Author Archives: Erik Palmer

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About Erik Palmer

The #1 language art is speaking. By far. I'm committed to promoting the teaching of oral communication in all of its forms.

“Fake News” is frightening…but not the way you think it is

Posted on January 16, 2021 by Erik Palmer

Millions of Americans do not believe Joe Biden was elected president. Every election until now reported results and every citizen accepted that those results were accurate. How did we get to a point where millions of us do not believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Literacy | 1 Comment

Speaking Well Does Not Mean Speaking White

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Erik Palmer

I didn’t think I would have to clarify that. But I had an interesting experience over a tweet I wrote. My tweet: An irate response to that tweet: “How dare you tell students that you must speak a certain way! … Continue reading →

Posted in Speaking | Leave a comment

Evaluating Speaking

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Erik Palmer

Look around your building. You will see students speaking, sometimes informally, sometimes formally. Sometimes teachers grade those speaking assignments. Now look closely at the rubrics and score sheets that are being used. Each one is unique. No two teachers have … Continue reading →

Posted in Speaking | 1 Comment

Spotting a Fake Post

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Erik Palmer

Spotting a Fake Post: Teaching About Media Literacy on Social Platforms October 09, 2019 Erik Palmer Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature This blog post is part of a series focusing on media literacy. If you have been on social media, … Continue reading →

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Remember How Important You Are

Posted on August 11, 2019 by Erik Palmer

When teachers at Mission Viejo Elementary School came back from summer break, I was there. They wanted me to present on the morning of the first day. I have worked with hundreds of schools and districts across North America, and … Continue reading →

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Four Ways to Prepare Students for the Future

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Erik Palmer

To make students’ futures better, we need to consider what skills they will need—and teach them. If we really want to prepare students for life beyond school, we could begin by asking ourselves what pieces of our own education we are using now as … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Literacy, Speaking | Leave a comment

Creating an argument worth delivering

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Erik Palmer

A fairly typical classroom current events discussion: Kids shouldn’t be allowed to play football.             Yes, they should! Football is fun!!             Remember when Denver won the Super Bowl?             Yes! That was a great … Continue reading →

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Being nice is mean.

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Erik Palmer

I had a problem with being too nice. Because I once had a job that involved phone sales, I knew how hard the job is and I had a soft spot for those trying to make it work. So when … Continue reading →

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Three questions about Media Literacy at your school

Posted on May 28, 2018 by Erik Palmer

How to Teach Listening in the Digital Age: Three Questions to Ask   When I began teaching a couple of decades ago, I read an article about how much television children watched. I was stunned by the numbers and wondered … Continue reading →

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Media Literacy & Speaking (from Channel One Blog)

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Erik Palmer

(See the original post here.) After two decades teaching, Erik Palmer has coached countless students through the basic steps of forming a good argument. Drawn to debate in high school, his fascination with spirited discourse propelled him from the debate … Continue reading →

Posted in Media Literacy, Speaking | Leave a comment