Jeff Nease joins Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker in the studio to share his excitement about the Virtual Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® workshop which will be held August 4–6, 2026. They discuss the benefits of completing this training, the incentive to attend live, and the support the IEW Schools Department will provide throughout the workshop and after to assist you in training your students to become confident and competent communicators and thinkers.

Referenced Materials

• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
• Jeff Nease
• Virtual Teaching Writing: Structure and Style registration and web page
• Virtual Teaching Writing: Structure and Style blog post
• Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing
• IEW Schools Department
• Connect with Our Schools Department
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 534

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@IEW.com

While this episode may be short and sweet, it is full of information about the IEW Annual Educators’ Conference taking place July 25 online and on site in our studio. Listen to Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the talks Andrew will present, the benefits of attending live, and more.

Referenced Materials

• IEW Annual Educators’ Conference registration and web page
• IEW Annual Educators’ Conference blog post
• 2025 IEW Annual Educators’ Conference
• 2024 IEW Annual Educators’ Conference
• However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Thirty Years of Teaching by Andrew Pudewa
• Hacking High School
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 533

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@IEW.com

In this Laying the Foundation episode, Julie Walker talks with Denise Kelley, IEW’s director of product development, about the process of updating Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®, IEW’s flagship teacher training seminar. They share the features that make the third edition simpler, easier to use, and more effective. Listen to this episode to learn the who, why, and what of this update. 

Referenced Materials

• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Announcing IEW's Teaching Writing: Structure and Style, Third Edition!webinar
• IEW Accreditation
• IEW Gradebook
• IEW Online classes
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 532

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@IEW.com

Listen to this episode to learn Andrew Pudewa’s history of training with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki and how Andrew recognized in Dr. Webster’s Structure and Style® methodology a kind of Suzuki Method™ for English composition. Based on modeling and imitation, a sequential development of techniques, periodic review of composition structures, and an emphasis on mastery prior to progression, Dr. Webster’s writing program was a near perfect implementation of Dr. Suzuki’s philosophy of education. 

Referenced Materials

• “In Retrospect: Heroes of Providence.”
• However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Thirty Years of Teachingby Andrew Pudewa
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 531

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa answers your questions about the difference between editing and grading a paper, what “hands off content” means, and how to help students improve their use of dress-ups and openers at the point of need. Julie Walker ends the episode with a special announcement about an upcoming event, so be sure to listen all the way to the end!

Referenced Materials

• But . . . but . . . but . . . What about Grammar? audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• “Marking and Grading” by Andrew Pudewa
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• Episode 448: Degree Free with Hannah Maruyama
• Episode 550 Registration
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 530

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker interview Debbi Hall, IEW’s Educational Consultant for Independent Study Schools/Programs. They discuss what independent study schools are and how IEW supports them. Debbi shares her enthusiasm for assisting teachers and teaching parents with their students’ needs.

Referenced Materials

• Debbi Hall
• Independent Study Charter Schools
• Try IEW's Top Curriculum for Free!
• IEW Accreditation
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 529

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@IEW.com

In this Laying the Foundation episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss one of the foundational skills that IEW teaches along with writing—asking questions. Andrew reviews the structural units to show how the units use questions to help students with “what to write about.” In the process, students build thinking skills. 

Referenced Materials

• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• “The Power of the Method Is in the Structure”
• University-Ready Writing
• “How IEW Teaches Thinking”
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 528

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@IEW.com

Go to Part 1.

In the second part of this recording from the 2026 IEW Winter Retreat, a panel of Schools Department team members join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker to continue discussing tips and tricks for avoiding the four deadly errors in the classroom. They end with a conversation about AI in the classroom.

Referenced Materials

• IEW Winter Retreat recording on YouTube
• Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing by Andrew Pudewa
              Audio talk
              Article
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 527

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@IEW.com

Go to Part 2.

In this recording from the 2026 IEW Winter Retreat, a panel of Schools Department team members join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker to discuss tips and tricks for avoiding the four deadly errors in the classroom. They give classroom-tested strategies for using IEW tools to make writing accessible and enjoyable for every student. 

Referenced Materials

• “Process versus Product” by Andrew Pudewa
• “Imitation: A Common-Sense Approach” by Andrew Pudewa
• However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Thirty Years of Teaching by Andrew Pudewa
              Article
              Book
• Premium Membership
• “The Power of the Checklist.”
• “The IEW Checklist Generator: Making EZ+1 Easy!”
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• From Copywork to Composition audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 526

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@IEW.com

In this fast-paced episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker chat with Ben Greenfield, who was in one of Andrew’s first writing classes. The discussion covers an array of topics, from health and wellness to parenting to homeschooling and family life. As the author of the Boundless series, Ben exudes boundless energy and excitement for life.

Referenced Materials

• Ben Greenfield Life website
• Ben Greenfield's books
• Whole Stix
• Episode 364: Health and Wellness with Katie Wells
• Ben’s sons’ card game
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 525

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@IEW.com

Is the workplace trend of quiet quitting spilling over into education? Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker for a discussion about motivation and how to help kids develop greater attention spans and a desire to learn. Andrew talks about the importance of helping students develop hobbies and learn to make and do real things away from screens.

Referenced Materials

• “Are Students 'Quiet Quitting'? What the Workplace Trend Can Teach Us About K-12”
• Education Week Facebook post
• “The Art and Science of Motivation” by Andrew Pudewa
• However Imperfectly by Andrew Pudewa
• Principles of Motivation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Writing Contests
• “What is IEW? Method not Madness” by Andrew Pudewa
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 524

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@IEW.com

“If the children can’t go to the walls, the walls must come to the children.” Listen to this episode to learn the history of the popular Portable Walls™ products. Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker share the inspiration behind these handy resources and the variations that have been developed through the years.  

