Turnitin's Free, Virtual Conference on Writing Education

"Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!" Job 19:23

Writing is a skill that isn't going away just because the world is changing. I'm excited to tune in to Turnitin's virtual writing/tech conference, The Writing Mindset, next week. Sessions from previous years are posted on the site, including "The Future of Writing: I Wandered Lonely In The Cloud" by Anya Kamenetz, Lead Education Blogger at NPR, a session I listened to avidly this evening. What's coming at this year's conference? "How Writers Read," "Teaching the Writing Brain," "Mimicry and Plagiarism," and "What's the Story Behind Why We Write?" to name a few tempting-looking morsels.

These webcasts would make a great discussion starter for English departments, as well as a resource for new teachers and homeschool parents who aren't sure how to approach teaching writing. Just fill out a simple form and click to view.

Research-Based Gems

Here are some of the nuggets of evidence-based thinking I've salted away from various teacher trainings recently. Each one can be linked to a Scriptural principle. Each one could be its own blog post, and maybe someday it will be.

*Cultivate a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset
*Cultivate perseverance (or, to use a buzzword, grit)
*Listen to understand
*Foster connections--to the text, to self, to prior knowledge, to the world
*Take time for scaffolding
*View failure as a stepping stone
*Teach precision, especially of terminology and academic vocabulary
*Embrace productive struggle

This list is saved on my phone, so when a PD trainer shares a new gem based on brain research, I can instantly update my toolbox. Hope there's something here for you!