Donna Thomson, March 2013 (article for National Primary Head’s Association ‘The Primary Voice’ magazine) Although heartening to know that we have made improvements in literacy, (Ofsted’s: ‘Moving English Forward’ Report 2012), it was also dispiriting to hear that yet again, ‘..standards in English aren’t high enough and one in five children is not achieving the…
R. Etienne, 2007, London Metropolitan University An interesting booklet on how we connect co-operative learning and co-operation with practice-based research. Read it here: https://metranet.londonmet.ac.uk/fms/MRSite/Research/cice/pubs/practice/practice-01.pdf
National Literacy Trust – Literacy news, 18 Oct 2013 Millions of children in England and Wales are held back by their parents’ poor basic skills, suggests a report. Involving the whole family in learning can boost educational attainment across generations and should be integral to schools says the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education…
Rhondda Cynon Taff Gazette, 15th October, 2013 Parents and carers flock to ‘Story Talk’ workshops to support their children’s reading for meaning and enjoyment at home. A South Wales primary school is at the centre of a pioneering educational project, which aims to give young children a love of reading for meaning that develops…
News Wales Education, Oct. 15th, 2013 A South Wales primary school is the first in the UK to pilot a new reading programme which aims to give young children a love of reading for meaning that develops comprehension skills and involves parents in the process. Coed-y-Lan School in Pontypridd is undertaking a pilot of…
Donna Thomson Oct. 2013 (article for ‘Education for Everybody’ magazine) Primary literacy specialist, Donna Thomson, has spoken out, against the practice of teaching young children only synthetic phonics. She believes there is a “narrow-minded and bullish obsession with synthetic phonics, which is proving harmful to our children’s futures.” The method has been used in…
Follow Maia’s reading journey from the day she was born, highlighting the importance of reading in a child’s development and inspiring a love for books for all.
National Literacy Trust – Bookstart Babies love to communicate. They are born sociable and come into the world with a willingness to communicate and learn. Their experiences in their early years shape their future social, communication and learning skills. Books can be a great way of helping babies and their carers during this period…
Institute of Education, University of London, School Leadership Today, Leading Learning Vol 1.1, 2009 www.teachingtimes.co.uk Chris Watkins takes a closer look at collaboration between pupils:why do they enjoy it and how does it work? Working with friends. Working as a team. Working in groups. When we ask pupils and teachers how classroom pedagogy might…
Safe and Responsive Schools, Indiana University (no date) Cooperative learning has received increased attention in recent yearsdue to the movement to educate students with disabilities in the least restrictiveenvironment. Children with disabilities bring social needs, as well as academicneeds, which are not easily met in the regular classroom. The use of classroomcooperative learning peer…