On November 13, 2023, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker celebrated the 400th episode of the Arts of Language podcast by hosting a live event with nearly 400 guests listening. Andrew answered questions from the live audience on topics such as AI, college preparation, and the long-lasting legacy of IEW. He even told a joke. Listen to this extended podcast and hear about new products that IEW will release soon. Referenced Materials Structure and Style for Students Portable Walls Grammar on the Go Port...
Nov 22, 2023
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker continue their conversation with Dr. Scott Newstok, author of How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education . In this episode they discuss additional chapters. These fundamental habits of mind embody IEW’s mission “to equip teachers and teaching parents with methods and materials which will aid them in training their students to become confident and competent communicators and thinkers.” GO TO PART 1 Referenced Materials Scott Newstok How to T...
Nov 15, 2023
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Dr. Scott Newstok, a professor of English and founding director of the Pearce Shakespeare Endowment at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. In this podcast they discuss his book How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education. The discussion centers around how the habits of the mind that shaped the writers, inventors, and thinkers of Shakespeare’s era can apply to education today. GO TO PART 2 Referenced Materials Scott Newstok How to T...
Nov 08, 2023
To kick off National Gratitude Month, this podcast episode highlights Ron Clark’s book The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child . Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss how teaching students the concepts outlined in the book can help students express gratitude in a myriad of situations. Referenced Materials The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child by Ron ...
Nov 01, 2023
In this week’s episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss Unit 4, the linchpin of the structural units. As students summarize longer references, they learn important skills that they will use in subsequent units: dividing subjects into topics, limiting facts, and following the topic-clincher rule. Andrew and Julie explore how these important skills help students choose interesting, important, or relevant facts and write cohesive, thoughtful paragraphs. Referenced Materials Structure and Sty...
Oct 25, 2023
While our Homeschool 101 episodes are generally curated for people who are new to or are considering homeschooling, this episode offers wisdom for anyone who is impacting young lives, including teachers, grandparents, siblings, as well as parents. During this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker explore what this wisdom entails. Andrew outlines two powerful measures to take to help students furnish their minds and cultivate their writing skills. REFERENCED MATERIALS Cultivating Language Arts –...
Oct 18, 2023
In a recent study, a majority of students selected redoing assignments as their top motivation to work harder in school. Intrigued and inspired by the study’s results, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker engage in a delightful and wide-ranging conversation in this week’s podcast about the ways that the Structure and Style checklist approach provides a concrete method for teachers to motivate students to redo assignments. Referenced Materials "What Would Motivate Teens to Work Harder in School? The Ch...
Oct 11, 2023
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Kathleen Ray and Drew Stafford to this special podcast edition of Where Are They Now? Kathleen and Drew were classmates in the filming of Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level C (SSS-1C), one of IEW’s high school video courses. They join Andrew and Julie in the studio to discuss their experiences with the production and what they have been doing since. Referenced Materials IEW Blog Structure and Style for Students Drew Stafford Classical Conversati...
Oct 04, 2023
Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they bring to light the creative and imaginative aspects of Unit 3: Retelling Narrative Stories. They provide some history of how Unit 3 came about and how it became what it is today. Explore how students of all ages can retell, elaborate, and write variations of fables and short stories while expressing extraordinary creativity. Referenced Materials Teaching Writing: Structure and Style NCFCA Christian Speech & Debate League Episode 364: Health and Wel...
Sep 27, 2023
In this week’s podcast Julie Walker asks Andrew Pudewa how imitation applies to teaching writing along with other questions about his talk From Copywork to Composition. Imitation is the cornerstone of excellent writing. Just as no music teacher hands a new student a blank sheet of manuscript paper and expects an original composition, writing instructors should not expect students to write without a model to imitate when they are first learning. Referenced Materials “ Imitation: A Common-Sense Ap...
Sep 20, 2023
Every tenth episode features questions submitted to Andrew Pudewa by our podcast listeners. Julie Walker begins this podcast by asking Andrew to tackle a question regarding the emerging AI chat technology and its effects on writing. Listen in as Andrew and Julie continue with a question about using IEW while learning English and living in a non-English-speaking country. Finally, they wrap up this week’s discussion with questions pertaining to grading and editing as well as realistic expectations...
