A great deal of thinking about Cuba’s education system originated from one man. So who was José Martí, and what can his ideas about values education teach other countries?
Government wants to create a national test for reading, phonics and numeracy in Year 1.
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Research shows linking teachers’ pay to performance has little impact on student achievement. Similar tests to the ones the government proposes for young children now face a backlash in the UK and US.
We need to understand that some students make faster progress than others.
AAP
The Grattan Institute’s new report, Widening Gaps, invites us to think differently about how to measure student progress and tackle entrenched inequalities in achievement.
When children start school, they need to develop reading fluency.
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Parents who provide learning support at home can improve their child’s literacy and emotional development, regardless of their class or educational background.
Australia ranked 5th on the literacy test, ahead of the US and the UK.
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The political obsession with back to basics literacy is leaving schools behind. What is taught in school is becoming increasingly distant from what is required in the real world.
Changing attitudes: why is it ‘cool’ to be bad at maths?
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Around a fifth of children aged five to 16 will experience reading difficulties. Schools need clear guidelines on how to choose the best literacy programs for their students.
The majority of children in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are attending school – but the evidence suggests they’re not all learning.
Reuters/Darrin Zammit Lupi
2013 was the year of Gonski; 2014 the year of higher education reform; 2015 has been the year of … hmmm … wait, what actually happened this year? Just a lot of chat really, with much debate, but little…
Pick a book that your child will find entertaining.
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Children who fail to read regularly during long breaks from school will often see their reading ability drop. Here’s how to keep kids engaged in reading.
Classrooms should be full of discussion.
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Cuba used three major methods to revolutionise its education system from the 1960s. The hard work has paid off and the system holds many lessons for other countries.
There is little evidence to suggest that testing teaching students on their literacy and numeracy will have any impact on the quality of teaching and learning in Australian classrooms.
A boy in the Ivory Coast practises reading his letters. Children can learn a lot about reading from each other during the “School Game”.
EPA/Legnan Koula
The benefits of learning through play are well documented. In rural communities in South Africa, “playing school” produces passionate lifelong readers.
Rembrandt’s famous painting – commonly known as The Night Watch – doesn’t even take place at night.
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Phonics programs can be helpful for students with very particular learning needs - but it’s not a one-size-fits-all literacy solution. Here are some things you should be wary of.
Extensive research shows that textbooks are crucial to children’s learning.
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Textbooks have been at the centre of two major South African court cases. They may not be a magical cure for all the country’s education ills, but research shows they are a critical part of learning.
Parents can help their children learn new words by reading their favourite books aloud.
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Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary