Norah Colvin

Live Love Laugh Learn … Create the possibilities

Tag: education

  • Reading aloud – sharing stories

    Reading aloud – sharing stories

    I have always loved reading aloud to an audience, be it my own children, a class of children or, more recently, my grandchildren. I love the opportunity to escape into other characters and other worlds. I love to see the expressions on the children’s faces – anticipation, amusement, trepidation, relief, joy.  I love the sounds and rhythms of the language. I love the intricacies of story, poem and information.

    Reading stories aloud to children provides a great opportunity to establish a connection between author, reader and listener, a platform for sharing ideas, thoughts and dreams, an avenue for discussing ethical questions and implications of choices. These discussions may arise spontaneously and be child-initiated, or they may be pre-determined and teacher-lead as in philosophical discussions and bibliotherapy.

    Some parents find reading to their children a chore, something tedious that must be squeezed in around the day’s busyness. I am lucky. I never did.

    Some teachers find it difficult to make time for books in a content-driven classroom; but for me it was always priority.

    boy with books
    http://www.openclipart.org

    Some parents are delighted when their children start reading for it means the daily read-aloud ritual can cease. I never was. Well, I was delighted that they could read, but we kept on reading together.

    I read aloud with my children until they were almost teenagers. The books changed, but the joy of reading and sharing never did. During the teenage, and older, years we continued to discuss and share ideas about books we read and recommendations for reading. We still do: some for ourselves and some for the children, my grandchildren.

    Many of you reading this post take your ability to read and write for granted, as do I. But around the world many children do not have the opportunity to learn literacy skills. According to LitWorld more than 793 million people worldwide remain illiterate. About two-thirds of those are women.

    Like the people at Lit World, I believe that “the right to read and write belongs to all people”.

    I was delighted when I read about World Read Aloud Day on Gail Terp’s blog. I have been following Gail’s blog for a little while now. She titles her blog: “The Best Blog for Kids Who Hate to Read”. She says that one of her top goals is to connect children with books they love and her posts provide recommendations of great books to read to and with children, as well as to be read by children.

    In her post Read Alouds: Supporting Literacy One Book at a Time, Gail suggests 7 reasons for reading (picture books and other books) aloud:

        1. They are fun.
        2. They are motivating.
        3. They are easier to follow.
        4. They often introduce new vocabulary and expressions.
        5. They introduce a variety of writing styles, authors, and illustrators.
        6. They provide an excuse to stay close.
        7. They provide windows to complex subjects and ideas.

    Why not join in reading aloud on World Read Aloud Day this Wednesday, March 5.

    LitWorld, sponsors of the day, urge you to

    “imagine a world where everyone can read . . .”

    “World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology.

    By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.”

    owl_books
    http://www.openclipart.org

    How will you celebrate and share World Read Aloud Day?

  • Happy birthday Dr Seuss!

    Happy birthday Dr Seuss!

    Theodor Seuss Geisel: March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991

    Picture1

    Today, March 2nd is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr Seuss, author of over 40 children’s books.

    While several of the Dr Seuss books were published before I was born, and many others published during my childhood, I have no recollection of meeting them prior to my years as teacher and parent. Fortunately those two roles provided me ample opportunity to catch up on the delights that I had previously missed.

    Green Eggs and Ham

    I even apologised to Dr. Seuss in a previous post for leaning heavily on his book Green Eggs and Ham when writing about my relationship with exercise.  Click on Ode to Exercise to read my poem.

    You could celebrate his birthday by checking out the fun stuff and information on his author site seussville.com

    or pop over to Gail Terp’s Best Blog for Kids Who Hate to Read for lots of other suggestions:

    Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with Books

    Dr. Seuss The Perfect Source for Literacy!

    Fun Dr Seuss games for the whole family

    How have the books of Dr. Seuss influenced your life?

    I invite you to share your thoughts.

  • “You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.” (Rita Pierson)

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .  

    “You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.”

    Recently I came across this great TED talk by Rita Pierson “Every kid needs a champion”.

    Rita’s entire life centred around education. Her parents and her mother’s parents were teachers, and she was a teacher.

    She observed numerous teachers at work – some of the best and some of the worst – and believed that relationships are the key to learning.

    She said that

     “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.”

    Rita spoke about having classes of students whose academic level was so low she wondered how she could “raise the self-esteem of a child and his academic achievement at the same time”.

    One year she told her students

    “You were chosen to be in my class because I am the best teacher and you are the best students, they put us together so we could show everybody else how to do it.”

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .

    She talked about giving a student a +2 with a smiley face for getting 2 out 20 questions correct. She encouraged the student by saying

    “you’re on a roll . . . and when we review this, won’t you do better?”

