while it also offers insight into how school-university partnerships can evolve over time to better support preservice teacher development, secondary writing instruction, and cross-institutional collaboration.” Building community through writing has always been at the heart of my instruction, and this research is a reminder that some of the best learning happens when classrooms extend beyond their own four walls.

The above image is shared during mentor training and illustrates the various roles and responsibilities pre-service teachers take on through this partnership.

If you’re interested in creating a writing center, partnering with a local university, or simply curious about what this kind of collaboration can look like, I hope you’ll give it a read. You can find the full article here: ‘It’s a Win-Win Situation’— Cultivating University & School Partnerships.

Kelly Virgin is a WCWP teacher leader who teaches high school English for the Kennett Consolidated School District.

May 21

Readers Are Writers: Using Romeo and Juliet as a Mentor Text

A cornerstone of my literature instruction is to treat every text as a mentor text. I want my students to see that readers are writers and writers are readers — even when the text feels intimidating at first. Lately, my high school ELD students have been studying Romeo and Juliet, and while Shakespeare’s language can feel overwhelming, his figurative language is actually the perfect invitation into creative writing.

Today’s lesson focused on similes and metaphors from the scenes when Romeo and Juliet first meet and later speak on the balcony. Before diving into Shakespeare’s lines, we started with a low-pressure brainstorm warm-up. Students made lists of people, foods/flavors, activities, sensory experiences, and things in nature that make them happy. This gave everyone a bank of ideas and images to pull from later.

Next, we reviewed teacher-generated examples of figurative language together:

  • “Mrs. Selter’s smile shines bright like the sun.”
  • “Ms. Virgin is a tornado of energy dropping assignments on our desks as she twirls around the room.”

We talked about the two parts of each comparison and discussed the deeper meaning behind the imagery. The goal was not just identifying similes and metaphors, but understanding what each comparison communicates.

Then students collaborated with partners to create their own figurative sentences. They:

  1. Chose a topic card (“my best friend,” “school,” “the first day of school,” etc.)
  2. Chose a positive or negative image from the board (“rollercoaster,” “sunflower,” “hug,” “volcano,” “traffic,” “broken pencil”)
  3. Combined the ideas into original similes and metaphors

This part of the lesson was so much fun because the combinations led to some fresh and original figurative comparisons. Afterward, students completed a gallery walk where they read classmates’ examples, wrote down three favorites, and illustrated one image that stood out to them.

The second half of class brought us back to Shakespeare. Together, we studied six figurative language examples from Romeo and Juliet. We color-coded the “focus” of the comparison (Juliet, her eyes, Romeo, our love) in pink and the comparison image (sun, stars, lightning, dove) in blue. This visual support helped students clearly see how figurative language is constructed while also discussing the emotional meaning behind the imagery.

To support independent writing, I broke the lines we studied into accessible sentence stems students could build from:

  • “If ___’s ___ were ___, it would…”
  • “Our ___ is like ___.”
  • “___ is a/an ___.”

Students then returned to their original brainstorm lists and began crafting their own figurative writing independently.

A cornerstone of my writing instruction is writing alongside my students. Throughout the lesson, I pause to model my own thinking, draft examples in real time, and share both the writing that works and the writing that absolutely does not. I want students — especially language learners — to see that strong writing is not about getting it perfect on the first try. It’s about experimenting with language, revising ideas, and sometimes laughing at the metaphors that flop before finding one that finally clicks.

As a culminating activity, students will choose one figurative sentence they crafted and turn it into a “figurative doodle” that we’ll publish on our classroom writing walls. I also create and share my own finished figurative doodle as an example before students begin their final project. Having a teacher model gives students guidance and inspiration, but I think it also communicates something important: I’m not asking them to do anything I’m unwilling to do myself. We’re all writers in the room together.

Kelly Virgin is a WCWP teacher leader who teaches high school English for the Kennett Consolidated School District.

Apr 22

Happy National Poetry Month!

Poetry is not a one-month or one-unit experience in my classroom. Instead, I intentionally weave it into our literature work all year long because it deepens engagement and adds meaning for both me and my students. Here are a few small ways I weaved poetry into our lessons this month:

Using Poetry to Teach Character Development

We’ve been working on direct and indirect characterization, so I pulled an excerpt from Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. In the passage, Jude describes her cousin using both “telling” and “showing,” which made it a perfect mentor text.

After analyzing the character development, students wrote their own short character poems about someone in their life. To support my ELD students, I gave them a simple structure:

  • Start with what the person wears
  • Show personality through what they do
  • Include what they say

The scaffolding helped a lot—students who might normally struggle to get started were able to jump right in, and the results were thoughtful, funny, and surprisingly detailed.

Turning the Lens Inward: Writing About Themselves

As an extension, students wrote poems about their own identities. We used “Weird”, a poem from Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton for a mentor text.

After noticing how the poem builds around a single adjective, students chose one word to describe their “best quality” and used it as the foundation for their own poem. I gave them some sentence starters, which helped keep the writing flowing while still allowing for individuality.

This activity ended up being one of my favorites—there’s something powerful about giving students space to name and celebrate who they are.

Exploring Conflict Through Poetry

We’re also studying literary conflict, so I had students read an excerpt from The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. First students reviewed conflict by noticing how the speaker reveals both internal and external conflict, especially around anger.

Then they wrote their own “conflict poems” using the stem:

Teacher, since you asked, I’ll tell you why I’m so ______…

What followed was honest, reflective writing that went way beyond what I typically see in more traditional assignments.

Letting It Go (Literally)

To keep building on conflict, we read “What She Asked” by Virginia Euwer Wolff. Before reading, we talked about what students do after conflict—walk it off, listen to music, talk to someone, etc.

Then I shared how I sometimes write to process frustration, which led into the activity.

After studying the mentor poem, students used the line:

Remember that classroom afternoon, every big and little thing was wrong…

…and created their own lists of annoyances, frustrations, and lingering conflicts.

After a few minutes of writing, I had them tear the page out, fold it into a paper airplane, and we ended class with a throwing contest—sending those problems flying down the hallway.

It was chaotic in the best way—and a surprisingly cathartic ending to the lesson.

Version 1.0.0

Final Thoughts

None of these activities took more than a class period. Each one connected directly to our curriculum, and all of them got students writing, thinking, and (maybe even) enjoying poetry.

Poetry doesn’t have to live in April. It doesn’t need its own unit or elaborate setup. It can slip right into what you’re already teaching—and sometimes, that’s when it works best.

Kelly Virgin is a WCWP teacher leader who teaches high school English for the Kennett Consolidated School District.

Apr 9

Building Better Writing Through Culture, Conversation, and Connection

One of the biggest challenges I face with my English language learners is getting them to move beyond simple responses in their writing. So, for the past few years I have been experimenting with an assignment that not only supports their writing development, but also honors who they are and where they come from.

Background

Students spend the first part of the school year reading a powerful memoir called Dreams and Nightmares: I Fled Alone to the United States When I Was 14 by Liliana Velazquez. In this book, Liliana writes about her experience leaving her home in Guatemala to find a new home and the promise of a new life in the United States. In our writing, we focus on a powerful moment where Liliana describes sewing a quilt to preserve her culture and memories of her grandmother: “I don’t want to lose my culture, and it can be a remembrance of my grandmother. I’m going to sew a quilt… I want to give my mother this quilt as a present that I have made with my own hands. I want to give her a memory of Guatemala, of my tradition.” That idea became the inspiration for the writing assignment – students are tasked with creating and writing about their own culture quilt square.

Brainstorming

The process starts with an active and collaborative brainstorm through a gallery walk and talk. Around the room, I post topics like music, celebrations, food, and holidays. Students rotate, discussing and adding what they already know about their own cultures. Then they walk around a second time to create a personal brainstorm list – combining their knowledge with the collective knowledge of their classmates. This low-pressure brainstorming helps them realize they already have a lot to say as well as provides them with additional ideas.

Research

Next, we move into inquiry. Students review sample interview questions and then create and share their own. Their goal: learn more about a cultural topic that matters to them. Over the weekend, they are tasked with interviewing an elder—a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle.When they came back from this assignment, the room was full of stories. One student talked about discovering his uncle’s favorite song, “100 años pienso en ti” by Pedro Infante, and how that music connects to his own tastes. Another learned that her mother and grandmother made their own clothing growing up. A third noted the traditions her mom shared about her hometown in Mexico: “When I talked with my mom, I learned the traditions of ‘La Barranca Moroleon GTO’. I learned the activities that the people did, how they danced the cumbia, walked with the ‘santito’, went to eat in the houses of different people, and also the clothing that they used to wear—huipil—to special occasions like the party of July 25, ‘the misa’ when many people are together listening the ‘padrecito’.”

Putting it all together

Before jumping into a written essay, students consolidate their brainstorming and research by creating a visual “quilt square” representing what they value most about their cultures. For this part of the assignment, students return to their brainstorming and research to mark the parts of their culture they think are most important in their lives and their families. Then they spend time creating a visual to show those key elements. The only requirement for this part of the process is that they represent their cultural background in some way – all the other elements are self-selected. This step is key. It gives them space to synthesize their ideas and organize their thinking in a different way. It also affords them choice in what they ultimately decide to share about their cultures.