Referenced Materials

• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Portable Walls™ for Structure and Style® Students
• Portable Walls™ for Academic Writing
• Portable Walls™ for the Public Speaker
• Portable Walls™ Grammar on the Go
• “Sound City, the Heart of Anna Ingham’s Language Arts Program”
• Rocklin School District Study

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@IEW.com

“Don’t start a sentence with because!” is a common refrain among teachers. In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss why this word is important and how it fits into IEW’s list of stylistic techniques. Andrew considers how this word promotes thinking and why teaching students to use it provides exercise in overcoming awkwardness in writing. Why else should you listen to this episode? You should listen because you will discover how learning to write actually helps you learn to listen better.

Referenced Materials

• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• “But it’s so . . . so . . . awkward!”
• University-Ready Writing
• IEW Accreditation
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 522

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the prompts for the annual IEW Writing Contest. Listen to this episode to learn why does IEW have a writing contest, what the value of entering a writing contest is for students, and how a writing contest fits into the types of motivation. Andrew breaks down the prompts and talks about how a writer might approach this essay.

Referenced Materials

• IEW Writing Contest
• Other Writing Contests
• “The Benefits of Entering Writing Contests”
• Principles of Motivation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Magnum Opus Magazine
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 521

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@IEW.com

How do you motivate your students to do more than the bare minimum? Are there ways to help your students write better topic-clincher sentences? Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss these questions and more in another Ask Andrew Anything episode. You never know what question Julie may ask!

Referenced Materials

• Episode 478: What’s in Your Audible Account?
• Episode 231:The Dyslexic Advantage – A Conversation with Brock and Fernette Eide, Part 1
• Episode 159: IEW and Dyslexia – A Conversation with Susan Barton
• Principles of Motivation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Memoria Press Logic courses
• The Art of Argument
• The Argument Builder
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 1 Level A
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• Link to Episode 520 video
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 520

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@IEW.com

Why is it important to teach grammar? How does grammar help with comprehension and skills beyond just knowing the parts of speech? Listen as Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker dive into this valuable subject. Andrew shares a bit of the history behind the Fix It!® Grammar series and talks about why it is an effective method of teaching grammar.

Referenced Materials

• But . . . but . . . but . . . What about Grammar? audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Fix It! Grammar
• Fix It! Grammar free lessons
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 519

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker highlight the IEW Checklist Generator™ that allows teachers and teaching parents to customize their students’ checklists and to provide clear and reasonable expectations for assignments. They also discuss the intangible benefits of using the checklist, such as helping students organize their work and learn responsibility to “do what you check and check what you do.”

Referenced Materials

• Episode 516: The Power of the Checklist
• Portable Walls™ for Structure and Style® Students
• A Word Write Now
• IEW Writing Toolbox app
• The IEW Checklist Generator, Making EZ+1 Easy!
• Premium Membership
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 518

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@IEW.com

This episode is a recording of Julie Walker presenting the EZ+1: IEW's Step-by-Step Teaching Method webinar. Learning to write is foundational to a child’s education, but for many students it is confusing and frustrating. Likewise, for some teachers, training students in composition can seem overly complex and burdensome. However, teaching students to write well is not only possible, but it can be enjoyable!

Referenced Materials

• Webinar presentation slides
• Free lessons from IEW courses
• Structure and Style® for Students
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
• Fix It!® Grammar
• University-Ready Writing
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• Introduction to Public Speaking
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• The Phonetic Zoo
• Primary Arts of Language
• IEW Schools Department
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 517

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the history of the IEW’s methodology and how the checklist makes it possible for students to enjoy writing. Julie also shares about the IEW Checklist Generator™, IEW® Gradebook, and instructor accreditation.

Referenced Materials

• Blended Structure and Style in Composition by Dr. James B. Webster
• Episode 416: A Tribute to Dr. James B. Webster
• “The Online IEW Checklist Generator™”
• IEW® Gradebook
• Episode 512: IEW Gradebook – Why Teachers Love It
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• IEW Accreditation
• Dr. Webster’s University Essay Checklists
• “The Power of the Checklist”  
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 516

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@IEW.com

Picture a hall filled with row upon row of booths showcasing curriculum, activity kits, and books! Add many homeschool parents (and maybe some grandparents), helpful consultants, and plenty of engaging speakers. This is the ideal recipe for a refreshing and inspiring weekend at a homeschool convention. Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss why you should attend a conference and how to prepare to get the most out of your weekend.

Referenced Materials

• Homeschool conventions where you can find IEW in 2026
• Episode 415: Get Thee to a Homeschool Convention
• “Encouragement for the Journey”
• Andrew Pudewa convention talk recordings
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 515

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa insists, “If you're ever feeling a little low on hope for the future, get yourself to a speech and debate tournament and just see young people flourishing in every way.” In this episode, learn why he believes this as he and Julie Walker interview three of the NCFCA 2025 Champions: Abbagail Fagot, Pierce Stanton, and Jonathan Paul. These students share how they started with speech and debate, how it prepares them academically, and how it benefitted them in some intangible ways as well.

Referenced Materials

• NCFCA
• Episode 487: Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism, Part 1
• Episode 459: Speech and Debate with Christy Shipe
• Episode 427: NCFCA with Kim Cromer✟
• Introduction to Public Speaking
• Introduction to Public Speaking free lessons
• NCFCA 2025–26 Tournaments
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 514

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@IEW.com

As we begin a new year, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker sit down to talk about a question that is on every educator’s mind: how and when to use AI? With the swiftly changing technology, Andrew notes that our conclusions today may change in a month. With that in mind, he provides some suggestions for how to think about the use of AI and how to best prepare students to use AI well.

Referenced Materials

• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 1 Level C
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
• Podcast 481: Writing Across the Curriculum with Dr. O’Toole
• The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 513

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Julie Walker interviews Heidi Thomas, the “wizard behind the curtain” who has helped develop IEW® Gradebook as well as many of the Writing Across the Curriculum courses. Heidi shares how IEW Gradebook helps teachers efficiently and effectively grade papers and get their weekends back. 

