Mark's Learning Log- Wondering if all teachers in training and graduate teachers are being taught to instruct all students in reading as though they were in the red? September 29, 2024I have this wondering that we are teaching all students in the class – as a whole class lesson – in the junior years as though they all needed the intensive phonic instruction and frequent repetition. Yes some explicit instruction … Continue reading →mwalker
- Why Why is the question we all need to answer! May 31, 2024In my work with school educators this is the question I ask them to resolve for themselves. What drives you to lead / teach young people and why? What happened to you and why is that important. I was reminded … Continue reading →mwalker
- Wondering if all teachers in training and graduate teachers are being taught to instruct all students in reading as though they were in the red? September 29, 2024
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Category Archives: Assessment
Jez – the old chestnut – ability grouping or streaming – is still being touted as a solution to falling standards!
Sorry Natasha, education editor for the Australian Newspaper, wrote a recent article on the state of education in Australia using the results of the recent PISA tests to say that our students are bored out of their brains at school, … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Instruction, Reading, Teaching, Uncategorized
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Another article tells the same story – postcodes predict education performance.
Reading an article in the Australian newspaper this morning (School system fails ‘fairness’ test, as PISA results show learning gap) which show lower academic performance in areas of socio economic disadvantage, rurality and indigenous communities. Here are some quotes: It … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, school, Uncategorized
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Use differing Genre in teaching Reading and Writing
I’ve posted these two images from the work of Cass a reading specialist after recent discussions about the growing effects of NAPLAN particularly on writing. It seems the genre we teach is narrowing to narrative (what sort of narrative I … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Instruction, writing
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Yarra – Darebin Network of Schools
Hi everyone, This post has the requested resources from our day together and some snapshots to remember the highlights: De-identified Primary School Data Inventory 2016 – 2018 DW Minutes sample The Five WHY’s protocol. Compass Points (survey monkey) Leadership-compass-self-assessment … Continue reading
Maribyrnong Network of School Leaders
This post is to follow-up our network day on the first 2 steps of Data Wise. We spoke about answering the WHY question when change is being advocated – as we are about to advocate for change in collaboration in … Continue reading
Why have learning intentions without success criteria?
John, in this 9 min clip, puts the case for why we need to explain what we intend students to learn, why and how they might self assess success. It’s hard to defend the opposite. In this clip John’s work … Continue reading
Dirty Data!
Well I’m now officially retired as a school principal – no really! I’m sleeping well, planning holidays and of course playing more golf. But what about my mind – it’s not ready to give up as an educator. So I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, school, Teaching, Uncategorized, Video Clips
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Student Reports: a case for change
This is a copy of a post I wrote on my company’s website Well its November again and on the school calendar for teachers all over Australia is the preparation of the end of year student reports. Schools become stress … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability, Assessment
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Resources by themselves are not sufficient to improve language learning in Victorian or for that matter Australian schools?
Once again students learning another language hits the newspaper headlines: The trouble with languages in primary schools Time to mind our languages Interestingly it hits the headlines in the only state in Australia (Victoria) that mandates languages be taught in … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, China, Chinese Language, curriculum, Sister School
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Revolution School, a must watch documentary on ABC television
There is a new 4 part documentary on our ABC channel called “Revolution School” with the first episode screened last week. I think this is a must watch show for anyone interested in schooling. The ABC took cameras into a normal secondary … Continue reading
How do we scaffold what we teach in grammar to student writing?
I often hear teachers complaining or just plain confused about why students don’t transfer what they learn in one context or lesson to their performances in another. They have taught something in grammar (e.g. dependant clauses) or spelling (e.g. letter combinations … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Instruction, Teaching
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DataWise – the community grows at the 2015 on-campus Institute.
The final challenge from the first day of the Data Wise Summer Institute (DWSI) here at Harvard was to encapsulate my learning experiences thus far, in only five words. Mine was; Similar challenges towards systemic improvement. I wanted to share … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Teaching
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Diving Deep to Build Assessment Literacy – Step 2 of the Data Wise Improvement Process – Day 2
The focus of Day 2 of the Summer Institute is the work around both Organising for Collaborative Work and Building Assessment Literacy, (which comprise the Prepare Phase). At Elsternwick PS with new teachers joining the team and the existing staff … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Data Wise Program, Harvard, Teaching, Travel
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Is the metaphor a leader is like a parent valid?
I have been contemplating a leadership metaphor used by Simon Sinek on a recent Ted Talk: “great leaders are like parents wanting to give their children (employees) opportunities to try and fail in safe ways and to discipline when necessary”. … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, school administration, Teaching
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Do we teach handwriting skills to young writers – OK – when and why?
Recently I was in team meeting where teachers were discussing when to teach 5 year olds handwriting. It got me to thinking about why of my age and the old pen licences which we scrapped at least 10 years ago. In … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Instruction, Teaching, Uncategorized, writing
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