It’s time for another Live Ask Andrew Anything episode! Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they answer questions from listeners. They were joined by Nicki Truesdell, who asked “How much grammar and writing do you think is necessary throughout the years of K-12?” Andrew and Julie also answer questions about Structure and Style ® for Students , The Phonetic Zoo , instructor accreditation, and many others. This episode covers all things IEW! Referenced Materials Nicki Truesdell Structure and St...
Jun 19, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss how both dads and grads can benefit from University-Ready Writing . Dads who are in the business world will benefit from grads who complete the course and become better writers. Listen to find out the top three things that make this course worth the investment for graduates and those working in the business world. Referenced Materials University-Ready Writing Free University-Ready Writing lessons IEW Accredited Instructors Episode 376: A Necessary Conversat...
Jun 12, 2024
With the end of the school year comes new opportunities to spend time outside. Listen to this week’s episode as Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss furnishing the mind with time spent outdoors. We all know that spending time outside is good for children. How might spending time outside also improve students’ writing skills? Referenced Materials Episode 248: Nature Deficit Disorder, Part 1 Nature Deficit Disorder audio talk by Andrew Pudewa Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv Until the Str...
Jun 05, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker welcome Kim Cromer to talk about the importance and lifelong impact of learning speech and debate skills. Kim is the Executive Director of NCFCA Christian Speech & Debate (National Christian Forensics and Communications Association) and serves as a member on the Qualification Committee, providing vision and operational oversight for the organization. Referenced Materials Kim Cromer NCFCA Christian Speech & Debate Introduction to Public Speaking Episode 398:...
May 29, 2024
In this week’s episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker encourage parents and teachers to take time over the summer to hone their craft of teaching, focusing on The Great TWSS Adventure. Evan Smith, IEW Accreditation Specialist, shares more about this opportunity to work through Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® during the same time frame when others all over the globe are doing the same thing. Referenced Materials The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw® “Sharpen Yo...
May 22, 2024
This week’s episode is about preventing summer evaporation! Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss ideas for summer learning that won’t lead to long faces and complaints. From state history field trips to scavenger hunts, IEW’s customer service team gave Julie a host of ideas for a summer of fun and learning. Referenced Materials 1000 Hours Outside blog Episode 367: 1000 Hours Outside – A Conversation with Ginny Yurich Episode 323: Preventing Evaporation – Strategies for Summer Writ...
May 15, 2024
An encomium is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly. In this week’s episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker brainstorm ways to show appreciation to teachers and mothers. They also reminisce about teachers who influenced them. Has your student ever written an encomium to show appreciation for you or a teacher? Listen to this episode to hear Andrew’s and Julie’s topic ideas for an encomium in praise of a teacher or mother. Referenced Materials IEW Appreciates Teach...
May 08, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the IEW® 100% satisfaction guarantee and how the return policy works. Learn why Andrew established this policy and why IEW does not ever discount materials. Referenced Materials Satisfaction Guarantee Return Policy Transcript of Podcast Episode 423 If you have questions for Andrew, send them to podcast@IEW.com Perhaps your question will be answered at the next Ask Andrew Anything (AAA). If you have questions about IEW products or classes, contact customer s...
May 01, 2024
If you have been following along all year, we have made it to the final episode in this year’s series on the unit models. Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss Unit 9: Formal Critique. In some ways, it is the culmination of all the units. Explore the value of learning the skills of analysis and writing about literature even if students are not planning to pursue a literary career. Referenced Materials Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® Seminar Workbook Magnum Opus Magazine Unit...
Apr 24, 2024
In this week’s episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker are joined by Heidi Thomas and Joseph Tabenkin. Heidi is part of IEW's Product Development team. This past year she and her team have worked alongside Joseph, a product and software developer, to create IEW Gradebook, an online tool designed to help teachers grade more efficiently and effectively. Listen in for exciting details! Referenced Materials IEW Gradebook Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing audio talk by Andrew Pudewa “Simplify Gr...
Apr 17, 2024
It’s time for another Live Ask Andrew Anything episode! Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they answer questions from listeners. They were joined by Ashley from Joyful Noise Learning, who asked how to answer a child who asks, “Why do I have to learn writing when I am not going to be a writer when I grow up?” Andrew also shares what he is reading to his grandchildren as well as a few other book recommendations. Referenced Materials Joyful Noise Learning However Imperfectly by Andrew Pudewa Pe...
Apr 10, 2024
In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the goodness of memory. Andrew shares his experiences with memorization and some of the reasons behind his passion for it. They introduce a new tool that will help you furnish the mind with poetry, songs, math facts, and more. Referenced Materials Nurturing Competent Communicators audio talk by Andrew Pudewa Mastery Learning, Ability Development, and Individualized Education audio talk by Andrew Pudewa Ten Thousand Times and then Begins Und...
Apr 03, 2024
In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the importance of learning the basic essay model even when many say it is outdated or formulaic. Learn how to take the basic essay model and expand it to a super-essay. Andrew even discusses the name of the longest essay model that uses one of his favorite words. Referenced Materials “De-Confusing Essays” article by Andrew Pudewa Unit 8: Easy Essays and Beyond webinar University-Ready Writing University-Ready Writing free lessons Teaching Wr...
Mar 27, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker give a quick overview of how to start with IEW before diving into the question of how long students should use IEW courses. Students sometimes complain that they are doing the same thing over and over again. Learn why Andrew recommends the repetition of the Structure and Style syllabus over multiple years and whether students will ever graduate from the checklist. Referenced Materials How to Get Started with IEW IEW Homeschool Magalog IEW Pathway Teaching Writing: ...
Mar 20, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker spend this episode sharing the legacy of Dr. James B. Webster. Hear the stories behind the unit models and a few personal anecdotes from Andrew’s long friendship with him. As Andrew said, “If you have benefitted from IEW in any way, you can be grateful for his brilliance, his vision that all children could learn to write well, and his decades-long friendship with me—without which IEW would not exist.” Referenced Materials Dr. James B. Webster Anna Ingham IEW’s stor...
Mar 13, 2024
In this Homeschool 101 episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the importance of attending homeschooling conventions. They reminisce about the conventions they have attended and their favorite things to do when attending a convention. Andrew shares his heart on why home educators and grandparents should make the time and put forth the effort to attend a homeschool convention. Referenced Materials Great Homeschool Convention-South Carolina (GHC-SC) GHC-Missouri GHC-Ohio UTCH Convention 20...
Mar 06, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk to Lisa VanDamme, founder of the VanDamme Academy in Southern California. Lisa is passionate about making meaningful works of literature part of everyone’s life. They are joined by Joseph Tabenkin, who began following her reading program and developed an app for it: Read With Me. Listen to this episode as Andrew and Lisa compare favorite novels and share the joy of reading. Referenced Materials Lisa VanDamme VanDamme Academy Read With Me Joseph Tabenkin Cyrano...
Feb 28, 2024
More than a podcast episode, this interview is a chance to listen to two friends share the story of how they met and the impact each has had on the other. Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Adam Andrews about the history of the Teaching the Classics course and CenterForLit as well as the importance of using Socratic questioning to listen to and learn from authors as they speak through their writing. Referenced Materials Teaching the Classics CenterForLit Ready Readers Pelican Society “Rikk...
Feb 21, 2024
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss preparing to teach Unit 7: Inventive Writing. While most writing programs start with writing from a prompt, the Structure and Style method does not teach this until later in the course. Learn why this is and discover tips for helping even the youngest writers overcome the blank page. Referenced Materials Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare Cultivating Language Arts – Preschool through High School audio talk by Andrew Pudewa 2023 Essay Contest Winners Teachi...
Feb 14, 2024
In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Sara Osborne, author of Reading for the Long Run: Leading Struggling Students into the Reading Life . Listen as they discuss her comparison of teaching reading to long distance running and the surprising rewards for both the teacher and the student when learning is hard. Referenced Materials Reading for the Long Run by Sara Osborne Learning Differences? IEW can help! R14: Learning Differences, Part 1 — Dyslexia Episode 159: IEW and Dyslex...
