Category: Learning

How do you feel about data-driven decision making in education?

Jan 28, 2015

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by

Graeme Smith

in 2015, 21204, Adult, Adults, ALEC, data driven, Decisions, Deliver, Design, Embed, Embed literacy and numeracy, Evaluation, Foundation, Improve learning, Improve teaching practice, Knowing what to do, learner, Learners, Learning, Learning Outcomes

Our education system is built around outcomes. This is a good thing. Here’s how it works in a nutshell: You work out what kind of outcome you want to see, hopefully check to see what your learners already know and can do, you might find or develop some resources, then you do some teaching, your…
More Maths and Numeracy Jigsaw Puzzles – Multiplication and Division

Jan 27, 2015

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by

Graeme Smith

in Activities, Development, embedded, Graeme Smith, Jigsaw, Learning, Materials, Maths, Numeracy, puzzles, Resources, teaching

I’ve posted our ALEC subtraction jigsaw puzzles here if you want to download and print, or if you want to tinker with them yourself you can also download the original word doc files as well. Here’s the rest of them below… they’re all based around the standard 10 x 10 multiplication and division tables. You…
Try These Maths and Numeracy Jigsaw Puzzles – Subtraction

Jan 27, 2015

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by

Graeme Smith

in ALEC, Development, Good ideas, Graeme Smith, Jigsaw, Learning, Materials, NCALNE, Numeracy, Practice, Progressions, Resources, Subtraction

For those of you who have attended our literacy and numeracy professional development workshops, you might have seen these cool maths jigsaw puzzles. If not, we’ve done the hard work… all you need to do is print them, cut them out, and use. Learners can complete individually or in pairs. Let me know how you get…
12 Things You Can Do Right Now To Read Better, Improve Learning, and Understand More

Nov 18, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in 2.0, Adult, ALEC, comprehension, Education, Graeme Smith, Hacking, Hacks, Improve, Improve learning, Learning, Literacy, Numeracy, Read, Read better, Reading, Reading Comprehension Strategies, Right now, Strategies, Understand, Understand more

You might think that becoming a better reader is a big secret, but it’s totally not. Here are 12 things you can do right now to read better and improve what you remember and understand: 1. Look for connections: Ask yourself what you already know about the topic that you have to read. Draw a…
How do you improve maths and numeracy learning? Ask these four questions

Nov 17, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in Ask, Education, How do you, Improve, Improve learning, Learning, Maths, Numeracy, Questions

Ace maths and numeracy blogger Damon Whitten has written a couple of great posts here and here recently on how things you can do to improve maths learning for kids. I think his suggestions apply to adults as well. It’s super simple and boils down to this – ask the following four questions: “What did…
How to learn anything part 2: What you need is an operating system for learning…

Nov 11, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in 2.0, 2015, Activities, ALEC, Education, How do I get started, Improve learning, imrpove, Learn anything, learner, Learners, Learning, Learning Outcomes, Personal approach, Personal development, Profession, Professional Development, progress, Reading, Reading comprehension, Self development, Strategies, Vocabulary

I started my riff on How to Learn Anything in another post which you can read here. Basically, what I’m suggesting is that you don’t need to be smart to learn new stuff. What you need is a combination of grit plus a toolbox of tools to help you learn. A reliable system, in other words,…
Using teaching strategies (also known as instructional strategies) with embedded literacy and numeracy teaching

Nov 10, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in 2.0, Activities, Adult, ALEC, Education, Education delivery model, Education resources, Educator’s Journey, Embed, Embed literacy and numeracy, Embed numeracy, embedded, Embedded numeracy, embedding, Embedding numeracy, Improve learning, Improve teaching practice, Instructional, Instructional Strategies, Learning, Learning Outcomes, Learning Strategies, Literacy, Literacy and Numeracy, Literacy Numeracy Pro, Literacy Numeracy Professionals, LiteracyNumeracyPro.com, NCALNE, NCALNE (Ed), NCALNE (Educator), NCALNE (Voc), NCALNE Lite, NCLANA, NDipALNE, Strategies

Sometimes people in the education world talk about using teaching strategies… or in slightly fancier language, instructional strategies. This terminology can be confusing for a couple of reasons. One is that if you google the terms (most people’s first port of call these days), you’re likely to find everything from cooperative learning to discussion-based activities…
How to learn anything: Part 1

Nov 7, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in 2.0, Adult, ALEC, comprehension, Education, Improve learning, Improve teaching practice, Improving learner writing, Learn anything, learner, Learners, Learning, Learning Outcomes, Personal approach, Personal development, Professional Development, progress, Qualifications, Reading, Reading comprehension, Self development, Technology, Theory

Let’s face it. Learning stuff can be hard. It’s not easy to go through a new learning curve for new content that you need for work, study, or even just for a hobby. However, what if it was possible for you to learn anything? Find an expert right? Get a teacher or a tutor? Join…
UX + ED: Where does web-based user-experience (UX) design meet instructional design (ED)?

Nov 6, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in Education, Learning, online, UX

I work in education… but I’m interested in user experiences online. In fact, I’d love to do some work relating to more web-based user experience design. User experience, or UX for short, is basically about the flow of a website. In fact, strictly speaking a UX specialist only cares about how a site functions, the flow of…
How do I get started on Assessment 5 of the NCALNE (Voc) and demonstrating that I’m actually embedding literacy and numeracy into my training?

Nov 5, 2014

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by

Graeme Smith

in 2.0, 2015, 21204, Activities, Adult, ALEC, ALNE, Assessment, Assessment 5, Complete NCALNE, Design, Edtech, Education, Education delivery model, Education resources, Educator’s Journey, ELN Tutor, Embed, Embed literacy and numeracy, Embed numeracy, embedded, Embedded numeracy, embedding, Embedding numeracy, Evaluation, Finish NCALE, Finish NCALNE, Graeme Smith, How do I get started, Knowing what to do, Learning, Learning Outcomes, Learning Progressions, Literacy, Literacy and Numeracy, Literacy Numeracy Pro, Literacy Numeracy Professionals, Literacy Numeracy Symposium, LiteracyNumeracyPro.com, LNPro, Low literacy levels, Low numeracy levels, Maths, Meaning, MOOC, MOOC 2.0, National register, NCALNE, NCALNE (Ed), NCALNE (Educator), NCALNE (Voc), NCALNE Lite, NCLANA, NDipALNE, New Zealand, New Zealand Context, Numeracy, Numeracy activity, NZ, NZCALNE, NZCALNE (Voc), Pathways Awarua, Personal development, Practitioners, Professional Development, Reading, Reading comprehension, Resources, Self development, Speaking, Trainer, Training, Tutor, Vocabulary, what is, Writing

If you’re up to this stage, you’re actually about, or even over, half way. This section is a big chunk… but it’s also the teaching component of the qualification. Basically, after having mapped the literacy and numeracy demands, and diagnosed your learners literacy and numeracy needs, you actually need to get out there and do some…