    The student agreed “I can do better”.

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .

    Rita told of her mother’s past students expressing their gratitude for the difference she made in their lives, saying

    “You made me feel like I was somebody, when I knew, at the bottom, I wasn’t. And I want you to just see what I’ve become.”

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .

    She tells us that teachers won’t always like all the children they teach, but it’s important that the children never know it. Acting is part of the role description!

    She says that

    “Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .  

    Go ahead and listen to this inspirational talk. It will take less than 8 minutes listening time but its effect will be more lasting. It has already had more than 2 600 000 views. Why not add one more to the total. I’m certain you won’t regret it.

    I can find nothing to dispute in Rita’s talk. I’d like to underline every word and make it compulsory viewing for all aspiring and practising educators in any field.

    Affirmation, encouragement, praise . . .  helpful or harmful?

    What do you think?  Please share your thoughts below.

    Refer to these previous posts for discussions on self-esteem, affirmations and praise:

    Happy being me

    Affirmations: How good are they?

    Seeking praise – Stephen Grosz revisited

    Examining praise: Stephen Grosz – the third instalment (guest post by Anne Goodwin)

    I came across this talk on a great educational website edutopia. It was included in a Five-Minute Film Festival: Videos on Kindness, Empathy, and Connection. Check the others out. You may find something else to inspire you.

    Sadly Rita Pierson passed away in June 2013. I’m grateful that we may continue to share the strength of her wisdom through her appearance with TED.

    Click here to find out more about Rita and to read a tribute posted by Tedstaff.

    “You say it long enough, it starts to be a part of you.” (Rita Pierson)

    Let’s make sure it’s the good stuff that learners everywhere are hearing!

  • Seeking praise – Stephen Grosz revisited

    Praise may be defined as an expression of approval or admiration.

    Who wouldn’t want that?

    If you write a blog, don’t you love it when others “like” a post, leave a positive comment, re-blog your article or link to it via theirs? I do. Aren’t these all expressions of approval or admiration?

    What about on Twitter when someone Re-tweets, favourites or replies positively to your comment, engaging you in conversation?

    Aren’t these also expressions of approval or admiration?

    I love to receive all these signs of encouragement and support that let me know that my efforts are appreciated and confirm that I am on the right track. If I did not receive any of this feedback I would feel quite isolated and consider my efforts to be fruitless and a waste of time. I would probably just give up.

    As a teacher I have always considered it of primary importance to create a happy and welcoming classroom environment in which children feel valued, affirmed and supported. Expressions of approval and admiration for behaviour, effort and achievement were generously given with the aim of encouraging the desired response, a happy child being foremost. I have written about this in previous posts, including:

    Happy being me

    Affirmations: How good are they?

    As a parent too I considered it important to affirm my children and display my approval and admiration for them. I still do, even now they are adults. The need for approval never ends. I know sometimes you just have to go out there and say what you know is right, even though others will disagree or ridicule you. I am not talking about those instances here.

    My strong belief in the power of affirmations and approval stems partly from the dearth of them in my childhood and school days. I have also mentioned this in a previous post: 

    Mouthing the words – the golem effect

    Recently I listened to a fabulous (audio)book, “The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves” by Stephen Grosz. I wrote about it in my previous post A book worth reading: Stephen Grosz “The Examined Life” saying that

    “What appeals to a reader about a book, or what a reader takes away from a book is as individual and personal as the reader. What is of most significant to one, may be of lesser importance, or even insignificant to another. “

    For me the chapter of most significance is chapter 3 “How praise can cause a loss of competence”.

    To say I was startled by the title would be an understatement. I was puzzled, intrigued and challenged. How could praise cause a loss of competence? Surely negative feedback or a lack of encouragement altogether would be major contributors to diminishing competence. Was everything I had believed and practiced wrong? (Oh no –there’s my need for approval and affirmation!)

    Grosz says that during the past decade studies into self-esteem have found that praising a child as “clever” may not only inhibit school achievement, it may cause under performance. He suggests children may react to praise by quitting. Why would you try to improve or do something new if you have already done something really well or are the “best”?

    Studies showed that children who were praised for effort, rather than for being clever, were more willing to try new approaches and were more resilient. Children who were praised for being clever, tended to worry more about failure and chose unchallenging tasks, tasks they knew they could achieve or had already achieved. Being told they were clever led to a loss in self-esteem and motivation and to increased anxiety. Some children who had been praised for being clever (rather than working hard), when confronted with a more difficult task and asked to comment on it, were so unhappy with the results they lied about them, exaggerating their achievements to others.

    Grosz questions whether we may lavish praise on our children nowadays in order to demonstrate that we are different from our parents who possibly used criticism, rather than praise, on us. I hinted at something similar earlier in this article.

