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Here at Full Spectrum Education, we know just how difficult the beginning of a term can be. The meltdowns, the complaining, the desperate cry of “just ten more minutes!”

Is this really how you want your child to be starting the term? Unfocused, sluggish and generally unmotivated?

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It feels like we were just on holidays thanks to COVID-19 and online schooling, but the first week of mid-year holidays is already upon us. You may be wondering how best to utilise this time to help your child reach their learning goals, so here are some tips on how to get the most out of this time! …


Literacy, the ability to read and write, is one of the most important skills to help your child learn and grow. Having a high level of literacy aids students to think more critically and creatively, express themselves with more clarity and can actually benefit them in other subjects such as Maths and Science. Luckily, there is a tonne of ways you can help your child improve their literacy level at home! …


Every school has a unique method of setting work, tasks and assessing the level their students are at, but mostly these tests come in the forms of an assessment or an assignment. However, the difference between the two of these can be hard to spot - both receive task sheets, both can usually be worked on at home, they can contain some of the same content. So, how do we tell the difference and how can this help your child? …


It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought in an unprecedented era of online learning and education. All years and study levels were forced dramatically and suddenly to navigate a world previously unknown to them, and all of their education was digitised. …


As we know, school has moved online for the foreseeable future. Each learning institution is handling the situation differently, using a combination of email, school uploading platforms, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, OneNote... the list is endless. Most students are relatively tech-savvy, so utilising these platforms won't be an issue for them or something they will need help from their parent or guardian with. What they do need help with is the nemesis of all young people - structure. …


Research shows conclusively that one of the best ways to transfer information from Short Term Memory (STM) to Long Term Memory (LTM). One of the best strategies is called SPACED REPETITION. Spaced Repetition, essentially, involves revisiting the ideas or skills you are learning in class regularly. For example research suggests revisiting at least once within 48 hours, and then at least weekly to maximise understanding and retention.
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We are blessed to live in a world where, in a crisis like the one we are all currently experiencing, we can move most of our day-to-day activities online. With this move to digital we are seeing meetings, social plans and dates going online, and learning is no exception. …


In education and learning it is important to understand that skills and concepts require different approaches to learning.  They also require an understanding of the goals of different types of Practise.  Effective learning also requires an understanding of the differences in the type of knowledge with which you need to engage. …


It’s official – Australian schools have closed and are making the transition to online learning. Although the current line from the Government is that school will recommence at the beginning of Term 2, that reality is looking more and more unlikely with each passing day in these uncertain times. …


As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve day to day, online learning or distance learning is becoming a key alternative in ensuring that students and teachers have access to online lessons and activities.  Queensland Department of Education has released their new learning at home hub with a range of resources to keep students engaged during this time.   …


Many school teachers have misconceptions about how much help home educators provide students and how much this impacts student authorship. This is especially the case if a student performs better than they had expected on an assignment or test. However, this should not be the case as home educators work under the same expectations of academic integrity as classroom teachers.
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The goal of literacy success is often one of the main motivations for engaging a home literacy educator for your child. Capable and confident literacy skills coupled with capable and confident numeracy skills are the backbone upon which most academic success will rest. …


Numeracy are vital for success in every discipline of learning, learning how to learn and how to understand the thinking and learning process (Metacognition) is even more important! Understanding how to learn and think is possibly the most vital skill set students should be acquiring.
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Most teachers would be aware of the research into highly successful teaching strategies conducted over the past decades by Robert Marzano and John Hattie. Although their methodology differs, there are striking commonalities in some of the highest return strategies each identify in the research. …


Hyerle and Alper (2011) argue that visual representation Thinking Maps, ‘serve as a device for mediating thinking, listening, speaking, reading, writing, problem solving, and acquiring new knowledge’.
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Tony Ryan, describes 20 thinking keys that can be used with students to expand their thinking repertoire.  Like other thinking routines, these keys should be explicitly taught, as should their appropriate uses.
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The concept at the core of a Habits of Mind Framework, like the ideas espoused by Edward de Bono and discussed in the previous weeks’ blogs, is that thinking or patterns of thinking and, especially, different ways of thinking are skills which can be explicitly learned and with sufficient practice become a normalised and automatised part of behaviour. Coupled with this notion is the belief that, if such patterns of thinking can be learned, so, too, can they be explicitly taught.
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CoRT is a series of thinking strategies taught during thinking lessons designed to develop the ability to think in a range of different ways to suit different needs. It was developed in Cambridge University by Dr. Edward de Bono. Court strategies and tools aim to build flexibility and creativity, as well as logical and analytical approaches to problem solving. …


