Craft & Draft

Greatest Hits: That Summer PD Vibe!

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring to you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. “Jacob, are you doing any summer PD?’ Jacob and Pam discuss summer PD and share what they are doing professional development this summer.  In this episode Jacob shares how he learns new concepts during the summer. Pam will be teaching PD this summer, but she will also be reading books and attending conferences. They concur that summer PD helps them to update and get ready for the next school year. Our students deserve the best trained teachers!  Summer is a great time for study, reflection and growth. Join Jacob and Pam as they share their thoughts on Summer Professional Development. Also learn about Jacob’s most favorite book! The post Greatest Hits: That Summer PD Vibe! appeared first on Craft & Draft.

#229 Cheating and A.I. — What Are We To Do?

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching.  In this episode, Jacob and Pam address the issues of student cheating and AI.  Jacob poses the question of whether cheating is a greater problem today than in the past.   Pam shares how she has seen cheating throughout her career and determined that it has always been a large problem.  Jacob explains how technology changes seem to instill fear regarding cheating, such as Google, so, AI is just another one of those changes. Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss the problem of cheating, why it happens, and how to curb it in the classroom. The post #229 Cheating and A.I. — What Are We To Do? appeared first on Craft & Draft.

#228 Allow Students to Discover Reading

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching.  Allowing students to discover reading needs to be at the forefront of reading instruction! In this episode,  Jacob and Pam discuss how reading changes lives.  Jacob shares how the written word contains the power to impact and inspire thinking, actions, solutions and connections.  Pam shares how reading certain books have caused her to be moved in profound ways.   They both address the school system and how it places obstacles in the way of creating great reading moments in the classroom.  Teachers struggle with curriculum demands and time constraints.   Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss why allowing students to discover reading in instruction helps foster stronger readers! The post #228 Allow Students to Discover Reading appeared first on Craft & Draft.

#227 Teaching Frustrations: What to Do…

Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching.  Everyone gets overwhelmed, but what should we do about it… In this episode, Jacob expresses a few of the frustrations that he and teachers are going through during this season. Pam shares some of the frustrations that she has come across during her career. Join Jacob and Pam as they discuss how to deal with a season of frustration.  Maybe there is a ‘silver lining’ after all! The post #227 Teaching Frustrations: What to Do… appeared first on Craft & Draft.

Greatest Hits: Culture of the Writing Workshop

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in an episode. Pam’s new schedule and Jacob’s have conflicted more than normal! We will be back to the regular schedule soon! In the meantime, here is one of our favorites from the early days of the show. In this episode, Jacob and Pam discuss the impact of the writing workshop on the culture of the classroom as well as the culture of the school. Teachers hear all the time that the school culture must change, but how do educators know that the culture has changed for the better. We both share how we need to identify the type of culture that we desire. We recognize that behaviors and moods may change vary from day to day; culture stays steady throughout the year. Jacob and Pam share techniques and strategies that help solidify culture. We recall stories from the classroom which serve as examples that impact our schools in positive ways.  We both agree that writing and making connections that matter to the student writer has the greatest impact on the classroom and it has the power to permeate throughout the school. Jacob lets us in on an active research project and how his project provided data and a plan to create a school wide approach that empowers students to transfer the learning from their writing workshop to other subjects. He discovered that this study brought an awareness of the power of writing to the attention of the teachers in his school. Join us as we look at the impact that reading and especially writing has on our students, classrooms, and entire school. The post Greatest Hits: Culture of the Writing Workshop appeared first on Craft & Draft.