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Other Resources
Teaching Resources
- National Literacy Progressions" ... The development of the Literacy and Numeracy Progressions has been identified as an area for national action. The Education Council identified supporting STEM education opportunities in school systems as one of five areas for national action. This action included the extension of the national literacy and numeracy continuums to: "… better assist teachers to identify and address individual student needs according to the expected skills and growth in student learning at key progress points from the early years through high school, given the evidence of the spread of student achievement within any classroom. (Education Council 2015, National STEM School Education Strategy, p. 9) ... "
- Lorraine Hammond on Direct Instruction and Instructional Coaching"In this episode of the ERRR we’re speaking to Dr Lorraine Hammond about her paper, Teachers Taking up Explicit Instruction: The Impact of a Professional Development and Directive Instructional Coaching Model. I was excited to interview Lorraine on this paper for two main reasons. The first is that it explores coaching, and not just any coaching, but coaching that clearly positions the coach as an expert other. This is in contrast to how coaching is often promoted, with the coach being more of a support, asking questions of teachers, and prompting the answers to come from them. In addition, Lorraine’s paper is about supporting the establishment of explicit instruction within schools to target literacy development. And she certainly has some inspiring stories of turning around literacy outcomes ... "
- Explicit Language Teaching is the Heart of Structured Literacy"Renowned literacy expert and author Dr. Louisa Moats speaks to a topic that she knows intricately: Structured Literacy. Dr. Moats identifies the content and procedures for teaching Structured Literacy, and presents examples of how to teach phoneme awareness, morphological awareness, phoneme-grapheme correspondences, and syllable patterns within an explicit lesson framework ... "
- Judith Hochman on How to Teach Students to Write"we’re speaking to Dr. Judith C. Hochman. Judy is the creator of the Hochman Method and founder of The Writing Revolution, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and supporting teachers and school leaders to more effectively help students to learn to write. Judy served as the Head of The Windward School in White Plains, New York, a nationally renowned independent school focused on teaching students with learning disabilities and is the founder of the Windward Teacher Training Institute and a former district Superintendent in New York ... "
- Christopher Such (Reading) Thinking Deeply about Primary Education"In this episode, I'm joined by regular guest Christopher Such as we discuss all things reading. Why is reading so important, what does good practice look like and where do we go if we want to refine our craft? Chris shares his expertise, answering all of these questions and more, in another not to be missed episode of TDaPE ... "
- Leading Primary Reading - Christopher Such Don't Shoot the Deputies"We're joined by Christopher Such, author of 'The Art and Science of Primary Reading' to explore some big issues related to the leadership of Reading in schools. This is an essential listen for English, Curriculum or Senior leaders ... "
- Think Forward Educators"Think Forward Educators is a community of teachers, school leaders, specialists, parents, and researchers. We advocate for education that allows every child to succeed: Promoting social equity, using the science of learning."
- Family Literacy Resources"This page contains a collection of free resources for families related to literacy. These resources will be updated frequently. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact a GHAEA Literacy Consultant. Our email addresses can be found on the home page ... "
- Teach your child to read"With just a few clicks of your mouse you can have access to Debbie’s years of experience in the form of her series of 8 eBooks entitled, ‘Alphabetic Code and Phonics Skills’ ... "
- Read Write Inc"We provide outstanding literacy training in schools to teach every child to read and write, and to keep them reading. No exceptions. We give teachers the skills and confidence to reach every child using the Read Write Inc. programmes developed by Ruth Miskin. Teaching children to read - and keeping them reading - are the two biggest things that will make the biggest difference to their future."
Principles of Instruction
Principles of Instruction
- Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies that all Teachers Should Know"This article presents 10 research-based principles of instruction, along with suggestions for classroom practice. These principles come from three sources: (a)
research in cognitive science, (b) research on master teachers, and (c) research on cognitive supports ... " - Principles of InstructionThis poster summarises the Principles of Instruction. "These principles have been based on research on how the brain acquires new information, research on the classroom practices of those teachers whose students show the highest gains, and findings from studies that taught learning strategies to students."
