28 November 2010 Op-Ed in The Daily Censored

Thomas, P. L. (2010, November 28). Our faith in a "culture of poverty" never left. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/11/28/our-faith-in-a-culture-of-poverty-never-left/

Krashen posts my response on Schools Matter

This was submitted to The New York Times, but no response from there yet; Krashen was kind enough to post at Schools Matter: Simplistic manipulation of data

January 8, 2010, Writing Workshop (Lexington Middle)

Reconsidering Writing Instruction—Honoring the Authentic, Managing the Mandates

P. L. Thomas, Furman University (paul.thomas[a]furman.edu)

Lexington Middle School

Lexington, South Carolina

Morning

• Read aloud: "Eleven," Sandra Cisneros

• Authentic and direct instruction of surface features:

Sandra Cisneros's "A House of My Own" (http://summerfurmangrad.blogspot.com/2010/06/sandra-cisneros-house-of-my-own-house.html)

• What we know about teaching surface features; rejecting the "error hunt":

Weaver, C. (1996). Teaching grammar in context. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Landrum, J. E. (2007). Students: Do experts follow the rules you’re taught? Journal of Teaching Writing, 23(1), 1-16.

• Workshop: What makes a piece of writing "good"? (voice)

Prologue, Vertigo, Louise DeSalvo

• Reconsidering genre/essay format

"The Five Paragraph Essay and the Deficit Model of Education," Brannon et al.

• Reconsidering the writing process (Weaver, 1996)

• Reconsidering the rubric:

Kohn, A. (2006b, March). The trouble with rubrics. English Journal, 95(4), 12-15.

Mabry, L. (1999, May). Writing to the rubric: Lingering effects of traditional standardized testing on direct writing assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (9), 673–679.

Wilson, M. (2006). Rethinking rubrics in writing assessment. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Wilson, M. (2007, March). Why I won’t be using rubrics to respond to students’ writing. English Journal, 96(4), 62-66.

After Lunch

• Writing Workshop: The essentials (Time, Ownership, Response)

• Workshop: Reading like a writer

"Beginnings" handout

• Final: Questions, Debates, What to do now?

Recommended Resources

Works by P. L. Thomas: http://wrestlingwithwriting.blogspot.com/

NCTE Resources:

NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing (http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/writingbeliefs)

Teaching Composition: A Position Statement (http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/teachingcomposition)

NCTE Principles of Adolescent Literacy Reform: A Policy Research Brief (http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Positions/Adol-Lit-Brief.pdf)

Amrein, A.L., & Berliner, D.C. (2002, March 28). High-stakes testing, uncertainty, and student learning. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 10(18). Retrieved [March 01, 2007] from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v10n18/

Atwell, N. (1998). In the Middle: New understanding about writing, reading, and learning (2^nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Boyton/Cook.

Atwood, M. (2002). Negotiating with the dead: A writer on writing. New York: Anchor Books.

Ball, A., Christensen, L., Fleischer, C., Haswell, R., Ketter, J., Yageldski, R., & Yancey, K. (2005, April 16). The impact of the SAT and ACT timed writing tests. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Calfee, R. (1994). Ahead to the past: Assessing student achievement in writing. National Center for the Study of Writing Occasional Paper No. 39. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/Resources/techreports.html.

———. (1994). Implications of cognitive psychology for authentic assessment and instruction. National Center for the Study of Writing Technical Report No. 69. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/Resources/ techreports.html.

Calkins, L. M. (1994). The art of teaching writing (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Cambourne, B. (1999). Conditions for literacy learning: Turning learning theory into classroom instruction. A minicase study. The Reading Teacher, 54(4), 414-429.

Fletcher, R. (1993). What a writer needs. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Freedman, S. W. (1991). Evaluating writing: Linking large-scale testing and classroom assessment. National Center for the Study of Writing Occasional Paper No. 27. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/Resources/ techreports.html.

———. (1995). Exam-based reform stifles student writing in the U. K. Educational Leadership, 52 (6), 26–29.

Freedman, S. W., Dyson, A. H., Flower, L., & Chafe, W. (1987). Research in writing: Past, present, and future. National Center for the Study of Writing Technical Report No. 1. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/ Resources/techreports.html.

Freedman, S. W., Flower, L., Hull, G., & Hayes, J. R. (1995). Ten years of research: Achievements of the National Center for the Study of Writing. National Center for the Study of Writing Technical Report No. 1-C. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/Resources/techreports.html.

