•  On Feb, 13, 2024
•  Tutoring Primary

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
•  Tutoring Primary

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 May, 17, 2023
•  Tutoring Primary

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

•  On Dec, 10, 2022
•  Tutoring Primary

Enquiry Learning Lacks Research Emeritus Professor John Sweller of UNSW questions the continuing extension of enquiry-based learning in the face of recent research findings about how humans learn. In https://www.cis.org.au/publication/why-inquiry-based-approaches-harm-students-learning/  Three earlier posts published since 2018 from a hands-on knowledge of enquiry tasks in schools.   Enquiry Learning Needs Overhaul, Post        Enquiry Tasks Have […]

•  On Jul, 17, 2022
•  Tutoring Primary

The positive effect of parents’ socio-economic standing (SES) is less than it used to be and the negative effect of staff turnover in larger primary schools is now greater.

•  On May, 15, 2019
•  Mary Keating

Are children as young as 5 really suffering maths anxiety and crying on their way to school?

•  On Sep, 21, 2018
•  Mary Keating

I agree with Professor John Hattie when he says that Enquiry sounds terrific and that the logic of Enquiry learning is well argued. The evidence, however, indicates that it is introduced too early.

•  On Aug, 30, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Maths and Science, TIMSS Looking over the Maths and Science, TIMSS Reports for 2011 — They give us the long range view of student progress. TIMSS stands for Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.  Discussion of the Report can be found at: http://www.acola.org.au Call science what it is! It’s not so hard! Overall improvement There’s […]

•  On Aug, 05, 2018
•  Mary Keating

A further 13% of 4th graders in Australia scored at the Low Benchmark. So 20% are reading at or below the Low Benchmark. Influencing these results is the rate of tiredness and hunger on arrival at school.

•  On Aug, 03, 2018
•  Mary Keating

Good readers can skim and scan for general ideas but they must learn to read carefully for detail.