Classical Charter Schools’ Post

Check out this article highlighting the hard work we've put in to update our curriculum and libraries to increase cultural relevance and representation. Getting to witness my students make authentic connections to the books we read in class makes me so excited to continue this work. My favorite part of the article is the pictures and quotes from my former students!

The way we teach children to read has been the subject of fierce debate over the past few years. This article breaks down the "Reading Wars" in the US: https://lnkd.in/g5_3MqYA

Some great top tips here for encouraging reading for pleasure at school and at home. Does anyone have any more?

Book Series on Teaching History Today and In the Future   Call for Book Proposals   Rowman & LIttlefield is requesting proposals for a book series that publishes high quality volumes on current and future trends in the teaching and learning of history. Of particular interest are book proposals that combine aspects of the scholarship of the teaching and learning of history with classroom applications. Books should be written for K-12 teachers, K-12 pre-service teachers, and/or collegiate faculty.   Proposals may explore any topic or theme related to history teaching and learning.   Initial proposals should include a brief 250-word description of the proposed book including its topic, purpose, importance for teaching and learning history, and suggested audience(s). Also include a brief 100-word biography. After review of the initial proposal, if accepted, the book will follow standard Rowman & LIttlefield book proposal procedures for final approval.   Publishing in Spring 2024            Frederic Krome, New Approaches in Teaching History: Using Science Fiction to Introduce Students to New Vistas in Historical Thought            Mark Newman, Teaching History Today: Applying the Triad of Inquiry, Primary Sources, and Literacy   For more information, contact Mark Newman, series editor, at mnewman@nl.edu.

There are a lot of books on education, but few that are very good. Here are five books that cut to the chase of what education is and how it should be done. Read the full article here: https://loom.ly/7WEAvdk -- Subscribe to the Intellectual Takeout Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gSXhhPCi

The importance of reading, speaking and listening across the curriculum.

And interesting look at how teaching, reading and learning have changed and continue to change.

Why aren’t we reading more across the curriculum? There’s plenty of evidence that reading aloud to our pupils, raises outcomes for all, particularly those from a low starting point. I’ve done a short recording summarising the research so why aren’t we making the most of these insights, if we are serious about closing gaps? I think there are three main reasons why we aren’t reading more across the subjects, beyond literacy in primary and English in secondary. Reason one: It’s enjoyable – so it can’t be work! We are inclined to think that learning has to be full of struggle. If we are doing something that is intrinsically interesting and pleasurable, we can question whether it is proper learning. I’m sure we have all experienced either reading aloud to a class, or being read to, when the atmosphere has shifted; when there’s a magical, invisible connection between everyone in the room. It’s what Clare Sealy calls the ‘collective cuddle’! It doesn’t happen every time of course, but we do all recognise it. And because it’s deeply satisfying, there’s a sense it’s not proper work. But it is proper work! Reason two: There isn’t time to read in the foundation subjects. If we want our pupils knowing more and remembering more, what is likely to produce greater impact: reading from a decent text, or filling in the gaps on a worksheet? Reason three: Evidence. As a sector, we’re obsessed with evidence. There’s a tendency to think that if there isn’t something written in pupils’ books, then the lesson has happened. Yet, if we consider four the elements of the national curriculum for English, (and this also applies to literacy across the curriculum), writing is number four, after speaking, listening, and reading. So if we want to have great written outcomes, we need to pay attendion to the first three!

An excellent, free webinar is now available from expert Sharon Vaughn: "Misunderstandings of the Science of Reading." Watch it here: https://buff.ly/3VWpH8p. ... #keystoliteracy #literacymatters #literacyprofessionaldevelopment #literacywebinar #freeliteracyresource #literacyresource #literacyforall #literacypd #literacyresources #freeliteracyresources #thescienceofreading #scienceofreading #teacherprofessionallearning

There are a number of important insights from Ofsted’s latest English review and it’s worth reflecting on what’s going well and what needs to be done to improve outcomes for all young people. The good news is that results from the Year 1 phonics screening check show that standards have risen since 2012. And this appears to be reflected in the PIRLS (Progress in international reading literacy study) reports which show that the gap between the lowest and highest scoring pupils is reducing, mainly due to low attaining pupils performing better. And yet one in four pupils are moving to secondary school without having met the expected standard in the key stage 2 national reading test. This holds many of them back in secondary school, both in their English lessons and more widely across the curriculum. So, the question is what can be done to help pupils develop their reading and consequent knowledge of the world? As it happens, there is some promising research which can help us to help our pupils with reading, comprehension and vocabulary development. A research trial from the University of Sussex, called the Faster Read, found that over a 12 week period, Year 8 pupils’ reading ages improved overall by 8.5 months. For those pupils who had been identified as being ‘poorer’ readers, their reading ages improved by 16 months. Wherever we are in the sector, I think we have to take these findings seriously. I've done a short recording of the research here: