Tag Archives: Strategies

Standard English

Standard English

Posted on by • Posted in d) Respect • Tagged , , • 12 Comments

The question of standard English is a thorny one for those of us who work with adult learners, and you will hear many opinions about how we should teach students who come from communities who use non-standard English.

Standard English is the language spoken by people who have been educated in the mainstream system. That means it is the language invented by people who have power, who are wealthy and who are white. It is by definition not the language invented by our students.

Standard English is not “correct” in itself, and in fact is constantly changing. For example, it is now considered correct to sometimes split an infinitive, and in Canada most people manage to get through days, weeks, and even months, without using “whom.”

Incorrect, sloppy, and ugly Continue reading →

“I Pass!” is Active, Not Passive

“I Pass!” is Active, Not Passive

Posted on by • Posted in b) Setting the Stage for Learning • Tagged , , • 2 Comments

I was talking to my friend Diana on the weekend, about the passing rule. She had read my post, “Just say Pass!” and it made her think about her experience in post secondary courses.

“It’s not good when people always pass,” she said. “In all my classes, most people hardly said anything. Two or three white men did all the talking, and the other students said nothing. Most people passed all the time.” Continue reading →

Make Math Social

Make Math Social

Posted on by • Posted in Teaching Math • Tagged , , • 3 Comments

This lovely video shows Elana Feder and her GED class doing a social math activity about Positive and Negative Numbers.

Continue reading →

Who’s Engaged Here?

Who’s Engaged Here?

Posted on by • Posted in c) Marking for Confidence • Tagged , , , • 4 Comments

When I help students see and articulate what they do know, they may notice areas where they have trouble. For example, someone may say, “I make most of my mistakes when the denominators are different,” or “I get mixed up because I don’t know when to double the letter if I’m adding ‘ing.’”

When a student notices where he makes errors, that is a big step, a huge leap forward in learning.  But it is quite different from me telling him where he needs help. When he analyzes his work and notices the patterns of errors he makes, it is a sign that he is fully engaged in the process, and has taken control of his learning.

When I analyze his work and point out the pattern of his errors to him, it is a sign that I am fully engaged in the process, but he may or may not be paying attention. (from Marking for Confidence)

Bernice Shows the Way

Bernice Shows the Way

Posted on by • Posted in c) Marking for Confidence • Tagged , , , , , , • 5 Comments

I remember the moment that I began to mark for confidence. It was Bernice who got me started.

The class was finishing up their writing, and putting it into the envelope that went upstairs to the secretary to be typed so that everyone could have a copy of everyone else’s stories. I tried to catch people as they finished up their work, to do a final proofread with them.

On that day, Bernice strode purposefully up to the envelope hanging behind me. Continue reading →

The Poster Explained

The Poster Explained

Posted on by • Posted in c) Marking for Confidence • Tagged , • 9 Comments

Evelyn brought me up sharply with her comment on my last post. She wrote, “…Talk about intimidating! I’ve read it a number of times now and still have to work my way through it to get the meaning! What do you like about it?”

I don’t mind being brought up sharply. It makes me think—and write. Still, after two recent posts people have asked for clarification. Maybe I should learn something from this… Continue reading →

Nascent Deftness

Nascent Deftness

Posted on by • Posted in c) Marking for Confidence • Tagged , • 2 Comments

I’ve had this poster up on my wall (and engraved in my mind) for years.   (Click here for a pdf.) It has inspired me and guided my teaching.

The words are from an article called “A brief summary of the best practices in teaching intended to challenge the professional development of all teachers,” by T. Drummond.  The design is mine.

Reaction and more explanation of why I like this poster. 

Refuse to Be Bored (A Second Look)

Refuse to Be Bored (A Second Look)

Posted on by • Posted in b) Setting the Stage for Learning • Tagged , , , • 2 Comments
English: A bored person

English: A bored person (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Both Jenny and Evelyn commented on my last post, “Refuse to Be Bored” to the effect that the rule is easier to describe than to implement. I agree, because I know I found it difficult to learn to do.I’m writing this blog with the benefit of hindsight; and the rule about refusing to be bored, as I set it out in my post last week, did not come easy to me, nor did it fall into place all at once. I know that at first when students had the temerity to suggest that they didn’t want to do something, I got, as Jenny said, defensive. Continue reading →

Refuse to be Bored

Refuse to be Bored

Posted on by • Posted in b) Setting the Stage for Learning • Tagged , , , • 16 Comments

I don’t have many rules in my classroom, but the most important one is “Refuse to be bored.”

So when I say, on the first day of term, that the first rule is to refuse to be bored, students are surprised. For one thing, most adults going back to upgrade their skills expect to be bored. Their experience of school is one of large stretches of boredom, accompanied by more or less anxiety, and interspersed with flashes of panic. Why would my class be any different? Continue reading →