Yesterday I spent the whole day with 5 leaders from a K-12 school north of Sydney. Their incredibly supportive principal ducked in from time to time whilst doing everything else he needed to do, and you could see he had complete trust in his team. Indeed, these teachers have been on a long journey, the …
Since sentence diagramming is one of the major activities in the Language for Life book and course, I thought I’d respond to a point raised in The Writing Revolution (P14-15) about the authors’ reservations on this subject. Firstly, I don’t think I disagree with the authors when they talk about the superiority of sentence combining …
Do Language for Life and The Writing Revolution disagree? Read More »
Coming up to the third anniversary of the death of my firstborn, I can’t say she’s not on my mind. The anniversary effect started a lot earlier this year, with reminders just about everywhere, turning my thoughts to her, and especially to her last weeks: a kid in a wheelchair, a hospital scene on a …
I often get asked to recommend ‘independent reading activities’ or ‘independent spelling activities’ for children learning to read and spell, and I’m always reminded of this article: A revolutionary driving school in Finland has smashed the traditional concept of learning to drive and is taking the world by storm. The state-funded School of Whole Driving, …
Independent Driving Activities for Learner Drivers Read More »
And now we cross live, for the launch of the Correct Reading Alliance People. Interviewer: I’d like to welcome Professor Donna Kruger to the launch of a visionary new initiative, called the Correct Reading Alliance People. Welcome, Professor Kruger. Professor Kruger: Thank you John, delighted to be here. I: So what exactly is the Correct …
The Correct Reading Alliance People: A New Bottle (spoiler: same old wine) Read More »
I have had the great honour, over the last year or so, to have been a regular guest on the ABC Radio Adelaide Jules Schiller Drive show. Jules is a keen wordsmith and a bit of a larrikin, hence the title of his linguistics segment: Polish a Word. This week, Jules wanted to talk about Arabic …
Polish a Word: Unexpected Words that Come from Arabic Read More »
We are judged on our linguistic output whether we like it or not. People are instinctively primed to make snap decisions about others based on a range of subtle signals. Language is a huge factor. This is one of the reasons that language-based disorders in children can have such long-term, corrosive effects. In my practice, …
The start of every year brings a new influx of students. They all have certain things in common: They have not progressed in reading and/or writing enough to keep up with their peers. They are in need of support. They are in need of assessment. They have, at some point, been told that they have …
What is the one question we never ask our new students? Read More »
Last week I sought information from teachers about being mandated to use Running Records for assessment and reporting. This followed an article I wrote about why these assessments were not fit for purpose. When I say Running Records, I do mean formal Benchmark Assessment System tests and less formal stand-alone Running Records. I wanted to …
Taking steps to improve the quality of instruction so that all children progress appropriately towards literacy is not a job for the faint-hearted. Yet my 2019 was filled with stories of courageous schools and teachers making huge strides. The ambition to make my tutoring practice (and others like it) a necessity only for those with …
Rethinking Running Records: Ammunition and armour in the battle for better literacy Read More »