Skip to content

Mar 11

2 Comments

Tools of the Trade: Notetaking

By Rita Sorrentino

Note taking is an important skill for teachers, students and all lifelong learners. From making lists and doodling to organizing and processing information, note taking helps to focus our attention and to increase our capacity for understanding and remembering. It’s a good idea to try out different styles and strategies of note taking to build up a repertoire and figure out what works best. Of course, taking or making notes is only part of the process; it’s what follows next that makes a difference. If we have difficulty finding where we stored our notes, if we never go back and reread them, then our notes are not producing valuable results. Read more

Mar 10

5 Comments

Slice of Life 10: More on Teacher Voice

By Janice Ewing

Yesterday, I wrote about a conference proposal that I am working on with two former grad students. I mentioned that they are wonderful teachers, who, like many others, have a lot to share, but are not entirely comfortable facing adult audiences. That observation sparked some interesting comments from some other slicers. Read more

Mar 9

8 Comments

Slice of Life 9: KSRA, an Opportunity for Collaboration and Mentoring

By Janice Ewing

I’m in the process of collaborating with two former grad students in writing up a proposal for the Keystone State Reading Association Conference. The conference is not until October, but the proposal applications are due April 1st. (Rose and Aileen, if you’re reading this, we’re getting there!) The KSRA conference is always enriching and enlightening, and this year, with Rose Capelli at the helm and Aileen Hower on the team, it promises to be stellar. Last year, I was a co-presenter with PAWLP fellows and friends Lynne Dorfman and Gaetan Pappalardo. Planning and presenting together were energizing, as anyone who knows them can appreciate! Read more

Mar 9

Check out these Slicers!

Several PAWLP members are participating in the Slice of Life Challenge, organized by Two Writing Teachers. More than 200 teachers have committed to sharing a “slice of life” each day throughout the month of March. Janice Ewing has been sharing her “slices” daily here on Write.Share.Connect (click on the “Slice of Life” tab above). In addition, follow the links below to check out the “slices” of other PAWLP members:

Brian Kelley at Walk the Walk (latest slice: “Dance Loud. Dance Proud.”)

Jen Ward at Teacher Etcetera (latest slice: “As Ye Sew, So Shall Ye Rip”)

Maria Selke at Maria’s Melange (latest slice: “Good News, Bad News”)

Rose Cappelli at Mentor Texts with Lynne and Rose (latest slice: “Celebrating International Women’s Day”)

Tricia Ebarvia at Room 290 (latest slice: “Two Questions to Encourage Creativity”)

Mar 8

7 Comments

Slice of Life 8: Week 2 Challenge Check In

By Janice Ewing

It’s a week into SoL 15 and, as a first-timer, I’m thinking about what the experience has been like so far. The first word that comes into my mind is fluency.  Each morning I’ve written something, without a lot of self-censorship or second-guessing. I guess that speaks to the power of deadlines! Also, knowing that I’m writing the post for that day, not the oeuvre of a lifetime, is very freeing.

Read more

Mar 7

8 Comments

Slice of Life 7: On Reading Radiance of Tomorrow

By Janice Ewing

I’m reading Radiance of Tomorrow by Ismael Beah. I never read A Long Way Gone, his memoir of a childhood interrupted by fighting in war-torn Sierra Leone. I had heard nothing but rave reviews of the authenticity, the writing style, and the importance of the book in understanding the ravages of modern-day civil wars. I just couldn’t bring myself to read it, in the same way that I’ve avoided other highly acclaimed books, both fiction and nonfiction, that present compelling and graphic depictions of atrocities. Read more

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →