The Conversation, 13 Feb 2019. Children still benefit from being read to after they’ve learned to read by themselves. Read the article here
Author Archive | David Hornsby
Stop writing objectives on the board
Joe Bower’s blog. Communicating objectives (or learning intentions) to students (1) sends a strong message about who is driving the learning, (2) gives away the ending before the uncovering even begins, and (3) discourages constructive lines of inquiry that appear tangential to the objectives. Learning intentions do not have to be stated ‘up front’; they […]
Special deals swindling public schools out of billions
The Guardian, 7 Feb 2019. New research by Trevor Cobbold says government schools are being robbed (by as much as $19 billion between 2018 and 2022). Read the article here
5 tips to make school bookshelves more diverse and 5 books to get you started
The Conversation, 7 Feb 2019. When we share diverse books with children, they see themselves reflected and affirmed and we broaden their perspectives and understandings of those that are different to themselves. Read the article here
Ten ways teacher librarians improve literacy in schools
The Conversation, Jan 2019. If schools and policy-makers wish to improve students’ literacy outcomes, they should invest in school libraries and dual-qualified teacher librarians. Read the article here
Let’s topple the King and Kong of education: NAPLAN and MySchool
Adrian Piccoli, The Age, 30 Nov 2018. NAPLAN and the publishing of school-by-school reslts on the MySchool website started out as relatively harmless, but has turned into a wrecking ball for Australian education. Read the article here
Where you live is determining your school’s NAPLAN score
The Age, 27 Nov 2018. New analysis by Macquarie University has found that the area in which a student goes to school is one of the clearest predictors of Year 5 NAPLAN reading scores, painting a stark picture of Australia’s socio-educational divide. Read the article here
Principals should be wary of decodable readers, says expert
Brett Henebery, The Educator, 23 Nov 2018. Di Snowball says that her 52 years of experience in teaching students to read and in helping thousands of teachers, there has never been the need for decodable books. Principal Beverley Dadds says that phonics is important, but we can help children to use phonics without the reading […]
The future of learning
InsightCreative, 13 Nov 2018. Visit Wooranna Park Primary School in Dandenong, Melbourne, where learning spaces are rich and engaging and children’s minds are being prepared for the future. Read the article here
Australia’s education system nearly the most unequal in the developed world
Trevor Cobbold, Save Our Schools, 15 Nov 2018. Australia prides itself on its egalitarian ethos, but it is a myth in education. We have one of the most segregated school systems and to be the 2nd most unequal education system in the developed world is disgraceful and scandalous. Read the report here