Category Archives: Uncategorized

Listen here! We’re back with another Halloween episode of Behind the Scaffolding featuring stories of teachers who haunt us–in both good and bad ways, and sometimes both simultaneously! Tune in to hear April Conway, Jeremy Chamberlain, Scott Beal, and Kathy Smith share their stories of teachers they just can’t forget, for better or worse! TranscriptContinue reading “Teachers Who Haunt Us, Volume 2”

Listen here! Just in time for your late summer syllabus planning, we talk to April Conway about the nuts and bolts, and benefits and drawbacks, of alternative forms of assessment like contract grading and its various permutations. Tune in to hear how April has implemented–and adjusted, over the years–her methods of assessment to better alignContinue reading “Alternative Assessment, with April Conway”

Listen here! Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we checked in with some teachers we love–Laura Clapper, Dana Nichols, Scott Beal, and Naomi Silver–to talk with them about favorite prompts they assign. Have a listen! We think you just might be swept off your feet by some of these prompts! You can read all theContinue reading “Prompts We Love!”

Listen here! For many teachers, this has been the first semester back in the in-person classroom since the pandemic started, and on top of that, it’s the end of the term, a stressful time for everyone! That means it’s prime time to talk about the intersection of feelings and teaching. Scott Beal joins us forContinue reading “Feelings, with Scott Beal”

Listen here! The Covid-19 pandemic has changed so much about life. But in our classrooms–our virtual classrooms, at least–it hasn’t all been bad. We talk to five writing teachers about what silver linings they have discovered about teaching online. Transcript available here! January 2021

Listen Here! Students whose first language isn’t English often face different challenges than other students. How can we best support them? Multilingual expert Shuwen Li shares useful insights and practical advice, and talks about what pedagogical dispositions are most effective for teaching multilingual learners. Shuwen mentions a video, The History of English in 10 Minutes,Continue reading “Multilingual Writers, with Shuwen Li”

Listen here! Just in time to help us all get through our end-of-semester piles of grading, Louis Ciccarelli stopped by to talk with us about providing feedback on student papers. We talk about how to get students to read more than just the grades, get metaphysical about what we hope students will learn when theyContinue reading “Grading and Feedback, with Louis Cicciarelli”

Listen here! Just in time for Halloween, we huddled around a campfire (yes, that’s actually crackling of burning logs you hear!) with fellow teachers Ellen Muehlberger and Carol Tell to tell stories of teachers who haunt us—sometimes in good ways, urging us on to be better teachers; sometimes in the worst ways, reminding us ofContinue reading “Teachers Who Haunt Us”

Listen here! Looking for an icebreaker for the first day of class (or for active learning activities for the weeks that follow)? Behind the Scaffolding and Christine Modey have you covered! Listen for some great tips and deep thinking on breaking the ice. Here’s the concentric circles icebreaker we discussed with Christine; the poem that inspired theContinue reading “Icebreakers, with Christine Modey”

Listen here! Plagiarism: it’s a sticky wicket teachers inevitably have to deal with, if only to think through a course policy that makes sense for them. In this episode, Steve Engel provides some guiding light and enlightening perspectives on this age-old problem. Read more about the complexities of plagiarism with the help of an extensive bibliographyContinue reading “Plagiarism, with Steve Engel”