African-American children tell stories that are vivid, elaborate, and rich in imagery. These skills help support their early literacy skills. How can schools take advantage of this?
What’s happening in world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s brain?
Cello by Shutterstock
If Malawian children do not learn basic skills like reading, will this harm them in the long term? Recent evidence suggests the answer is yes – at least in terms of their health.
Literacy levels in South Africa are low, so training educators who can teach reading is more vital than ever.
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There is a chasm between the research knowledge base about reading literacy and teachers’ classroom practices. Standardisation could be a big part of the solution.
When asked to document their own literacy practices, children in Ghana revealed a rich life of learning outside formal school structures.
There are about one million children not attending formal school in Ghana, but a programme in two small villages is a reminder that learning happens outside traditional classrooms too.
Let’s experiment.
Students and teacher via Money Business Images/Shutterstock
Educational strategies and new interventions are being evaluated like never before as emphasis is increasingly put on finding out “what works” in teaching. Many of these studies are randomised controlled…
He’s been reading for months already.
Mother and child via Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock
While the reading wars in education have raged for decades, most people agree that literacy is crucial for children and that the path to strong reading and writing skills begins in the home. But focusing…
Sacred time.
Reading: Pavel L Photo and Video/Shutterstock
Two initiatives aimed at getting children to learn and read more have just launched with a flourish. The $15m Global Learning Xprize pits teams of innovators across the world in a competition aiming to…
MPs call for new campaign on literacy and numeracy.
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With England once again in the spotlight for having poor adult skills, it’s timely that we have a new report from MPs calling for a campaign to fix the problem. But while there is lots of evidence out…
If you’re an eight-year-old living in Charleston, South Carolina, you’re soon going to need to study extra hard at reading. The US state has joined in with a policy trend across the country that links…
Ready to read but playing catch up.
Pupils reading via wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock
A recent storm has emerged over reports of secret government memos detailing complaints of bullying and racism at Steiner schools in the UK. Steiner schools, built around the philosophy of Austrian educationalist…
While the Direct Instruction approach is useful, it shouldn’t be used in isolation, and it won’t “fix” anything.
AAP
Yesterday’s announcement of a $22 million grant for a Direct Instruction program - a direct method of teaching using lectures and demonstrations - to improve literacy outcomes for remote Indigenous children…
This Vietnamese school girl is growing up in a new era: by the time she is middle-aged, 60% of the world’s children will be living in a tropical region.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Our Tropical Future: A new report on the State of the Tropics has revealed rapid changes in human and environmental health in the Earth’s tropical regions. This is the first in a four-part series about…
The writing’s on the wall – and they can’t read it.
Reading capability is vital for young people to be able to access and engage with the curriculum by the end of primary school and even more so at secondary school. But the data we have indicates that a…
Tony Abbott is looking for simple solutions to complex problems in Indigenous education.
AAP/Alan Porritt
The sixth annual update on Closing the Gap provides an unsurprising picture of slow progress on addressing issues of Indigenous disadvantage. The update presents a mixed bag of small improvements in life…
Adults in England have a very unequal spread of basic skills – some are highly skilled while others do poorly at literacy and numeracy tests. It’s likely that entrenched inequality in our education system…
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary