Is silence the sign of an effective teacher?
A silent classroom was once the sign of an effective teacher. Of course, we now know that talk is highly beneficial to learning so this is no longer the case… …
literacy
Writer’s and their notebooks: Jodi Toering
Jodi Toering is a Victorian author and primary school teacher who last year released her stunning debut book, Mallee Sky. As soon as I read this book, I fell in …
6 life changing leadership Lessons
One Thursday back in 2012, I received an email from the judging panel for the Lindsay Thompson Fellowship (a Victorian Education Excellence Award). They wanted to interview me the following …
5 common mistakes teachers make in Independent Reading
Being a literacy consultant, I get the opportunity to visit lots of schools and observe in lots of classrooms. I see all types of wonderful teaching practice and I get …
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Tips for preparing student work during school closures
Australian teachers and schools have the ‘benefit’ (if you can call it that) of entering this challenging time a few weeks after many other countries. We therefore have the opportunity …
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Writers and their notebooks: Trace Balla
One question I get asked a lot is “how should we use writer’s notebooks with students?” I am all about authenticity so I thought it would make sense to ask …
Reading Workshop- the what, why and how
This week’s blog post answers a question asked by one of the Oz Lit Teachers in our community. It focuses on all things Reading Workshop. What is a Reading Workshop? …
Interview with children’s author Stef Gemmill
I was recently lucky enough to interview Australian children’s author Stef Gemmill. Stef’s recently published book, “A Home for Luna’ was featured in last week’s Oz Lit Teacher reviews. (Download …
Classroom Libraries: All Your Questions Answered (Part 2)
In last week’s post we looked at the research behind classroom libraries, the number and types of books they should contain and the need for diversity on our shelves. This …
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Classroom libraries: All your questions answered (Part 1)
It’s early days in the school year and you want to make sure you are setting your students up for absolute success in all things literacy this year. You’ve got …
Read moreClassroom libraries: All your questions answered (Part 1)