Literacy and Numeracy

PAUSE, PROMPT AND PRAISE

As we continue to embark on our Remote Learning journey, three little words keep coming into my thinking - Pause, Prompt and Praise - or, the 3Ps.

Josh and I refer to these in our Classroom Helper Training but they seem even more important now. It may at times feel easier to give our children the answers they are looking for, but this will be a short term fix. For learners to genuinely engage in the learning process, these three words are crucial.

Our children are currently working as closely to the model of classroom learning as possible. The 3Ps will assist in all areas, but in particular, Literacy and Mathematics. The questions and strategies can be adapted to suit other curriculum areas and in fact, many aspects of growing up and becoming independent.

PAUSE - Most likely the trickiest of the 3Ps for us as teachers and parents! Resist the temptation to jump in with the word/answer - even though we are all incredibly time poor at the moment - give your child the opportunity to try to work it out. If they appeal, you could say

"Everything you need is on the page."

"Use all the clues."

"You try."

PROMPT - After pausing, now we can begin to prompt. This is where we encourage children to look harder, to try harder, to draw on existing knowledge, to pay closer attention to the clues around them. Helpful phrases include

"Does your guess match the letters?"

"You know 'boy' so you will know his word too." (toy)

"What do you notice about that word/those numbers?"

"Get your mouth ready to say the first sound."

"Have a guess!"

"Does it sound and look right?"

"What do you notice?"

"Does that make sense?"

"Read ahead. Can you work it out?"

"Check the picture/your working out."

PRAISE - This part probably comes easiest to us as educators and parents. It is acknowledging a job well done and attempts made. It is important to phrase praise by including what the child did well.

"I like the way you fixed that up! You noticed what you could do better."

"Great attempt! That's what great mathematicians do!"

"You made it very interesting for me to listen to."

"You used the punctuation well. That's what great readers do."

It is important to remember that making mistakes is part of the learning process. We need to support our children through this and maintain a sense of calm and patience. This can be quite testing for us in our current situation, but let's try our best to ensure that learning is manageable, achievable and fun!

Take care

Mrs Cathy Dimitrakopoulos

cathy.dimitrakopoulos@sjvermont.catholic.edu.au

HAVE A LOOK AT OUR AMAZING STUDENTS COMPLETING REMOTE LEARNING

Can you believe you have completed 5 weeks of Remote Learning? Each family has a different set up and has been able to do their best to complete this new style of teaching and learning. Here are some examples of families completing their Remote Learning. If you have any photos of your family at work send them to me and I will publish in the next newsletter.

It is fantastic to see one of our past students, Marcus.

Asher and Montanna helping each other out, with mum near by to lend a hand.

Maria completing her Maths Olympiad work, her favourite time of the week.

Maya says being able to wear a dressing gown while working is one of the benefits of Remote Learning.

This photo is about doing my remote learning for maths today Anna wanted to play with me. She made me smile.

Our dining table is full! Mum's laptop is there and sometimes my 2 year old sister jumped on the table too. Grandpa helps with Math and Dad sits on the morning meditation.

Regards

Mr Joshua Crowe

joshua.crowe@sjvermont.catholic.edu.au