13 Dec 2018

Impact on Students (2)

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“The biggest evidence of student progress in Term 1,” said Nicole (Reception 2016), “was that I had Reception children coming to school saying they couldn’t wait to learn.  I also had many parents tell me that their children were going home and having afternoon school … for the parents!  The children wanted to go home and read and write.  They were always talking about what they learnt at school.  The evidence is in the children’s work – moving from tracing words to writing independently, from being unable to spell to sounding out words and using punctuation correctly.  Children who couldn’t read when they first started are now reading and spelling.  They can work in groups, think and solve problems.  They enjoy learning – it is exciting for them and for me!”

 

 

13 Dec 2018

Impact on Students (1)

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To compare last year’s students (without LTR) with this year’s students (who have learned the LTR way for three years), Damian (Yr 3 teacher 2016) said, “Academically, they are generally more advanced.  The most noticeable area of difference is in their writing, particularly in creativity and the articulation of ideas.  Another noticeable difference is in the overall culture of learning.  Firstly, in how well they work collaboratively and the positive impact that the stronger students have on the weaker ones.  Secondly, in the students’ general passion for learning.  Last year’s extension students were generally quite cooperative and dedicated, but they didn’t show nearly the kind of enthusiasm that my current extension students do.  They are only unhappy if they are not being challenged enough!”

 

17 Oct 2018

Impact of a boy’s enthusiasm

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At the beginning of 2018, a 7 year-old boy from another school joined a Year 2 class.  He was diagnosed with specific learning issues and was included in a group of 5 boys who all had similar difficulties.  They were given to the Learning Support teacher (who uses LTR Language & Literacy Program) for a 50 minute lesson every day.

After three terms, his mother came to the Learning Support teacher to say that her son was coming home from school every day and teaching her what he was learning at school.  She was excited about what he was learning in phonics, spelling, reading and writing and was most impressed with the love of learning that he displays and his eagerness to improve.

LTR works particularly well with boys because of the pace of delivery, the activities, the challenge and the accountability.

8 Mar 2018

English as an Additional Language – a mother’s story

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In August 2015, our family made our final move to Adelaide from the Netherlands, having previously moved there from Asia.  Adam was 6 years of age and fluent in Dutch and his mother tongue.

One of my biggest worries was how Adam would fare in English as he had only had limited exposure to the language in Holland.  At his new school in Adelaide South Australia, I expressed my concerns to the Principal.  She told me not to worry as the school was using an English language program in the primary classes which would help Adam.

When Adam joined Grade 1, his reading level was 6.  His teacher helped Adam by starting from the beginning of the program with the single letters of the alphabet.  In four months, by the end of Grade 1, his reading level had moved up to level 17.

Grade 2 was the champion year for Adam, not just to improve his language, but to fall in love with it too.  In seven months, by July 2016, he was reading novels – that is in less than a year after moving to Australia.  In addition, his writing skills also improved exponentially.

As I write this in March 2017, in Grade 3 Adam recently passed a grammar test with 19/20.  At 8.30pm yesterday, he was wide awake in bed reading.  I told him to go to sleep and he answered, ‘Mamma, you know I love reading!’

I have no words to thank the creators of this wonderful English program and the amazing teaching skills of the teachers using it, that has had an immense influence on Adam.  Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.

Adam’s mother

 

6 Apr 2016

LTR has changed my life as a teacher!

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LTR Learning has changed my life as a teacher!  A year ago, after just 3 years of teaching, I felt bored and questioned whether or not teaching was what I wanted to do.  I struggled to understand how to extend children and help them all progress.  I noticed that children were getting 12/12 in their spelling tests, but were not able to spell simple words correctly in their writing.  I also felt frustrated and discouraged because I wasn’t effectively preparing my students for the next year level.

This year I have been introduced to LTR and it has changed the way I teach – not just the way I teach literacy, but the way I teach overall.  It has taught me to set a high standard of work in my classroom and give the children the skills to achieve that high standard.  I have learned how to challenge children’s thinking skills and that it is important to expect, even demand, children to think, analyze, conclude, question, form an opinion and learn how to respond effectively in different situations.

In my experience, LTR teaches children how to think logically and creatively, how to work in groups, how to respond in a respectful manner, how to respect someone else’s opinion, how to form an opinion and how to communicate their thoughts.  It has sparked a love of learning and a culture within the classroom that celebrates and values hard work and progress.  All these are important life skills that children should be developing in order to be successful in the future.

I believe that teachers using LTR can change the way they teach, can change the way children learn, can develop young, clever, wise minds that will have a positive impact on our society!

I also believe that LTR is most successful when teachers share with each other their successes and failures, collaborate and work together, celebrate and add to the different gifts, skills and ideas that we all bring to the table.

(Year 2 teacher)

9th October 2015