An illustrated book and a card game look at ways to engage kids in storytelling and critical thinking away from their devices! Take Heart, Take Action by Beci Orpin (Lothian Children’s Books, hardback $19.99) Age Group 4+ years This simply designed book for children is ‘a reminder for everyone,...
Current approaches to assessing and reporting what a student is learning may not be the best way to represent individual progress in school reports, writes Geoff Masters. A child whose learning is lagging behind that of other children can be judged to be ‘failing’, even though...
Speech and language problems needn’t be a life sentence. But early intervention is important, writes Catherine Best. Every parent cherishes their child’s first words. Those meaningful, gabbled sounds that chart their development from passive infant to interacting person. Speech and language define how we engage with...
Education is for every child, with or without a disability....
Paula Murphy comes to realise that her daughter is being bullied at school. She would often cry herself to sleep. Do you know what question I ask my daughter every day after school? It is not, ‘Were you the best in class today?’ It is not,...
As a practising teacher-librarian, Megan Daley has some tips and tricks for how to make the most of your school library and teacher-librarian. As an ambassador for the MS Readathon, she has some thoughts on how it can help your child to develop empathy for...
The change from single-use plastic bags has helped provide funding for another round of grants for a sustainable hands-on project for schools and preschools. Woolworths and Landcare Australia are inviting Australian primary schools and early learning centres to apply for a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grants grant...
Mary Curtin tracks her autistic son’s transition to school through his teacher’s written commentary. Every day [Andrew] brings home a ‘communication book’, in which his teacher or aide writes a few lines about his day. They note how he behaved in class, interacted with the other...
Professor Kevin Wheldall explains that there’s more to learning to read than meets the eye. Even if a child can read fluently and has a good vocabulary, that is not enough. The child also has to be able to make sense of words in context. Anyone who...
Reading aloud to young children is akin to going on the stage. It requires a willingness to be theatrical, to sing, to change voices and be animated in your actions and facial expressions says Nan Williamson It is true that the magic of reading lies in...
