I have already said in a previous blog that memorization of words e.g. spelling lists is not an effective way to develop spelling ability. Spelling is a challenging task to master for many of us; it’s also challenging to teach. In order to teach it well, we need to [...]
I adore this statement from Winnie the Pooh: “My spelling is wobbly. It’s good spelling but it wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.” It also makes me wonder what percentage of the population feels the same way. I believe there are thousands of wobbly spellers out [...]
When it comes to reading is silence really golden? I can still remember some of my English classes as a student; please believe me it wasn’t yesterday but I’m not providing the exact date! I remember a time when we had whole one-hour lessons devoted to reading in total silence. [...]
Please note, in this article /a/ indicates the letter sound – a as in apple <a>indicates the letter name - a as in acorn. Everyone wants to improve their teaching practice because it will undoubtedly improve student learning. Having said that, I am surprised how many people still appear to [...]
One of the answers to this complex question is early years experience. But it is not the only answer. Peer pressure, motivation and effective literacy teaching -or lack of- all have a crucial part to play. Early years experience I am a great people watcher. I love watching the interaction [...]
In my 30 years of teaching I have gained so much valuable knowledge working with 1000’s of students who have experienced some form of learning need at sometime in their education. I thank every one of them for helping me become a better, more effective teacher. They have taught me [...]
