Student engagement
Spelling is an important aspect of literacy – but not something that children can “pick up” during reading or writing. Here are some practical suggestions for combining spelling with writing in the primary classroom.
Technology students often have widely varying knowledge and skills, so making qualification credits accessible to all is a challenge for the teacher. This study focused on real-life contexts, formative student–teacher interactions, and alternatives to written assessment to achieve this aim. The focus was on capturing evidence of learning, through techniques that supported the students’ technological practice.
Focusing on the technology education findings of the LITE (Assessment) project shows that students learn effectively in technology when they develop a broad understanding of technology, are clear about the task goals and the task substance, and make strong links between conceptual, procedural, societal, and technical considerations. Specific examples of student behaviour and learning are discussed, together with the implications of these findings for teachers.
Teaching technology to very young students is achievable and is a valuable addition to their work in the classroom. There are teacher strategies and techniques that enable students to work in a more flexible and independent manner, unconstrained by limited reading and writing skills. A clear teaching focus limited to teaching a narrow range of design components appropriate to the age group makes the learning of 5-year-old students into a worthwhile, imaginatively challenging activity that easily meets the expectations of the curriculum.
Three key features of technology known as "components of practice" are identified here and, with levelled indicators of progression, can support teachers as they develop long-term technology programmes and report on student achievement for formative and summative purposes.
This research shows that focusing on peer and teacher talk about Year 5 and 6 students’ scripts creates significant increases in the quality of the students’ written language. Students’ initial comments about their writing were largely general, affective, and unfocused. After professional development teacher support, a follow-up survey indicated a 2-fold increase in talk and talk content that included precise and constructive comment. The students reported greater satisfaction in writing and recognised that their writing had improved.
Thirteen schools that produced high mean literacy scores, relative to their decile levels, in a nationwide survey were visited and studied to identify practices that might account for their students’ strong showing. Principals and teachers of Years 1 and 2 described their reading and language programmes and attempted to identify the key factors in their students’ success. These factors are discussed and a profile of a typical effective junior-class reading teacher is outlined.
Most of the ideas and concepts that underpin environmental education have developed outside the school education system. This article draws on a recent review of New Zealand and international literature to examine the origin and evolution of environmental education and points to opportunities for the provision of learning experiences that will benefit students far into the future.
Spelling – Write and Right! (Part 3)
In News and Views (No. 3 and No. 4, 2003) we gave you the lists of essential words that make up 75 percent of most writing. We left you with this question:
Q: The essential words make up about 75 percent of all writing.
What about the other 25 percent?
The quotation in the title of this article comes from Ryan, a New Zealand secondary-school student, in a statement to his teachers. Ryan wanted his teachers to recognise his impairment-related needs and experiences at school and to take these into consideration in their teaching. His statement also referred to the various barriers he faced at school that meant he needed help or additional time for school activities.
