This is where we will be sharing things with you that we think you may find interesting. Often they will be linked to learning or raising children. Sometimes they may be there just to make you think or to amuse you!
how children learn...........
the value of the arts
The arts (in all forms) is a vital part of our curriculum at Lake Rotoiti - we value what it awakens in our children and how it develops their learning skills in so many ways. And, finally, a study has backed up what we've always known! Check out the article in the link below.
dad's help is vital in developing confident readers
This article is fascinating - it explores the links between Dads reading to their children and hearing their children read (and actually just being readers themselves) and how children, particularly boys, develop key reading skills and attitudes.
the importance of failure!
We are often talking with children about the importance of making mistakes; often the best learning takes place when we make mistakes and have to try again. Words such as 'perseverance' and 'persistence' are used a lot in our school! The link below is to a fun clip which reminds us why failure is so important.
technology
We've had a big push to update the technology in our school over the last few years. We've had our network upgrade which means that we are on a fibre connection and fully wireless throughout the school. We have one iPad for every two students and each child in the Senior Class has a dedicated Chromebook to help with their learning. We're always considering how best to use the technology that's available to us - trying to make sure that it's adding value to children's learning. (19/08/15)
creativity
If you've attended one of our Community Consultation evenings over the past couple of years, you'll have noticed that the importance of creativity has been mentioned more than once! And by creativity, we don't just mean the arts, as a learning area, we mean creativity as a way of thinking, a way of solving problems, a means to creating new ideas in a new way. Sir Ken Robinson is the guru for creativity in schools and his talks are as entertaining as they are thought-provoking. Click on the link below to watch.
what should my child be reading?
This is a question that we are often asked in school! This list was published in the Times Educational Supplement and includes many books that we have in the school library, some classics and some new ideas. Whilst it is by no means and exhaustive list it is a good starting point. Click on the link below to open the document.
the learning pit
We often talk about the learning pit in the Senior Room - it's a really great analogy for how you feel when you are learning new things and it has helped a lot of children in our school in the past cope with the challenges of learning. There is no explanation to go with this picture - ask your children to explain it to you!
interesting model of the stages of learning something new
We have copies of this to display and discuss in our classrooms - it would be good to talk about this with your children at home too to reinforce the idea that learning new things is a journey, like going up steps. Sometimes it's good to get children to identify where they are on that journey - 'which step are you on?'
do you ever get this response?!
the rights of the reader
