Finally! A “sound” response!!

OK. This is two posts in a row referring to articles in The Sydney Morning Herald. I just can’t help myself!
Finally, a credible academic and teacher, Brian Cambourne, argues the case for
mindfully, not mindlessly teaching phonics.
He puts the phonics debate in context and resists the urge (unlike a certain columnist in the SMH) to sensationalise [...]

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Are schools ready?

This report in the Sydney Morning Herald asks “Are they ready?” meaning at what age are children ready for school. Basically, the findings state that holding  children back an extra year could be detrimental. I am sure some educators will view the findings as somewhat controversial.
However, perhaps the real question should be “Are schools ready?” [...]

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When only the BEST will do! Part 2

Part 1 was a post I did last year on the same topic/speaker…..
Where do I start??!!
Yesterday Dr Iram Siraj-Batchford spoke to a group of interested early childhood educators about what does BEST practice look like and HOW do we make our practice the BEST? I could have listened to her speak all day. She was [...]

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Nice one, Will.

You gotta hand it to him. Will Richardson knows what he is talking about….
learning first – technology second
AND he is a laugh! I was rivetted by what he had to say at a seminar in Sydney….and the Chatzy online conversation he had going at the same time. Weird…. but good!
I was keenly aware that the [...]

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A good read.

Just want to share with those interested in working with language learners – young ones in particular – a great book I am reading. A friend in the TEFL industry put me onto it (thanks Clare!).
It’s called Assessing young language learners written by Penny McKay. Don’t judge it by its boring cover. Let me tell [...]

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Get. It. Right.

Andrew Churches poses the following question about engagement in teaching and learning particularly outside the classroom,  and how students love using technology as part of that engagement….BUT…
Are our students allowed to create, collaborate, analyse and review at the same level at school as they are able to do a home?
Good question.
Only last week I [...]

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“Get it right in the early years and many more of our young people will be able to reach for the stars. “

Sounds good to me!
This is a comment Maxine McKew made in her address to the Early Childhood Australia Biennial Conference, last October. It caught my attention because there is a strong focus on early learning in the work I do with teachers and leadership teams in our primary schools.
She also mentions the national (Australian) draft [...]

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