Let's understand the differences between perspective and bias. Perspective is a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something - a point of view. Bias, on the other hand, is prejudice in favor of or against one idea, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

It is widely understood that nonfiction authors write from a perspective, and there are lots of reasons for that, one of them being that it’s how they understand and view the topic. While it’s understood that authors write from a perspective, it is also understood that authors should give at least a little bit of airtime to the other perspectives on the topic.

The first step to teaching students how to think critically is to understand that there is more to these texts than just facts, statistics, and true-life events. Nonfiction texts are written with different perspectives. This is what makes them so interesting…and tricky. Readers must consider the perspective of the author of the text and their personal perspective on the topic.

But how do we teach that?

What if we prioritized raising a generation of humans who are flexible in their thinking and can shift back and forth between perspectives? Understanding someone else’s point of view doesn’t mean that you have to change yours, but it does help to understand and humanize theirs.

When reading a nonfiction text it’s really important to understand and examine (in other words, think about) perspectives in order to have an understanding of the text. That understanding of the text includes both the perspective of the author and the reader’s personal perspective on the topic.

It’s time to think through how we can leverage the final days leading up to the test. Some of our recent study with teachers has inspired the design of these final rounds of test prep boot camp in ways that prepare students to put their best foot forward on the big day, feel confident, and proud - knowing they gave it their best.

Try one, two, or all three of these final countdown test prep boot camp strategies.

As we approach the upcoming testing season let’s warm up our brains - and our planning - with these 10 quick test prep ideas to get you and your students thinking. With tips like providing students with the opportunity to read independently for 20 minutes every day to encouraging students to set goals for the test set your students (and yourself) up for a more relaxing and less stressful testing season.

There is a myth that technology is hard to use and that is not useful for instruction. But technology can elevate learning if used with the mentality that it is a tool for creation and learning. AND you do not have to be an expert at all things tech, you can find what works best for you and your students and implement.

If you have a grant or a budget that will allow you to make some meaningful purchases for your classroom before the end of the year, here's my push to get you to spend that money on classroom libraries. I am including my favorite recommendations for getting the most out of your money and making meaningful changes.

In December, we're given the time and space to step away from the activity of the fall and look back. So, let's use this time to reflect. Reflection is a mighty tool for looking back, and figuring out what worked or didn’t work; what was memorable, challenging, game changing, or meh. The power lies in moving in a different direction because of reflection. It sets us up for a future that’s new and fresh, exciting and hope-filled.

“How do I do it all?”

That was a moving and motivating question I received from Becky, a teacher who wrote on behalf of herself and some of her colleagues in Washington DC.

Becky’s question echoed roughly one million teachers - including myself.

We feel pulled in twenty different directions.

We feel like we can’t do one thing well.

We’re afraid to cut anything out of our lives in fear of hurting someone else’s feelings - or worse, letting ourselves down.

I don’t have a good answer to this question. I do have some lines in the metaphorical sand that I try to keep myself crossing, despite the temptations all around me.

But first, a secret. (I am going to whisper it. So, lean in close here.)

No one fits it all in.

The stress of change affects veteran teachers and new teachers alike. How we react to change affects everything. A-lot-ness doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it seems on the surface. I believe there are three things we can do to minimize the stress you’re feeling. If you find yourself in a place where you’re struggling to stay above water, know that you’re not alone, and I’m here to help.

Many of us educators suffer from decision fatigue daily. Ever go to the grocery store when you’re hungry? Humans encounter decision fatigue on a daily basis. It's normal - and when we study it in our teaching practice, we find that our decision-making protocol is impacted when our willpower is depleted. When our brains are fatigued, we typically splurge, make impulsive decisions, take shortcuts, and accept tradeoffs.

The challenge educators face in 2022 is two-fold.

First, there is a need for Pandemic-related reading recovery because many students are striving to work towards their grade level.

Second, teachers have been inundated with multiple forms of professional development over the years, but there still seems to be a lot of variability in practice and implementation.

Teachers need more time and resources to execute researched-based techniques. The team supporting educators of the San Pedro Community of schools are thinking through better support systems, working towards aligning common goals, measurements, and methodology.

With Renee as one of their thinking partners, they are working together to create effective systems of study for teachers that center teacher voice—just like in the classroom where students’ voices are the focus.

All of this is propelling student engagement in reading and writing, and engagement is the foundation of practice, and practice fuels learning, resulting in academic success.

Teaching poetry helps build incredible skill sets that support other areas of independence that educators value, like creating habits that foster readers and writers. Poetry helps students navigate the way we use the intonation of our voice to convey meaning (prosody), which is a really important skill set that will carry over into understanding the fiction books you read in the classroom.

A few of my favorite resources that inspires me to use poetry as a study in both the teaching of reading and writing! Poems show us how the power of words can help educators shape student perspectives and discuss important topics in the classroom. Poetry can be a simple and powerful expression of heartfelt emotions and also enable students to express the beauty they find in their everyday lives.

Do you incorporate poetry in your classroom read alouds? You can begin to incorporate poetry writing strategies into your curriculum. with a Poetry Walk! With the arrival of spring, it’s the perfect time to head outside - why not incorporate some of the lessons that happen every day in nature?

If conversations are an important part of the thinking process we use as adults, then the students we teach are no different. So, in our teaching, are we reflecting how much time we spend talking, versus how much the students are talking?

Sure, collaborative conversations are part of the common core standards, but do we really need the standards to drive what we all know to be instinctively true? Conversations are important, and the ways in which we use conversations as a tool to process and push our thinking across the curriculum are equally important, too.

In the midst of remote teaching, Heidi, along with the entire globe of educators - were building teaching practices from scratch! One discussion focused her study on shared reading through the content areas. Heidi was remote-teaching second grade and wanted to know how to get more bang for the buck…phonics, grammar, AND content area. Remote teaching brought an entire arena of questions and challenges that required an endless pivot in day-to-day teaching. She contacted Renee because she knew, like so many times in the past, through conversations and brainstorms - the result would be action items that could be implemented the next day!

Conversations are a part of our everyday life; they help us navigate the world and process our feelings, emotions, and thoughts.

As with reading and writing, conversational skills also need to be taught to students. Another way to encourage student-led conversations is to think of them having their own instructional focus. Once students become confident and comfortable with their collaborative conversation, you can ask if they’d like to model their discussion to their peers.

If conversations are an important part of the thinking process we use as adults, then the students we teach are no different. So, in our teaching, are we reflecting how much time we spend talking, versus how much the students are talking?

Sure, collaborative conversations are part of the common core standards, but do we really need the standards to drive what we all know to be instinctively true? Conversations are important, and the ways in which we use conversations as a tool to process and push our thinking across the curriculum are equally important, too.

Teachers and students at Wingate Elementary School used Read Write Think with Renee’s professional study to increase their knowledge and understanding of the writing process and to learn how to weave that language throughout their day. Students’ writing improved in quality and quantity, and their literacy scores and skills improved, too.

As educators, when professional study is designed in a way that centers our passion and process for learning, we have a common, first-hand experience that tethers our teaching to our own core beliefs about the teaching of writing.