Word Choice and Power

Watching the live reporting of the attempted coup on January 6th, 2021, I was thinking about two things: racial inequities in policing, and bias in the word choice used to report collective actions. This blog focuses on word choice, and how we can teach students to listen and read critically for bias.

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Observation Begins with Active Engagement

To get good observation data, we have to shift from traditional methods (like lectures and silent testing) to challenging, open-ended, collaborative tasks that actively engage students in processing and applying the new learning. If our learning is sit-and-get, there is nothing to observe but student behaviors of either compliance or disruption.

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Free Webinar - Six Essentials for EL Excellence Every Day

Six Essentials Webinar Recording

Check out my webinar “Six Essentials for EL Excellence” at this link. Enjoy the webinar alone, or with your team or school. It’s easy to use this webinar to lead interactive professional learning. Simply pause the video and structure think-pair-share each time I ask a question to engage people in reflecting and discussing. In this webinar participants . . .  Learn six essentials to teach and lead for EL Excellence…

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Share the Surprise

When I dedicated my new bestseller to a family I had not seen in 25 years, I decided to travel to Mexico City to surprise them in person. Watch the moment I share the surprise.

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Summer Trip of a Lifetime

Next week, I fly to Mexico City to see people I haven’t seen in 25 years. I’m bringing my husband, my kids, and a surprise. I’ll tell you about the surprise soon. Now I invite you on my journey with the important backstory, and a hint. Twenty-five years ago I went to Mexico alone against the advice of my family. Warning “You should go somewhere with more culture,” one family…

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