Learning to write – it’s time to change how we teach
Author Helen Walls discusses the benefits of learning to write, reevaluates current teaching approaches and uses research to identify methods that better serve students.
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- Why I helped create structured maths practice books for the new Maths and Statistics Curriculum in NZ
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The Top 22 Teacher Resources of 2022
The end of the year is upon us and what a year it has been. We wanted to say thank you for all your support and share with you the highlights of our year and the top 22 teacher resources of 2022, as decided by you!
SOLO Hexagons: a powerful systems thinking strategy
SOLO Hexagons is an effective systems thinking strategy to support and advance student thinking about complex subjects, from a surface level understanding to a more conceptual level.
Online professional development courses for teachers just like you
We believe in supporting educators with the tools they need to make a difference. That’s why we developed online professional development courses for early childhood teachers.
Build wellbeing in ECE through positive relationships
In this blog, Jo Maloney discusses how early childhood educators’ positive relationships with both colleagues and children can benefit everyone.
Successful transition from early childhood to primary school
The transition from early childhood (ECE) to primary school impacts children and their family. Communication and pedagogical awareness are crucial elements for transition.
How to engage young readers
Leaning on his time as a teacher, Paul Mason, highly published children’s writer, reflects on how he puts the child at the heart of what he writes – wanting children to see themselves in his stories.
Teaching your students about fake news
Dale Sutherland clarifies some key terms that help extend and deepen a discussion of fake news. She offers insights into teaching this challenging topic and its importance.
Intentional teaching for early childhood
Experienced educator and recognised author, Anne Houghton, sets intentional teaching in its big-picture context to show its potential as an effective pedagogical practice.
Bridie Raban awarded an Honorary University Fellowship
Professor Bridie Raban has dedicated her life to ensuring that children have a better chance of being put on the path to a rewarding future.
Teenage Anxiety and Learning
Teenage anxiety can have a profound effect on learning. Dee Doherty, educator, author and former special needs adviser, looks at some of the causes of teenage anxiety and suggests what schools and individual teachers can do to address this issue.
How to create infant environments that spark curiosity
Creating environments that spark curiosity and wonder is not difficult and yet, at times, infant environments in early childhood settings can be sterile or uninspiring. Here I explore the notion of creating environments that spark curiosity in infants.
Why every child needs to learn science at school
Learning science in school is a great way to develop students’ critical and creative thinking skills while engaging them in activities.
Tips for teaching dyslexic readers
Students with dyslexia struggle to learn to read and spell. Compared with their peers (of the same intelligence, age or year level), dyslexic students progress at a slower rate and participating in reading, spelling and writing activities involves much more effort for them.
Relationships in the media
I’ve been giving some thought to how much relationships in media influence the way we think about relationships in real life. While the research findings on the subject aren’t unsurprising, it is clearly a highly relevant theme in teaching media literacy.
Extending children’s learning
When we spend time talking and playing with children in an early childhood setting, we learn more about what interests them. In that way we gain more opportunities to build on their early experiences, extend their learning and so enhance their development.
Taking action with SOLO Taxonomy and hexagonal thinking
Last article in a four part series from Pam Hook, explores how SOLO Taxonomy and Hexagons can shift students’ understanding to a conceptual or SOLO extended abstract level.
How do you teach struggling readers to read?
Most classes include at least a couple of struggling readers, but how can teachers offer support to improve their literacy skills?
Connecting and comparing ideas about Earth’s systems with SOLO Taxonomy
In the third part of the series, Pam Hook explores how SOLO Hexagons can support students to move to a deeper level of understanding – the SOLO relational level – in relation to climate change.
Young children’s natural connection with Science
Why teach science to young children? Because young children and science are a natural fit. Early learning science engages young explorers.
Integrating climate change into your curriculum
Why is climate change important to young people’s learning? In Years 7–11, students are already experiencing rapid physical, emotional and social changes in their own lives. As they see it, climate change may be just one more disaster that no one can do anything about.
Advice for new early childhood educators
Being new early childhood educators can be overwhelming. There are many challenges that present differently in the real world compared to studying early childhood education and care.
Risky play and child development
Adventurous, risky play is often considered too dangerous for young children, something that adults need to protect them from. Yet such play is essential for normal child development, building knowledge, skill, confidence, resilience, and a risk-taking disposition.
Using SOLO Taxonomy to determine prior knowledge and bring in ideas about Earth’s systems
Second of a four-part series by Pam Hook on SOLO Hexagons and SOLO Taxonomy – a fusion and powerful strategy for teaching systems thinking.
SOLO Taxonomy and hexagonal thinking in the classroom
Pam Hook presents the first of a four-part series on SOLO Hexagons – a fusion of SOLO Taxonomy and hexagonal thinking as a powerful strategy for teaching systems thinking.
Play and learning in the early years
Play and learning. Not opposites, but complementary. Associate Professor Christine Howitt discusses how play is what young children naturally do and how they best learn.
Child learning, development and schemas
The practice of planning provision around schema rests on the premise that by noticing strong drives or interests in children, educators can support development.
Theories into practice – EC learning and development
Bridie Raban discusses how early childhood educators have a significant role to play in children’s learning by supporting children’s change over time.
Reflective practice as an ECE professional
There has been steadily increasing interest from outside the EC sector in what can be achieved through high quality education and care. One of the keys is reflective practice.
The five functionings of an ECEC professional
What does it mean to be an early childhood education and care professional? Andrea Nolan answers this important question.
Teaching measurement in early childhood effectively
Teaching measurement in ECE settings relies on children developing number sense and an understanding of the concepts of geometry.
Developing number knowledge in early childhood
Developing number knowledge is more than just learning to count. Here are some ideas to freshen up your number teaching and learning!
The importance of developing the mathematical concept of pattern
Research has determined that a child’s mathematical concept of pattern is one of the best indicators of future success in mathematics.
How to get the ‘T’ in STEM
The world does not exist within boxes and children do not think in terms of subjects. With technology within STEM, think of it from the perspective of how the world works.
Using incidental opportunities to talk about maths
Mathematics is everywhere in daily life and we should be using these incidental opportunities to talk about maths concepts.
How to incorporate STEM learning in early childhood
How can we increase the STEM skills of our young children if we have difficulty recognising STEM learning opportunities and feel unsure about scaffolding STEM concepts?