    While admiring our children with words like “Good boy” or “Good girl” may temporarily lift our self-esteem by showing others what wonderful parents we are or how wonderful our children are, Grosz says, it isn’t doing much for a child’s sense of self. He says that in trying to be different from our parents we end up doing the same thing: doling out empty praise where an earlier generation doled out thoughtless criticism.

    Grosz says that if we offer this empty praise without thinking about the child’s individuality and needs we are effectively showing the child indifference.

    So what do we do?

    I think the emphasis here is on the empty praise. I think support, encouragement and positive feedback are all essential. Sure, knowing in yourself that you have done well is fine but a little recognition certainly helps too. I think the difference is in recognizing what has been achieved, the learning or progress made, and the effort it took, the message communicated in a story or painting and the techniques used; not a hollow “Well done”, “Good work” or “Good boy” but “Tell be about . . .”, “Why do you think that?” “How did you work it out?” “I like the way you . . .”

    As Grosz says, this is being attentive to the child, to what the child has done and how it has been done.

    To read more on this topic:

    Sian Griffiths interviewed Stephen Grosz and reported on the interview in the article “Praise her . . . and see her fail” which adds even more clarity to my precis above.

    Maria Popova delves into the messages of this same chapter in her article “Presence, Not Praise: How to Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement”

    Being attentive, being present, being really with someone, noticing what they have done and how they have done it – is it more precious than praise?

    In these days of constant distractions and must-dos to put all aside to be in the present with the child, friend or partner to talk, listen share and laugh, what better affirmation is there than that?

    What do you think?

    How has praise encouraged or discouraged you?   When has criticism hindered you?

    I’d love to hear your thoughts.

  • Must read: Neil Gaiman – “Reading and obligation”

    When I first stepped, rather tentatively, into the world of blogging and tweeting I had no idea of the pleasures I would find. I found a whole community of others who share my passion for education, learning, literacy and writing. I found a comfortable niche, discussion group, and a place for sharing ideas like I hadn’t for a long time. I’ve “come home” on the internet.

    In these few short months I have come across some bloggers with very powerful messages that I wish everyone could read and act upon in the ways described. What a wonderful world we would have!

    Over the coming months I will let you know about some  articles I consider  ‘must reads’.

    Please let me know of others you think I should also be reading!

    Thanks for sharing and supporting me on my learning journey thus far.

    The story has just begun!

    This first in the series is a lecture given by Neil Gaiman entitled “Reading and obligation”

    Neil Gaiman lecture in full: Reading and obligation

    Neil captivates me with his opening statement:

    “It’s important for people to tell you what side they are on and why, and whether they might be biased.”

    If you have read any other articles on my blog, you will know that I am biased; biased towards a child-centered, hands-on, creative and innovative approach to education. I believe that children are capable of far more than a structured didactic approach to schooling gives them credit for; and that big changes in the way education is delivered are necessary if we are to make best use of our most valuable resource – human potential.

    As a reader, writer and literacy educator I am biased towards approaches which foster a love of reading and writing. The pleasures to be gained from a literate existence are immeasurable. But more than that, being literate is not only personally empowering, it is a basic human right.

    Obviously the articles on my must read list will be those that share my biases.

    Please follow the link to watch the video or read the complete transcript of Neil’s lecture.

    I offer a few teasers below to incite your interest.

    “everything changes when we read”

    Wow! How powerful is that statement!

    “The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means, at its simplest, finding books that they enjoy giving them access to those books and letting them read them.”

    “Fiction has two uses. Firstly, it’s a gateway drug to reading. . .

    And the second thing fiction does is to build empathy.”

    “Fiction can show you a different world. It can take you somewhere you’ve never been. Once you’ve visited other worlds, like those who ate fairy fruit, you can never be entirely content with the world that you grew up in. Discontent is a good thing: people can modify and improve their worlds, leave them better, leave them different.”

    Don’t you love that last statement? I do. If we are always “happy” with the way things are, why would we ever try to improve or change them? A little discontent can be a good thing!

    “We need to read and write, we need global citizens who can read comfortably, comprehend what they are reading, understand nuance, and make themselves understood.”

    Neil goes on to talk about our obligations as readers, writers and citizens of the world.

