In “Navigating the Politically Charged Classroom,” Bonnie Lewis, Kathy Swan, and Ryan Crowley describe high school social studies classes in which students have productive discussions rather than overly simplistic, politically charged ones. The key is to pay close attention to the text.

Anyone who works in a school is always hoping for this kind of productive spontaneity—but, by its very definition, these spontaneous moments are impossible to plan for. Or are they? 

If the teacher is using a quick and simple OTSC (over-the-shoulder conference) protocol, a principal can observe 10 of these conferences in 10 minutes. And, these OTSCs are simple to document and do not require much context

For a teacher with 20, 25, or even 30 or more students in one class, it can seem impossible to do this kind of work. But we can structure class time to make these short conferences not just possible but typical so that teachers and students can benefit from the highest impact and most satisfying learning experiences every day.

Then, Jessica suggested a way forward...

"And she shared a moment in her writing that was so profound for her, for everyone else when they were writing. And it was amazing to see her come out of her shell."

When students get a multiple choice question incorrect, the teacher doesn’t know whether the student misread the text or misread the question or both.

“But, how does reading The Great Gatsby prepare me for the real world?”

If real-time classroom activity is going to take the place of the virtual activity on phones, classrooms need to offer what adolescents crave: the opportunity to gain recognition for their social and intellectual savvy.

Give every one of your students the chance to say something smart and original.

But assume a groggy adolescent whose first inclination is to put their head down, or poke the kid next to them. How do we get those students to muster the energy necessary to dive into a dry text that imparts what probably seem like random facts?

Hear how Daniel deliberately elongates the most repulsive words in that sentence.

If students were really engaged with their independent reading, then maybe accountability would be less of an issue. But many students have trouble finding something they enjoy reading independently.

If we can stop worrying about mistakes, we can provide students with the practice they need to make quick progress.

Precise writing helps the reader (you!) enter the mind of the author. Show students how that empathetic reaction happens.

“My students slumped their shoulders and visibly winced when I told them that writing about text would make them better readers.”

Surprisingly, we see students get the big picture by paraphrasing just a few words of text.

Agreeing to disagree sounds good. But, it is often a way of avoiding the hard work required to really understand another person’s view.

Whether teachers know about the research around this experience of uncertainty or not, they tend to bristle when students say, “just tell me the right answer.”

High School teachers assign homework hoping that it will help their students develop independent work habits.

A few days ago in a 9th grade English class, one of our teachers told her students—with some apprehension—to behave themselves because she had to step out of the classroom.

Before we expend too much energy playing cat-and-mouse with our savvier students, perhaps we can rethink our approach to high school writing assignments.

You've been clear. But they still don't do "it." What can you do next?

Perhaps it is surprising that adolescents respond productively to a class that is predictable. Aren’t they always complaining that school is boring?

But Dillon actually craved the rough-and-tumble comments of his classmates for both their humor and their empathy.

Adolescents are acutely sensitive to feedback. Let's give them feedback that they can use to become better readers.

David’s tone gradually sharpens as he senses something problematic about the scientist’s behavior.

Most high school students can't read the books that would make them love school. What can we do?

When I craned my neck and found the gap between his hair, chin, and keyboard, I saw a race car careening across his screen.

Ten minutes into class, Eric asked, “Am I passing?”

We need to assess the assessments. Common protocols and products that we call formative assessments are actually not formative (instructional) and they don’t provide timely data that teachers can act on. As a teacher and administrator I’ve watched the development of real formative assessments. It can be a bit of a tortured process, but it seems to be the only way to see our students' clearly enough to help them make steady progress.

How can we make reading complex texts irresistible for high school students—even when they are struggling readers? We know that some books pull just about everyone into their worlds. And it isn’t because they are easy—it’s because the authors are extraordinary artists. These are the texts that truly reward rereading and we have tools at our disposal to give every student access to them.