Feb 07, 2024
After the fun we had with our 400th episode live question and answer, we invited some of our affiliates to join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker for this live Q & A episode. This week Mandi Malz asked for Andrew’s advice for preparing a student for college. Alicia Brown asked which of Andrew’s articles in However Imperfectly is the most vital lesson in the book and what aspects make it particularly significant. Listen for these and other questions sent in by listeners. Referenced Materials Han...
Jan 31, 2024
January is National Mentoring Month. In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss what makes a good mentor and some mentors that they have had. Listen in as they talk about memorable experiences with mentors. Dr. Webster, Andrew’s mentor, encouraged students to mentor one another. How does that work? Does a mentor have to be older than you? This month is a perfect time to consider these questions and perhaps begin a mentoring relationship yourself. Referenced Materials Dr. Shinichi Suz...
Jan 24, 2024
Listen to Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss the Unit 6: Summarizing Multiple References teaching process. Remembering that this is a process, not a product, teachers need to model the research and writing steps with their students. The skills taught in Unit 6 may seem simple, but they form the foundation for research reports and essays. Referenced Materials Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Structure and Style for Students Adventures in Writing Discoveries in Writing Wonders of ...
Jan 17, 2024
What skills do students need to succeed in collegiate writing? Listen to Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss this brand new video course that will prepare your high school and college students for college writing. Hear why Andrew would have called this “How to spy on your professor and figure out his or her writing style and imitate it so you can get a better grade on every paper you turn in”! Referenced Materials University-Ready Writing Episode 354: Paper and Pen — What the Research Says TR...
Jan 10, 2024
To kick off a new year, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss IEW’s theme for 2024: Furnishing the Mind. Listen as Andrew describes how the idea of furnishing the mind with beautiful and good things relates specifically to cultivating the skills of language arts. Referenced Materials However Imperfectly by Andrew Pudewa Episode 54: What Are We Really Doing Here? Cultivating Language Arts – Preschool through High School audio talk by Andrew Pudewa Recommendations for Cultivating the Language Art...
Jan 03, 2024
At this time of year, many people take time to reflect. It is through reflection that learning and growing occurs. In this Homeschool 101 episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker have an inspiring discussion that applies to novice and seasoned homeschoolers alike about the benefits of applying the practice of reflection to homeschooling. They offer several things for parents to consider when they reflect on the last few months of homeschooling. Referenced Materials Mastery Learning, Ability Learn...
Dec 27, 2023
Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk about the purpose and history of IEW’s Twelve Days of Christmas Giving. They also give a hint about the gifts IEW is sharing. Join us! Referenced Materials Twelve Days of Christmas Giving Transcript of Podcast Episode 404 If you have questions for Andrew, send them to podcast@IEW.com Perhaps your question will be answered at the next Ask Andrew Anything (AAA). If you have questions about IEW products or classes, contact customer service at 800.856.5815 or info...
Dec 20, 2023
Motivated by a desire to set teachers up for success, Denise Kelley, IEW Manager of Product Development, works tirelessly to ensure all IEW products and services are aligned with the company’s cornerstone product, Teaching Writing: Structure and Style . Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss with Denise how her over two decades of experience at IEW have shaped her philosophy of product development. Referenced Materials Denise Kelley Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Structure an...
Dec 13, 2023
While many of us have reluctant writers, a few of us have passionate writers! These students find excitement in IEW’s creative Units 3, 5, and 7 and may have written a novel on the side with dreams of one day becoming published. This week Brett Harris, co-author of Do Hard Things, joins Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker. Listen to their discussion about how to make it possible for high school and college students to make those dreams of publication a reality. Referenced Materials Reaching the Reluc...
Dec 06, 2023
In this week’s podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker take a closer look at IEW’s Unit 5: Writing from Pictures. This unit teaches students to pull information from the brain by asking questions about a picture as a source for inspiration. Andrew points out that this same skill is applicable to looking at situations in the world and thinking about them. Join Andrew and Julie as they explain how Dr. Webster developed this unit and expound on the value of asking good questions in order to refine ...
Nov 29, 2023