    He lists the following (read or listen for his explanation)

    • Read for pleasure
    • Support libraries
    • Read aloud to our children
    • To use the language
    • We writers – and especially writers for children, but all writers – have an obligation to our readers: it’s the obligation to write true things, especially important when we are creating tales of people who do not exist in places that never were – to understand that truth is not in what happens but what it tells us about who we are. Fiction is the lie that tells the truth (underlining is mine)
    • not to bore our readers
    • not to preach, not to lecture, not to force 
    • never, ever, under any circumstances, to write anything for children to read that we would not want to read ourselves.
    • to understand and to acknowledge that as writers for children we are doing important work,
    • to daydream We have an obligation to imagine. . . . individuals change their world over and over, individuals make the future, and they do it by imagining that things can be different.
    • to make things beautiful.
    • to tell our politicians what we want

    Neil reminds us that

    “Albert Einstein was asked once how we could make our children intelligent. His reply was both simple and wise.

    “If you want your children to be intelligent,” he said, “read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.“

    I couldn’t agree more.

    What about you? What do you think of Neil’s list of obligations? Are there any you would omit, or any you would add?

  • What is education, anyway? Pt.1

    One of my favourite talks about education is a TED talk given by Ken Robinson in 2006 “How schools kill creativity”.

    His contention is that

    “creativity . . . is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

    Although the video has had more than 21 million views (while quite a few of them mine, nowhere near that number!) and drawn over 3 000 comments during the last 8 years, his views need to reach a wider audience still; an audience with the power to enact change.
    One thing I had always loved about teaching was the opportunity to express myself creatively, and to encourage my students to do the same. Unfortunately the current emphasis on a content-driven, top-down approach where test results reign supreme has left little room for anyone’s creativity. I am not saying there was ever much opportunity for creativity in formal schooling, but creative teachers could always squeeze a bit it. Now the opportunities for creative “massage” are few.
    My optimism for positive change in education is always raised when I read or hear of others who share similar views. I think if enough voices are heard chanting the same message that a change may come.
    This post (and article in Saturday’s QWeekend magazine) by Mary-Rose Maccoll “Why Banff means the World” also proclaims the vision of Ken Robinson. Mary-Rose is another fan.
    She says that

    “Being at the Banff Centre (in Canada) has made me reflect on what we lose when we don’t foster art, when we don’t foster creativity. And what we lose is the world.”

    She says that

    “even as school education becomes increasingly narrow in its focus, we’re also seeing a decline in performance on the very outcomes that standardisation seeks to improve.”

    She concludes by saying,

    “As I sit in my room and watch the mountains, listening to the trail of a contraband sax down the hall (you’re supposed to play in the soundproofed studios in the forest), reading a piece by a Scottish writer, I am grateful for artists. In our 21st century world, we surely need them.”

    I agree wholeheartedly as, I’m sure would Ken Robinson, along with Teachling whose post What is Education, anyway?Pt 1 I reblog for you here.

    I agree with Teachling’s belief that

    “many teachers would feel that – as well as their students’ innate talents and creativity being snuffed – their own talents and creativity don’t get much of a look-in. I believe most teachers are very restricted in terms of what they teach as well as how they teach it.”

    I also agree with her when she states that

    “that there’s very little teachers can do about it.

    It’s the administrators and politicians that should take Robinson’s advice. It’s also the perceptions of a majority of parents that would need to vastly change if any rethinking of fundamental principles were to occur.”

    Have a listen to Ken and read these other posts, then let me know what you think.

    How can we make our voices be heard to ensure that creativity and innovation is not lost for the future?

    Teachling's avatarTeachling

    Ken Robinson’s take on schools, and how they kill creativity…

    You’re likely one of the 20,738,467 viewers of Ken Robinson’s “Schools Kill Creativity” 2006 TED Talk. Robinson’s assertion, and general gist of the talk, is that “all kids have tremendous talents, and we squander them; pretty ruthlessly”. The “we”, we can infer from the rest of his talk, are schools.

    Let me pick out some key points:
    • “My contention is that creativity, now, is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”
    • “We are educating people out of their creative capacities.”
    • “Every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects… At the top are Mathematics and Languages, then the Humanities and at the bottom are the Arts… And in pretty much every education system there’s a hierarchy within the Arts. Art and Music are normally given a higher…

    View original post 423 more words

  • Searching for purpose in a picture book – Part B

    Searching for purpose in a picture book – Part B

    What is the purpose of picture books? Is their purpose simply to entertain with an interesting story and rhythmical language that is fun to read and recite? Is it simply, as I said in my previous post Searching for meaning in a picture book – Part A, “. . . a special time of togetherness, of bonding; of sharing stories and ideas . . . “ Could the purposes of picture books extend beyond entertainment alone? I think most people would acknowledge that reading picture books to young children has a profound effect upon children’s learning and development. In addition to entertainment, picture books can be used for a multitude of purposes, including:

