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There is considerable evidence supporting multi-age groups for teaching.
We have always followed this approach and see many benefits:
• Teachers teach children at point of need rather than being confined by perceptions of age levels.
• Children can get access whatever help and teaching they need in flexible groupings.
• More able children tend to be fully extended.
• Children with difficulties feel more relaxed about accessing much needed questions and will ask questions more readily.
Essentially this is modelled on natural family groupings and honours the fact that we grow and mature at different times, sometimes with “spurts” and sometimes more slowly.
Teachers who teach this way develop the ability to be more flexible and use more learning games and “hands-on” equipment.
Of course teachers who teach in these environments need some support, coaching and modelling in this teaching method. It is like conducting an orchestra and once you know how, you just get better!
We believe the educational gains are great so if you have the chance to teach in a multi-age environment, take it! You have much to gain!
Parents who have the chance to enrol in multi-age classrooms or tuition centres- know your children are experiencing an excellent education mode and likely to have very tangible social and academic gains.

Our kids at INTERNATIONAL CENTRE for EXCELLENCE are excited! The scent of SPRING has them dreaming of beaches, picnics, outside fun, art in our ICE garden and more. There is always a sense of holding our breath just before a seasonal change!
Teachers are feeling much the same! Our WINTER THEME TRAY will now give way to scores of potted plants, paper flowers, enchanted forests and whatever else the children dream up! Enthusiasm is renewed.
It is interesting that even though our winters are mild in WA we still have that sense we have been ensconced in the depths of winter and in a sort of deep, dreamlike sleep!
Here are a few ways that we can all celebrate the rites of SPRING with our pupils- Pre-School through Primary to Secondary:
• Make gratitude lists and add each day or show children how to begin a gratitude journal. (Model this by keeping one yourself.)
• Start a new garden bed- fingers in the soil, add compost and dig, plant and nurture some seeds.
• Write SPRING goals for learning, out of school, sport etc.
• Remind children that Spring is about new beginnings so they can consider new interests and hobbies.
• Help to spring-clean their rooms (and classrooms!)
• Draw some plants- really look at them closely.
• Record some bird calls and try to identify birds from sounds
• Plan a regular weekend picnic.
• Get outside to do writing/art or listen to a story! There is plenty of research that shows changing the learning environment and venturing outside will improve learning outcomes.
• Pack away some heavier clothes and give away old clothes.
• Make a list of things we can do in Spring that couldn’t be done in Winter!
• Choose books that focus on spring themes such as baby animals, plants and the environment.

ABOVE ALL- ENJOY THE HOPE, THE STIRRINGS AND THE OPTIMISM OF SPRING!

I was talking to a very dedicated teacher last week who told me she has lots of parents who ask if their children can have a “rest” from homework as it makes them angry and upset. I experience the same phenomenon- parents asking for a “rest” from learning for a couple of terms- often for children who are 2-4 years behind in their learning but have normal intelligence.
So why do they need a rest?
Why are parents saying things like:

• “I just can’t get him to work”.
  “When she gets angry I just have to give in- it’s too hard!”
  “The pressure is too much.”
  “She won’t read.”
  “She refuses to learn her spelling.”
  “The program is not working.” (After 3 sessions!) What they mean is “My child is not working!”
• Why is this happening?
  What is the “rest” from?-
  Success?
  A happy future?
  Reaching a reasonable standard?
  A satisfying career?
  High self-esteem?
  A great sense of I CAN and resilience?

So- parents wake up and realise if your child has a problem with learning – stick at the chosen solution. If your child is two years behind, why do you think it will be cleared up in a few weeks? Yes- it WILL take hard work. Our teachers will identify problems and do their best to help your child. Your job is to ensure your child does their work. We prefer not to take children if their parents are not committed to helping them and able to insist on daily practice.

Of course children will whinge and complain. It’s hard work and they don’t want to do it! Do you like to do things that are hard?

Learn to ignore the constant negative stream and make them do the work anyway. They will thank you one day.

A colleague quipped recently, “Parents who give their children a rest should be a-rested!”
YOU are the parent and THEY are the children. This means YOU are in charge and as YOU are the adult- act like one and make sensible decisions that will benefit your children.
Tough love is more real than taking the soft option that will likely lead to a miserable future!

GROW UP PARENTS AND TAKE YOUR POWER!

Thinking about spelling today and ploughing through a lot of older and recent research. Nothing new seems to ever come up in this area. I honestly think there are a few facts and once we know these it is up to us as teachers to just make sure we pass them on and help kids master these spelling codes!

1. All kids need to learn about words, letters and concepts of print. They all need the main sounds and these must be taught thoroughly and systematically- and in my mind there is no doubt that JOLLY PHONICS achieves this really well! If they know these sounds they can progress onto 2/3/4 letter blends and start to use the digraphs and alternative vowels.
2. Learning about word families such as “og” and “ack” will help hasten progress.
3. All kids need to learn the alphabet names and order.
4. All kids need to learn the spellings of tricky words such as BECAUSE – by saying the letter names because the sounds don’t provide much help with these tricky ones!
5. Children need access to theme words and to words that have intrinsic interest to them-so they need a notebook or dictionary for these.
6. And, above all,  we need to USE these words. Children who have regular dictation exercises using taught words seem to learn at a faster rate and certainly retain the word patterns.
7. There are myriad games and activities to use to help with spelling development and I will include a couple every day on our STAR: STUDENTS AT RISK face-book group for the next week.
8. The thing is,  we judge people by their spelling- so wrongly! But it happens so we need to get this right and actually teach kids to spell rather than just giving them long lists of words to figure out for themselves.
9. It is high time teachers had the TIME to teach these skills. Some of the educational time thieves need to be banned so we can get on with making the main thing the main thing!

Tonight I watched my favourite TV program Q and A – happily tweeting comments in and pondered how interactive and curiously satisfying digital media can be. If we can only get ourselves under control in terms of distractibility we might gain so much.
How do we do this? Well- it probably comes down to old fashioned self-control- switching off at times and learning to choose our times wisely. And how do we teach this to kids? By modelling and setting limits! This media is so compelling and so NOW and IN OUR FACES- it’s not as easy as putting a bookmark in and sliding the book under the bed. Or is it? Are we making this much harder than it needs to be?

We need to crack this question open and view it from all angles. What happens now to kids in terms of digital media, imaginations, creativity, concentration and the wonderful sense of connectedness we COULD get if we get it right is in our hands. But we need to move fast and with wisdom.
ideas please? As educators we need some!