by Ersun Warncke | Feb 6, 2024 | Uncategorized
Discovering the joy of rewritingMany students dread revision. Why do I have to do it again? They ask.I love revising and teaching revision because it is a rare and precious commodity: a genuine second chance.How many of us, if we could, would take the opportunity to...
by Ersun Warncke | Jan 30, 2024 | Uncategorized
Writing to rememberIf you don’t already, subscribe to Strayed’s SubstackThis interview originally appeared on the excellent but now defunct Ideas Tap website. The organization, which was dedicated to supporting young people pursuing creative careers, closed in 2015...
by Ersun Warncke | Jan 23, 2024 | Uncategorized
The power of perspective in writingMiracle or Tragedy?Succumbing to algorithmic prodding (and a morose fascination with flight disasters) I watched Society of the Snow.As a film, it was better than hoped-for. But it was looking for the down-low on what happened (like...
by Ersun Warncke | Jan 17, 2024 | Uncategorized
Teaching students with specific exceptional reading skillsAmong the notable words I learned in 2022 was hyperlexia. Burrowing into articles about autism, the term popped up. Hyper = excessive, lexia = related to words. Defining hyperlexiaIn 1997, Aram described...
by Ersun Warncke | Jan 9, 2024 | Uncategorized
Supporting students to optimize learning As young people return to their studies after the holidays, it seems like the good time to discuss how the quality of their learning can be improved.One common — and notably underdiagnosed in girls — challenge is...
by Ersun Warncke | Jan 3, 2024 | Uncategorized
Writing that shines a lightLife never ceases to be difficult, to paraphrase Rilke. Amidst its slings and arrows, there is often little to comfort and guide.Without generous writers, there would be almost nothing to help us see in the dark.Among recent difficulties...
by Ersun Warncke | Dec 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
Why challenging the status quo mattersA new realityRecently, I watched Netflix’s relationship reality show The Ultimatum: Queer Love.If you haven’t seen it, the show features five lesbian couples that split up and reshuffle. One partner in each wants to get married,...
by Ersun Warncke | Dec 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
How not to suffer for artThe holidays can be the best of times and the worst of times. Even those of us privileged to live in peace and comfort can be swept into a nerve-rattling vortex of over-consumption and competitive good cheer.In the spirit of counteracting this...
by Ersun Warncke | Dec 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
Why elbow grease matters in educationFor slightly convoluted reasons (a Kindle subscription was involved) I found myself reading Daniel Kahneman’s doorstop Thinking, Fast and Slow. Among the many (oh so many) fascinating titbits Kahneman doles out is a story about...
by Ersun Warncke | Dec 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
Real-world writing strategiesThings students have said to me:‘I asked my teacher how long the essay needed to be and he said, “how long is a piece of string?”‘‘Wait! You can start a sentence with ‘but’?’‘What is the process for answering an essay question?’These...
