Peter Brunn's Blog
10 weeks 1 day ago
from Peter Brunn
Disclaimer: I don’t work for Google, and I don’t own stock in Google (although I sure wish I did).
Through the generous support of the MetLife Foundation, I have been working with the Denver Public Schools for the last three years around Lesson Study. Usually this involves me making a few trips a year to Denver where I work with a...
16 weeks 6 days ago
from Peter Brunn
I have been doing some thinking recently on my struggles in supporting teachers to be more reflective about student thinking and behavior.
Recently I was working with a group of elementary teachers out west. They are part of a cohort I meet with monthly. Each month we spend a few hours thinking together about a difficult element of writing...
(2) 18 weeks 23 hours ago
from Peter Brunn
Where have you been Peter?Good question. Those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook—and you all should, by the way—know I’ve been traveling, working to support DSC’s work across the country. But obviously I have not been blogging. Not at all. Not for quite a while.
Are you embarrassed? I mean, they give you this nice...
(3) 44 weeks 5 days ago
from Peter Brunn
Welcome back to school! As you begin to plan for the new year, we wanted to let you know that we are here to support you in implementing DSC’s programs. Check out these free resources:
Explore Our Online CoursesOur online courses are designed to help you understand the pedagogical approach of our programs, launch the programs, and implement...
47 weeks 7 hours ago
from Peter Brunn
In an earlier blog my colleague Isabel Mclean posed the question: How old should a child be before they read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins? I posted a long comment at the bottom of that blog basically stating that my wife and I have been struggling with that question as well. Our ten-year-old daughter has been bugging us to read it...
48 weeks 6 days ago
from Peter Brunn
At the end of June DSC hosted its first National Conference in Chicago, IL. It was exhilarating to be around so many thoughtful educators. I had the opportunity to keynote a general session on the importance of creating powerful learning communities for teachers. In my talk I made the following points:
Innovation does not happen when people work...
(1) 1 year 3 weeks ago
from Peter Brunn
Earlier this week I was in Las Vegas working with a cohort of teachers who are a part of a writing research project that their district and I have partnered on. (The teachers in this cohort are all using Being a Writer). I always learn so much from these teachers’ work and Monday, our last meeting of this year, was no different. The meeting...
(1) 1 year 17 weeks ago
from Peter Brunn
Last night we had our second meeting with a cohort of teachers who are engaged in a research project with our Being a Writer program in Clark County, NV (Las Vegas). The focus of this particular meeting was on how we can better support peer partnerships in our writing instruction. I was impressed with the work and thinking that went on, so I...
(2) 1 year 18 weeks ago
from Peter Brunn
This past February, the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals and DSC partnered to put on a mini-conference on leading learning communities. I gave the keynote sessons. Sue Wilder, Isabel McLean, and Linda Rourke did small-group sessions, and we had a panel of school leaders close our day by sharing their experiences working with us...
1 year 19 weeks ago
from Peter Brunn
I was on Facebook today and ran across a post by an old friend. I knew once I read it that I needed to share it here. Finnie is somone I have known since we were young soldiers together. He is now a professor at the University of New Mexico, and someone whose thinking I hold in the deepest regard. In his post Finnie writes as a parent who is...
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Peter Brunn is the Director of Professional Development at the non-profit Developmental Studies Center (DSC) in Oakland California. At DSC, Peter leads the organization’s professional development work with schools and districts across the country to support the fostering of student’s academic, social, and ethical development. He often shares this work through keynotes and presentations at local, state, and national conferences including; NCTE, NSDC, and IRA. Prior to coming to DSC, Peter worked as a staff developer with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. He began his career teaching elementary school in the Bronx NY. Peter is also the author of the book The Lesson Planning Handbook: Essential Strategies That Inspire Student Thinking and Learning published by Scholastic in January 2010. He currently lives in El Cerrito, CA with his wife and daughter.
