Handwriting Skills: Neatness Counts!
Have you ever gotten a test back and you had lost marks because of messiness, or because the teacher couldn’t read some of what you had written? My son brought home a test the other day and he had lost ten marks because the teacher couldn’t read what he had written! Ten marks! She said […] […]
The Curriculum
Webster defines ’curriculum’ as ’a regular course of study; an accepted schedule; a routine.’ This definition implies that schools must teach their students according to these principles. If we apply this definition to the teaching practices of the average elementary school, we would find that every class indeed has a ’course of study, an accepted […] […]
The Myth of Learning Styles Part 2
Today’s thinking about learning styles reverses a logical process and tries to influence change in the student’s learning behaviour from outside the student. But, changes must be from within and that is the major flaw in these new theories. We are trying to give children self-esteem as if it were a piece of curriculum, rather […] […]
The Myth of Learning Styles
The concept of a ’learning style’ is used to describe the preferred way, or process, that a student uses to identify and integrate information. In other words, the way a student seems to learn most often or most effectively is often called his or her learning style. For example, you may have heard of visual […] […]
Whole Language versus Phonics Part 2
Viewed from a holistic perspective Whole Language versus Phonics Part 1 When we throw away phonics as the first and primary method of decoding and switch to whole word (whole language) method, we are telling our kids something that isn’t true. We are saying that there is no code — that there is no order […] […]
Whole Language versus Phonics
Viewed from a holistic perspective Whole Language versus Phonics Part 2 Whole Language versus Phonics is a subject engendering much discussion these days. Parents are demanding a return to the teaching of reading by phonics while school board trustees and administrators are claiming their whole language reading programs are effective. Teachers are often confused and […] […]
The Oxford Learning Beat Writing Program Part 3
Using Beat Writing Beat Writing is designed to teach both grammar and writing skills. It is not to be used as a singular program. You must use it with other Oxford Learning materials as per the Program Manual. Beat Writing teaches — how to recognize complete sentences how to punctuate how to write grammatically correct […] […]
The Oxford Learning Beat Writing Program Part 2
Why Can’t It Be Easier? We commonly receive requests to make Beat Writing easier! While we sympathize with this wish — to help kids learn to write in an easy manner — it is just impossible. Clear thought requires the clean use and understanding of language: its syntax and its semantics. Our students will never […] […]
The Oxford Learning Beat Writing Program
“You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you’ve got something to say.” F. Scott Fitzgerald “Thought flies and words go on foot. Therein lies all the drama of a writer.” Julien Green “The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean.” Robert Louis Stevenson “Nothing […] […]
Make Goal Setting a Family Affair
Goal setting is more than just a checklist—it’s a powerful way to motivate students, give purpose to their work, and help them plan their time effectively. When students set meaningful goals, they take ownership of their learning journey and feel more confident about their progress. At Oxford Learning, we encourage families to set goals together […] […]