Aishwarya – moving writers

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022Aishwarya M

Making Asking Easier: Part 1

Far from admitting to a teacher, many of my students don’t want to admit to themselves that they’re struggling with something. They prefer not knowing, passing, and faking their way out of a task to the sheer torture of the confession of their struggles.

December 1, 2021December 5, 2021Aishwarya M

Stigma in the Writing Workshop

On being asked if they would risk being stigmatized so that they move forward in their learning, the majority of the students said, “Yes, I would.” How many times in the last week/month had they taken such a risk? “Almost never,” they admitted. Even though students may be consciously aware that they must put their learning over their fear of stigma, very few are able to do it at the moment it matters. Isolation and ridicule are scary, especially during the teen years when the need to belong is paramount.

October 6, 2021October 6, 2021Aishwarya M

Embarrassed and Alone in the Writing Workshop

When we know we’re not alone, writing (and life) can be a little less daunting.

September 1, 2021October 5, 2021Aishwarya M

The Emotional Underlife of Writing

Through all the unprecedented changes the pandemic has brought into our classrooms, something that hasn’t changed and is highly unlikely to change is, how, despite seemingly perfect external conditions, the inner condition of the writer affects their writing.

June 2, 2021June 2, 2021Aishwarya M

A Systematic, Realistic, No-Worksheet Approach to Teaching Articles (a, an, the) to ELLs

This ready-to-use mini grammar unit aims to provide a framework for the student to systematically learn and use articles in their spoken and written English. Slides included.

May 5, 2021June 2, 2021Aishwarya M

A Framework for Inclusive Unit Plans

“..most long term plans address curriculum, a few good ones address pedagogy; but, most don’t address the single most important data point: what we know and don’t know about ourselves and our students.”

April 7, 2021April 7, 2021Aishwarya M

Redefining Productivity for ELLs in the Writing Workshop

I kept trying to get better at giving students more independent writing time and ensure I conferred with every student every day. Yet, my ELLs continued to struggle in both their language proficiency and productivity. They wrote the least number of pieces every year.

March 3, 2021March 4, 2021Aishwarya M

5 Ways in which Writing Conferences must Differ for ELLs

As I endeavored to practice what I learned, I found that conferences with a few of my students were more difficult than the most difficult examples in the books. I was stumped by blank stares and students who said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying,” or “Ok, but what should I do now?”

February 3, 2021February 3, 2021Aishwarya M

Considerations for Teaching Conventions to ELLs

Teaching conventions seems to be the most straightforward part of teaching English. Learning conventions, though, doesn’t come easy, especially to ELLs.

December 2, 2020December 2, 2020Aishwarya M

Include ELLs by Including “Mainstream” Students

The paradoxical truth about teaching is that you can be an excellent teacher to all students only by being an excellent teacher to one student at a time.