    • to encourage a love of reading and books
    • to develop vocabulary and knowledge of language (through immersion and engagement rather than direct instruction)
    • to provide a link between the language of home and the language used in the wider community and in education
    • to support children embarking on their own journeys into reading
    • to inspire imaginations
    • to provide opportunities for discussing feelings, emotions, ideas, responses
    • to develop feelings of empathy, identification, recognition, hope
    • to instill an appreciation of art by presentation of a wide variety of styles, mediums and techniques

    I’m sure you can think of many more than I have listed here. But what of knowledge, information and facts?

    yves_guillou_question
    http://www.openclipart.org

    How, and when, do children learn to distinguish fiction from fact, or fact from fiction? At the moment that question is too big for me to even think about answering, but it is a question that I ponder frequently and may return to in future posts.

    ryanlerch_thinkingboy_outline
    http://www.openclipart.org

    Children seem to realise early on that animals don’t really behave like humans and wear clothing.

    mouse dressed up
    http://www.openclipart.org

    They don’t expect their toys to come to life and start talking.

    teddy_bear_and_doll
    http://www.openclipart.org

    They quickly understand, when it is explained to them, that unicorns and dragons are mythical creatures and, to our knowledge, don’t exist.

    toy unicorn
    http://www.openclipart.org
    dragon_on_a_leash
    http://www.openclipart.org

    But what happens when the lines between fact and fiction blur and content, though presented in fiction, has the appearance of being based in fact? For example: The lion is often referred to as “King of the jungle” and appears in that setting in many stories. However, lions don’t live in jungles. According to Buzzle, they live in a variety of habitats and jungle isn’t one of them. You knew that didn’t you? But what about the children? When will children learn that lions are not really kings of the jungle? Do you think it matters if children grow up thinking that lions live in jungles?

    Lion_Cartoon
    http://www.openclipart.org

    What about when animals that don’t co-exist appear in stories together? For example: Penguins often share a storyline alongside polar bears. Does this encourage children to think that penguins and polar bears co-exist? When do adults explain to children that penguins and polar bears live at opposite ends of the planet? At what age do you think children will happen upon that information? Does it matter?

    tauch_pinguin_ocal
    http://www.openclipart.org
    lemmling_Cartoon_polarbear
    http://www.openclipart.org

    What about the way animals are visually portrayed in stories? Must the illustrations be anatomically correct? For example: We all know that spiders have eight legs. Right? If I was to ask you to draw a picture of a spider, how would you do it? Have a go. It will only take a second or two. I can wait.

    whistle
    http://www.openclipart.org

    Now compare your drawing with these:

    spiderswirl2
    http://www.clipart.org
    Little_Miss_Muffet_Spider
    http://www.openclipart.org
    spider
    http://www.openclipart.org

    How did you go?

    While children easily realise that this picture is fictional:

    pet_spider_girl
    http://www.openclipart.org

    They have less success is understanding what is wrong with the previous images. Spiders have eight legs. Those drawings show eight legged furry creatures. The story says they are spiders. That must be what spiders look like. Right? Unfortunately, real spiders look more like this one:

    johnny_automatic_spider
    http://www.openclipart.org

    All eight legs are attached to the cephalothorax, not the abdomen (or even one body part) as shown in most picture books. While I am sure you drew a spider correctly (didn’t you?), most children and many adults draw them more as they are depicted in children’s stories. Is this a problem?

    LOVE_2
    http://www.openclipart.org

    I am not for one moment suggesting that we get rid of fictional picture books and stories. I love them! And as I have said, and will continue to say, many times: they are essential to a child’s learning and development. There is no such thing as too many or too often with picture books. Instead, I would like you to consider the misconceptions that may be developed when the content of picture (and other) books may be misleading, and how we adults should handle that when sharing books with children. One of the books that gets me thinking most about this topic is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle.

    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    As I said in a previous post, it has been published in over 50 languages and more than 33 million copies have been sold worldwide. I am almost certain that you will be familiar with it, and upon that assumption, I have one final task for you in this post. Please share your response to the question in this poll:

    To be continued . . .

    I would love to receive any other comments you would like to share regarding the content in this post.

    I do apologize that I have been unable to get the text and pictures in the layout I desire. I obviously have more investigations to carry out and learning to do.  🙂

    Maybe next time I’ll have it mastered, says she, hopefully!

  • Counting on the holidays!

    algebra

    When the topic “Maths” is mentioned in conversation among adults, including teachers, many of them moan, “I hate maths. It’s too abstract. I could never understand it. I can’t see the point in it.”

    I think it is a sad situation that many such adults were turned off maths in school by teachers who didn’t introduce them to the beauty of maths, who didn’t teach maths in the context of real-life purposes and whose pedagogical kit bag was entirely filled with worksheets of meaningless and endless algorithms to complete.

