I was astounded by the quality of a set of stories written by Year 1-2 students at Merrin School (situated in Christchurch; decile 8; a high proportion of ESOL students) and asked the teacher (Jeanne Coker) how they had been motivated. Jeanne talked enthusiastically about the importance of play-based learning in their school and how she had developed Learning /Ako … Read More
I was lucky enough to attend and present at the recent New Zealand Literacy Association 42nd National Conference which was held in Christchurch, New Zealand on 29 September – 2 October 2019 This was a stimulating and very well organised and run conference which covered far more than its title (The Arts as a Bridge to Literacy) would suggest. In … Read More
I am currently working across the country in 20 decile 1-9 schools on in-depth writing projects with Year 1-10 students: 10 schools are in in Auckland; 4 in Christchurch; 2 in New Plymouth; 2 in Wellington; 1 in Hamilton; 1 in Hawke’s Bay. Almost all projects are focussed on ‘enhancing teacher knowledge and practices in order to generate higher engagement, … Read More