- The truth about inquiry-based learning"Professor John Sweller’s research into inquiry-based approaches to learning needs our urgent attention. At the core of Sweller’s work is “cognitive load theory” – something world-renowned educator Dylan Wiliam says is the single most important thing for teachers to know. Sweller explains that Australia’s declining performance in international assessments such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) coincides with an increased emphasis on inquiry or discovery learning, problem-based learning and “critical thinking” in Australian curricula ... "
- Why Inquiry-based Approaches Harm Students’ Learning"... over the decades, as our knowledge of
human cognitive architecture advanced, it has become increasingly clear that the advances did not favour inquiry learning. Furthermore, as data from randomised, controlled trials, as well as from correlational studies, began to appear, those data were equally problematic for an inquiry learning perspective. I’ll begin by outlining those aspects of human cognitive architecture relevant to instructional issues ... "
Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory in Action by ISBN: 9781913622237Publication Date: 2020-11-17What is it that enables students to learn from some classroom activities, yet leaves them totally confused by others? Although we can't see directly into students' minds, we do have Cognitive Load Theory, and this is the next best thing. Built on the foundation of all learning, the human memory system, Cognitive Load Theory details the exact actions that teachers can take to maximise student outcomes. Written under the guidance, and thoroughly reviewed by the originator of CLT, John Sweller, this practical guide summarises over 30 years of research in this field into clear and easily understandable terms. This book features both a thorough discussion of the core principles of CLT and a wide array of classroom-ready strategies to apply it to art, music, history, chemistry, PE, mathematics, computer science, economics, biology, and more. 'I would like to recommend this book in the highest possible terms to all educators who wish to familiarise themselves with cognitive load theory' - Emeritus Professor John Sweller
- Explicit Direct Instruction: A Review and Study into one Australian School's Transformation"The downward trend in Australian school student scores in tests such as NAPLAN, PISA and TIMSS has understandably caused concern among Australian educators, policymakers and the media ... "
- Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI)"There are many different approaches to classroom instruction, but they can typically be grouped into two broad philosophies. The first is direct instruction and the second educational philosophy is referred to by many different terms such as: inquiry, progressive, project-based, student centered, and many more ... "
transitioning
Transitioning to The Science of Reading and Change Management
- Shifting the Balance: One School's Journey of Adopting the Science of Reading"My school has had an exciting journey over the last year. It’s a tale that may resonate with you or inspire you. It’s a story of how mindsets and attitudes can shift when evidence emerges that there is a better way to teach our students ... "
- Leaving the Balanced Literacy habit behind: A theory of change.From the Snow Report by Pamela Snow - Professor of Cognitive Psychology in the School of Education at La Trobe University " ... In this post, I draw on a well-known theory of change, Prochaska and DiClemente’s Stages of Change Model, which is to behaviour change, what the Simple View of Reading is to early years reading instruction: a model that has been around since the 1980s, has been well-researched, and found to be robust under a wide range of real-world circumstances ... "
Resources
Literacy Programs
- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority | Literacy Learning Progressions"The Literacy Learning Progressions outline a sequence of indicators of increasingly sophisticated use of aspects of Standard Australian English language. The Literacy Learning Progressions can be used as a tool to facilitate a deeper understanding of literacy development ... "
- National Literacy Learning Progression" ... The National Literacy Learning Progression describes the observable indicators of increasing sophistication in the use of Standard Australian English language. By providing a comprehensive view of literacy learning and how it develops over time, the progression gives teachers a conceptual tool that can assist them to develop targeted teaching and learning programs for students who are working above or below year-level expectations ... " Website: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/national-literacy-and-numeracy-learning-progressions/national-literacy-learning-progression/?fbclid=IwAR2GbmWmkJ6fLUZpz_OSSUaaKx3Fhzr31CjEdyGhRVFncPjwMWpLOHW4FnA
Readers for older students
Readers for Older Students
- Dandelion Catchup Readers"Dandelion’s popular Catch-up Readers and Workbooks are suitable for readers aged 8 – 14 and are designed to introduce the English Phonic Code in small sequential steps. The purpose of these Series is to fill in the missing gaps in phonic skills and knowledge for older students that are preventing these students from making progress and becoming fluent readers ... "
- Phonic Books"Written especially for beginner, catch-up and and special-needs readers, our hi-interest, decodable book series ensure reading success and build confidence from the outset. All of our books, games, and activities are designed to engage your child or students whether they are just starting out, or are struggling to read ... "
- Phonics Stories and Resources for Older Learners"One-page decodable stories with an accompanying comprehension exercise."
- Teen and Adult Phonics Library app"The TAP or Teen & Adult Phonics Library app for iOS, the TAP School Editions (no in-app purchases) for iOS and Android (Chromebooks) offer a series of decodable novels aimed at a teen and adult audience. Each book in the series seeks to blend sequential and decodable phonics with real literature containing sophisticated, sometimes gritty, themes ... "
- Decodable Older & Catch-up Reading"Phonics Australia focuses predominantly on phonic based decodable resources that are suitable for the Australian education sector. The resources we sell and promote have been extensively researched and tested in an educational setting and have proven to achieve consistant high quality learning outcomes for students ... "
- The Reading League | Decodable Text Sources"Decodable Text Sources (updated November 2020) *This is a list of options, not recommendations, in response to educator requests for where to find decodable texts ... "
Teaching Resources
Sources of Quality Text
- The New York Times Learning NetworkAccess activity ideas and resources to build critical literacy in students. Resources include webinars, images and text.
- Breaking News English | English News Lessons"This site is for ESL and EFL students wanting to learn news English. The site has English news readings and listening. There are two news lessons every week on news stories from across the world ... "
- BBC NewsroundThis site supplies a "news magazine keeping young viewers up to date with the latest stories and events happening at home and abroad."
- Squiz Kids"We use news and current affairs to engage primary-age students in the Australian curriculum."
- ABC Behind the News"Behind the News (more commonly known as BTN) is an educational news program aimed at 10-13 year old kids. It unpacks and explains news and current affairs to young people in a dynamic and creative way ... "
- Newsela"Newsela is an online news-as-literacy platform that features high-interest articles on everything from current events to myths and legends and from literature ..."
- Dogo News"Empowering literacy, reading fluency and global awareness through current events and books ... "
- News in Levels"News in Levels is a free online news site specifically made for English students. Each article is written in three difficulty levels which allow students to work with texts appropriate to their current skill ... "
- Read Works"ReadWorks is committed to solving America’s reading comprehension crisis and student achievement gap. Driven by cognitive science research, ReadWorks creates world-class content, teacher guidance, and integrated tools that improve teacher effectiveness and student achievement."
- Britannica This link opens in a new window
Britannica offers thousands of up-to-date, curated, and curriculum-relevant articles, images, videos, audio clips, primary sources, maps, research tools, recommended Web sites, and three separate encyclopedias.
- Core Knowledge Curriculum Resources"The materials made available for download are freely available for anyone to use, adapt, and share (with attribution), but no one is permitted to sell either the original program, an adaptation of it, or lesson plans that reproduce any part of it."