Reading aloud to children can encourage a love of reading. Shutterstock Reading to your child is one of the most successful ways of instilling a love of reading in them. But in our recent study, more than one-quarter of primary-school-aged respondents claimed they were never read to at home. Children typically […]
By Peter Gray Ph.D. Freedom to Learn Video gaming leads to improved cognition, creativity, sociability In previous posts, and in Free to Learn(link is external), I described the decline in children’s opportunities to play and explore freely that has occurred over the past several decades. I also presented reasons to believe […]
Helping students improve attendance rates will help them finish school. from shutterstock.com A study of more than 30,000 students has confirmed the link between improving school attendance rates in Year 7 and the likelihood of completing high school. Conducted by the Smith Family, the research found around three-quarters of students from […]
Author provided/The Conversation, CC BY-ND On Wednesday in the US, thousands of students left their classrooms in a national day of action designed to force political change on gun crime. Following the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, this walkout is part of an extraordinary national movement. Young people across the US […]
Encourage children to think about where they are in space: if they’re looking at a map of the zoo, ask them where they are in relation to the kangaroos or lions. Shutterstock Educators and researchers agree early literacy experiences are important for children’s cognitive and language development. For the past […]
By Idzie Desmarais I’m delighted to be sharing some words from fellow grown unschoolers today, something I’ve been wanting to do more of for a while now. For this post, I asked people to share either something they think their parents did especially well, or an aspect of their experience they […]
By Peter Gray Ph.D. Freedom to Learn What does research really tell us about the brain effects of video gaming? “IT’S DIGITAL HEROIN: HOW SCREENS TURN KIDS INTO PSYCHOTIC JUNKIES.” That’s the dramatic headline screaming across a New York Post article, by a Dr. Nicholas Kardaras (2016), which many readers sent to me shortly […]
Currently, only 10% of teachers in primary education are male. Shutterstock Australia is facing a crisis within primary education: there will not be enough teachers to educate the booming population of children coming through. A report commissioned by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) predicts we will need 443 more primary classes and […]
Even when teachers are supporting specific learning difficulties (such as dyslexia), it’s important to expand boys’ repertoire of positive reading experiences. Shutterstock Year 3 reading outcomes of 2017 NAPLAN testing once again demonstrate a gender gap, with boys underachieving compared to girls. A focus on teaching for the test has not closed […]
Research shows play-based programs for young children can provide a strong basis for later success at school. Shutterstock As the new school year begins, many families are deciding where to enrol their child in preschool or school. Preschools and schools offer various approaches to early education, all promoting the benefits […]