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 ›
Through no fault of our own, this fall has been a tumultuous one for our school community. In the midst of the upheaval of relocating the school, my students have been doing impressive work. My English students began the year using evidence from their lives to develop larger ideas through their writing. This is a […]Read Post ›
In my US History class this past year I was looking for a way to infuse energy and new ideas into the beginning of our second semester. Throughout the first half of the year students had been in the role of historians, examining issues through sources, producing work that developed interpretations and reflected on what […]Read Post ›
It was an honor to share my work at the Big Ideas Fest! Click on the picture below to view the slide deck, including links to student projects in the presenter notes.
For a recent project on theories of storytelling, my students began a process of inquiry by writing a story that is repeatedly told in their family. This low stakes assignment provided an entry point for students from a range of academic levels. In a sense, everyone was an expert in this opening lesson. For this first […]Read Post ›
Mr J Block 