Addressing spelling
I have had a query from a concerned teacher, a member of the school’s Literacy Committee, about ways to ‘effectively boost spelling outcomes across the school’.
Visualising big numbers
This week my blog is inspired by a lovely Twitter post by @johnqgoh (principal at Merrylands East PS) and the discussion that followed regarding mathematics-focused picture books. John shared images from a book called A Million Dots by Sven Völker. A beautifully illustrated picture book that explores the growing pattern of doubling. Michelle Tregoning (@TregoningMich)…
Vocabulary – more than just words
My latest online course, Exploring literacy – vocabulary, guides us through an understanding of ways to take our students’ vocabulary from that of the everyday – part of the ‘literate identity’ that starts in the home and the child brings to school – through to the academic literacy acquired through learning, and required for school…
Teaching and assessing what matters in mathematics
As students start to return to school one day a week and then full-time, teachers will be spending much of this time re-assessing what students know and planning future teaching based on where to next. When it comes to mathematics, identifying students’ prior knowledge is essential as mathematics concepts build upon each other. Identifying key…
Numeracy PL home delivered!
In a time when everything is being home delivered, I thought I’d take this opportunity to remind teachers of the online courses we have available through our website. Annette just launched her first course Talking about Learning and wrote about it in her blog from a few weeks ago. I have written 10 courses about…
May the fourth be with you!
It’s Star Wars Day. May the fourth be with you! This contemporary acknowledgement of the classic movie series provides an introduction to the power of those sayings that we often quote, and frequently use to guide – or justify – our behaviour. It’s time to share some of these words of wisdom with our students.…
Exploring Literacy – Talking about learning
As part of Primary Learning’s online professional resources, we are launching the ‘Exploring Literacy’ series of courses for teachers. Each course consists of a reading or research, questions to consider, and ideas for implementation in the learning process; possibilities for our students’ learning are introduced. Each course is available as a ‘stand-alone’, or as part…
Online games for learning: Hit or miss
In these current changing times, learning online has rapidly become part of our students’ lives. One element of using technology is accessing games. In the physical classroom we utilise mathematical hands-on games to engage students, practice important number sense skills, and to provide opportunities to develop critical thinking skills that many games (within their strategic…
Story-telling
Telling stories has always been an essential feature of human life. Ancient stories have enthralled and informed our lives, and stories continue to remind us of who we are, where we have come from, and how to make meaning out of life.
Top 10 maths ideas: When it all gets too hard
This week’s blog is to assist parents and carers who are WFH and helping children with learning from home. A friend of mine who is a primary school principal contacted me this week with a request for mathematics activities/games/sites that are easy for kids to complete independently but still educationally sound. I think this is…