    I am one of those adults too. In my final years of high school I had a “teacher” who could do the math but couldn’t teach the math; couldn’t explain the why or the how, or any of the steps required to achieve understanding. Maths became an impenetrable forest of meaningless algorithms, formulae and theorems.

    As both a parent and teacher of young children, I was determined to not be an instrument of math torture. Granted this may be easier with young children than it is with older students, but I’m sure there are still ways of making maths fun and meaningful in high school classrooms.

    The suggestions in this article provide parents of young children with ways of finding maths in everyday contexts and incorporating mathematical learning effortlessly into holiday activities. Of course, the activities are of benefit at any time, not just during the holidays!

    If you don’t have young children to inspire, or inspire you, please move on to the end of the article for some suggestions to excite your own interest in maths!

    Although the word “counting” appears in the title, it is important to remember that maths is not just counting.

    The strands of maths as described by The Australian Curriculum include:

    • Number and place value
    • Patterns and algebra
    • Measurement and geometry
    • Probability and statistics

    My list includes just a few suggestions for each of those strands to get you started. Need I say there is an infinite number of possibilities?

    25 ways to keep children thinking mathematically during the holidays:

    Number and place value

    1. Count items e.g. birds in the sky, shells collected from the beach, people for lunch, steps in a staircase, windows on a house, seats in a bus . . .
    2. Count out the cutlery required for each person at dinner
    3. Include your child in shopping activities by helping them to:
      • Recognise the coins and notes
      • Count the value of coins and notes
      • Predict whether they have enough money to purchase an item, and whether there will be change
      • Tender the money in payment for an item
    4. When your child is sharing e.g. the biscuits, balloons or slices of fruit, ask them to:
      • Predict if there will be enough for everyone to have one, or more than one each
      • Share out the items, allocating the same number to each
      • Determine if there are any left over and what to do with them
    5. Use terms like half and quarter correctly, e.g. when cutting apples, oranges, sandwiches, pizza, to indicate pieces of equal size
    6. Play games that involve counting, e.g. counting the number of skips, balls in hoops, pins knocked down or dice games like snakes and ladders that require adding as well as number recognition and counting
    7. Make up number stories e.g. “We had five apples in the bowl. I ate one, and you ate one, how many are left?” “
    8. Read books with number concepts e.g. Pat Hutchins The Doorbell Rang, Eric Carle Rooster’s off to see the world  or Kim Michelle Toft One Less Fish

    doorbell rang

    Rooster's off to see world

    One less fish

    Patterns and algebra

    1. Use items to make patterns e.g. sort and create a pattern from shells collected at the beach, building blocks or toy cars
    2. Look for patterns in the environment e.g. fences, tiles, walls and window, zebra crossings
    3. Decorate cards and drawings with a patterned frame
    4. Make gift wrapping paper by decorating with potato prints or stamp patterns

    Measurement and geometry

    1. Include your child in cooking activities and allow or support them to:
    • measure the ingredientscooking-man
    • set the temperature on the oven
    • work out the cooking finish time

    2.  A child’s understanding of volume and capacity can be developed when they:

    • pour glasses of water from the jug and discuss terms such as enough, full, empty, half or part full, more, less
    • pour from one container into another of a different shape to compare which holds more and which holds less

    3.  Scales can be used to compare the mass of different items or quantities e.g. compare an apple and an orange, measure the mass of butter required for a recipe

    4.  Measuring length can be included by:

    • measuring and comparing height
    • cutting a length of string to tie a package
    • measuring who is closest to the jack in a backyard game of lawn bowls

    5.  Use the calendar to

    • Learn the names and sequence of days in the week or months in the year
    • count the passing days or the number of days until an event

    6.  Identify shapes in the home and environment e.g.

    • 2D shapes: tiles on floor and walls, shapes of windows, sections of footpath
    • 3D shapes: cereal boxes (rectangular prism), balls (sphere), bottles or cans (cylinder), dice (cube)

    7.  Play games that involve shapes e.g. jigsaw puzzles, tangrams

    8.  Talk about directions e.g. left, right, forwards, backwards and follow directions on a grid

    9.  Play games that involve directions and movement in space e.g. battleship, Hokey Pokey, Simon Says, snakes and ladders, ludo

    10.  Read and discuss books that include measurement concepts e.g. Pamela Allen: Who Sank the Boat? (volume); Eric Carle: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (days of the week) and The Bad Tempered Ladybird (time); Penny Matthews and Andrew McLean A Year on our Farm (months and seasons); and for looking at places on a map Mem Fox Sail Away The ballad of Skip and Nell or Annette Langen & Constanza Droop Letters from Felix

    who sank the boat

    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    A year on our farm

    sail awayLetters from Felix

    Probability and statistics

    spite_sun_rain

    1. When discussing the weather or desired activities include the language of probability e.g. possible, certain, likely, unlikely, impossible
    2. Encourage children to collect data about family or friends by asking yes/no questions e.g. do you like swimming, or making a graph of the family’s favourite colour or meal.
    3. Play games with spinners and dice and talk about the likelihood of spinning or throwing a particular number

    This list is really just a beginning. I’m sure you will add many more suggestions of your own.

