17

Apr

How amazing my students are…

It has been absolutely ages since I last posted – blogging has been low on my list of important things since I returned to work, full-time, at the start of this year.

Not only am I now working five days a week, I am also teaching English again – for the first time in about ten years. Wow!  Reading a lot of novels only does so much to keep you up to date with what students should be doing in Year 9 and 10 English…

I am still teaching Science too, which is always fun – I get to refine and update what I did last year, taking into account the things that worked and didn’t work, and I get to try out some really cool new learning materials and teaching strategies from the Australian Academy of Science’s “Science by Doing”.

English is also exciting – the English Curriculum is broad and open to vast interpretation, which means I can do pretty much anything, and actually get my students to cooperate and catch my enthusiasm.  Unfortunately, sometimes my enthusiasm just isn’t enough…  But more on that in another post, some other time.

What I want to share today is how amazing my students are.

They have been making up some pretty interesting spelling lists, and typically getting more than 80% right on their weekly spelling tests. They have been reading for pleasure – and many of them have been sharing some of the interesting books they have been reading. They have re-introduced me to Young Adult Fiction, a genre I have always enjoyed.  They are sharing news stories and information about ideas that interest them, and discussing them with me in mature and complex ways.

In Term 1, we completed units on fiction and non-fiction writing – fables or science fiction, followed by persuasive / opinion writing for the Whitlam Institute’s What Matters Competition.

Now, I know that these genres are not going to tick the boxes for all students.  I am not sure that I, as a student, would have enjoyed four weeks exploring the genre of fables and then writing my own fable.  (The other units I would have loved, however…)

The work produced by my classes has been exceptional.  Over the last three months, I received some really deep fables, as well as some really funny ones.  I have read a heap of really interesting science fiction stories. Many of them left me wanting to read the next chapter.  And I have been brought to tears reading about things that matter to my students.

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02

Oct

Holiday maladies and the importance of a break

We are on school holidays at the moment.  In fact, we are about half way through our holidays. It doesn’t really feel like it though – we have been hit by the lurgy.  We have all been unwell with a very heavy cold – which has mutated itself into ear infections, chest infections, sinus infections, headaches, crankiness and day time naps.

Which makes all the plans I had made for an active, outside spring holiday a bit redundant.  It is well and truly spring here now – beautiful sunny days and the tulips are blooming. Admittedly, it is sometimes a bit windy, but in general it is perfect weather for being outdoors. Which is exactly what we needed after a term of school.  Illness has kept us a bit closer to home than I had planned, but we all seem to be recovering now and managing to spend some time in the sun.  Fingers crossed the good weather lasts. Continue reading →

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16

Sep

Where you study matters

After visiting a few students over the past few months, I have noticed what may be a pattern emerging:  students who have a dedicated study space come to class more often, participate more in class, submit more work and are more engaged in lessons.

So, how do you (or your learner) organise your study space?

There are lots of options, and you will need to work within your space and finances to organise a space that suits you and your circumstances.

Working on the sofa, the living room floor, or the bed is not really a good long term solution.  Lounging on the couch is not good for posture and can lead to sore backs, arms and legs. It is difficult to balance a laptop or even a tablet all day on your legs or the arm of the couch, and trying to type more than a few words at a time can be quite a challenge.  Working on your bed increases the chances of falling asleep.  Working at a dedicated workstation or desk is the best option for both your posture and your concentration.

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02

Sep

eLearning is hard :-(

Make no mistake: eLearning is hard.

It is hard if you are the learner, and it is hard if you are the parent of an eLearner (and believe it or not, it is hard if you are the teacher, too).

If you are like most new eSchool learners and their parents, you signed up thinking that eSchool would be different. eSchool would be better. eSchool would be the solution to all your problems.

It is true that enrolling in, and attending an eSchool has some advantages over mainstream face-to-face schools.  You don’t have to get dressed in the morning. You don’t have to brush your hair, or your teeth for that matter.  If you can connect to the internet, you can go to class.  Often your days are shorter than at a mainstream school, but not always.  If you are anxious, have poor mobility, are chronically unwell or are itinerant or travelling, you can still complete your education and have teachers support in your learning.

But... and there is always a but, isn’t there?

You still have to get up every day and make that conscious decision to attend and participate in lessons. You have to make a decision to complete your assignments, and then actually finish them and hand them in. You have to manage your own time. You have to make a commitment to your learning, and then stick with it.

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