On a Reading-Writing Roll

 I hope I'm not jinxing it by saying it aloud.

Lately, I've been very productive when it comes to undertaking writing projects and reading books.

I had been in a reading slump for a long time (since COVID hit) and was only able to force myself out of it by participating in the 2022 Forest of Reading program. 

This summer, despite being quite busy with facilitating the York University TL AQs, I've had some time to tackle some other writing projects. They've actually invigorated me and I've been motivated to work consistently on them, even though the deadlines are far in the future. Many of these writing projects are case studies and papers for peer reviewed academic journals. I described this odd phenomenon to Carol and Neil from AML and one of them said that I'm enjoying the discoveries that come with recording and re-conceptualizing these past learning experiences into a cohesive narrative. This might be true because as the TDSB Professional Library folks continue to find helpful, relevant articles related to my topics, I find myself interested in how these previously published works connect, support, or challenge some of my thoughts and ideas. I'm not talking about fiction works, but scholarly books about game based learning and algorithms. (I was so enamored of one of the books - Serious Play - that I bought it for myself - and I must say, those kind of books don't come cheap!)

My writing has flowed even in my blog posts and other tasks, such as abstracts and proposals. I'm trying to figure out what's causing the creativity and the renewed ability to read deeply. Is is the more-leisurely timeline? Is it because it has a concrete purpose? Is it because I like a challenge? 

How does this apply to students in school? They don't have the same degree of time and choice. There are certain things they must read for a course and they must complete it by a prescribed time. How can you get students on a reading-roll or writing-roll? How can I keep myself on this roll?