Digital Discussions

Both Kelly and Penny are avid readers. In this episode, they talk about the books they’ve been reading for pleasure over the last 11 months.

Carol Jago, former president of NCTE and an early mentor to Kelly, joins in for a discussion about censorship and reading.

Peter Kahn and Noelle Berry, from the Spoken Word poetry group at River Forest High School in Oak Park, IL, talk about their inspiring collection of poetry, Respect the Mic, as well as exciting and revolutionary ways to think about and teach poetry.

Kelly and Penny discuss the joy of writing with students and what they do to support their students’ success with daily writing.

The great Tom Romano, a multi-decade influencer in the field of writing instruction, shares some of his key insights on how to engage young writers.

Donalyn Miller, Kelly and Penny discuss strategies to help students develop their reading identities.

In one of their more candid conversations, Kelly and Penny discuss mistakes they have made as teachers and, most importantly, what they have learned from them.

Veteran ELA teacher Jim Burke, author of more than 30 books, talks about teaching and learning with Kelly and Penny.

Today’s topic: When writing “rules” get in the way of authentic writing.

Based on the work of Don Graves, and inspired by Cornelius Minor’s thinking on the subject, Kelly and Penny discuss orthodoxies that get in the way of teaching writing.

A conversation with the one and only Lucy Calkins

Kelly and Penny share some advice for teachers who might want to try to get published.

Kelly and Penny talk about ways to analyze essays that lead students to more authentic writing.

Author and educator Linda Rief talks about the power of notebooks and previews her new book, Whispering in the Wind.

Matt Glover joins Kelly and Penny for a rich discussion about the teaching of writing.

Eben Plese, Penny’s former colleague who now teaches in Ukraine, talks about the state of education in the war-torn country and shares his insights for those considering teaching at an international school.

Middle school teacher Kelsey Stoyanova, 2022 Maine Teacher of the Year, discusses her strategies for motivating students to read.

Poet Georgia Heard talks with Kelly and Penny about approaching poetry in the classroom, and offers up some book recommendations.

Meet Sheri Steelman, a remarkable English teacher who is retiring after 50 years. She shares how she achieves excellent AP Lit scores using a non-traditional, progressive approach (Hint: book clubs).

Dr. Lori Desautels discusses the emotional fatigue that comes with teaching today and offers tips for teachers and students to effectively manage stress.

Kate Roberts, author of A Novel Approach (and other books), discusses ways to help students find the right reading balance, as well as the value of close reading.

After a brief break in recording, Kelly and Penny return to talk about how they move their writing from quickwrites (à la Linda Rief) to essays or longer pieces of writing.

Kelly and Penny zoom in on a writing conference with a student and examine what they notice, what they wonder about, and how it impacts teachers of young writers.

Kelly and Penny discuss trying to process the tragedy in Uvalde and the role that poetry can play in the healing process.