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"Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…" - 5 new articles
A Look Back: Deliberate Practice, The Olympics & Red HerringsFor the next several months, each week I’ll be republishing posts from the past that I think readers might still find useful. This post first appeared in 2016.
The Washington Post has tried to rain on everybody’s parade by discouraging people from believing that they can become Olympians through deliberate practice (see Why all the practice in the world can’t turn you into an Olympian). It reviews an older study I’ve previously shared (see my post, Deliberate Practice & Red Herrings, for a more in-depth analysis) finding that genetics plays a key, if not the key, role in becoming an expert. I do think you might find that previous post of mine useful, but here is what I think is the “money quote” from it: It seems to me that deliberate practice debunkers often raise a red herring saying that advocates say that anybody can become an expert through deliberate practice. I haven’t heard that… What I have read and learned in research on the topic is that deliberate practice is the most important element in developing expertise that is within a person’s control. So, please, if you are going to write or talk about deliberate practice, don’t do it in the context of debunking something that no one is saying… I’m adding this info to The Best Resources For Learning About The 10,000 Hour Rule & Deliberate Practice.      Research Studies Of The Week Mohamed_hassan / Pixabay I often write about research studies from various fields and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature. You can see all my “Best” lists related to education research here. Here are some new useful studies (and related resources): Research Bite #30: Students’, Teachers’, and Parents’ Knowledge About and Perceptions of Learning Strategies is from Tips For Teachers. I’m adding this post to The Best Resources On Which Is Best – Reading Digitally Or Reading Paper?:
The Long-Term Effects of Grade Retention: Evidence on Persistence through High School and College is a new paper I’m adding to The Best Resources For Learning About Grade Retention, Social Promotion & Alternatives To Both.
 Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week
Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You can also see all my “Best” lists on instructional strategies here. Here are this week’s picks: I/We/You: Use with caution is an interesting post. Celebrating the Creative Process, Not Just the Final Product, With Journey Boards is from Edutopia.
I’m adding this tweet to Does Anyone Use “Interleaving” When Teaching ELLs? If So, I’d Love To Hear What You Do:
Whole Class Feedback is from DistillED. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning How To Best Give Feedback To Students. Certain Topics Spark Parent Pushback. I’ve Decided to Teach Them Anyway is from Ed Week.
 A Look Back: Every Teacher Who Has An ELL In Their Class Should Watch This “Immersion” FilmFor the next several months, each week I’ll be republishing posts from the past that I think readers might still find useful. This post first appeared in 2016.
The WIDA Consortium tweeted out a short clip to a 12 minute film titled “Immersion,” which was unknown to me. The film also has it’s own website. Fortunately, I was able to find the full film online on YouTube, and have embedded it at the bottom of this post. There are so many good things to say about it and how it provides a glimpse into the challenges facing our English Language Learners. The film was made a few years ago and, with luck, changes made by The Every Student Succeeds Act (see The Best Resources For Learning How The Every Student Succeeds Act Affects English Language Learners and The Best Resources For Understanding The Every Student Succeeds Act) and future changes here in California dependent on what happens in the November ballot (see The Best Resources For Learning About The Multilingual Education Act Ballot Initiative In California) will help mitigate some of the problems portrayed in the film. However, no matter what happens with those laws, the key points made by the film will remain important. I’m adding it to The “All-Time” Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of English Language Learners and to The Best Sites For Walking In Someone Else’s Shoes. And you can bet I’ll be showing it to students in my Sac State teacher credential program class!   Eleven Articles I Wrote This Year CreativeCursor / Pixabay
I wrote over a thousand posts on this blog over the past year, and you can see a list of my favorite ones from the first six months here and from the last six months here. I also published nearly one-hundred posts over the past twelve months at my Education Week teacher-advice column, but most of those pieces feature other educator authors. Here are the Ed Week posts that I actually wrote in 2025:
In addition, MiddleWeb published an excerpt from our book that was published this year, The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox 2.0: You can see hundreds of articles I’ve written over the years here. You might also want to check out The Seventeen Best Articles I’ve Written About Education. Lastly, you’re welcome to explore Free Resources From All “My” Books.  More Recent Articles |
