Australian children falling behind!

In the ‘Summary Statistics for Victorian Schools April 2017’ report we see a very concerning trend in the statistics; Predominantly when looking at the ‘per cent achieving top 3 bands, 2016’, we see huge declines in percentages across states in Australia as students’ progress in their education.

Although there are many factors to consider when analyzing these statistics, the results are alarming. An article written on theconversation.com highlights the fact that Australian teens are falling behind, there have been significant declines in math and scientific literacy achievement since 2000. We are working hard to fill in the gaps occurring in students early on in their education to see rising percentages as they progress. It is never too early to help your child reach their full potential and gain a solid foundation of learning before reaching secondary school. A report published by Grattan Institute demonstrated that the gaps that exists in some students (10 months behind) in grade 3, triples by the time they are in year 9 (thirty months behind).

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Why early childhood really matters for children, families and the community!

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Engaging & Motivating Students to Read!

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Finding Gaps in Mathematical Understanding

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All too often assessment and testing become a definite concern for many parents, understand how to assess student knowledge if not done via a test is often not completely understood. I'd like to share today an assessment problem I'll be giving to some of my students that have started on their journey towards understanding fractions in the fullest way possible. My core beliefs are that the way to teach fundamental skills in mathematics, is to teach the concept in a way that reflects understanding; what I mean is it isn't enough to teach students how to add fractions by way of a process. We need to teach in a way that produces an understanding that will be used later in student education to support more complex concepts within the same subject.

Improve Your Child's Confidence Today!

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As a teacher, I have seen many cases where confidence has affected academic results in a negative way. This is unfortunate as students have the ability to perform at a higher standard but often can't due to low confidence and self-esteem. Confidence is a vital factor in academic success for most students. The majority of the students I see are struggling with a lack of confidence; this can sometimes come across to educators and parents as an unwillingness to learn. Don't mistake your child's lack of self-esteem for an unwillingness to learn. I have seen many behavioural issues in the classroom, as well as lack of participation, come from a lack of confidence.

Expectations Influence Your Child's IQ!

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Teacher expectations is a subject I am very passionate about as it is a huge factor in determining what mindset your child will adopt. Over the years of teaching and working with children I have seen many cases of students confidence and mindset affecting their ability at school.

Identifying Reading Difficulties - How you can help!

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Five Principles of Extraordinary Math Teaching

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Dr Dan Finkel decided after finishing his PhD in algebraic geometry at the University of Washington, that teaching math was the biggest contribution he could make to the world.
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