The Promise and Peril of Turning Student Learning Into a Number is a very good column by Justin Minkel in Education Week.

Here’s an excerpt:

I’m adding it to The Best Resources Showing Why We Need To Be “Data-Informed” & Not “Data-Driven.”

George Couros has another good post on a similar topic: Student-Driven Schools.

Every month I make a few short lists highlighting my choices of the best resources I through (and learned from) Twitter, but didn’t necessarily include them in posts here on my blog.

I’ve already shared in earlier posts several new resources I found on Twitter — and where I gave credit to those from whom I learned about them. Those are not included again in post.

If you don’t use Twitter, you can also check-out all of my “tweets” on Twitter profile page.

You might also be interested in The Best Tweets Of 2014 — So Far and The Best Tweets Of 2014 — Part Two.

I’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention:

12 Ways to Support ESL Students in the Mainstream Classroom is by Jennifer Gonzalez.

10 Habits for successful English language learning is by Nik Peachey.

This is a very interesting and useful slideshow sharing ideas on how to get second-language-learners to practice speaking. I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English:

The Online Writing Lab from Excelsior College has some great resources for English Language Learners. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For K-12 Writing Instruction/Reinforcement.

Teaching academic vocabulary: a guide for beginners is an exceptional post by Adam Simpson. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Developing Academic English Skills & Vocabulary.

Federal Officials Grant Florida Waiver on English-Learner Testing is from Ed Week. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Next Generation” Of State Testing.

Teaching grammar inductively – Catherine Walter is a video from The British Council. You’ll catch the most useful info if you just watch the last five minutes. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Grammar Practice.

Making Use Of Google Translate offers some intriguing thoughts for ESL teachers. I’m adding it to The Best Sites For Learning About Google Translate & Other Forms Of Machine Translation.

Here is one I’m adding to The Best Sites For Learning About New Year Celebrations:

Happy New Year 2015! Teaching Worldwide Celebrations is by Judie Haynes.

I’m adding these next two to The Best Ways To Help Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Succeed:

New Year’s Resolutions Lesson Plan is from Tim’s Free English Plans.

Bridget Jones’s New Year’s Resolutions: Lesson Plan

The PBS News Hour just did a segment titled Schools learn to cope with influx of undocumented teens. You can see the transcript here.

I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The Children Refugee Crisis At The U.S. Southern Border.

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look.

Today, I’m highlighting an excerpt from one of my books that The Washington Post published last year. It’s called Five key strategies to get/keep kids engaged at school.

Here’s a portion of it:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be recognized on Monday, January 19th in the United States.

You can find a ton of resources at The Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King.