Edward de Bono’s book, six Thinking Hats was released in 1985. De Bono soon became widely known for his development of a range of thinking strategies designed to develop lateral thinking.  His aim was to develop a range of thinking strategies to complement traditional approaches to logical thinking and so help thinkers uncover new ways of solving problems. …


See-Think-Wonder is a routine for understanding complex visual sources. The purpose of this routine is to encourage students to make careful observations and ask insightful questions. It aims to stimulate curiosity and develop inquiry. By separating the two questions, What do you see? and What do you think about what you see? the routine helps students identify the difference between observations and interpretations. …


Term 4 is well underway which means the school year is almost over.  For many students, Term 4 is not only academically important, it is also one of the busiest times of the year.   It is the perfect opportunity to give a last-minute boost to grades, prepare for exams and brush up on test taking skills by working with a one-on-one educator.    …


Metacognition, or cognition about cognition, is the ability to reflect upon how we process our thoughts.  One important trait of academically successful individuals is their ability to employ a variety of thinking routines or strategies for different tasks. …


Australia’s attitude to education and learning, that most students focus upon grades rather than the abilities or dispositions that need strengthening. Part of our job is to start by refocussing such students. As Educators, we know that a focus on external goals such as Grades is less impactful than reshaping students’ understanding of learning and the skills and dispositions required to achieve external measures.

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Researchers Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, articulated the Self-Determination Theory in the 70s.  It is a theory of human motivation that argues that intrinsic motivators are  more powerful than extrinsic motivators such as rewards and punishment. Self-Determination Theory argues that classrooms should aim to ensure students satisfy three primary needs: ownership, competence, and connection.
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Create a plan of attack from now (yes, this week) until the day of the examination. Break your study up into manageable daily chunks. Keep spending a little time regularly practising and studying. This could be as simple as updating vocabulary lists, or re-doing a question you couldn’t do in class. Study one subject at a designated time. …


Teachers should not take the powerlessness that students may feel because of perceived deficit for granted. This may, indeed, colour every aspect of their engagement with education and schooling. …


In this blog, we discuss survival strategies for secondary students.  Strategy One  Use tape to divide a whiteboard into the 10 weeks of your term. Write the due dates of Assessment and exams in the appropriate week. Backwards map from these dates to draft dates, plan dates, finished research etc. Put all school check dates in the appropriate place. …


In this blog I will discuss the company for whom I have decided to work as a home educator, and why I chose to work for this company rather than others. Consequently, I acknowledge that this blog is based upon my own experiences as an educator rather than more traditional independent research.

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We often hear the word ‘leaning gap’.  When a child is struggling to understand content or falls behind in academic areas, we refer to learning gaps as a reason why they are having trouble in the classroom.  But what exactly are learning gaps and how do we fix them and get our students back on the right track. …


Parent teacher interviews are usually held at the beginning of Semester Two to maximise the time a student has to improve. While it is usual for parents to attend, it is probably more effective if older students can also attend, as it is they who must implement the advice offered. …


The question of what makes an excellent teacher is a significant one, given the depth of research suggesting that the quality of teaching is one of the most, if not the most, significant factors in student learning. …


It doesn’t matter what subjects you study at school or what you want to do when you are finished school, developing a good habit of learning is an essential tool for success. There are no holidays from learning! …


Full Spectrum Education’s Holiday Workshops provide a range of programs for students of all abilities and ages to develop their skills, interests and creativity.  …


10 STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING THE 21st CENTURY LEARNER: Part two.  Try using Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats to examine a task using different thinking styles and modalities.  Introduce "hats" one or two at a time and have students approach a question from these particular perspectives. …


Inquiries designed to provide differentiation must be designed to offer support for those learners at risk while challenging those who require extended learning opportunities.  Through a differentiated inquiry, the teacher can explore similar contexts with all learners, but challenge students to achieve different levels of outcome depending on the students' individual abilities. …