Referenced Materials

• IEW Gradebook
• “It Keeps Getting Better!”
• “Simplify Grading with IEW Gradebook”
• “Teacher Spotlight: Laura McMahon, Ivywood Classical Academy”
• “Teacher Spotlight: Heidi Plocher, Michigan Lutheran High School”
• Heidi Thomas
• Transcript for Podcast Episode 512

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker introduce IEW’s theme for 2026: Laying the Foundation. They answer the questions: What are the basics? How does IEW help students get back to the basics of learning? They talk about the simple, timeless, and elegant ways that IEW helps students cultivate attentiveness, memory, and ideas. Listen to the end to hear Julie make a special announcement.

Referenced Materials

• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® 
• IEW Homeschool Magalog 
• IEW Schools Magalog 
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 511

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker address questions from our listeners as well as questions that have been sent to our customer service team. The questions include whether IEW helps with specific mnemonics for writing, whether IEW methods provide scaffolding, and what to do when you take the month of December off. Andrew also reads some of the mail that he has received from students. Julie ends with a question about what kinds of books to read, and Andrew’s answer may surprise you.

Referenced Materials

• Structure and Style® for Students
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• University-Ready Writing
• Introduction to Public Speaking

• Link to Episode 510 video
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 510

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Julie Walker is joined by Terra Tyler, customer accounts manager, to talk about Christmas traditions old and new. They talk about family recipes, Christmas activities, and, of course, IEW’s Twelve Days of Christmas Giving.

Referenced Materials

• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving 100 days countdown reel
• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving 50 days countdown reel
• History of Musubi
• Recipe for Musubi
• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 509

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@IEW.com

In this podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker introduce the listeners to Kimberly Klokus, the founder of River’s Run, which exists to “equip [and s]upply foster families and foster children going into care with resources and supplies they need to ease the trauma.” Kimberly’s joy and enthusiasm overflow as she shares her story and how others can help those who are in the foster system as either children or caregivers. Listen and be encouraged.

Referenced Materials

• River’s Run Cottage
• River’s Run Amazon Wish List
• NCFCA Christian Speech & Debate
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 508

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@IEW.com

We are wrapping up our year of focusing on how to think. In this episode, Julie Walker asks Andrew Pudewa to share his experience with teaching Unit 5 and how this provides training for the later units. They talk about the history of Unit 5 and how it can help with higher level thinking needed for writing conclusions and critiques. They also discuss how this unit provides a place for students to be a little more creative than the other units and why it fits well as a bit of freedom in the middle of the year.

Referenced Materials

• “Asking Questions with Unit 5”
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• Transcript to Podcast Episode 507

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@IEW.com

As our listeners know, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker are tireless advocates for reading aloud, but it can be hard for busy parents to fit in all that reading. In this podcast, Andrew and Julie interview the Winsteads, who are trying to solve this problem and provide quality recordings for 1000 good books. Learn more in this episode about the 1000 Good Books Project and how your family can enjoy classic books for all ages.

Referenced Materials

• Nurturing Competent Communicators audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Read-Aloud Revival
• “Letter to a Bookshelf” by Andrew Pudewa
• 1000 Good Books Project
• John Senior
• John Senior’s The Thousand Good Books list
• Mark Van Doren
• The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior
• The Death of Christian Culture by John Senior
• How to Listen (1000 Good Books Project)
• Gift membership (1000 Good Books Project)
• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 506

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@IEW.com

In this podcast episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker spend some time speaking with Amber O’Neal Johnston, known to many as the Heritage Mom. She is a homeschool mom and writer who is passionate about sharing about homeschooling, parenting, literature, history, travel, and family culture. In this encouraging episode, she shares how books can be mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.

Referenced Materials

• Amber O’Neal Johnston
• Heritage Mom blog
• Rudine Sims Bishop
• Sweet Tea and Cookiesby Amber O’Neal Johnston
• Homegrown: Guidance and Inspiration for Navigating Your Homeschooling Journey edited by Amber O’Neal Johnston
• A Place to Belong: Raising Kids to Celebrate Their Heritage, Community, and the World by Amber O’Neal Johnston
• Soul School: Taking Kids on a Joy-Filled Journey Through the Heart of Black American Culture by Amber O’Neal Johnston
• IEW Events: Conventions
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 505

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@IEW.com

In this “While Andrew is Away” episode, Julie Walker is joined by IEW’s Schools Department Manager Jeff Nease. He explains the importance of connecting with an Educational Consultant and staying connected even after the order has been placed. Additionally, he explains how schools use IEW writing courses for student instruction, teacher modeling, and professional development. Jeff wraps up the episode with his personal motivation: “When teachers feel equipped, students flourish.” 

Referenced Materials

• IEW Schools Department
• Jeff Nease
• Connect with an Educational Consultant
• Episode 474: Professional Development with Jeff Nease
• Structure and Style® for Students
• 60-Second School
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
• Select a Training Preference
• “Writing across the Curriculum and Why It Matters”
• Writing Across the Curriculum Courses (formerly theme-based writing lessons)
• IEW Accreditation
• IEW Gradebook
• Studies and Research
• Testimonials
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 504

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@IEW.com

In this thought-provoking episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss how to think and how that applies to challenging assumptions. They discuss the ways that IEW challenges some assumptions about teaching writing. Julie asks Andrew to describe argumentative and persuasive essays and how those teach students to consider others’ opinions. 

Referenced Materials

• Episode 499: A Conversation about Critical Thinking with Jennifer Mauser
• “Why and How Should We Teach Critical Thinking?”
• Structure and Style® for Students
• “Writing Essays with Unit 8”
• Episode 307: Changing Someone’s Mind – The Power of Persuasive Writing
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 503

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker have a conversation with Dr. Colin Chesley, associate vice president of the College of Health and Public Services at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida. They discuss the challenges facing students today in higher education and the challenges presented by AI. Dr. Chesley discusses how IEW has helped his own children and how University-Ready Writing can prepare students for college writing assignments.

Referenced Materials

• Dr. Colin Chesley
• Daytona State College
• “The Writing Skills Gap”
• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man” by Andrew Pudewa
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• University-Ready Writing
• “Streamlining Research with Unit 6”
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 502

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@IEW.com

Hard Work U® is the motto at College of the Ozarks. Valerie Coleman, director of communications and public relations, and Micah, a public relations major and student working in that office, join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker to talk about the unique environment at College of the Ozarks. They discuss how students are able to pay for college by working in many unique venues on campus. Listen to their conversation and share it with any hardworking, college-bound students that you know.

Referenced Materials

• College of the Ozarks
• College of the Ozarks Ice Cream
• Classic Learning Test
• School of the Ozarks
• College of the Ozarks mission
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 501

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@IEW.com

In Part 3 of the 500th episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker reflect on the deeper purpose of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). They emphasize the accessibility of IEW’s materials and share stories from parents and students illustrating the transformative effects of IEW programs for both homeschoolers and full-time schools. Wrapping up, they reinforce the central idea that IEW is ultimately about teaching students to read, write, speak, and think well—prompting the ongoing question: “What are we really doing here?”

Go to Part 1.

Go to Part 2.

Referenced Materials

• Portable Walls™ for Structure and Style® Students
• IEW Premium Membership 
• Checklist Generator™
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Structure and Style® for Students
• Adventures in Writing
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style (TWSS)
• IEW Online Instructors
• IEW Brand Ambassador Program
• Contact IEW Customer Support
• Chef JoJo Recipe App
• Arts of Language Podcast
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 500 Part 3

500th Episode Giveaway: Receive a free Portable Walls for Structure and Style Students with coupon code E500-PWSS (for the first 500 customers).

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@IEW.com

In part two of their 500th episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker continue their lighthearted yet thoughtful conversation. They explain how IEW’s accreditation process works and helps applicants achieve mastery of each unit step by step. The conversation then shifts toward larger educational questions, specifically the role of artificial intelligence in teaching writing. Listen as Andrew and Julie explain the value of process over product and encourage families to invest in authentic learning experiences that will prepare students to thrive.

Go to Part 1.

Go to Part 3. 

Referenced Materials

• IEW® Gradebook
• IEW Instructor Accreditation
• Structure and Style for Students
• Portable Walls™ for Structure and Style®Students
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 500 Part 2

500th Episode Giveaway: Receive a free Portable Walls for Structure and Style Students with coupon code E500-PWSS (for the first 500 customers).

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@IEW.com

In part one of the 500th episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker reflect on the history and growth of the Arts of Language podcast. They share lighthearted stories about podcast listening habits and discuss how far the podcast has come since its early days. The conversation turns to memorable episodes, such as interviews with Andrew’s son about the hidden strengths of dyslexia, guest appearances from Dr. Leonard Sax and Dr. Carol Swain, and discussions of books like How to Think like Shakespeare. 

Go to Part 2.

Go to Part 3.

Referenced Materials

• Episode 54: What Are We Really Doing Here? Part 1
• Episode 197: While Andrew's Away – Living with Dyslexia—An Interview with Chris Pudewa, Part 1
• Episode R07: Why Gender Matters – An Interview with Dr. Leonard Sax
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• Episode 382: Announcing IEW’s Partnership with Hillsdale College!
• Episode 481: Writing across the Curriculum with Dr. O’Toole
• Amber O’Neal Johnston
• Heidi St. John
• MomStrong 365 A Daily Devotional to Encourage and Empower Everyday Moms
• The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie
• Episode R05: Are You a Part of a "Read-Aloud Family"? A Conversation with Sarah Mackenzie
• Episode 435: Becoming Homeschoolers with Monica Swanson
• Episode 282: A Visit with Dr. Carol Swain†
• Episode 264: The Benefits of Mastery Education
• Episode 299: The Profound Power of Poetry
• Episode 283: A Bookish Discussion, Part 1
• Episode 272: The Different Stages of Learning
• Episode 273: Culture, Curriculum, and Care, Part 1
• Episode 281: Talking about the Intangibles
• Episode 296: Impacting English Language Learners with Structure and Style
• Episode 288: Reaching the Reluctant Writer, Part 1
• Episode 293: Process versus Product
• Episode 294: Writing across the Curriculum
• Episode 269: The Mighty Pen – Teaching Students to Change the World through Language
• Episode 311: Optimizing Instruction for Boys and Girls
• Episode 306: Speaking of Spelling
• Episode 305: Homeschool 101, An Interview with Sam Sorbo
• Episode 447: Alternative Learning with Jennifer Mauser
• Episode 478: What’s in Your Audible Account?
• Soul School by Amber O’Neal Johnston
• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving
• Episode 261: When Technology in Education Makes Sense
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 500 Part 1

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Jennifer Mauser, an educational consultant with IEW Schools Department, about the importance of critical thinking and some ways to build critical thinking in your students. Jennifer brings her experience as a mom, Accomplished IEW Instructor, and Master Barton Tutor and shares how she has seen the critical thinking skills in her students expand as she has used IEW methods and materials.

Referenced Materials

• Jennifer Mauser
• IEW Book Recommendations 
• Read-Aloud Revival
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• “How IEW Teaches Thinking”
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 499

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker address how to assist students who join midyear. They discuss whether it is necessary to teach all the previous units before new students join the rest of the class and how to handle customizing the checklist. Listen to this helpful conversation that focuses on the best practices that will truly benefit a student.

Referenced Materials

• Bible-Based Writing Lessons
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Structure and Style Overview
• Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• IEW Checklist Generator™
• “IEW's Checklist: Supporting Student Success”
• Premium Membership
• Principles of Motivation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• “Perfecting Style with Time and Practice”
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 498

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Donahue Academy’s Dr. Marc Snyder, principal, and Deacon Edward Watson, assistant principal for curriculum and instruction. They share how and why Donahue Academy has chosen to use IEW, why classical education is growing, and how the IEW Schools Department can assist schools with implementing the Structure and Style® methodology.

