Kia ora tatou, Hope you all had a great break – though it probably seems ages ago now – and that the weather and/or the trans-Tasman bubble breaking didn’t interrupt your plans too much. The purpose of this update is to inform you of what’s new on the website – both free and paid resources – and to catch you … Read More
2020 was a tough year for all of us, given the two lock-downs that Auckland educators faced during the year as well as the abandonment of overseas travel. But I finished it nicely. I’m just completing six weeks of relaxing (mainly at home), reading, swimming, walking and a little bit of socialising. I hope your break has been good as … Read More
Kia ora koutou, I do hope you’ve all had a great break, getting yourself ready to take on the challenges of the final term. Yes, it’s been a difficult year hasn’t it, especially for those of us who live in Auckland. But, as a professional community, I think we’ve done very well. We’ve taken risks, we’ve found new ways of … Read More
Do your teachers need to undertake a school-wide inquiry around instructional writing? This may be because: Your students are not as engaged in writing as you hope. Or perhaps because achievement levels in writing are not as high as you hope. Or it may even be because you have not looked at writing PLD for a while. We have developed … Read More
In this episode of “Murray Talks”, we present ‘Oral Language Within the Writing Process’ Dr Murray Gadd provides more detailed narration on this topic in the ‘Murray Talks’ video below. It is supplemented by a downloadable “Teacher notes” PDF (link below). Scroll down for the video or click here Questions for teachers to reflect on … Read More
In this episode of “Murray Talks”, we present ‘Planning a Writing Programme’ Dr Murray Gadd provides more detailed narration on this topic in the ‘Murray Talks’ video below. It is supplemented by a downloadable “Teacher notes” PDF (link below). Scroll down for the video or click here Questions for teachers to reflect on as they … Read More
In this episode of “Murray Talks”, we present ‘Teaching and Using Vocabulary Within the Writing Process’ Dr Murray Gadd provides more detailed narration on this topic in the ‘Murray Talks’ video below. It is supplemented by a downloadable “Teacher notes” PDF (link below). Scroll down for the video or click here Questions for teachers to … Read More
In this episode of “Murray Talks”, we present ‘Monitoring and Assessing Progress’ Dr Murray Gadd provides more detailed narration on this topic in the ‘Murray Talks’ video below. It is supplemented by a downloadable “Teacher notes” PDF (link below). Scroll down for the video or click here Questions for teachers to reflect on as they … Read More
In this episode of “Murray Talks”, we present ‘Providing a Positive and Motivating Writing Environment for Students’. The feel of a writing environment pertains particularly to classroom climate (both social and learning) as promoted largely by the nature of teacher-student relations. The terms positive, close, caring and mutually respectful often emerge when discussing the nature … Read More
In this episode of “Murray Talks”, we present ‘Building Independence Amongst Students as Developing Writers’. Building independence amongst students as developing writers means teachers working to ensure that students become self-regulated writers who are motivated and metacognitive. This has long been considered a key way of affecting learner gains and engagement. Our job as teachers … Read More