Teaching empathy to children is one of the most important lessons we can give them.  Empathy is the awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people. It is the ability to see things from others perspective and it compels us to relieve another person’s suffering.   …


Vygotsky would argue that full development during the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) depends upon full social interaction.  Vygotsky states: "Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (inter-psychological) and then inside the child (intra-psychological). …


Andrew Seaton argued in 2002 that research into educational innovation in Queensland reveals that” little of significance [had] changed” (2002: 33).  While new schools, especially those with purpose designed middle schools may be on the road to a successful transformation of education for young people, the reality is that older, conservative schools (particularly many private schools) have changed little over the past decades despite the significant cultural changes which have radically transformed our society and, consequently, the needs of learners in the twenty-first century.  …


A core philosophy which drives recent initiatives in pedagogy is a developmental responsiveness to the learning needs of adolescents in the middle years of schooling (Beane, 1999:5).   Cummings has described this period as “a phase of schooling that bridges the conventional primary/secondary divide with a view to responding more effectively to the specific developmental needs of adolescents” (1998: 5). …


Certainly, Educational digital learning management platforms have become a lucrative business this century- it is a shame that professional learning for teachers in how best to organise effective teaching and learning experiences in this environment seems less a priority. …


Now that exams are over and the term is winding up, it is time for students who are series about academic success to reflect honestly on their approach to their studies ad to plan the way forward next term. This blog contains ideas about strategies you can use to focus yourself on behaviours designed to maximise your potential. …


Test anxiety is a psychological condition experienced during testing conditions.  It is an intense worry or fear of failure during an exam.  While some degree of nervousness is normal and can actually be helpful making you feel both mentally and physically alert, test anxiety can hinder learning and cause poor test performance.   …


While the use of ICT tools in schools is potentially one of the most significant changes to face education in the 21st century, it appears to be a change for which many schools are ill prepared. London School of Economics Academic, Sonia Livingstone pointed out recently that, “children [are] often the ‘canary in the coal mine’ – experiencing life in the digital age before parents, teachers or governments have caught up.” (2019).  Given that the internet is now 30 years old, making it the same age as the key formulation of children’s rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is timely to evaluate and discuss the significance challenges and opportunities posed by learning in the digital age. …


Stephen King once said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to anything else. Simple as that.” .Recently, I read some wonderful advice from blogger Ryan Holiday about how to ‘punch above your weight’ when it comes to reading. As someone who understands the value of reading, I thought I would pass this along to you with my own ideas thrown into the mix. …


HOW CAN TEACHERS HELP STUDENTS FIND THEIR ZONE?  Explore collaborative learning with your students.  According to Vygotsky, students learn best in socially rich environments which provide them with opportunities to explore subjects with their teachers and peers. (Zimmerman & Shunk, 2001, p.220) Such an environment may be created using collaborative learning models where, research has shown, such learning environments are conducive to learning higher-order cognitive tasks such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and problem solving. …


HOW CAN TEACHERS HELP STUDENTS FIND THE ZONE?  Begin with pre-testing of students.  In his seminal text, Basic Principles of Curriculum and instruction, Ralph Tyler pointed out as early as 1949 that “Without knowing where the students were at the beginning, it is not possible to tell how far changes have taken place “(p. 106). He further argued that, “It is clear that an educational evaluation involves at least two appraisals-one taking place in the early part of the program and the other at some later part so that the change may be measured.” …


We all want to raise responsible children. After all, it’s a vital trait for success in school and in life. As they learn and develop, children want and need responsibility.  It’s an important part of their growth and development.  The primary and pre-teen years are a prime time for children to acquire the skills to plan, meet deadlines, follow through on promises and make sensible decisions.  …


Educational research often makes much of Vygotsky's theory that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span which he calls the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD). Furthermore, Vugotsky claims, full development during the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) depends upon full social interaction. …


It is a disappointing fact that for many academically able students, Primary school offers little if any challenge. Many students cruise through primary school achieving high grades with little if any effort. It might be thought that this was a good thing for such students. Nothing could be further from the truth! In particular, where primary school has required little but rote recall and compliant behaviour of students, such students are ill-prepared for both higher education and the real world. …

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