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My senior writing class sticks in my memory as one of my favorite classes. I learned much about research and writing because the learning was personalized. I was able to research whatever I wanted, and I chose to study the performance and compositional life of the Italian violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini. I remember being excited
Literacy is an essential skill for all students. As such, the development of literacy skills needs to be a priority in every classroom. In the book Turning High-Poverty Schools Into High-Performing Schools authors William Parrett and Kathleen Budge identify literacy development as one of the effective practices for developing a pedagogy of possibility (p. 143).
“Hope is not a strategy.” Those were the words I heard in a meeting recently, and I was taken aback by the force with which they were spoken. I suppose there was some level of accuracy to that statement if you use the dictionary definition of hope, which is heavily based on feelings and desires.
One of the most well known possibility thinkers of the 20th century was Robert H. Schuller. He dedicated his life to building up others through expressions of hope and encouraging others to imagine the possibilities and pursue them. Dr. Schuller would often ask, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” and
According to the most recent state report card, our school district serves a student population in which 50% of our students are economically disadvantaged. Very often students who come from economically disadvantaged homes struggle academically for a variety of reasons directly related to poverty, such as poor physical health, poor motor skills, inattentiveness, reduced curiosity,
Since March of this year we have been in the throes of a global pandemic that has dominated, well, every aspect of life. All that was normal seemingly disappeared overnight. And yet, in the midst of the mayhem there was a tremendous amount of good. Here are some things that I heard throughout the year
How important is creativity? It is vitally important. It might save a civilization. Just ask Arnold Toynbee. Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975) was a British philosopher and historian of great renown. He taught at King’s College for much of his career, and he studied the rise and fall of civilizations extensively. In 1934 his twelve-volume A Study
In spite of the continuing global pandemic and all of its disruptions to life, many are still approaching the Thanksgiving holiday with a spirit of gratitude. That is a good thing! Gratitude has many benefits overall according to Robert Emmons, one of the world’s greatest researchers in the area of gratitude. In his article
Teaching is exhausting work. Teaching during a pandemic, with frequent switches between in-person instruction and distance delivery instruction, is exponentially more exhausting. Over the past week I’ve had conversations with a number of teachers who have given all they can and are experiencing high degrees of stress. Here’s my order to you: Take care of
Some teachers do not view themselves as creative. As such, they may have difficulty understanding how they can help their students develop creativity. If you are such a teacher, do not fear or fret. You, too, can do things in your classroom to help students grow their own creativity. Author A.J. Cropley shares the
Phil Harrison Coaching 