OPS Education Space
Introduction
Welcome to the OPS Education Space, where learning reaches out from the classroom and into the community!
In each addition you will find a variety of resources, articles and tips to assist you in supporting your child’s learning at home as well as ideas for engaging in fun and educational activities. Each issue will be exploring a topic that is linked with an event occurring at OPS and pertinent to being a parent of primary school aged children, such as managing Cyber Safety in your home, suggesting fun experiments to do during Science Week and investigating how you ask effective questions during Student Led Conferences.
This is also the place you will find links to resources, like podcasts and websites, that have been recommended by teachers, parents and education professionals. The purpose is to provide OPS community members access to information and build a comprehensive resource bank. Is it definitely not to endorse particular approaches or products.
As always, we are keen to hear from you regarding what you would like to see included in this space, remembering this is about education and not parenting. Examples might be:
- What tools would you like suggested to assist you with supporting your child’s learning?
- Is there an area of education you would like more insight to?
- If you subscribe to an informative podcast on supporting your child at home or if there is a Social Media group or page that you would like to share, please let us know!
- If you have read a useful book or article, or watched a fascinating documentary you think others would benefit from, send us a link!
All ideas will be considered and inclusion in the space will be dependent upon their adherence to the Ormond Primary School Code of Conduct and all relevant policies, and The Department of Education regulations. Please send your recommendations to ormond.ps@education.vic.gov.au
What about …?
In this segment, a concept will be put forward for possible discussion with your child. This could be just what you need to kick start a conversation in the car or stimulate conversation over dinner and in the process create a safe space to talk. Whilst some of these concepts may seem too complex for your child, never underestimate their capacity for thinking. As teachers, we are amazed every day with the level of insight and the connections your children make when discussing things at school. You never know, you might just learn something from them!
There are some guiding questions to flesh out the discussion and your role as a model for how to think about and answer these questions is highly important. Throughout the conversation, ‘think aloud’ to show your child what language you use, what other questions need to be answered first and any connections to prior experience or knowledge. We do this constantly in the classroom as it is a highly effective and well researched method for teaching how to think about something. Another great way to explore their responses is to ask for an example.
This is supposed to be a fun and engaging activity, so if your child (or you) just isn’t feeling it, stop and try again another time. Stay curious, stay interested and let them know how much you have enjoyed talking when you’re done.
What about PROOF?
- Is it important to know whether something is true? Why?
- How do you know something is true?
- How much is enough evidence to prove something?
- Do we always need proof or is it okay to believe things without proof?
- Does science, maths, history or English give better proof? Why?
Questions from: Developing a Thinking Classroom by Clinton Golding, Hawker Brownlow Education
Delia Robey
Year 3 and 4 PLC Leader, Education Sub Committee Convenor