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: Chinese Language
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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The Wounded Leader
Recently I recalled a book I read a few ago called The Wounded Leader by Ackerman and Maslin-Ostrowski. In the book they suggest schools have leadership resistant architecture typically “the conspiracy of busyness: where there is little time for leaders to … Continue reading
An authentic purpose for learning – a makers market.
Tonight our Year 1 and 2 students ran a “makers market” as their last performance for their technology based unit of learning “how do you make”. As you can see by the photo the market was well attended with hundreds … Continue reading
Posted in China, Instruction, Teaching
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Chinese New Year at EPS
This morning at assembly we had the traditional “lion dance” to celebrate Chinese New Year. Its also the 3rd assembly for the new school year and one could tell from the wide eyed 4-5 year old prep students they … Continue reading
Posted in China, Chinese Language
2 Comments
terra-cotta warriors
I stumbled upon this short clip on the Terra-Cotta Warriors yesterday which I think gives a great short overview on this natural wonder I visited last year. It’s worth a view for those interested in history.
Posted in China, history, Video Clips
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“I am eleven” a tremendous resource to explore intercultural understandings.
I just had to share this resource which I have just ordered for my school. I and I should say we are really just starting to get immersed into the intercultural understanding space in schools. It’s an really interesting space … Continue reading
Posted in China, Sister School, Teaching, Video Clips
7 Comments
Mandarin the 4th most popular language in primary schools! (updated)
I woke up yesterday to read from a local newspaper that Mandarin is now the fourth most-popular choice for primary school pupils in Victoria. The article went on to say: The news comes as schools prepare for the introduction of compulsory … Continue reading
Posted in China, Chinese Language, curriculum, school
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A crash course in Chinese History.
As crash courses go and allowing for a few mistakes like the great wall was started by the Qin dynasty and the Ming dynasty, like the others, just expanded and fixed the Wall or that Chinese recorded history is 5000 not … Continue reading
Posted in China, Instruction, Teaching, Uncategorized, Video Clips
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Stop bashing public education for the tsunami effect will be big and long lasting.
I’m indebted to Greg Whitby for provoking me to write this post when he wrote on a quality education for all. Greg, I think was stirred by Prof Dinham when he recently wrote in the Age newspaper about what he perceived … Continue reading
Posted in China, Community, Instruction, Leadership, teacher efficacy, Teaching, Uncategorized
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Is there a mindset change needed to engage parents when using formative assessment during parent teacher interviews?
I’ve been thinking lately about our upcoming parent teacher interviews which we now hold in March and August of each year and whether we need to reset the context for both teachers and parents? Let me set a little background … Continue reading
Posted in Assessment, Sister School, Teaching
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Bo’ai Primary School our sister school
A few months ago I visited our sister school Bo’ai Primary School, Changzhao in China. The school has 3 sites: a Year 1/2 school for about 1,500 students, an older site currently being demolished and rebuilt and a new site … Continue reading
Posted in China, Sister School, sports coaching, Uncategorized
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Bo’ai to Elsternwick students talk via Skype
This week we had our second Skype session with our sister school, Bo’ai PS, in Changzhao China. The clarity of the picture was amazing considering it was on wireless network. What we tried this time was as the picture … Continue reading
Posted in China, Chinese Language, Teaching, Uncategorized
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Skype calls to China
This week we had our first Skype conference call with Amy an English teacher at our sister school in China. It was a real buzz to talk in real-time with someone so far away from the comfort of my … Continue reading
Posted in China, Chinese Language, Leadership, Teaching
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A school dragon is born.
Late last year I was remiss in not sharing news about a project two teachers imagined – a school dragon to use when we celebrate Chinese festivals and events. The Mandarin teacher, Bec had the original idea and then another … Continue reading
Posted in China, Chinese Language
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Jiangsu School Leaders Delegation
This week I was invited to meet a delegation of school leaders from the Jiangsu Province of China. After the introductions and overviews of each region or province were finished we had an opportunity to exchange views of education and … Continue reading
Posted in China, Chinese Language, school, Uncategorized
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