On today’s episode: Author and instructional specialist Miriam Plotinsky joins us to talk about the ideas in her new book, Teach More, Hover Less. Some teachers can’t resist the urge to hover, but even with the best of intentions, hovering can limit the transformative experiences students might otherwise encounter if they are treated as active participants in the learning process. Listen to Miriam, Ed, and Bo chat about teaching more by hovering less.

Topics:

04:30 Hovering, what it is and looks like

07:20 Changing Teacher Education

10:30 Challenging the blank slate theory

13:10 Underlying philosophy of hovering less

16:30 Experimentation in the classroom

18:45 Warm demanders

22:00 Book banning

26:20 Giving kids choices and intrinsic motivation

For more information about Miriam Plotinsky and her work, visit miriamplotinsky.com. Her book, Teach More, Hover Less is available for purchase on Amazon and W.W. Norton.

Teaching Students More by Hovering Less with Miriam Plotinsky

The Journalistic Learning Podcast explores the question: What if we infused journalist strategies into English Language Arts courses to teach students media literacy, critical thinking, and effective communication skills? 

Join hosts Ed Madison and Bo Brusco as they chat with ELA teachers who are leading or have led journalistic learning projects in their classrooms. Hear their stories of trial and triumph, as well as their tips and advice. Along the way, Bo will keep you up-to-date on relevant education news, and Ed will share quarterly Journalistic Learning Initiative updates. 

Ed is a professor and researcher at the University of Oregon and serves as Executive Director of the Journalistic Learning Initiative (JLI), a non-profit organization that pioneers and promotes journalistic learning as a way of empowering students to discover their voice, improve academic outcomes, and engage in self-directed learning through project-based storytelling. 

Bo is the Communications Manager of JLI, a former high school ELA teacher, and an award-winning multimedia journalist. 

Many of the teachers you'll hear from have taken part in JLI's Effective Communicators Program, a 10-week, standards-aligned instructional plan that guides students through a journalistic learning project.

If you'd like to learn more about JLI, journalistic learning, or our Effective Communicators Program, visit journalisticlearning.org [https://journalisticlearning.org/]!