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.

Teaching Opinion Everything You Wanted to Know About Student Agency But Were Afraid to Ask ...
Dr. Rebecca Alber, Andrea Keith, Tamara Fyke, Jenny Edwards, and Michael D. Toth "wrap up" a four-part series on student agency.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 23, 2019
17 min read
Teaching Opinion 'Agency' Lets Students 'Take an Active Role in Shaping Their Future'
Debbie Silver, Jennifer Casa-Todd, and Bill Ivey provide responses to the question "What is agency and how can teachers encourage its growth among students?"
Larry Ferlazzo, October 22, 2019
12 min read
Teaching Opinion Ways to Support Student Agency
Adeyemi Stembridge, Mary Beth Nicklaus, Alycia Owen, and Dr. Laura Greenstein discuss the value of student agency and how to promote it in schools.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 21, 2019
20 min read
Teaching Opinion 'Student Agency Is Ownership'
Keisha Rembert, Sarah Ottow, Laurie Manville, Dr. Alva Lefevre, Dr. Lynell Powell, Dr. Felicia Darling, Paula Mellom, Rebecca Hixon, and Jodi Weber define student agency and how to promote it in the classroom.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 19, 2019
19 min read
Education Opinion What Does Student Agency Look Like?
The new question-of-the-week is: What is agency and how can teachers encourage its growth among students?
Larry Ferlazzo, October 15, 2019
1 min read
Teaching Opinion Students Feel More Motivated When Writing for 'Authentic Audiences'
Shanna Peeples, Mary K. Tedrow, Amy Sandvold, and Laverne Bowers "wrap up" this five-part series on students writing for "authentic audiences."
Larry Ferlazzo, October 14, 2019
18 min read
Teaching Opinion 'Invite Students to Write Real Arguments'
Rita Platt, Alexis Wiggins, Dr. Jenny Grant Rankin, Kristen Koppers, and Mara Lee Grayson share their ideas on how and why students can write for an audience other than the teacher.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 13, 2019
19 min read
Teaching Opinion 'Design Writing Tasks That Bridge the Gap Between Classroom & Outside World'
Martha Sevetson Rush, Donna L. Shrum, Heather Wolpert-Gawron, Michael Fisher, Tamara Letter, and Keisha Rembert contribute their thoughts on authentic audiences for student writers.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 9, 2019
17 min read
Teaching Opinion Ways Students Can Write for 'Authentic Audiences'
Jayne Marlink, Cheryl Mizerny, Erin Starkey, Nicole Brown, Dawn Mitchell, and John Larmer share their suggestions on how to encourage students to write for "authentic audiences."
Larry Ferlazzo, October 7, 2019
23 min read
Teaching Opinion 'When Students Send Their Work Out Into the World, It Changes Everything'
Katherine Schulten, Kelly Love, Tatiana Esteban, Kimiko Shibata, Alycia Owen, and Jennifer Orr offer suggestions on how students can write for an "authentic audience."
Larry Ferlazzo, October 6, 2019
19 min read
Education Opinion How Can Students Write for 'Authentic' Audiences?
The new question-of-the-week is: How can students write for "authentic" audiences?
Larry Ferlazzo, October 4, 2019
1 min read
Education Opinion Links to All Q&A Posts From the Past Eight Years - in One Place!
Here are links--categorized and with descriptions--to all the posts appearing here for the past eight years!
Larry Ferlazzo, October 3, 2019
1 min read
Teaching Opinion 'Classroom Management Is About Being Proactive'
Cindy Garcia, Gianna Cassetta, Amanda Koonlaba, Ed.S., Chelonnda Seroyer, Dennis Griffin Jr., Janice Wyatt-Ross, Barry Saide, and Dr. Vance Austin contribute their classroom-management suggestions.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 2, 2019
26 min read
Curriculum Opinion Author Interview: 'Be Excellent on Purpose'
Sanée Bell agreed to answer a few questions about her new book, "Be Excellent On Purpose: Intentional Strategies for Impactful Leadership."
Larry Ferlazzo, October 1, 2019
8 min read