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.
Teaching
Opinion
22 Strategies for Encouraging Students' Intrinsic Motivation to Read
Four educators share strategies for encouraging students to WANT to read, including by illustrating that it makes them smarter and that it makes them better writers.
Teaching
Opinion
'Allow Time for Children to Read Whatever They Want'
Four educators share ideas for how teachers can create the conditions in which students are more intrinsically motivated to read, such as eliminating rewards and ensuring that students are represented in accessible books.
Teaching
Opinion
Teachers Share This Year's Best Classroom Moments So Far
Many educators, including me, share their best classroom moments so far this year, including a Halloween costume unveiling and virtual visits from poets.
Teaching
Opinion
Teacher-Recommended Tools for Online Learning
Four teachers offer several suggestions for online tools to promote interactive learning, and many others offer readers' comments about their favorites.
Teaching
Opinion
10 Favorite Online Teaching Tools Used by Educators This Year
Three other teachers and I share our favorite online tools to use during this unusual year.
Teaching
Opinion
12 Common Mistakes Made by Teachers of English-Language Learners
Don't assume students who are paying attention understand what's being taught and, especially for young children, support learning in their home language. Those are among the ideas six educators share for helping ELLs.
Teaching
Opinion
Don't Make Assumptions About Your ELL Students
Seven educators offer their nominations for the most common mistakes made by teachers of ELLs, including making background-knowledge assumptions and not providing enough scaffolding.
Teaching
Opinion
Teachers Must Create Ways ELL 'Students Can Show Us What They Know'
Four educators share common mistakes made by teachers of English-language learners, including not being creative in how ELLs can show us what they know and by translating "everything."
Teaching
Opinion
Raising 'the Bar' for ELL Instruction
Seven educators share what works and doesn't work when teaching English-language learners, including the value of "Language Dives" and having high expectations.
Teaching
Opinion
Teachers With 'Deficit Perspectives' Do Not Help English-Language Learners
Four educators share what they think are mistakes often made by teachers of ELLs, including overusing technology and operating out of a deficit perspective.
Teaching
Opinion
Nine Mistakes Educators Make When Teaching English-Language Learners
Confusing lack of English proficiency with lack of intelligence is among those mistakes five educators cite.
Teaching
Opinion
Effective Strategies for Using Online Student-Discussion Boards
Two educators share tips on how to incorporate online discussion boards in virtual or hybrid teaching environments, including going for fewer and deeper ones rather than many shallow conversations.
Teaching
Opinion
Moving Schools Beyond Anti-Racist Words to Action
Teacher Lorena Germán shares suggestions about how school committees formulated in response to the killing of George Floyd might move beyond words toward action.
Teaching
Opinion
What Is & Isn't Working for Teachers & Students This Year
Three teachers and I share what has been working—and what hasn't—during the first few weeks of the school year, including the value of student "leadership teams" and giving "fresh starts."