Teachers

Intuitively, parents and teachers understand that attention is important to learning. If you cannot pay attention in class or while reading a book, you are not going to learn much. However, attention is much more foundational than just ‘paying attention’. Attention skills impact self-control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, which are known collectively as executive function skills…

In their recent article with Open Access Government, Pamela Hanigan and Rachel Gelder, founders of Lancashire Dyslexia Information Guidance and Support (LDIGS), explain how teachers and SENDCOs can assess children’s post-lockdown reading development and give the best support to their learning back in the classroom.

All learning happens through the senses, which act as pathways to the brain. Multisensory methods utilise all the available senses simultaneously. This can be summed up in the phrase ‘hear it, say it, see it and write it’. A true multisensory lesson will engage students on all these levels, at one time and should be active and interactive. The following blog post provides some tips and ideas to help you engage your pupils with a multisensory approach to learning…

To investigate the impact that COVID has had on children’s learning and literacy, The BBC One Show  sent poet, writer, and musician Benjamin Zephaniah to a primary school in Farnham. Having experienced disruption to his own education, due to moving around a lot as a child, he was able to share his own personal experiences of struggling when it comes to reading…

The development of working memory is crucial to pupil engagement and academic success. In order to retain what they are learning; pupils need to develop strategies which support their memory and ultimately improve their ability to retain information and ultimately learn. The following blog post will look at the various areas of memory and suggest strategies and resources which may help.

Reading is a life skill which children need in order to thrive in their education and throughout their lives. According to Andrea Welter, assistant head teacher from Pheasey Park Primary School and Early Years Centre, there’s an urgent need to support children in literacy so their life chances are not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic…

As the foundation for accessing the curriculum and engaging with learning, there is no doubt that reading will be an important part of the recovery curriculum over the coming months. But, how can you ensure you have effective resources and routines in place in your classroom to support children returning to learning.

This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, it is important to recognise that we actually have a powerful wellbeing tool readily available within our classrooms and homes in the form of books! Books provide a world of opportunity for children to escape from their worries and learn to deal with complicated situations and emotions; in uncertain times they can also help children feel less alone.

The announcement of lockdown 3 has seen huge numbers of parents and carers once again challenged with the task of home-schooling their children. Many will feel anxious and have concerns about their child’s mental health, or the impact that the another lockdown and unpredictable periods of self-isolation will have on their progress. We have put together some of our favourite tips to help parents support children from home in these challenging times.