Freedman, S. W., & Hechinger, F. (1992). Writing matters. National Center for the Study of Writing Occasional Paper No. 31. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/Resources/techreports.html

Freire, P. (2005). Teachers as cultural workers: Letters to those who dare to teach. Trans. D. Macedo, D., Koike, & A., Oliveira. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

——— . (1993). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum.

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools – A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Graves, D. (1994). A fresh look at writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Graves, D. (2002). Testing is not teaching: What should count in education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Greene, M. (1978). Landscapes of learning. New York: Teachers College Press.

Greene, M. (1995). Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hillocks, G., Jr. (2003). Fighting back: Assessing the assessments. English Journal, 2(4), 63–70.

———. (1995). Teaching writing as reflective practice. New York: Teachers College Press.

———. (2002). The testing trap: How state writing assessments control learning. New York: Teachers College Press.

Kincheloe, J. L. (2005a). Critical constructivism primer. New York: Peter Lang.

Kincheloe, J. L. (2005b). Critical pedagogy primer. New York: Peter Lang.

Kohn, A. (2006b, March). The trouble with rubrics. English Journal, 95(4), 12-15.

Landrum, J. E. (2007). Students: Do experts follow the rules you’re taught? Journal of Teaching Writing, 23(1), 1-16.

Mabry, L. (1999, May). Writing to the rubric: Lingering effects of traditional standardized testing on direct writing assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80 (9), 673–679.

Nash, R. J. (2004). Liberating scholarly writing: The power of personal narrative. New York: Teachers College Press.

National Council of Teachers of English. (1998). Defining and defending instructional methods. Available on-line: http://www.ncte.org/about/over/positions/category/cens/107614.htm

Noskin, D. P. (2000). Teaching writing in the high school: Fifteen years in the making. English Journal, 90 (1), 34-38.

Pinker, S. (1994). The language instinct. New York: Harper Perennial.

———. (1999). Words and rules: The ingredients of language. New York: Basic Books.

Rosenblatt, L. M. (1988). Writing and reading: The transactional theory. National Center for the Study of Writing Technical report No. 13. Available on-line: www.writingproject.org/Resources/techreports.html

Routman, R. (2004). Writing essentials: Raising expectations and results while simplifying teaching. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Weaver, C., ed. (1998). Lessons to share on teaching grammar in context. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

———. (2002). Reading process and practice, second edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

———. (1996). Teaching grammar in context. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Williams, J. M. (1997). Style: Ten lessons in clarity and grace (5^th ed.). New York: Longman.

———. (1990). Style: Toward clarity and grace. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Wilson, M. (2006). Rethinking rubrics in writing assessment. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

———. (2007, March). Why I won’t be using rubrics to respond to students’ writing. English Journal, 96(4), 62-66.

Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (2005). Best Practice: Today’s standards for teaching and learning in America’s schools (3rd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Zinsser, W. (2001). On writing well: The classic guide to writing nonfiction (25th Anniversary Edition). New York: Quill.

Comment Is Free America (The Guardian, UK)

The Corporate Takeover of American Schools

14 November 2010 Commentary in The Daily Censored

The Teaching Profession as a Service Industry

3 November 2010 Commentary at The Daily Censored

Our Debate Culture—Someone Wins, but Never the Truth

Truthout Op-Ed 24 October 2010

The Politicians Who Cried "Crisis"

23 October Op-Ed in OpEdNews

The (Shifting) Truth about Charter Schools

Op-Eds available online

Thomas, P. L. (2011, January12). 21st century segregation: Inverting King's dream. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2011/01/12/21st-century-segregation-inverting-kings-dream/

-----. (2011, January 10). Supermen or kryptonite?—Legend of the fall, pt. V. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2011/01/10/superman-or-kryptonite%E2%80%94legend-of-the-fall-pt-v/

-----. (2011, January 8). Spend energy on S.C. students, not on more tests. The Greenville News. http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110108/OPINION/301080011/Paul-Thomas-Spend-energy-on-S-C-students-not-on-more-tests

-----. (2011, January 8). Defending the status quo?--False dichotomies and the education reform debate. OpEdNews. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Defending-the-Status-Quo--by-Paul-Thomas-110107-766.html

-----. (2011, January 3). Calculating the Corporate States of America: Revisiting Vonnegut's Player Piano. OpEdNews. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Calculating-the-Corporate-by-Paul-Thomas-110103-130.html

-----. (2010, December 28). Wrong questions = wrong answers: Legends of the fall, pt. IV. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/12/28/wrong-questions-wrong-answers-legend-of-the-fall-pt-iv/

-----. (2010, December 26). Statistics obscuring real education challenge. The State. http://www.thestate.com/2010/12/26/1618366/thomas-statistics-obscuring-real.html

-----. (2010, December 17). Fire teachers, reappoint Rhee: Legend of the fall, pt. III. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/12/17/fire-teachers-reappoint-rhee-legend-of-the-fall-pt-iii/

-----.(2010, December 16). Finnish envy. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Finnish-Envy-by-Paul-Thomas-101214-873.html

-----.(2010, December 6). The truth about failure in US schools. Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/dec/05/schools-education

-----. (2010, December 2). The education celebrity tour: Legend of the fall, pt. II. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/12/02/the-education-celebrity-tour-legend-of-the-fall-pt-ii/

-----. (2010, November 28). Our faith in a "culture of poverty" never left. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/11/28/our-faith-in-a-culture-of-poverty-never-left/

-----. (2010, November 16). The corporate takeover of American schools. Guardian.co.uk. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/nov/15/education-schools

-----. (2010, November 14). The teaching profession as a service industry. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/11/14/the-teaching-profession-as-a-service-industry/

-----. (2010, November 3). Our debate culture—Someone wins, but never the Truth. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/11/03/our-debate-culture%E2%80%94someone-wins-but-never-the-truth/

-----. (2010, October 24). The politicians who cried "crisis." truthout. http://www.truth-out.org/the-politicians-who-cried-crisis64359

-----. (2010, October 23). The (shifting) truth about charter schools. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Shifting-Truth-about-by-Paul-Thomas-101021-188.html

-----. (2010, October 19). Legend of the fall: Snapshots of what's wrong in the education debate. The Daily Censored. http://dailycensored.com/2010/10/19/legend-of-the-fall-snapshots-of-whats-wrong-in-the-education-debate/

-----. (2010, October 16). "Don't ask, don't tell": There's a reason Captain America wears a mask. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Don-t-Ask-Don-t-Tell--T-by-Paul-Thomas-101014-950.html

-----. (2010, October 10). A tale of two films. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Tale-of-Two-Films-by-Paul-Thomas-101010-109.html

-----. (2010, October 6). Stop focusing on SAT. The State. http://www.thestate.com/2010/10/06/1498739/thomas-stop-focusing-on-sat.html

-----. (2010, September 28). The great charter compromise: Masking corporate commitments in educational reform. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Great-Charter-Compromi-by-P-L-Thomas-100927-363.html

-----. (2010, September 21). 2020 vision for No Child Left in Poverty. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/2020-Vision-for-No-Child-L-by-P-L-Thomas-100920-367.html

-----. (2010, September 10). "The truth is always hard to swallow"—And other ironies. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Truth-Is-Always-Hard-by-P-L-Thomas-100910-993.html

-----. (2010, September 6). Political reform must precede educational reform—Words Matter. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Political-Reform-Must-Prec-by-P-L-Thomas-100905-271.html

-----. (2010, August 27). Bitter lessons from chasing better tests. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Bitter-Lessons-from-Chasin-by-P-L-Thomas-100826-630.html

-----. (2010, August 21). Brave words? No, but startling occasion(s). OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Brave-Words--No-But-Star-by-P-L-Thomas-100821-426.html

-----. (2010, August 21). Change the real "status quo" hurting education. The Greenville News. http://livinglearninginpoverty.blogspot.com/2010/08/21-august-2010-op-ed-greenville-news.html

-----. (2010, August 17). Reconsidering education "miracles." OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Reconsidering-Education-M-by-P-L-Thomas-100816-438.html

-----. (2010, August 14). Rugged individualism and our pursuit of education. OpEdNews.com. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Rugged-Individualism-and-O-by-Paul-Thomas-100813-901.html

-----. (2010, August 11). Why common standards won't work. Education Week, 29(37), 33-34. http://livinglearninginpoverty.blogspot.com/2010/08/9-august-2010-op-ed-at-edweek.html

Commentary in The Daily Censored

Legend of the Fall: Snapshots of What’s Wrong in the Education Debate

16 October 2010 OpEdNews Op-Ed

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell": There's a Reason Captain America Wears a Mask