Puzzling Moments, Teachable Moments

In her new book, bestselling author Cynthia Ballenger explores the intellectual strengths of 'puzzling children' - poor, urban, immigrant, or bilingual children who do not traditionally excel in school. Ballenger challenges the assumption that these children whose families have less formal education, read fewer storybooks, and talk less with their children about school-like topics, have fewer of what we might call 'intellectual' or academically relevant experiences. This practical book offers a detailed roadmap for traversing the daily work of teaching today's diverse population, helping educators to refine their work as it unfolds in the classroom. Ballenger guides the reader as she thinks out loud about what children said, what it indicated about their thinking, and how the dialogue informed her teaching.