Referenced Materials

• Donahue Academy 
• Dr. Marc Snyder, Ed.D.
• Deacon Edward Watson, M.S.E
• Teacher Training Method Options: Live On-Site Professional Development
• Structure and Style for Students
• “Writing across the Curriculum and Why It Matters”
• Theme-Based Writing Lessons
• Why Donahue Academy Chose IEW video
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 497

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss a recent study that shows young parents are not reading aloud to their children. Andrew shares stories of reading aloud to his children and grandchildren. They share ways to make reading aloud more enjoyable for both parents and children and end with a call to action for parents. 

Referenced Materials

• Nurturing Competent Communicators audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Read-Aloud Revival
• Episode 486: Unfairly Advantaging Your Students
• Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
• “New Research Reveals That Parents Are Losing the Love of Reading Aloud” 
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 496

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@IEW.com

In this Homeschool 101 episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Darren Jones, senior counsel and director of group services at Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). They discuss the history of homeschooling laws, the benefits of joining HSLDA, and other information helpful for new and veteran homeschool families. Listen to the end for a special offer for IEW Premium Membership subscribers.

Referenced Materials

• Darren Jones, Esq.
• Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
• Premium Membership
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 495

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@IEW.com

“You can’t think a thought if you don’t have the words to think it.” In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk about how building vocabulary enhances thinking skills. Throughout IEW’s history, thinking about words and their meanings has been incorporated into nearly all of our courses. Listen as Andrew and Julie discuss how we teach vocabulary and why it is important to teach it in the context of other courses.

Referenced Materials

• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• A Word Write Now
• Structure and Style® for Students
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Theme-Based Writing Lessons
• The Phonetic Zoo spelling program
• Transcript for Podcast Episode 494

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker add more books to your TBR (to be read) pile. Listen as they describe more favorite fiction and nonfiction selections, perfect for listening during cool autumn days, doing puzzles, or driving to and from activities as the school year starts again. 

Go to Part 1.

Referenced Materials

• The Testament by John Grisham
• The End of the World Is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan
• Dominion by Tom Holland
• Sooley by John Grisham
• Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
• The Mysterious Howling: The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville
• Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
• The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin
• Read-Aloud Revival® (Sarah Mackenzie)
• The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 493

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@IEW.com

In this fascinating episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Dr. Steven Hales about the challenges of teaching and learning in the age of AI. Dr. Hales is a professor of philosophy at the Commonwealth University of PA at Bloomsburg and has spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the challenges that students and professors are facing. 

Referenced Materials

• Hilarius Bookbinder Substack
• Scriptorium Philosophia
• The Myth of Luck by Steven D. Hales
• “Why AI Is Destroying Academic Integrity” by Steven D. Hales
• “Process versus Product” by Andrew Pudewa
• “The Average College Student Today” 
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 492

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@IEW.com

If you have ever considered becoming an accredited IEW instructor, this podcast is for you. Listen as Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Sydney Hoff, founder and director of Rose Writing Center. Sydney shares how IEW has impacted her teaching and contributed to the growth of her business. After becoming an accredited IEW instructor herself and realizing the value of that process, Sydney recommends it to everyone she works with.

Referenced Materials

• Rose Writing Center
• Sydney Hoff
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• IEW® Gradebook
• Episode 414: Furnishing the Mind with Reading – Read With Me
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• Poetry recitation videos from Rose Writing Center
• IEW Accreditation Program
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 491

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@IEW.com

In this Live Ask Andrew Anything episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker answer questions submitted by listeners. They discuss how to encourage a child to continue practicing a musical instrument, how to help students who are struggling with the questioning skills for Unit 5 and Unit 7, what to do after completing the six books in the Fix It!® Grammar series, what to use for writing a novel, and more. Andrew ends with some letters that he has received from students.

Referenced Materials

• Principles of Motivation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 2 Level A
• Fix It!® Grammar: Level 6 Little Mermaid
• One Year Adventure Novel
• “Where are they now? Taylor Bennett: Porch Swing Girl” 
• Episode 115: National Novel Writing Month – Special Interview with Taylor Bennett
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level C
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 3 Level B
• Link to Episode 490 video
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 490

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@IEW.com

In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker interview Lizabeth Brasells, the managing editor of Magnum Opus Magazine—IEW’s premier showcase of work from students around the world. Listen as they share the history behind the Magnum Opus, the process of selecting pieces for publication, and the ways the magazine can be used by teachers and teaching parents to model the Structure and Style® method and motivate students.

Referenced Materials

• Magnum Opus Magazine
• Lizabeth Brasells
• IEW Writing Contest
• “Magnum Opus Magazine: A Resource and Opportunity for Teachers and Students” 
• Andrew Pudewa introduces Magnum Opus Magazine
• Transcript for Podcast Episode 489

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker continue their live session at the NCFCA National Championships. This part of the conversation focused on how using the IEW methodology helps students avoid plagiarism. Andrew also discussed whether there is a place for AI in academics. Listen to hear what students asked Andrew at the end of the session.

Go to Part 1

Referenced Materials

• NCFCA Christian Speech and Debate
• Episode 354: Paper and Pen – What the Research Says
• University-Ready Writing
• University-Ready Writing free lessons
• Episode 492: Academic Integrity with Dr. Stephen Hale
• IEW Gradebook
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 488

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker recorded this two-part podcast at the NCFCA National Championship in St. Paul, Minnesota, in June 2025. They discuss what plagiarism is, why it is easier for students to plagiarize today, and why it is important to avoid plagiarism. Be sure to listen to Part 2 (posts on 9/3) as they discuss some solutions to this problem. 

Go to Part 2

Referenced Materials

• NCFCA Christian Speech and Debate
• Episode 459: Speech and Debate with Christy Shipe
• Hacking High School: Rethinking the Teen Years audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man” article by Andrew Pudewa
• Episode 492: Academic Integrity with Dr. Stephen Hale
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 487
  
  

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss how children thrive when parents read aloud to them. Reading aloud builds family bonds and shared memories as well as increases vocabulary and comprehension. Listen to this episode to learn more.

Referenced Materials

• Summer Help from IEW
• “Is having a loving family an unfair advantage?”
• Episode 354: Paper and Pen — What the Research Says
• Read-Aloud Revival
• Structure and Style® for Students free lessons
• Theme-Based Writing Lessons
• Grammar for a Full Life by Lawrence Weinstein
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 486

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker share their top tips for new homeschool families. They focus on overall lifestyle choices and priorities instead of specific curriculum recommendations. If you are considering homeschooling or know someone who is, this is the perfect episode. Grab a glass of iced tea or lemonade and glean some wisdom from Andrew and Julie.

Referenced Materials

• However Imperfectly audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Episode 326: Fatherhood and Family – A Dad Talk, Part 1
• Hacking High School audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• The Etiquette Factory
• IEW Annual Educators’ Conference
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 485

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker continue diving into this year's theme: How to Think. In this episode, they talk about famous questions and quotations that have to do with thinking and learning, as well as some that spark thinking. Listen to glean some questions and quotations that will spark thoughtful conversations in your home or classroom.

Referenced Materials

• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education by Scott Newstok
• What Are We Really Doing Here? by Andrew Pudewa
  • Article
  • Audio talk
• However Imperfectly by Andrew Pudewa
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 484

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk about how the use of AI for writing impacts the process of training students to be critical thinkers. While it may be tempting for students and parents alike to use AI for writing because it is faster and easier, Andrew encourages parents to realize the dangers, including inaccurate facts, imprecise thinking, and unfounded opinions.

Referenced Materials

• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man” article by Andrew Pudewa
• Arts of Language homeschool magalog
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 483

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker are joined by IEW’s Customer Support Manager, Catherine Hafer, to discuss the many roles that the customer service team members fill as they serve you and IEW.

Referenced Materials

• Catherine Hafer
• Our Team
• Principles of Motivation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 482

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@IEW.com

In this engaging episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the idea of writing across the curriculum with Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, Associate Vice President for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College. They discuss the exciting partnership IEW has formed with the Hillsdale K-12 program that provides guidance and partnership for classical schools as well as teacher training events. They also share the benefits for students and teachers when writing can be integrated with the overall curriculum. 

Referenced Materials

• Dr. James B. Webster
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Theme-Based Writing Lessons
• Hillsdale College
• Hillsdale K-12 Education
• Adventures in Writing
• Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence
• K-12 at Home
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 481

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@IEW.com

In this Live Ask Andrew Anything episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker answer questions submitted by listeners. Listen as they discuss how to find the literature suggestions in IEW’s courses, how to decide what courses to use first with younger students, why the levels of some of the theme-based books have changed, what books Andrew is reading now, and more! 

Referenced Materials

• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 1 Level C
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 2 Level B
• The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
• Investigations in Writing
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level A
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Wonders of Science Writing Lessons
• Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons
• The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
• The Plague by Albert Camus
• 1984 by George Orwell
• Silence by Shūsaku Endō
• Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
• The End of the World Is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan
• We Who Wrestle with God by Jordan B. Peterson
• IEW Online Classes
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 3 Level B
• Writing Contests
• Magnum Opus Magazine
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 2 Level C
• Paper and Pen – What the Research Says audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Link to Episode 480 video
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 480

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@IEW.com

IEW’s instructor accreditation program is back and better than ever! In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker sit down with Denise Kelley, Director of Product Development at IEW. They talk about the history and purpose of the accreditation program before explaining the new tiers of accreditation and the improved process for becoming accredited. If you want to know more about the new accreditation program, listen to this podcast and visit the IEW Accreditation Program web page.

Referenced Materials

• IEW Accreditation Program
• Apply for IEW Accreditation
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® Seminar
• Structure and Style for Students
• IEW® Gradebook
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 479

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@IEW.com

May is often the month when IEW instructors are reaching Unit 9 in which students write formal critiques and Response to Literature compositions. Many of IEW’s courses include literature suggestions because we recognize the importance of connecting literature and writing. In this podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the impact literature has on thinking and the connections between memory, imagination, and words. Finally, they share some of their favorite books that are in their Audible accounts.

Go to Part 2.

Referenced Materials

• Episode 283: A Bookish Discussion, Part 1 
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1 
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
• The Chronicles of Narnia collection by C.S. Lewis
• Zorro: The Legend Begins by Johnston McCulley
• Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
• The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni
• Catherine of Siena by Sigrid Undset
• Kristen Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
• Wanting by Luke Burgis
• The Molecule of More by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
• Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
• That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
• The Complete Novels of Jane Austen by Jane Austen
• Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
• Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 478

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@IEW.com

In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Sarah Mackenzie about furnishing the mind with words and beauty by reading aloud. Listen as they discuss the importance of not just the words but also the artwork in children’s picture books. Sarah shares her passion for rightly ordered beauty in the words and art in the books they are publishing at Waxwing Books, and she gives a short summary of each of the picture books available.

Referenced Materials

• Nurturing Competent Communicators audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Read-Aloud Revival®
• Waxwing Books
• A Little More Beautiful by Sarah Mackenzie
• While Everyone Is Sleeping by Sarah Mackenzie
• Because Barbara by Sarah Mackenzie
• Dear Duck, Please Come! by Sarah Mackenzie
• Painting Wonder by Katie Wray Schon
• Read-Aloud Revival Podcast
• Read-Aloud Revival Booklists
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 477

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@IEW.com

May 5–9 is Teacher Appreciation Week. What gifts do teachers appreciate most? Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker share some ideas for showing appreciation to all the teachers in your life.

Referenced Materials

• “Gifts for Teachers: What They REALLY Want”
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 476

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker sit down with Stacia Lowe, a homeschool teacher who is passionate about providing hope and stressless homeschooling through budgeting. She shares inspiring stories and tips for making budgeting less painful. If you are concerned about the cost of homeschooling, this is an encouraging episode.

