I had never heard of and did not know of Debbie Silver. I came to find out very quickly that she had
presented in Unionville School District prior to 2004, when I started in the
district. She was an engaging, enthusiastic
presenter. Debbie Silver’s sessions were
full of practical and usable ideas for not only for my classroom, but also to
apply in my own life with my children. She
conveyed one of the simplest principles; encourage children on Effort and
Choices. Encouraging children based on things
they can control rather than those things they cannot control. Doing so will create more intrinsically
motivated individuals and learners. Most
people complement and encourage by telling children that they are so
smart. I had never thought of it this
way. Something so simple that makes a
tremendous difference. So, when you
think about encouraging your students or your own children, remember praise
them for their hard work and effort. This
encouragement will create individuals who are more motivated; will take on more
challenges and risks. These individuals
will persevere and not get frustrated when they are unable to figure something
out right away. It creates a motivation
to try harder and put forth more effort.
It is much more rewarding when you work hard for something. The simplest principal can make a tremendous
difference in a child’s life. One being of
self-efficacy and perseverance
I attended a short Speed Learning Session with Vicki Meigs-Kahlenberg and enjoyed it so much that I ended up purchasing her book The Author's Apprentice . Essentially, Vicki's session was on not letting narrative writing fall by the wayside in the world of high-stakes testing. She talked about teaching students to develop their writing voices by studying the works and process of popular young adult authors such as Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, and Lois Lowry. I have always been interested in using mentor texts to teach students writing strategies such as "Show, Don't Tell" and dialogue that develops characters, but I felt like Vicki's process takes this one step further because she has students research the actual authors and learn about their lives and writing processes. There is no one correct way to write. Every author plans, drafts, and revises differently, and I think sharing this with students makes the whole writing process seem m...
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