Helping kids get back into a routine prior to school
Students are set to return to public schools from January 29 and after a 6-week break, it’s time to consider returning to a routine. Here are 5 key tricks for parents on how to beat the back-to-school blues. 1. Establish bedtime and wake-up routines Gradually adjust sleep and wake schedules 10 days to two weeks…
Six things you can do to get boys reading more
You are probably wondering how on earth you will keep your boy reading over the long summer holidays. It’s particularly difficult for books to compete with digital technology, kids clubs, activities and packed social diaries. But the reality is, that in order to continue to improve their reading, boys (& girls) need to be reading…
Australia has plunged in global education rankings: latest PISA results
Where are we going wrong? Australian students continue to slide in maths, science and reading according to global results published yesterday. The 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported that Australian students sat just slightly above the OECD average in maths literacy — its lowest level since the survey began. The study assessed 740…
Why too many young Australians are struggling with literacy
Everyone is talking about last week’s Four Corners episode on ‘Why too many young Australians are struggling with literacy in the digital age‘. It is an alarming concern why a number of test results and international benchmarks reveal that many of our children are slipping behind in their literacy. Four Corners examined the teaching methods…
Reading for fun and purpose – why it’s important for boys
Boys have many great qualities – they can be curious, active, sensitive, open, affectionate, funny and great to be with. However, if they are trudging through texts then often their behaviour, and learning, is influenced. Let’s look at the first stage of reading; before a boy starts school, there is mostly shared reading – where…
Latest NAPLAN results are only useful if they help us to improve
Monday’s release of 2019’s NAPLAN results will be concerning reading for many parents. The headlines of failing schools, teacher blame and poor student performance feed the debate about the validity of NAPLAN. Let’s look at the mixed results from the latest data and how you can use NAPLAN to have a productive conversation with your…
How to help your kids with english and maths – simple tips!
Boys have many great qualities – they can be curious, active, sensitive, open, affectionate, funny and great to be with. However, if they are struggling with their schoolwork this affects their confidence. Far too often I have seen boys (& girls) and teens slide into disengagement and become discouraged. Parents are also confused with newfangled…
Is the technology revolution good or bad for our kids and reading?
In this rapidly changing technological world, what has happened to children’s reading? Let’s take a look at amount of time that our children and teens are reading, their reading/academic achievements and how ereading (electronic reading) is changing the book landscape.
50+ books for boys! Provide your son with a diet of different books these holidays!
Developing a love of reading has alot to do with giving your son a choice in what he reads. But while free reign of ‘whatever he wants to read’ can be a good thing, I think most of us despair at our children’s reading selections at various times. I’m referring to the ‘toilet humour’ or…
Strategies for improving literacy in all subject areas!
Every parent questions the best way to support their child’s literacy journey. The aim of this blog is to provide parents with a resource to help their kids break down the reading process so that they really understand the content. We hope that you will find this useful for all subject areas – after all,…