Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning As the new year begins, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and set fresh goals that can invigorate your teaching practice. Let’s face it: the old “talk and chalk” approach, coupled with endless worksheets, just doesn’t cut it anymore. In today’s digital age, children’s attention spans are shorter, and their need for engaging, stimulating […] The post The Power of Goal Setting for Teachers first appeared on Blooming Curious ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning Forget about all those cheap toys and gadgets that eventually end up in landfill. This is my ultimate gift guide for the lifelong learner who itches to know more. The parent or teacher who wants to enrich their own knowledge and that of the children in their care, and keep on top of their game. […] The post Ultimate Gift Guide for the Lifelong Learner first appeared on Blooming Curious ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning Long before children learn to write, they learn how to communicate through language and gestures. Speaking comes before writing. This is why I am a big fan of teaching children to read using the sounds in language i.e. synthetic phonics. We explicitly teach students the sounds in words so that they can use that knowledge […] The post How Play Benefits Language Development first appeared on Blooming Curious ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning Why Term 4 Is the Perfect Time for Hands-On Learning As we head into Term 4 here in Australia, I know many teachers are counting down the days until the holidays. But for me, Term 4 is my absolute favourite! It’s the time when my students dive into textiles—one of the most engaging and enjoyable […] The post Hands-On Learning: How to Engage Students with Textile Projects first appeared on Blooming Curious ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning Schools in Crisis Schools are in crisis. Here in Australia, according to recent data by the education research group Learning First, Australian children are lagging behind their international counterparts in reading, mathematics, and science. One of the reasons we’re lagging behind in reading is a lack of explicit instruction. I addressed this in episode 22 of the podcast. Best Strategies for Teachers: Evidence-Based Practices A logical question to ask is: what are the best strategies and practices for teachers to use to get ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning Picture books are a great catalyst to delight, and engage children and get them curious and questioning. Research around reading to children Reading also has a powerful effect on the brain. Studies done by the Reading & Literacy Discovery Center of Cincinnati’s children’s Hospital, actually prove the potential benefits of reading books on children’s brain development and the detrimental effects of screen time on children’s brain development. Scans comparing the brains of children who are often read to by a caregiver to ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning Questions spark curiosity which in turn leads to acquiring knowledge. Asking questions that spark curiosity, encourage thinking and wonder is a skill in itself. Like all skills it can be honed and learned and practiced until it becomes a fine art. Questions allow us to identify gaps in our knowledge and practice. Asking questions allows us to assess understanding, of ourselves and of others. As educators we are encouraged to reflect often, and it’s during that reflection that we are asking ourselves questions. Did my student ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning What is nature pedagogy? Nature Pedagogy is a way of teaching that works with children in ways that embrace nature. This would include the elements you bring inside your classroom, as well as your outdoor environment and even the culture of respecting and working with and in nature that the community take further. Claire Warden the founder of the Floor Book approach, creator of Auchlone Nature Kindergarten in Scotland, and Nature Pedagogist puts it like this: “Nature Pedagogy is a way of working with children and creat ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning How many of us stop to take a moment to consider what it is about our strategies, our practice, our provocations, our environment or even our interactions with children that nurture and drive their engagement and curiosity? In today’s faced past world, where there’s always another thing to do, another place to be, another task to complete, how often do we stop and pause to consider not only our impact on children, but also the impact of the world we are interacting with, on us? Considering our teaching strategies As you sit ..read more

Blooming Curious Blooming Curious - Teaching Kids to Love Learning The Importance of Curiosity in Education – How Educators Can Nurture Their Own Curiosity In episode 19 of Blooming Curious, we delved into a topic that lies at the heart of education: curiosity. From its fundamental role in human discovery to its impact on innovation and problem-solving, curiosity shapes our approach to learning and understanding the world around us. In this blog post, we’ll discuss strategies for nurturing curiosity in both educators and learners. The Power of Curiosity Curiosity is a driving force behind ev ..read more