•  On Nov, 29, 2024
•  Tarwala1

Truancy Fines in The North Maningrida is in the news.  The Maningrida Aboriginal community, 500km east of Darwin, along the coast, is up in arms about Truancy Fines for parents who do not get their children into school. The fine is about $AU350.  It’s double that figure in Queensland! About 250 compliance notices were recently […]

•  On Oct, 18, 2024
•  Tarwala1

Mobiles Off and Away Mobile phones are banned across schools in Australia as of now, mid-2024. There is an exception to this rule. Mobile phones can be taken out of the lockers for learning purposes under a teacher’s supervision. Some claim the debate continues. Yet, recent evidence in Australia seems decisive: it’s a good policy. […]

•  On Feb, 13, 2024
•  Tarwala1

Science in Time-Short Classrooms Simple Ways Science in Time-Short Classrooms has some ideas that are workable for busy teachers. It combines the science context with literacy lessons. Also, parents can follow these simple principles when teaching their own children in the home setting. 1 — A set reading piece on a science topic provides children […]

•  On Feb, 13, 2024
•  Tarwala1

Grattan Institute Education Nonsense Dr Jordana Hunter has a PhD — but not in Education.  Hunter’s areas of study are in Social and Political Science, Law and Commerce. She is one of the authors of the Grattan Institute Education Guarantee Report released in February 2024. Anika Stobart, the co-author, has first degrees in law and […]

•  On Sep, 08, 2023
•  Tarwala1

Autism and Schools Autism and Schools concern parents and teachers!  How children with a Level 1 diagnosis are taught is of special concern. While the DSM-V removed Asperger’s Syndrome as a separate diagnosis, it includes it on the Autism Spectrum. It replaces Asperger’s with the name, Level 1 Autism, but the diagnostic descriptors are the […]

•  On Sep, 06, 2023
•  Tarwala1

Vision Impaired Children – Lessons  Our lesson packs may be very suitable for vision impaired children. Link with connected ideas: Clear Classroom Clutter, Post Lesson packs are in Arial typeface, 16pt up to Grade 5 or 6. Lesson packs are written in 14pt for higher grades. In some packs for Middle Primary School the written tasks […]

•  On May, 17, 2023
•  Tarwala1

Results of PIRLS 2021 show student achievement in reading is holding steady.

•  On Apr, 14, 2023
•  Tarwala1

Some Children Can’t Write Some Children Can’t Write but they can improve! Links:  Upper Primary School, Page, Middle Primary School, Page , Early Primary School, Page, Early Secondary School, Page.  These pages give an overview of Tutoring Primary and many links to items for purchase. What affects people’s ability to write? This question includes “what affects children’s ability […]

•  On Apr, 13, 2023
•  Tarwala1

Workforce Crisis One in five workers “lack adequate literacy skills” so said Greg Jericho from the Centre for Future Work, 13 April 2023 on ABC News radio.  A link here to a more recent discussion of this: Grattan Institute Education Nonsense, (February 2024). If you can’t write properly or read well enough, take heart.  Help your […]

•  On Jan, 20, 2023
•  Tarwala1

Closing the Gap Aboriginal children in remote parts of Australia are well below the national standards in education. Despite the objectives of “closing the gap” between First Peoples and the greater part of the Australian population over many years, we are failing. Further reading at this link: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/indigenous-australians/closing-the-school-completion-gap-for-indigenous-s/summary Can I say it in a kind way? […]