Category: Teaching
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Tips for implementing inquiry based maths in the primary classroom
By Anita Green “The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics.” – Paul Halmos Ever since I started teaching, I have always aimed to provide students with high-quality maths lessons that contain strong links to real-life contexts. Students need a range of hands-on experiences that engage them in challenging and meaningful activities. When…
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Global trends in the teaching of mathematics
By Annie Facchinetti “After 30 years of doing such work, I have concluded that classroom teaching … is perhaps the most complex, most challenging, and most demanding, subtle, nuanced and frightening activity that our species has ever invented … The only time a physician could possibly encounter a situation of comparable complexity would be in…
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Evidence-based practice in literacy instruction changes lives
This article was written by Jocelyn Seamer and first published in The Professional Educator. If you drive five hours north of Alice Springs you will find yourself in the town of Tennant Creek. A brief walk around our local primary school will reveal children from a range of backgrounds and levels of achievement. Some sit…
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Literacy advice for teachers from the Oxford Wordlist research
The 2017 Oxford Wordlist research study was conducted in Australian schools and sought to compare date with the first Oxford Wordlist research, from 2007, and to provide an update list of high frequency words for writing and reading. This list is an important tool used by primary school teachers across Australia. The New Oxford Wordlist…
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Teaching systematic synthetic phonics is a ‘success for all’ approach
A Read, Write Inc. Case Study by Sophie Rasic from Mr Brendon Madden, Principal, Toowong State School, Queensland “Be prepared to see fast improvements” Age group: Prep–Year 6 | Students on roll: 284 School context: Toowong State School is a well-established Brisbane inner-city school, based in its current location since 1910. The suburb is predominately a residential area. The…
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Maths teachers will only achieve ‘light bulb’ moments if they have the confidence to take risks
By Peter Sullivan, author of Challenging Mathematical Tasks I have asked many teachers, ‘What gives you joy when you are teaching mathematics?’ It is very common for teachers to respond with the answer: ‘Light bulbs’. I presume they mean those delightful moments when students move from confusion to clarity, when they see the pathway to…
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What makes a literate nation?
An excerpt from Australian Literature for Young People by Rosemary Ross Johnston The arts – literature in all its forms, theatre and cinema, dance, music, drawing, painting and sculpture – both sustain and create literate nations. They are not an extra-curricular frill, but an integral part of communal and personal lives; they arm for the…
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Oxford Literacy Assess – What is the impact?
Researchers are increasingly focusing on the role of assessment in teaching practice, not only to measure learner progress, but also to enable it, allowing teachers to accurately identify the needs of their students and tailor their plans more efficiently. The importance of selecting the right assessment program is therefore paramount and has led to a…