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The world lost another great educator recently. Donald Graves, passed away at 80 years-old in late September. Graves was the author of numerous books on teaching and literacy. His most important contribution was as “the father of the writing process.”
If you are not familiar with Dr. Graves’ work or many books, your students would benefit from you reading his classic book, A Fresh Look at Writing or Writing: Teachers & Children at Work. Graves also authored the terrific small book, Testing Is Not Teaching: What Should Count in Education
Veteran educator Gary Stager, Ph.D. is the author of Twenty Things to Do with a Computer – Forward 50, co-author of Invent To Learn — Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom, publisher at Constructing Modern Knowledge Press, and the founder of the Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute. He led professional development in the world’s first 1:1 laptop schools thirty years ago and designed one of the oldest online graduate school programs. Gary is also the curator of The Seymour Papert archives at DailyPapert.com. Learn more about Gary here.
Sad news. We also recently lost Hedley Beare, a much loved and respected educator from Australia I was fortunate enough to have as a mentor when just getting started in ed leadership. These forerunners still have much to offer educators today.