Referenced Materials

• Books by Stacia Rae Lowe & Adam Alva Lowe
• Knot Your Average Knitting classes and other homeschool resources
• Lowe Budget Digital Products
• Stacia’s Newsletter
• Stacia’s Blog
• A capella sample of The Sonshiners
• Knits 'n Novels - Instagram
• Stacia Rae Lowe, Author - Facebook
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 475

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker interview Jeff Nease, who provides support to schools using IEW materials in his role as IEW’s Implementation Coach. Jeff shares his passion for training teachers to use IEW in their classrooms. Andrew, Julie, and Jeff also discuss the 4-Step Implementation Plan and the various options for training that IEW provides.

Referenced Materials

• IEW Schools Department
• Jeff Nease
• Structure and Style® for Students
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
• “An Exciting Addition to Premium Membership: TTAP”
• Virtual Teaching Writing: Structure and Style workshop
• Premium Membership
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 474

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@IEW.com

April is National Poetry Month. In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss the history of Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization, one of Andrew’s favorite projects. Listen as they talk about how this course works and share some stories we have received from students and adults who have found joy in memorizing poetry. As Andrew says at the end, “Memorizing poetry enriches not just the intellect but also the soul.” 

Referenced Materials

• Nurturing Competent Communicators audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• By Heart: The Goodness of Memory audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization free lessons
• Memory Mentor™
• Transcript for Podcast Episode 473

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker open the mailbag (or the email inbox) and read letters IEW has received from students, parents, and teachers. Listen to this episode to find out how IEW has assisted refugee students, how teachers are incorporating IEW into their classrooms, and how IEW assists students long after they have completed high school. Often students send Andrew samples of their work, and he shares some excerpts in this podcast. 

Referenced Materials

• Bible Heroes
• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 1 Level A
• Fix It!® Grammar
• IEW Schools Department
• IEW Schools Educational Consultants
• Structure and Style for Students
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level C
• IEW® Gradebook
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• Poetic Power Poetry Contest
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization free lessons
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 472

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@IEW.com

How does furnishing the mind by reading and appreciating poetry help students learn to think? Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they discuss the importance of poetry in providing vocabulary, linguistic patterns, and distillation of thoughts. Poetry lends itself to the contemplation of imagination and the beauty of the words. Students learn to think more deeply as they read, enjoy, and think about the words, ideas, and images in poems.

Referenced Materials

• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• Memory Mentor™
• Introduction to Public Speaking
• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 3 Level B
• “Furnishing the Mind: The Power of the Written Word”
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 471

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@IEW.com

In this Live Ask Andrew Anything episode, Andrew Pudewa answers questions submitted by listeners. Andrew, along with Julie Walker, discusses how to implement IEW if the parent has learning differences, whether a formal spelling curriculum is needed, how to differentiate the roles of editor and grader, and other questions. Andrew shares anecdotes from the class he is teaching with his grandchildren and their friends and provides encouragement for new-to-IEW moms!

Referenced Materials

• Structure and Style® for Students
• Structure and Style for Students free lessons
• Accredited Instructors
• IEW® Gradebook
• Primary Arts of Language (PAL)
• The Phonetic Zoo
• “Why Hire an Editor?”
• Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Premium Membership
• Portable Walls™ for Structure and Style Students
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Fix It! Grammar free lessons
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 470

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker announce the prompts for the 2025 IEW Writing Contest. Andrew talks about why students should participate in writing contests, and Julie shares a story from her past about the importance of following instructions. Be sure to listen for the special prizes for the tenth annual IEW Writing Contest!

Referenced Materials

• Writing Contests
• 2025 IEW Writing Contest
• “The Benefits of Entering Writing Contests”
• Magnum Opus Magazine
• Transcript of Episode 469

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@IEW.com

Continuing the conversation, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker ask Pamela White additional questions about the amount of grammar students should study and the benefits to learning grammar in developing thinking skills and reading comprehension. They finish with a discussion of AI tools and why most do not benefit students.

Go to Part 1

Referenced Materials

• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man”
• Fix It!® Grammar
• Structure and Style® for Students: Year 1 Level C
• Fix It! Grammar free lessons
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 468

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@IEW.com

In celebration of National Grammar Day (March 4), Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Pamela White about why grammar is important, how it relates to thinking and reading comprehension, and how she came to write the Fix It!® Grammar series. They also address sentence diagramming and why it does not necessarily translate into better grammar skills.

 Go to Part 2.

Referenced Materials

•  Fix It! Grammar
• Fix It! Grammar free lessons
• Pamela White
• But . . . but . . . but . . . What about Grammar? audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 467

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@IEW.com

Listen as Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker reflect on the wonderful journey from IEW’s humble beginnings to where they are today. They look back at the first newsletter and share anecdotes about people and events that have advanced the company through the years.

Referenced Materials

• The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• Structure and Style for Students
• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man”
• Our Story
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 466

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker sit down with Kerry Beck, a veteran homeschool mom who has a passion to share with other parents the lessons she learned in her years of homeschooling. They discuss how to intentionally train your children to be leaders, using everyday school subjects and strategies to build critical thinking skills. 

Referenced Materials

• Kerry Beck
• Raising Leaders, Not Followers by Kerry Beck
• John Taylor Gatto
• The Underground History of American Education
• A Thomas Jefferson Education
• “Just You and Me and Socrates”
• “Process versus Product”
• Timeline of Classics
• Life Skills Leadership Summit
• How to Homeschool My Child
• Hostess Homeschool Super Heroes Week
• FamilyEbiz.com
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 465

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@IEW.com

In this podcast, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss how IEW teaches thinking using some aspects of the classical model and the Canons of Rhetoric. They specifically address the first canon, invention, and how students learn division of subjects, one of the key skills in inventive writing. Listen to this episode to learn how to help your students come up with content and present it in a winsome and well-ordered way.

