Literacy

It is not well understood by researchers precisely how oral vocabulary helps children learn to read new words. In today’s article Macquarie University’s Signy Wegener and Distinguished Professor Anne Castles discuss some exciting findings from their research that sheds light on this issue.

Teachers play a central role in supporting children who are starting formal schooling for the first time to settle in. University of Wollongong researchers have been studying how early years educators can help smooth the transition from preschool.

Results from the latest cycle of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) show the literacy achievement of Year 4 students in Australia has improved. However, there are significant achievement gaps by gender, Indigenous status, socioeconomic status and school location. ACER Deputy CEO (Research) Dr Sue Thomson, joins Teacher to discuss the results further.

The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results have been released today. Here, we take a closer look at PIRLS 2016: Reporting Australia’s results, which describes the reading literacy achievement of a nationally representative sample of Year 4 students in the international context.

Exposing students to a range of books and authors and helping them to create their own texts has provided the perfect opportunity for educators at St Aloysius College to teach them about digital copyright and the proper use of online resources.

Staff at Queensland’s Anglican Church Grammar School (better known as Churchie), have captured Year 10 reading data as part of an action research project into male students’ perceptions of their reading ability pre and post an intervention of taught reading strategies.

Earlier this year, Phil Beadle spent a month in Australia conducting one-day workshops to share his expertise in literacy and behaviour management with Australian educators. In his first contribution for Teacher, he shares his response to the question he was asked most while on tour.

Research has highlighted the importance of providing ongoing opportunities for children to read aloud in class to teachers and friends, and at home to parents, siblings and even pets.

Quality early grade reading is a key focus for the Global Partnership for Education. In her latest Teacher column, Julia Gillard explains how hundreds of millions of children around the world are denied the opportunity to learn to read, and shares how a focus on improving reading standards in Nepal is changing lives for the better.

Today’s reader submission is by Sir Jim Rose, author of the influential 2006 UK report The Independent review of the teaching of early reading, which led to the adoption of mandatory teaching of systematic synthetic phonics in English primary schools. Here, he discusses ‘the simple view of reading’ and its implications.