For Parents' Eyes Only! There are countless issues with teaching and learning in the virtual environment. I have conversations with colleagues, parents and friends about my concerns that sitting in front of an iPad for 6-hours each day will have on young people. Asking students to stare into a tablet all day is neither best-practice nor sustainable. If there is a silver-lining to be found in this educational cultural moment, it is certainly not in the delivery methods of our

Supporting reading fluency skills for students who struggle Published interventions and curriculum based interventions (CBIs) Effective interventions follow evidence-based principles, and these principles are rarely unique to one specific programme. One benefit of published interventions is that they have been organised and structured to make planning and implementation easier. This means the materials are conveniently pre-created, pre-planned, and are available for immediate

Building the Bridge to Reading Success by Adam Meyersieck The specific skills that establish reading fluency have been known and taught for decades. Phonological awareness (PA), grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPCs), decoding/sight word reading are thoroughly addressed early reading skills, and these are widely accepted as predictors of, and contributors to, good fluency. The more quickly and accurately we can perform these skills, the higher degree of "fluency" we are said

Covid-friendly activities for you and your family This Christmas Holiday looks much different from previous ones, but there are still opportunities for families to connect by enjoying a variety of leisurely learning experiences together. Curiosity is best developed through hands on, interactive learning experiences with friends, family and the world. Many of our children learn more by doing and investigating than seeing and hearing. While tablets, smart phones and computers a

How do I teach my students to write? Many teachers enter the profession with the goal of helping students become effective learners. Some even focus specifically on the skill of writing. Once there, we soon realize how difficult the task is and quickly find ourselves tirelessly trying to address the needs of a widening skill chasm. There are no shortcuts for teaching writing, but there are clear paths that ensure our teaching has maximum effect. I have traditionally told teac