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 Should Cellphones Be Permitted in Classrooms? Teachers Offer These Strategies
Teachers can play a role in helping students figure out appropriate times for using their phones.
Larry Ferlazzo, February 7, 2024
10 min read
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English-Language Learners Opinion How to Connect With English-Language Newcomers. Teachers Share Their Favorite Lessons
Stock classrooms with books that reflect students’ lives, languages, and cultures and invite them into as yet unfamiliar worlds.
Larry Ferlazzo, February 6, 2024
10 min read
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Teaching Opinion Teaching Advice in 6 Words, More or Less
The most insightful advice sometimes comes in small doses, explain educators.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 31, 2024
1 min read
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Teaching Opinion School Is Relevant. How to Help Students See That
Students often say they don't know why they have to learn something. Try these strategies to help them understand and care.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 26, 2024
9 min read
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Teaching Opinion Students Will Miss Deadlines. How Teachers Should Respond
Adults miss deadlines all the time. Should there be a double standard for kids?
Larry Ferlazzo, January 23, 2024
9 min read
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Assessment Opinion What's the Best Way to Grade Students? Teachers Weigh In
There are many ways to make grading a better, more productive experience for students. Here are a few.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 16, 2024
14 min read
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Teaching Opinion Believe, Sleep, Play: 3 Research-Based Ideas for Effective Teaching
Many studies affirm that students achieve success more easily when they feel their teachers believe in them.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 15, 2024
14 min read
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Teaching Opinion Differentiated Instruction Isn't Easy. But It's Not Impossible
The teaching method takes time and patience, and it needs to be tailored to fit the needs of each student.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 9, 2024
13 min read
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Reading & Literacy Opinion Students Need to Make Sense of What They Read. Here Are Ways to Support Them
To promote verbal reasoning, teachers can offer opportunities for students to ponder language, then explain and justify their thinking.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 8, 2024
6 min read
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Teaching Opinion Human Experience Should Guide Strategies for Closing Education Equity Gaps
Think artfully, advises a new book on "Brilliant Teachers." This practice lives at the intersection of philosophizing and creativity.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 4, 2024
8 min read
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Teaching Opinion The Biggest Mistakes Teachers Have Made and What They've Learned From Them
Searching for learning gaps makes it difficult to set ambitious learning goals and set high expectations for students.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 28, 2023
14 min read
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Teaching Opinion Larry Ferlazzo's 9 Education Predictions for 2024
Don't bet your lunch money on these outcomes but take a look at what might lie in store for education next year.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 26, 2023
3 min read
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Teaching Opinion The Best and Worst Education News of 2023
In many ways, there are indications this was a good year for education. Mostly.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 21, 2023
6 min read
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Teaching Opinion The Top 10 Classroom Q&A Posts of 2023
Take a look at the most popular Classroom Q&A posts from Larry Ferlazzo's opinion blog.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 20, 2023
1 min read