Reader Submission

It is not well understood by researchers precisely how oral vocabulary helps children learn to read new words. In today’s article Macquarie University’s Signy Wegener and Distinguished Professor Anne Castles discuss some exciting findings from their research that sheds light on this issue.

When two senior Music teachers saw a need to improve the quality of student’s home practice of chosen instruments, they implemented a strategy of solitary, deliberate music practice. In consultation with the school’s Master Teacher, they developed a model aimed at improving student learning outcomes.

New research shows that high performing Grade 5-8 students in mathematics and reading exhibit greater self-regulated learning skills than their lower performing counterparts.

A key initiative of the Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC) in 2017 has been the establishment of the SLRC Partner Schools project, involving six schools in south-east Queensland, grouped in two networked clusters.

Western Australia’s Butler College has created a culture of continuous learning and development for all of its staff. This long-term, whole-school approach focusses on improving the skills and capacity of all staff (including non-teaching staff) through various means, including action learning projects and peer-to-peer support and coaching.

Staff at Queensland’s Anglican Church Grammar School (better known as Churchie), have captured Year 10 reading data as part of an action research project into male students’ perceptions of their reading ability pre and post an intervention of taught reading strategies.

‘Consider any Arts or Science concept and try to find no link between the two.’ David Roy discusses how the Arts can help develop a creative mindset within STEM learning.

'To be truly inclusive is challenging but is also easily undertaken with thought and sometimes a re-positioning of default language and practice.' David Roy, Lecturer in Education and Creative Arts discusses the keys to inclusive practices in the classroom.

Today’s reader submission is by Sir Jim Rose, author of the influential 2006 UK report The Independent review of the teaching of early reading, which led to the adoption of mandatory teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in English primary schools. Here, he discusses ‘the simple view of reading’ and its implications.

In our latest reader submission, two supervising teachers and two pre-service teachers who worked together in Semester One 2017 reflect on the elements that helped drive a positive practicum experience for everyone involved.