Sep 13, 2023
You can’t teach writing for long without people asking, “But what about grammar?” Most people have an extreme opinion about grammar: either start at a very early age and hammer it in year after year or believe that grammar just isn’t that important in our modern world. IEW believes that wisdom is found in the balance between the two. Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker in this week’s podcast as they discuss the importance of grammar and how much is enough. Referenced Materials But, but, but ... ...
Sep 06, 2023
In this week’s podcast episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with four guests who gave exemplar speeches in IEW’s Introduction to Public Speaking video course, released earlier this year. These exemplars are model speeches for students to aspire to as they write and deliver their own speeches. Andrew and Julie go behind the scenes, discussing concepts behind the course’s development and unearthing nuggets of wisdom for teachers of public speaking. Referenced Materials Introduction to Publ...
Aug 30, 2023
The leading area of growth in IEW is the Schools Division. New Educational Consultants have been added to keep up with the growing number of schools that are excited to implement Structure and Style in their classrooms. Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker in this week’s podcast as they converse with Sharyn Staggers, IEW Schools Division Director. Sharyn shares how she became involved with IEW and explains how schools can connect with an Educational Consultant. Referenced Materials Sharyn Stagger...
Aug 23, 2023
In this week’s podcast episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Karen Cuellar, one of the stellar moms behind IEW’s Structure and Style for Students program. Karen had the unique experience of having one of her children in each of the three levels during the filming of Years 1 and 2 of the program. Karen reminisces about the project, shares some of the Cuellar family’s struggles and successes, and ultimately illustrates the power of IEW’s Structure and Style method. Referenced Materials I...
Aug 16, 2023
Part 2: Homeschooling through high school can be daunting to some parents. In this two-part podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss a few tricks and tips on hacking high school. Andrew offers a smorgasbord of ideas but cautions listeners that “you can’t do it all.” Join Andrew and Julie as they explore these ideas as well as college credits and dual enrollment. GO TO PART 1 Referenced Materials Cultivating Language Arts National Christian Forensics and Communications Association National...
Aug 09, 2023
Part 1: Homeschooling through high school can be daunting to some parents. In this two-part podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss a few tricks and tips on hacking high school. Andrew offers a smorgasbord of ideas but cautions listeners that “you can’t do it all.” Join Andrew and Julie as they explore these ideas as well as college credits and dual enrollment. GO TO PART 2 Referenced Materials Cultivating Language Arts Introduction to Public Speaking National Christian Forensics and Com...
Aug 09, 2023
It’s August, and a new school year will soon begin. For IEW teachers and parents, this means returning to the beginning. The Structure and Style method starts over each year with Units 1 and 2. What benefits do students receive by revisiting these foundational skills? In this week’s podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the importance of beginning the school year with review. Referenced Materials Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Structure and Style for Students “Four Deadly Errors...
Aug 02, 2023
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Dr. Nicholas Ellis to this episode. Dr. Ellis is the founder and CEO of Christian Halls International (CHI), an organization that organizes and nurtures local communities for students in higher education programs. In this week’s episode, he discusses the dual enrollment opportunities offered through the partnership between Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) and CHI. Referenced Materials Dr. Nicholas Ellis Christian Halls International Christian Halls...
Jul 26, 2023
Hillsdale College K-12 Education Office has partnered with IEW to provide the recommended writing curriculum for their member and curriculum schools. IEW will produce a brand new curriculum aligned with Hillsdale’s K-12 Program Guides for third to eighth grades. Join Andrew Pudewa, Julie Walker, and their special guest Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, Assistant Provost for K-12 Education, as they discuss the partnership and the new writing curriculum! Referenced Materials Dr. Kathleen O’Toole Hillsdale Col...
