Debbie Miller

"I believe in the power of collaborative classroom communities where everyone's ideas are valued and respected. But had you been in my classroom that day, you'd have never known it. You'd have thought I believed that I was the one with all the answers."

Effective, intentional teaching begins with a strong set of beliefs, but even the best teachers -- including Debbie Miller -- struggle to make sure that their classroom practice consistently reflects their core convictions. In Teaching with show more Intention, Debbie shares her process of defining beliefs, aligning practice, and taking action to ensure that children are the true beneficiaries of her teaching. As Peter Johnston writes, "Through this book we have Debbie's teaching mind on loan. She engages us in the details of a teaching life from inside her mind, showing the thinking behind her teaching and the consequences of her actions."

While Debbie's previous book, Reading with Meaning, chronicled a year in her own classroom, Teaching with Intention brings us into classrooms of teachers and children she has met over the last five years in her work as a literacy consultant. From setting up the classroom environment to the intentional use of language, from comprehension instruction to lesson design, Debbie is explicit about what she does and why. At the same time, she encourages teachers to develop their own belief statements concerning teaching and learning, and includes key questions to guide them in this important process.

In an environment where the handing down of scripted programs and "foolproof" curricula is increasingly the norm, Teaching with Intention offers a compelling reminder that truly transformative teaching is built from the ground up, and is rebuilt every year, by every teacher, in every classroom, with every new group of students. show less

I loved this book because it gave ideas of how to the reading process visible through read alouds, anchor charts, and ways to record characters and events. This book is full of pictures of activities that teachers can use with primary age kids. She also touches on how to organize the library and how to teach students to know if the book is at their reading level.

Debbie Miller, an educator with 30 years of experience working with young children and the author of the book "Reading for Understanding" brings us this incredibly insightful and practical book about how to create a caring of culture of understanding, trust, mutual respect, and authentic learning experiences. Miller discusses the need to create a supportive learning environmental, both physically and mentally, where students can feel free to learn and develop at their own pace.
Miller's show more conversational writing style make this a joy to read, while her rich experience make it a deeply personal learning experience. In essence she forces the reader to confront their own philosophy and expectations, stepping back from who they are and look at who they want to be. A very worthwhile professional development book for any practitioner. show less

Debbie Miller is the perfect traditional teacher. She knows her stuff, she’s organized, she has her units down pat, she has her classroom organized perfectly, she has the perfect classroom library in tubs filled with exciting books to use at the precise moment. And, if your child were in her classroom, she’d be an impressive person to talk to on parent’s night. She sometimes goes to the public library even though there is one down the hall. And she has mastered direct teaching so that show more kids not only learn content, but they reflect and apply what they have learned. Technology is absent. No need for a library or collaboration. However, given a very diverse classroom with lots of English learners, something seems to be missing here. We’d like Miller to be more constructivist and demonstrate differentiation, take advantage of technology, the library down the hall, and learn how to collaborate with her teacher librarian. One suspects that a super giant would even be better at her craft with a brand new vision that would retain the best of the old and a mix of the current real world. This approach is not our cup of tea and reflects a world that is fast disappearing, however, there are teachers who could find ideas here from a master organizer. However, we can’t recommend it. show less