I have been reading about Pisa recently, and some of the findings of the most recent maths assessment. Of note, is the difference between how some countries manage learners who are behind their peers. The most successful countries seem to follow one basic mantra: Expect no less of learners who are facing challenges to their …
Author Archives: msinclair1975
Learning Through Technology
I had the privilege today, of attending an education conference focusing on technology in education. The refreshing outcomes were the almost united messages from all of the panelists and delegates that pedagogy comes first, technology is only a tool to support this. As a comparison, there are too many articles on LinedIn that claim to …
Marking Work
As a former teacher, I often spent hours marking weekly and learners’ daily efforts to check my instruction and their understanding. But, it’s one thing to mark something right or wrong, another thing to discover why something is right or wrong and a further thing to decide how to either improve, for the learner or …
Numbers or Numerals
“I can count to 10!!” Tim shouted as he ran in the front door. “Fantastic!” replied his dad. “Show me.” “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!” exclaimed Tim, excitedly. “Wonderful!” cheered his dad. “Now,” he said, “can you show me how much one is?” “Sure,” said Tim. And he proceeded to write …
Learning is an organic, fluid process
Learning should be fluid not compartmentalised into blocks or units that can be ticked off as they are covered. For learners to meet their potential, they should have the confidence to know: their strengths and weaknesses are acknowledged and catered for; when they face a barrier, they know that a coach will help them find …