Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

An award-winning English and Social Studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., Larry Ferlazzo is the author of Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges, The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide, and Building Parent Engagement In Schools.

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Teaching Opinion What Do Students Think of Their Teachers?
Teachers who get high grades from students show they care for the person beyond the student.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 8, 2024
7 min read
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Teaching Opinion Racism Exists in Schools. Here Are Strategies for Addressing It
Confronting racism in schools can be challenging, but doing nothing is a recipe for harming students.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 1, 2024
12 min read
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Teaching Opinion Mistakes Happen. Here’s How Teachers Can Learn From Them
Many teachers march into classrooms with fixed ideas about how everything is going to proceed. But that attitude often fails.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 26, 2024
8 min read
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Teaching Opinion Research Studies That Teachers Can Get Behind
Not every education study is transformational for student learning. These studies are.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 23, 2024
8 min read
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Teaching Opinion Can AI Be Used Effectively in Class?
The challenge for users of generative artificial intelligence is retaining the human element. These teachers have done that.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 20, 2024
11 min read
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Teaching Opinion 'Equality' and 'Equity' Are Different. But in Thriving Schools, They Coexist
Equity benefits the entire school community, even if it's met with resistance by some.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 11, 2024
10 min read
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Teaching Opinion 14 Things Schools Should Stop Doing Now
Instead of cramming more and more into schooling, consider how the paradox of "less is more" could benefit students and teachers.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 9, 2024
11 min read
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Teaching Opinion 5 Things Teachers Need to Know, According to Larry Ferlazzo
In the lengthy search to improve education, isn't it time for policymakers to pay attention to what teachers have to say?
Larry Ferlazzo, September 5, 2024
4 min read
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Teaching Opinion Project-Based Learning Helps Connect Lessons to Students' Lives
If students aren't interested in a topic vital to their education, present them with chances to discuss, understand, and dissect "the WHY."
Larry Ferlazzo, September 3, 2024
11 min read
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Equity & Diversity Opinion 13 Ways Educators Get Culturally Responsive Teaching Wrong
Some teachers believe adding a few culturally relevant texts or activities to the existing curricula is sufficient. It's not.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 28, 2024
13 min read
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Teaching Opinion Student Identity Is Complex. Here's How to Honor It
There are practices to help students, their families, and teachers develop a regard for themselves, each other, and the human experience.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 26, 2024
10 min read
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Equity & Diversity Opinion Equity and Equality Aren't the Same Thing. What Does That Look Like in Education?
Every learner is different, so it's not going to be beneficial to give every student the same support.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 21, 2024
10 min read
0724 opinion summer posts math bander fs
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Mathematics Opinion How Teachers Can Improve Their Math Instruction
Educators know there’s always more to learn, for themselves and their students. These posts share ways to build on their teaching savvy.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 9, 2024
1 min read
0724 opinion summer posts advice bander fs
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Teaching Opinion Teaching Advice From Students and Educators
Everyone is an expert when it comes to education since they've all been through it. Here's advice from those sitting in classrooms now.
Larry Ferlazzo, August 7, 2024
1 min read