    For your convenience, the list is available to download FREE in my TEACHERSpayTEACHERS store.

    As promised I will leave you with a few suggestions to spark your own interest in and love of maths. Be sure to check them out:

    These are must listen TED talks by Arthur Benjamin:

    The magic of Fibonacci numbers

    and A performance of “Mathemagic”

     And a fascinating one for the Christmas season “The 12 days of Pascal’s triangular Christmas” by Michael Rose on The Conversation.

    If you want to delve a bit deeper, here are some interesting reads to get you started:

    Charles Seife Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

    Mario Livio The Golden Ratio: The Story of PHI, The World’s Most Astonishing Number

    Rozsa Peter Playing with Infinity: Mathematical Explorations and Excursions

    I listened to the biography of zero on audiobooks this year. It was a fascinating listen.

    What do you think of maths? Do you love it or hate it?

    I hope you enjoy your adventures in maths! A world of possibilities awaits!

  • 20 suggestions for maintaining reading momentum during the school holidays

    20 suggestions for maintaining reading momentum during the school holidays

    happy_sun_gm
    http://www.openclipart.org

    The school year in Australia is over and the long summer holidays have begun.

    Parents often wonder how they will keep their children entertained during the long days with few structured or timetabled activities.

    When returning to school after many weeks without the formal practice of skills taught during the previous year, teachers often lament that children’s reading fluency and level has fallen.

    What is one way of addressing both these issues?

    The answer might just be in a book!

    Well in reading anyway.

    19180-Text-Book-Graphic
    http://www.openclipart.org

    Here are 20 suggestions for keeping your children entertained while maintaining their reading skills.

    I’m sure you can think of many more!

    Please keep in mind, as you read the list, that the amount of support given, or independence allowed, in each activity will need to be adjusted to the individual child’s age and reading ability. Even young children who are not yet reading independently can be included in most activities.

    1.  Read to and with your child every day – continue the practice established throughout the year with special sharing times during the day or at bed-time — or both!
    2. Demonstrate that you value reading by making time for your own reading, or setting aside a special quiet time when everyone in the family reads.
    3. Visit the library and borrow to read, read, read!
    4. Read poetry books, song books, picture books, joke and riddle books, crossword books, information books, chapter books (these can be read to younger children, or with older children – taking turns to read a page or a chapter each) — what are your favourites?
    5. Trade books no longer read for others at a second-hand book store.
    6.  When dining out, have your children read the menu and choose their own meal.
    7. Include your child in holiday cooking and have them read the recipe – ingredients and method. Perhaps they could read the recipe book to select the meal for the day.
    8. Suggest your child read the TV guide to find when favourite programs are showing and establish a timetable for viewing, rather than haphazard watching with random flicking through channels.
    9. Provide your child with bookstore catalogues and encourage them to read book descriptions to guide their next selection. 
    10. Bestow upon your child the title of ‘Family weather watcher’ and have them consult weather forecasts in the newspaper or online to select the most suitable days for planned outings and activities. 
    11. Include your child in making decisions about holiday activities. Give them the guide, or read the guide together and jointly choose the activities. 
    12. Make the library, museums and art galleries high on the list of must-dos. Many of these offer a wonderful assortment of free holiday entertainment for children, and reading is an essential part of getting the most from each visit! 
    13. Engage your child in some craft activities which require them to follow written instructions. The ability to understand and follow procedures is empowering and requires the ability to read written, as well as visual, instructions. 
    14. Encourage your child to ask questions about every day events and phenomena. Help them to research in books at home, in the library or on the internet. 
    15. Provide eBooks as well as books in print. Good ones bring a new dimension to the reading experience. 
    16. When going out for the day, or journeying further away on a holiday, support your child in locating destinations on a map and in selecting an appropriate route. Engage your child in giving directions while en route. 
    17. Include your child when reading bus or train timetables. 
    18. When doing the family grocery shop, give your child their own list of items to look for. 
    19. Listen to recorded books on long car journeys, or have books for listening to or reading along with in bed. 
    20. Make the most of every reading opportunity that occurs throughout the day!

    What are your favourite ways of incorporating reading into everyday activities?

    When I was a child, I loved receiving books as gifts. I still do! Books are among my most treasured possessions.

    www.openclipart.org
    http://www.openclipart.org

    I remember the delight when, on awaking in the dark of an early Christmas morning, I would reach down to end of my bed and discover a book there. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel the smooth glossy cover and the familiar roughness of the pages. I would lift the book up and breathe in the rich, delicious smell which promised so much pleasure I almost wanted to devour it. I knew that something delightful was in-store for me, and as the dawn’s soft glow began light the room, I watched the colours, pictures and words slowly take form and reveal themselves to me. What joy!

    I am forever grateful to my parents for encouraging my love of reading.

    The love of reading is one of the greatest gifts a parent can give a child.

    So, here is #21, it probably should have been #1!

    21. Give books as gifts!

    Read! Read! Read!

    You are welcome to download and distribute the 21 suggestions FREE from my TEACHERSpayTEACHERS store.

    You can read another post on this topic by Nanny SHECANDO by clicking here.

  • Searching for meaning in a picture book — Part A

    Searching for meaning in a picture book — Part A

    Do you recognise this book?

    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    Chances are you do.

    According to the website of the author Eric Carle, since its publication in 1969 it has been published in over 50 languages and more than 33 million copies have been sold worldwide. It ranks highly in the Wikipedia List of best-selling books.

    Most primary schools, preschools and kindergartens would have numerous copies in their libraries with a copy in most classrooms as well as in teachers’ private collections. Most homes with young children would have a copy in their storybook collection.

    reading

    In addition to the books, many of those schools, classrooms and homes would have some of the associated merchandise; including toys, games, puzzles, posters and colouring books, which are now available.

    When I typed ‘the very hungry caterpillar’ into the Google search bar about 5,640,000 results were listed in 0.33 seconds!

     Google search the very hungry caterpillar

    There are activities, lesson plans, printables, videos, and advertisements for merchandise. There is a plethora of suggestions for using the book as a teaching resource, including counting, days of the week and sequencing.

    I think you would be hard pressed to find someone that hasn’t at least heard of the book. That is quite an impact, wouldn’t you say?

    For a book to have done so well, it must have a lot going for it. And it does.

    There are many things I like about this book, including:

    • The bright, colourful, collages with immediate appeal
    • The natural flow and rhythm of the language making it easy to read, dramatize and recall
    • The sequence of numbers and days encouraging children to predict and join in with the reading and retelling
    • The match between the illustrations and the text supporting beginning readers as they set out upon their journey into print
    • The simple narrative structure with an identifiable beginning, a complication in the middle with which most children can empathise (being ill from overeating) and a “happy” resolution with the caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly.

    Reading to children

     Nor and Bec reading

    Sharing of picture books with children from a very young age has a very powerful effect upon their learning.

    There are many benefits to both parent and child of a daily shared reading session.

    clock

    It can be seen as a special time of togetherness, of bonding; of sharing stories and ideas. It can be a quiet and calming time; a time to soothe rough edges and hurt feelings; a time for boisterous fun and laughter; or a time for curiosity, inquiry, imagination and wonder.


    Whatever the time, it is always a special time for a book    ; and all the while, children are learning language.

    8-12-2013 7-38-33 PM
    © Bernadette Drent. Used with permission.

    They are hearing the sounds and rhythm of their language. They are being exposed to new vocabulary, sentence structures, concepts and ideas. They are learning important understandings that will support them on their journey into literacy e.g. they are learning that the language of a book differs from oral language and that the words in a book always stay the same.

    They begin to realise that it is the little black squiggly marks that carry the message, and they may even start to recognise some words.

    Robert 2

    Many of these, and other, features make “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” suitable for incorporation in an early childhood curriculum, for example:

    The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    • Literature appreciation – love of language, knowledge of story, interest in books
    • Reading – the clear, simple and predictable text make it an easy first reader
    • Maths – counting and sequencing the numbers, sequencing the days of the week
    • Visual arts – learning about collage and composition of a picture
    • Philosophical inquiry —sharing interpretations and discussing feelings about the story, asking questions raised including the ‘big questions’ of life

    ryanlerch_thinkingboy_outline

    Eric Carle, in an interview with Reading rockets, describes it as a book of hope. He says:

    “You little, ugly, little, insignificant bug: you, too, can grow up to be a beautiful, big butterfly and fly into the world, and unfold your talents.”

    He goes on to explain that,

    “I didn’t think of this when I did the book, but I think that is the appeal of the book.”

    But I’m not going to let him have the last word!

    While “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” has always been one of my very favourite picture books, I do have some misgivings about the impact that this book has had.

    In future posts I will share what I consider to be some limitations of the text, and what I consider to be the most powerful use of all.

    What do you think?

    What appeals to you about this book?

    What questions does it raise for you?

    Please share your ideas. I look forward to hearing what you think.