Referenced Materials

• University-Ready Writing
• “Is IEW ‘Classical’?”
• “Filling the Blank Page with Unit 7”
• University-Ready Writing free lessons
• Introduction to Public Speaking
• Episode 236: The Five Canons of Rhetoric, Part 1
• Video Interview with Dr. Chesley reviewing University-Ready Writing 
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 464

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss classical education and preparing your students to become rhetoricians. Tim Knotts, who studies and writes about classical education, shares resources and suggestions to help you and your students become stronger thinkers and communicators.

Referenced Materials

• New England Consortium of Classical Educators (NECCE)
• The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
• Episode 376: A Necessary Conversation about AI
• The Liberal Arts Tradition by Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain
• Norms & Nobility by David V. Hicks
• New England Consortium of Classical Educators Summer Conference 2025
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 463

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@IEW.com

In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker share the value of IEW’s Premium Membership. Since 2014, Premium Members have been able to view the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style seminar videos and access articles and talks by Andrew. Through the years the IEW Checklist Generator, Teaching Tips with Andrew Pudewa, and many other resources have been added. Don’t wait to join!

Referenced Materials

• Premium Membership
• Teaching Writing: Structure and Style®
• “An Exciting Addition to Premium Membership: TTAP”
• “Convert to Pens”
• Spanish Resources
• However Imperfectly: Lessons Learned from Thirty Years of Teaching 
• Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
• IEW Checklist Generator™
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 462

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@IEW.com

Join Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker as they dive deeper into the theme for this year: How to Think. Before we can talk about how to think, we need to know what thinking is. Andrew talks about the importance of language in building brain pathways along with how the structure of language aids in thinking. Finally, he discusses critical thinking skills and how language is the foundation for those skills.

Referenced Materials

• Cultivating Language Arts – Preschool through High School audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• “How to Think”
• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man”
• Aging with Grace: What the Nun Study Teaches Us About Leading Longer, Healthier, and More Meaningful Lives
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 461

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@IEW.com

In this Live Ask Andrew Anything episode, Julie Walker asks Andrew Pudewa questions submitted by listeners, including how to follow the topic-clincher rule, what to do when a student uses a dress-up incorrectly, how to help visual learners with communication skills, and how to encourage perseverance and excellence. The episode ends with Andrew reading an assignment from one of his current students who claims to hate writing. Be sure to listen all the way to the end!

Referenced Materials

• “Understanding Topic-Clincher Sentences with Unit 4”
• Strengthening Structure Models for IEW Structural Units
• Review of SSS-1A
• “Why Hire an Editor?”
• IEW’s Winter Retreat 2025: A Virtual Writing Workshop for Teachers
• University-Ready Writing
• From Copywork to Composition: Teaching Writing through Imitation audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• “Process versus Product”
• Adventures in Writing
• Theme-Based Writing Lessons free lessons
• Structure and Style for Students: Year 1 Level A
• Structure and Style for Students free lessons
• Nurturing Competent Communicators audio talk by Andrew Pudewa
• Link to Episode 460 video
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 460

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@IEW.com

In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk with Christy Shipe about why teens should participate in speech and debate. Christy is the board chair of NCFCA Christian Speech and Debate and has been involved in many roles since NCFCA was founded. Learn the history of the organization and the many benefits of speech and debate for your students in all communication skills, not just speaking.

Referenced Materials

• NCFCA Christian Speech and Debate
• Christy Shipe
• Introduction to Public Speaking
• Free Speech Lessons
• NCFCA Tournaments
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 459

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@IEW.com

In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker share IEW’s theme for 2025: How to Think. Listen as they discuss the feeling of accomplishment in learning to think through research and writing as well as the negative impact of AI on thinking and writing.

Referenced Materials

• Magalog
• “Writing Maketh an Exact Man”
• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving
• Episode 207: Thinking – The Quintessence of the Four Language Arts
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 458

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@IEW.com

Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker talk about the purpose and history of IEW’s Twelve Days of Christmas Giving. Listen and learn how to win a gift certificate by sharing with your friends. They also give a hint about the gifts IEW is sharing. Join us!

Referenced Materials

• Twelve Days of Christmas Giving
• Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 457

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@IEW.com

What is media literacy? In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker interview Nate Noorlander, who teaches English, history, and philosophy online. They discuss media literacy and its importance in avoiding cynicism and uncertainty in confidently navigating information in the increasingly complex world we live in.

Click the link below for a free session of Media Literacy, including a reflection assignment and an invitation to submit your work.

Referenced Materials

• “Media Literacy Is an Essential Skill. Schools Should Teach It That Way”
• The Nomadic Professor
• Nate Noorlander
• The Nomadic Professor on YouTube
• The Nomadic Professor on Instagram
• Media Literacy course 
• Free session from Media Literacy course
• Ground News
• Transcript for Podcast Episode 456

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@IEW.com

In this episode, Andrew Pudewa is interviewed by Gena Mayo, the founder of Music in Our Homeschool. Several years ago, Andrew asked Gena to take over the music course that his mother had written, Singing Made Easy. Listen as Andrew shares the history of that course as well as his own background in and love for music education. 

Referenced Materials

• Music in Our Homeschool
• Gena Mayo 
• Singing Made Easy
• Suzuki Method
• Cultivating Language Arts – Preschool through High School
• Music in Our Homeschool Instagram
• Music in Our Homeschool on YouTube
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 455

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@IEW.com

In this episode Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker continue to discuss and provide tips for teaching through the final five units from Teaching Writing: Structure and Style® if you are not using one of the theme-based lessons or the Structure and Style for Students video courses. 

GO TO PART 1

Referenced Materials

• “Understanding Topic-Clincher Sentences with Unit 4”
• “Asking Questions with Unit 5”
• “Streamlining Research with Unit 6”
• “Filling the Blank Page with Unit 7”
• “Writing Essays with Unit 8”
• “Critiquing Literature with Unit 9”
• “Lesson Planning” article by Andrew Pudewa
• How to Think like Shakespeare: Lessons from a Renaissance Education by Scott Newstok
• Episode 398: Think like Shakespeare, Part 1
• Transcript of Podcast Episode 454