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Notes on teaching writing, thinking, and how Scaffold works — from a working teacher.

• Socratic questions for writing: a ladder, not a list
  October 20, 2026

  Most lists of Socratic questions for writing hand you fifty questions. What matters is the order. Here is the four-rung ladder I use with young writers.

• China is putting AI tutors in its schools. Here is the line it drew.
  October 5, 2026

  China is building AI tutors into every grade. Its rules also say who must not write the homework. What writing teachers can learn from that line.

• Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, for writing teachers
  August 5, 2026

  The zone of proximal development is the gap between what a student can write alone and what they can write with help. Here is how to find it and use it.

• Seven writing scaffolds that work — and when to take each one down
  July 22, 2026

  Sentence starters, mentor texts, chunking, question ladders — seven writing scaffolds from a real classroom, each with the sign that it is time to remove it.

• What is scaffolding in writing? A plain-English guide from a working teacher
  July 22, 2026

  Scaffolding in writing means temporary support that helps a student write what they cannot yet write alone. Here is what that looks like in a real classroom.

• Scaffolding writing for ESL students: what helps and what gets in the way
  July 22, 2026

  ESL students do not need simpler thinking — they need language support around real thinking. Practical writing scaffolds for English learners, from an ESL classroom.

• How to help a stuck writer write the first sentence
  July 12, 2026

  The first sentence is the hardest one a young writer will face. Here is the move I use in my classroom: stop asking them to write, and start asking them a question.