Program that is helping teachers lift the literacy rates of their students
The comparably low levels of reading performance of Australian primary and secondary students compared to international benchmarks has been high on the agenda of policy-makers and education professionals for many years. Our PISA report card showed that Australia has slumped to 16th in reading, the domain PISA focuses on most and uses to generate its…
Why Write? Tips for reluctant writers
Why write when so many forces in the world seem to intercept writing? Writing is back-breaking, mind-breaking work. Kids (boys especially!) might ask: Why bother? Many adults don’t know how to teach writing to their kids or to encourage it at home. Or they might be insecure about their own writing, passing that reluctance onto…
How to raise confident kids
Everyone wants their kids to be happy and confident, but how much is due to their personality and how much is due to the messages they receive from their parents? Developing self-confidence is dependent on children knowing how to feel content and secure in their own skin. As parents, you have a definite role in…
Lockdown Proof Literacy: 7 Ways Teachers Can Make Remote Learning Better
Approximately 1.25 million students in New South Wales children will be learning from home again. Our current situation offers a stark reminder that despite best efforts, outbreaks can emerge out of seemingly nowhere and throw a wrench in the plans of even the most well-prepared cities and countries. This means that teachers are again left…
Report highlights the connection between student wellbeing and performance
A brand new report by Educator Impact on the importance of student wellbeing states that a child’s social and emotional intelligence is closely connected with their academic outcomes. Educators and parents universally recognise that social and emotional wellbeing are crucial to overall student outcomes. You may or may not be surprised to know that confidence plays…
Literacy For Boys schools were best prepared for remote learning
It’s no secret that boys largely have a disinterest in reading and comprehension. It’s a concern for both teachers and parents. We can shed light on this problem and offer a solution. LFB helps boys to engage with literacy, whether they need extra support, extension or extra motivation to read. LFB assisted teachers in delivering…
Leading with Literacy – useful ideas to improve children’s literacy at school and home
Since my early days as a teacher over 20 years ago, getting students to read more, and to read with understanding, has been a personal mission. With research showing that reading for pleasure has dropped by 10% over the past four years, and that most adolescents aren’t reading, how can parents and teachers help to…
Helping kids return to school after COVID: tips for parents and schools
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every facet of our lives but one aspect hit particularly hard is education. With millions of students learning at home for the first time, it is obvious that this crisis will have flow-on effects on teaching and learning in the 2020-2021 future. Regardless when classrooms reopen nationally or worldwide,…
Boys Don’t Read Enough: changing the non-reading mindset
How do we change the non-reading mindset for our boys? That is, the state of being able to read, knowing how to read, but intentionally choosing not to read. Mountains of research show that 75% of 9- to 14-year-old boys self-reported they only sometimes or rarely read for pleasure. In other words, when four boys are left to their own devices, only…
Made for Boys: an online program that is targeted specifically to how boys learn
“What about the boys?” is a common theme in education circles when discussing academic achievement, particularly in English. Let’s unpack why it is essential that we stop the worrying literacy trajectory for our boys as they become young men. A worldwide problem In the UK, as in other western countries, the problem with boys’…