Then came the writing.

Because students had already brainstormed, researched, and discussed their ideas, they had a wealth of language to work with. Instead of struggling to get started, we could focus on developing their ideas, organizing their paragraphs, and expanding their writing. The project ended with a celebration. Students shared their quilts and essays, learning about each other’s cultures and experiences. I also printed their work post on our publication walls and to share with families during spring conferences—an added layer of pride and connection.

More than anything, this project reminded me of the power of conversation. Students learned they have a lot to say by getting the opportunity to speak. The gallery walk and talk brainstorm invited students to build on collaborative knowledge. The interviews students conducted with family members didn’t just give them content to write about—they created space for connection, storytelling, and the passing down of culture. The celebratory sharing invited students to show off their hard work while also learning more about each other. These conversations became the heart of the writing, making it more meaningful, more personal, and far more than just an assignment.

Kelly Virgin is a WCWP teacher leader who teaches high school English for the Kennett Consolidated School District.






















							

		

			

			

				

					
Feb 25

				

								

									

			

			

				

					Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to be Reflective and Effective Learners by Lynne Dorfman, Catherine Gehman, Persida Himmele, and Aileen Hower                                     Book Review by Janice Ewing
				

				

There are many professional books that are recommended for a particular subset of teachers, according to grade level, subject, or a particular area of interest. Now That I Think About It: Teaching Your Students to be Reflective and Effective Learners by Lynne Dorfman, Catherine Gehman, Persida Himmele, and Aileen Hower (to be published in June by ASCD), on the other hand, is one that will be of value to all educators. All teachers who strive to deepen their reflection about their own practice and develop their students’ practice of reflection will find value in these pages. A true work of collaboration, the four teacher/authors have mined the depths of their varied and extensive classroom experience with learners of all ages to create this exceptional resource that speaks to what it means to be a truly reflective and effective educator.





The authors ground the reader by describing and amply illustrating three levels of reflection –  looking at, looking in, and looking out — each of which help the learner to truly construct and retain knowledge and understanding. The authors provide examples, right from the classroom, at a variety of levels and from different subject areas. For example, the first level, looking at, refers to the process of making meaning. The authors use the symbol of a magnifying glass to illustrate the importance of deeply exploring a subject or concept, rather than taking a superficial look and moving on. As teachers, we may have had the experience of “covering” a topic, only to find out later that the information could not be retained or acted upon because it was never absorbed to begin with. In other words, they students did not truly make meaning.





At the next level, looking in, the authors explore metacognitive thinking, or thinking about our own thinking. They use the metaphor of a mirror in which students reflect upon themselves as learners in order to become active participants in their use of strategies to assess their own engagement and understanding as their knowledge deepens and/or to self correct if needed. Again, numerous examples are given for how to bring this practice to life in a wide variety of settings.





At the third level, looking out, the authors introduce us to the concept of metastrategic reflection. Using the symbol of a map, they provide us with tools to equip ourselves and our students with the tools to guide us through the learning process, from analysis of how we have learned in the past, to authentic goal-setting, to creating and personalized and actionable plan for growth.





At each level, the authors are bringing to light the kind of behind-the-scenes thinking that we want our students to engage in, and providing us with a vast array of practical strategies to accomplish this. Each chapter ends with thoughtful questions for both individual and group reflection, so we are not just reading, but fully participating in our learning as we go along. In addition, the appendices are a treasure trove of templates and ideas that can be used just as they are presented, or adapted to fit any teacher’s specific needs.





The wealth of information and insight in this book is presented in a conversational, down-to-earth style. The authors are truly teachers talking to other teachers, sharing their ideas, experience, and research, and inviting others to join them in this most rewarding, versatile, and crucial aspect of teaching and learning.





Because of the applicability of this book to such a wide range of educators, it would lend itself well to a whole-school or district-wide book study. Sharing and honing the ideas and suggestions would be of great value to the reflective process for teachers, which can only benefit students. For any teachers who might be feeling as though they cannot do “one more thing” the book is a breath of fresh air, in that reflection is not presented as an add-on, or something to be checked off, but as an integral and essential part of what it means to teach and learn. This is a book to look forward to, to savor, and to share. 





Janice Ewing is a 2004 fellow of the West Chester Writing Project (the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project at that time) and a current member of the advisory board. Her interests include teacher inquiry, collaboration, and mentoring. She and Dr. Mary Buckelew, are the coauthors of Action Research for English Language Arts Teachers: Invitation to Inquiry (Routledge, 2019).






							

		

		

		
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