Tag Archives: EnglishCompanion

Some thoughts on the fly

Posted on August 26, 2009 by steveshann

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. A lot has happened, is happening, and I keep trying to find time to write about it. There’s no substantial time right now, with journals to read, schools to visit and lessons to … Continue reading →

Posted in literacy, My English classroom, Pedagogy, University classes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Doubts and loves: Josh Part 2

Posted on June 10, 2009 by steveshann

The Place Where We Are Right by Yehuda Amichai From the place where we are right Flowers will never grow In the spring. The place where we are right Is hard and trampled Like a yard. But doubts and loves … Continue reading →

Posted in literacy, My English classroom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Alex the parrot, Elizabeth Bennet and the soul’s code

Posted on May 27, 2009 by steveshann

As I read Maja Wilson’s Rethinking Rubrics and followed the discussion about this book on the English Companion Ning, I kept thinking about a growing divide amongst teachers around the question of what we’re meant to be doing in the … Continue reading →

Posted in My English classroom, Pedagogy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Play the game!

Posted on May 16, 2009 by steveshann

Last Tuesday I walked into my Year 11 class in a rage. I was full of what my father once called ‘Steve’s white hot indignation’. I’d just read a number of comments on our class Ning that indicated that some … Continue reading →

Posted in My English classroom, Pedagogy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What I think I know about reading

Posted on May 1, 2009 by steveshann

I have a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’s linked, I think, with a sense that in these blog posts on reading I’m exposing myself, running the risk of looking foolish. This isn’t going to stop me, … Continue reading →

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Rubrics Part 3: a noun or a verb?

Posted on March 13, 2009 by steveshann

A noun or a verb? Is a rubric a thing that we create (whether to give transparent feedback or to limit the creativity of our students, depending on your viewpoint)? Well, of course it is! ‘Rubric’ is a noun. Any … Continue reading →

Posted in My English classroom, Pedagogy | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rubrics Part 1: The search for meaning

Posted on March 8, 2009 by steveshann

It sounds so silly, pairing the search for meaning and a rubric. Like deciding what mark to give Anna Kerenina. But this is what we do all the time in our English classes, whenever we’re required to give a grade … Continue reading →

Posted in My English classroom, Pedagogy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments