Category Archives: Instruction

Harvard Data Wise Institute in Melbourne

Last week 19 school teams came to Melbourne during the last week of school holidays to attend a 5 day Harvard Data Wise Institute. There were long 8 hours days of intensive learning where participants shared their ‘why’ stories with … Continue reading

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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

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Writers Workshop Toolkit

Every month I receive en email with this months “tips” on how to I think strategise a little more in your writers workshop. The tips are divided by grade levels (e.g. K-1) – Yes, it’s an American resource – one … Continue reading

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What I consider a balanced article to the issues around learning to read and reading to learn.

Why we’re failing to build the knowledge students need Age Newspaper 15/12/2023. In the early years of school, teaching should focus on systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics, exposure to rich literature through read-alouds, and explicit teaching to build … Continue reading

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Changes to Teacher Training

Newspapers (e.g. Age , Sydney Morning Herald)are reporting that an “expert teacher education panel” recommendations have been accepted by the various States education ministers to reform initial teacher education. The report identified several perceived weaknesses with initial teacher education includes … Continue reading

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Lesson Timing

Often I speak to pre service teachers (PST’s) during their placements in schools/classrooms and the feedback they are receiving is that their lesson timing needs to be tightened or a goal. This is fine if there is a shared understanding … Continue reading

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Reading Debates Continue: But what happens in classrooms?

It’s a long article on reading instruction but I think one worth some time and subsequent reflection. It purports that cognitive scientists again and again have proven that students need phonics to become “good” readers. It then goes on to … Continue reading

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What does back at school look like?

. As schools in Victoria resume face to face teaching over the next 2 weeks there might be a temptation for a period of testing to see where students are up to, what gaps may have occurred and know what … Continue reading

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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

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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

Posted in Assessment, differentiation, Feedback, Instruction, Leadership, Networks of Schools, professional learning, Teaching, Uncategorized, Video Clips | Leave a comment

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

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Effective Lesson Planning: length of lessons

Some of the questions, concerns and issues raised by trainee teachers so far include: constantly repeating instructions to students students forget what to do students either don’t finish the tasks in the time set or finish in the first 5 … Continue reading

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Why aren’t us parents seeing any benefit in smaller class sizes?

I have just responded to this post by a parent: As a parent, the Bloomfield Public School system has sold smaller class sizes as part of their narrative. The experience of my two children has been a DECREASE in group … Continue reading

Posted in Instruction, Instructional Rounds, Leadership, parenting, professional learning, school structures, Teaching | 6 Comments

Transitional Vocabulary – one process of effectively teaching grammar.

I realise there are times when I might show a little bias however I had to show this photo of a teacher at my school teaching grammar in ways that both engage and support students transferring the understanding to their … Continue reading

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tips on changing teacher practice

Looking for some simple advice on why you change your practice from Dylan Wiliam. Focus on one or two things (max) till they are automated, take a risk, take the time (when offered by your school leaders) and do this for … Continue reading

Posted in Instruction, Teaching | 1 Comment