Living Life Twice

  If  we want our students to exhibit curiosity and wonder then like all things related to learning, we need to model those very same behaviours ourselves. If students appear desensitized to their immediate surroundings and seemingly locked in a drone like state that screen overdose brings, then we are charged with added responsibility to re-programme that essential sense of wonder. This can present an immense challenge- but it's not impossible. It is a waste of much needed energy blaming the state of things. This amounts to kid blaming. Negativity breeds more of the same. We can’t complain about disconnected readers and writers if we are not leading the way with our actions.  Every day, in every classroom there are moments worthy of celebration and delight. We just need to be looking for them. Teaching is a performance art as much as anything else and performing with a sense of wonder and amazement becomes part of the deal. Each time we celebrate our wonder and ...

Last week I had the privilege of talking to various groups of young writers as part of the Knox Network Literacy Festival. Their questions were thought provoking and most pertinent.  I have come to appreciate, each writer’s process is unique. Revealing that process enables the writer sharing aspects of their process (as well as those with whom they share) to better understand the influences on their writing. A young writer asked me, ‘When did you begin to be a poet?’ and while I talked about how the process of becoming a poet was something that grew across many years and a host of experiences and influences, there was perhaps one particular experience way back in my Grade 3 year that may well have been a catalyst for what has become a life source for my writing. I recall clearly how my teacher Mr Manzie, asked the members of our class to each write a poem about  Spring-time .  My words that day caught the attention of some of my classmates, who like...

It goes by several names. That brief few minutes at the end of the writing workshop. Sometimes it’s called ‘share time’. Some people refer to it as ‘share out’ or simply “share.” It’s that time at the conclusion of a lesson that all too often gets squeezed out, which is a tragedy, because it represents a critical stage in the lesson, -It’s the finale that’s provides closure to an effective lesson. It’s when the fat lady of writing sings. And the aria is in praise of the writing that has just taken place! Deny her time in the spotlight and you are diminishing the integrity of your writing program. We should never underestimate the intrinsic value of ‘sharing’ writing. It remains an incredibly valuable teaching and learning opportunity. It should be protected within the workshop structure, as one would protect anything of value. For the teacher, it provides an invaluable opportunity to provide feedback on elements of the lesson just concluded. Sometimes it’s a chance to c...

POST UPDATED June 2025   A few years back I learnt the term ‘stillpoints’ upon reading a book titled   ‘ Write  Starts – Prompts, Quotes and Exercise to Jumpstart Your Creativity’ by Hal Zina Bennett.   Stillpoint is Bennett’s word for those moments in our lives when we are totally at one with the  now ; we are so  with  whatever we are doing or feeling or thinking that everything else seems to stop. It suggests we are committed to that particular moment in time. In writing, Bennett sees stillpoints as  aha!  moments created when our words strike a special chord. A stillpoint occurs when we express something clearly, authentically and beautifully. It resonates as clearly as the ringing of a fine crystal bell. Sometimes teachers refer to this as writing about small moments, where we linger to write in greater detail. The writer dwells on a moment to highlight it for the reader. The moment is expanded with deliberate intent. It...

How do we assist students to establish clear procedures for editing their writing? How do we help them to develop skills for proofreading? A basic idea: • Expect your students to be their own first editor. Build this into the routines in your class. • Model and demonstrate how you undertake such a routine. Reveal your process. • Notice student needs based on the edits your students make and teach accordingly. • During conferences teach one or two editing skills students might use. Avoid overloading the learner. Sample Editing Checklist. Suitable for Grade 2 (Adapted from Ralph Fletcher) SKILL I have written complete sentences I have used capital letters at the beginning of sentences   I have used correct ending punctuation   I have checked the spelling of key words *You could modify the list according to the age level or the need. When it comes to the issue of correction, I suggest teachers provide feedback that engages stude...

This is a lengthy post... I have had requests to publish my recent keynote address from the Beyond The Bell, Literacy Challenge Day in Hamilton, Victoria. This is a slightly abridged version. I therefore ask, -should you choose to use any part of this address, that you duly acknowledge the source. The World of the Visibly Literate Educator 'Thank you for this special opportunity to speak today and share some observations gathered across a teaching life steeped in rich literate experiences. -A life that has nourished my passion and enthusiasm as a lifelong reader and writer and self-confessed, curious learner. The following words of American educator and writer, Regie Routman in her book, ‘Literacy At The Crossroads’ sing to me over and over again.   ‘If we want our students to be thinkers, researchers, collaborators, readers, writers, and evaluators, then they need to see us thinking, researching, collaborating, reading, writing and evaluating. We...