The Common Core State Standards ask teachers to shift from teaching persuasion to teaching argument. Unlike persuasion, argumentation relies more on claims and evidence and less on emotional appeals.

Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8 provides a model lesson plan for teaching argument techniques. The lesson shows students how to acknowledge and respond to opposing claims (called concession-refutation). Students use T-charts independently and with partners to flesh out their claims and consider the other side.

We've asked the members of our panel: Have you switched from teaching persuasion to teaching argument? What strategies have you found effective for teaching argument? OR Please describe a lesson you have used to teach argument.

Many elementary school teachers like to read aloud to their students. In her book Reaching English Language Learners in Every Classroom, Debbie Arechiga discusses the interactive read-aloud as an improved way of teaching literacy to all students, including ELLs. By asking questions during reading and promoting focused academic conversation among students, the teacher helps students stay engaged and think critically about the text as is it being read.

We've asked the members of our panel: Have you used the interactive read-aloud or a similar strategy in your classroom? If not, what have you found to be the most effective activity for teaching literacy to English language learners?

In The Principal as Instructional Leader (3rd ed.), Sally Zepeda writes, “Principals are in an advantageous position to identify professional development needs and to provide the follow-up support that will allow teachers to incorporate new skills into their daily practices.” To recognize professional development needs, the principal can use a variety of methods including formal and informal discussions with teachers, surveys, and classroom observations.

We have asked the members of our panel: How do you decide what the focus will be for professional development in your school? What kinds of research, data, or evidence guide your decision?

In Awakening Brilliance in the Writer’s Workshop, Lisa Morris discusses the power of using mentor texts to help students improve their own writing: “Mentor texts are pieces of literature that teachers can return to time and time again to show students possibilities for structure and craft.

We have asked the members of our panel: Describe how you’ve used a mentor text to help students write narratives, informative texts, and/or opinion pieces, as now required by the Common Core.

In Multicultural Partnerships: Involve All Families, the authors stress the importance of involving multicultural families to boost students’ success in school: “Teachers, principals, counselors, and other educators know that good teaching is not enough to ensure student learning and development. They know that they must involve all families in their children’s education.”

We have asked the members of our panel: What strategies has your school used to build relationships with the families of multicultural students?

In Making Good Teaching Great, Annette Breaux and Todd Whitaker share dozens of strategies for classroom management and effective instruction.

We have asked the members of our panel: What simple strategies do you use in your classroom to address management and instructional challenges or improve students’ behavior?

In The School Leader's Guide to Social Media, Ronald Williamson and Howard Johnston discuss how social media can be used to increase productivity, aid professional development, and improve communication with students, families, and the greater community. For example, some schools use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about school news and upcoming events. Others host blogs or wikis to share information about particular classes or school projects. However, before embracing any form of social media, the authors stress the importance of planning ahead.

We have asked the members of our panel:
How do you currently use social media in your school? What tips would you give to other school leaders looking to apply social media tools to their school communities?

In his new book The Principal’s Guide to the First 100 Days of the School Year: Creating Instructional Momentum, Shawn Joseph stresses the importance of the first 100 days of school in setting the tone for the rest of the year. He describes how leaders should focus on vision, instructional leadership, politics, data, and planning during those days.

We asked the members of our panel:
What recommendations do you have for principals to build instructional momentum during the first 100 days of the school year?

In Teaching Critical Thinking, Terry Roberts and Laura Billings discuss the importance of bringing students deeper into a text, as emphasized by the Common Core State Standards. We must show students how to think critically about what they are reading. One way teachers can accomplish this is by posing better questions. Roberts and Billings recommend we ask questions that 1) are text-based, 2) are open-ended, 3) don’t have a pre-determined answer, and 4) encourage multiple perspectives.
 
We have asked the members of our panel:
Please describe how you have designed questions that encourage thinking on a higher level. How have you taught students to respond to such questions?

In her book Communicate and Motivate: The School Leader’s Guide to Effective Communication, Shelly Arneson explains how school leaders can become successful communicator with teachers and parents by analyzing and planning conversations from the ground up. For parent-teacher conferences, Arneson suggests that school leaders hold separate pre-conferences with both parties to familiarize themselves with all sides of the issue and alleviate the fear of preexisting biases.

One of the six "fearless decisions" explained in Cynthia McCabe's The Fearless School Leader is acknowledging standardized assessment data. According to McCabe, these tests are sometimes disregarded because teachers and leaders believe they 1) are void of rigor, 2) do not measure learning outside traditional academics, or 3) are unfair to lower performing students. However, these explanations can stand in the way of efforts to improve student achievement.

One of the strategies Todd Whitaker suggests in Leading School Change: 9 Strategies to Bring Everybody on Board is based on the saying "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Dr. Whitaker applies this adage to the way a school leader initially presents an innovative idea to their faculty and staff. If the first exposure is handled well, it is more likely to be followed by excitement and support. If not, it is more likely that indifference and/or negativity will result.

Introducing a new blog post series from Eye On Education and Bob Sickles: In the Trenches: Everyday Solutions at Work! In this monthly series, Bob will identify an engaging educational concept presented in one of our published books. Then, a number of select educators will provide examples that demonstrate how they have applied the concept to their schools or classrooms. Readers are invited to provide their own examples in the comments section of each blog post, which will go live on the first Monday of every month.