It’s the end of another challenging year for us all, and I don’t think we need to try to wrap our brains around anything more specific than being with the people we care about, Christmas dinner and having a rest. At home During the school closures forced on us by the pandemic, the emphasis for…
A few weeks ago I shared a tweet about arrays after discovering a great website (sineofthetimes.org) by Daniel Scher (@dpscher). I really appreciated the dynamic application he had created using Web Sketchpad to make and explore arrays. It’s quite simple in its design but I think that’s the beauty of it – no additional distractions…
While we can’t actually ‘kick back’ and relax, it is time to ease the strain on our work with students, and on ourselves. Poetry and all that Poetry is one of those aspects of English that can really be delved into in the closing weeks of the year, as things start to wind down. Poetry…
A recent conversation with a teacher-in-training colleague has prompted this blog. My friend was given the task of preparing and delivering a 45-minute lesson on the question mark. This is pretty typical of the type of lesson we work with in normal circumstances. Now I can’t think of anything more tedious. As a topic for…
BREAKING NEWS: Oxford’s 2021 Word of the Year Is a Shot in the Arm is November 1’s New York Times headline. The article describes the context and reasoning behind the decision. It’s an entertaining read. “Vaccine,” already a common-enough word in English, more than doubled in frequency over the past year, as vaccines against the…
Well in NSW today, it is back to school for everyone! We wish all the students and teachers a great day and hope classes go smoothly, friendships are reformed, and teachers get the ‘virtual’ high five (or five hundred) they deserve! Today’s blog is full of mathematical goodness. If you are stuck for a game…
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all. Many members of our school community have been exposed to trauma, and will need care and support during the transition to whatever the new ‘normal’ is. We need to make sure we don’t overload our students (and ourselves) as we return to what has been familiar. In this…
The count down is on! Students will be back to school in NSW over the next few weeks. Our teachers have done a phenomenal job juggling preparing classes for both online and for returning to school. For many it will be like starting the year again, assessing and gauging where our students are at -…
Break? What break? So much ongoing discussion, so many opportunities on offer. It’s more necessary than ever to use our time wisely so that we make sound choices, providing the best support for our practice in own classrooms. Reading – Blog For clarity and a rigorous research base, Noella Mackenzie’s latest blog EXPLAINER: What is…
Bookshops are the best place to take a break. All you need is a couple of hours with nothing else that needs to be done. Usually best on your own. Sometimes you have to just do it. Even only 15 minutes or so, in that calm, internalised pleasure palace, can be enough. Children introduced early…