Slow Teaching
We have slow TV, slow fashion and even slow food, but what about slow teaching?
How language – and other elements of communication – change according to purpose
One of the most important aspects of literacy is the way language changes according to purpose.
Reflecting on MANSW ‘Breaking the mathematical drought’
In this week’s blog I’m reflection on the Mathematics Association of NSW (MANSW) Riverina Cluster conference that I attended in Wagga on Saturday.
Teacher learning
I have spent some time this term with Primary Masters of Teaching students who are undertaking their professional experience placements for Semester 1. This has provided the excuse to explore some of the issues of student teacher professional experience, and how the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2018) can inform this experience. Mentor Preparation…
Reflections on “It’s not all about coding”
In this week’s blog I’m reflecting on a webinar I attended last week “Digital Technologies: It’s not all about coding” hosted by the CSIRO and lead by Professor Tim Bell.
Writing: measuring success for parents and teachers
One aspect of writing comes up repeatedly in my conversations with teachers – and that is how parents perceive how, and what, we mark to measure success. Most parents are very interested in the writing capabilities of their children. Effective writing is a marker of capability with language, and is the means by which students…
Mental maths in action
Our aim as teachers is to discover what students are able to do, what are the most efficient and flexible strategies they are using, and foster those skills.
That Test
So much has been written about that test, and the messages are confusing. Indigenous students’ literacy and numeracy skills have improved at twice the rate of their peers’ over the past decade, new NAPLAN data shows. Sydney Morning Herald 08/04/2019 … since 2008 there have been statistically significant gains and year levels, particularly at the…
Trading in the algorithm
A common concern that teachers often bring up is that their students solve number tasks mentally by ‘visualising’ the vertical algorithm. I’ve been asked a couple of times in the last month or so, How do I stop, or discourage my students from using a vertical algorithm?
Pedagogical Tetris
Considering ‘Tetris’. Mark Scott, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education (DoE), was recently part of a collaboration between The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) in a get-together titled ‘Schools Summit – Future frameworks for challenging times’…