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The Practical Classroom
As a certified ELA teacher in Wisconsin, I love words—how they’re used, how they make others feel, what they mean. One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain (BrainyQuote, n.d.): “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.” The words we use matter, especially in the classroom and especially when the learning gets hard. When I was student teaching, I shared with my professor that one of my sophomore ELA classes was really tough—the students didn’t listen, didn’t finish the work, didn’t respect me, and so on. Lots of didn’ts. After listening to me complain, she said the true mettle of a teacher comes from working with students that didn’t. What was I going to do to get them to did? Moving to did takes a change in language, language that is useful to students, language that is explicit in what you want your students to know and be able to do. The right language makes your classroom practical; it moves students from unclear in their learning goals to clarity about what they want to achieve. In this chapter, we look at three ways you can examine, reflect on, and refine the language you use with students to align it with a practical not-yet culture and approach. First, I explain the concept of a practical classroom and its place within the not-yet approach. Second, I provide guidance specifically geared to avoiding deficit-minded language while engaging in disciplinary instruction. Third, I focus on the not-yet language of a practical classroom focused on engaging students in productive struggle and meeting learning goals.
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