I assumed – maybe – a couple of readers is likely to be inquisitive about listening to a fast assessment of vital factors in my education-related life over the previous twelve months, and a fast look into my plans for 2024.

And, if not, that’s nice, too!  As with the overwhelming majority of what I write, I’m doing this submit as a useful reflective train for me!  It’s typically appeared to me that primarily writing for others is seldom a recipe for fulfillment.

So, listed below are vital occasions in my training life that occurred in 2023 (not essentially in any order of significance):

• My newest guide, The Scholar Motivation Handbook: Fifty Methods to Increase an Intrinsic Need to Study, was revealed in Might.  You will discover plenty of free sources from it right here.  It’s quantity 13 for me (not counting second editions) and, although I might encourage all lecturers to write down at the very least one guide (see So, You Need To Write A Guide? Right here’s The Greatest Recommendation…), my book-writing ambitions are starting to expire of steam.
• Despiting my faltering book-writing power, Katie Hull and I additionally accomplished revising all 45 chapters within the first version of The ELL Instructor’s Toolbox: A whole bunch of Sensible Concepts to Assist Your College students(see plenty of free sources from that guide right here).  The revisions look nice, and the phrase depend for them is about thirty p.c higher than the primary version.  Alas, this summer season we’ve sixteen new chapters to write down for it!  It’s going to be a really massive guide, with fairly a couple of on-line chapters.  And, in fact, as with all our books, all scholar handouts will probably be obtainable free of charge downloading – no registration required.
• I feel I lastly actually discovered find out how to use peer tutors most successfully in my Newcomers class, and really feel that college students are studying greater than any considered one of my earlier courses did!  You’ll be able to learn what that appears like at HERE’S WHAT MY TWO-PERIOD ELL NEWCOMERS CLASS LOOKS LIKE THIS YEAR.
• I’ve felt fairly good in regards to the constant high-quality content material right here at this weblog and at my Training Week column.
• For the primary time, I’ve begun to noticeably begin enthusiastic about retirement.  Although I educate at an ideal college, with fantastic college students, and get to do precisely what I need, and no person bothers me (and our terrible Superintendent lastly stop!), I’m beginning to really feel fairly darn drained on the finish of every college day.  I play basketball and Pickleball frequently, and my spouse and I work with a private coach, however I have hit 64.   Final spring, I had determined to attend to see how this college yr went – if it was just like the previous COVID years, retirement could be coming sooner; it was nearer to pre-COVID years, I’d hold round awhile.  This yr is way nearer to “regular,” so  I’m considering that I’ll be within the classroom for one more two-to-four years.
• Katie Hull and I labored on some new animated movies for Training Week on Synthetic Intelligence (you possibly can see different animated movies we’ve accomplished right here).  There have been some manufacturing delays, nonetheless, so it now most likely received’t be out till February.

 

What subsequent yr appears like:

• Ending The ELL Instructor’s Toolbox, starting conversations with Katie Hull about our subsequent (and, I believe, our last guide), persevering with posts right here and in Ed Week, and, in fact, ending this college yr and beginning one other!