Jul 19, 2023
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Jim Weiss on this episode! For the past thirty-five years, Jim Weiss has been telling stories professionally around the world. This master storyteller grew up hearing his father retell great stories. In “Summer Writing” (Podcast 373), one of the suggested activities is story writing. In this podcast Jim Weiss explains the unbreakable rules of storytelling and offers helpful story writing tips. Referenced Materials Jim Weiss Episode 373: Summer Writing Ideas...
Jul 12, 2023
It is time for another Ask Andrew Anything episode! Join us this week as Julie Walker asks Andrew Pudewa questions submitted by our listeners. Along with helpful tips and insightful suggestions on helping students with spelling and poetry writing, Andrew addresses artificial intelligence (AI) writing technology and what parents and teachers need to be aware of. Referenced Materials Teaching Writing: Structure and Style The Phonetic Zoo Spelling and the Brain audio talk by Andrew Pudewa Structure...
Jul 05, 2023
A wide array of learning differences exists. While we often focus on those differences, such as dyslexia or ADHD, which cause our students to work below their grade levels, students who fall into the GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) category may also struggle in the classroom. In this week’s podcast Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker look at definitions, myths, challenges, and strategies for teachers with gifted students. Referenced Materials Learning Differences? IEW can help! Council for Excep...
Jun 28, 2023
Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss dysgraphia with Jennifer Mauser , one of IEW’s Educational Consultants and a Master Barton tutor. Learn what dysgraphia is and discover ways that you can help students with this learning difference grow their skills and gain confidence in their writing. Referenced Materials Jennifer Mauser Learning Differences? IEW can help! International Dyslexia Association Barton Reading & Spelling System Podcast Episode with Susan Barton Podcast Episode...
Jun 21, 2023
Wonders of Science Writing Lessons joined the theme-based writing series in March 2023. In this podcast Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker bring clarity to the IEW theme-based product line and give recommendations on where to start and where to continue. They also explore the reason why these are the most frequently asked questions from our customers. Listen in as they praise the benefits and wonders of the IEW theme-based writing lessons. Referenced Materials Wonders of Science Writing Lessons Them...
Jun 14, 2023
Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they talk with Drew Formsma about artificial intelligence (AI), ChatGPT, and the effects new technology has on culture. Teachers are scrambling to determine whether using AI is cheating and how students can use artificial intelligence with academic integrity. Parents are simply trying to understand what artificial intelligence is. Listen to this episode as Drew presents suggestions for conversations parents and teachers need to have with their students. Ref...
Jun 07, 2023
In this Homeschooling 101 episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker engage in a conversation about how to homeschool. Where do you start? You can customize your child’s education to suit the needs of your family. This is true if you have preschoolers or are leaving the school system to homeschool. Be inspired as Andrew and Julie share their words of wisdom from many years of homeschooling. Referenced Materials Cultivating Language Arts Primary Arts of Language (PAL) Homeschool Legal Defense Associ...
May 31, 2023
It’s here! After many months we are proud to introduce our newest video product, Introduction to Public Speaking ! In this program middle- and high-school students learn memory and delivery techniques for five different types of speeches, tips on where to stand and where to look, and other valuable skills for becoming confident verbal communicators. Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they elaborate on the new Introduction to Public Speaking. Referenced Materials “IEW's New Introduction to Pu...
May 24, 2023
As the school year winds down and summer approaches, parents may be pondering strategies to enrich their students’ writing. Summer is a great time to take a break from regularly scheduled academics and embrace new activities to retain or expand writing skills. In this week’s podcast Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker suggest some creative ways to do just that. Referenced Materials Theme-Based Writing Lessons Structure and Style for Students Fix It! Grammar Episode 368: National Poetry Month Linguist...
May 17, 2023
It’s graduation season! Commencement speeches, students walking across the stage to receive their diplomas, and parents cheering their graduates are all part of this ceremonial rite of passage. Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss how commencement is a time of celebrating accomplishments and yet preparing to launch into a new life journey. Listen in as Andrew shares his thoughts on graduation and imparts his words of wisdom for both high school and college graduates. Referenced Materials 12 Ru...
May 10, 2023
