Teaching for a Living Democracy: Project Based Learning in the English and History Classroom is a product of the years I’ve spent working with young people, most of which has been with youth in public schools in Philly. The book, which is rooted in a commitment to equity and social justice, presents a framework of changing the way […]Read Post ›
For the second year in a row my students spent the month of May writing, revising, and publishing Field Notes for our Songs of Ourselves unit. The final products remind me of the value of work that is simultaneously creative, personal, and analytical. In this unit, multiple students who are not always all in for […]Read Post ›
This unit challenged students in my history classes to research and make sense of a range of sources as they developed insights about the history of Migration, Citizenship and/or Treatment of the “Other” in different time periods in US History. It came at a time of year when we had done a lot of group […]Read Post ›
This spring I wanted to design a project that would challenge my English students to both see and express their lived realities in new ways. I taught Walt Whitman once before, years ago, but remember the feeling that I had missed an opportunity for my classes to go deeper with his work. In the past […]Read Post ›
At the end of a year of online teaching, in the midst of exhaustion and disorientation, I feel grateful for all that my students offered me throughout the year. I felt the struggle of building a nurturing, collaborative community online. Whenever I hit a low point, students stepped up, helping me and the group find […]Read Post ›
Thanks to Christina Cantrill and the wonderful folks at National Writing Project for this NWP Radio episode about Teaching for a Living Democracy. Click the image below to listen to audio or watch the video.
Mr J Block 