BSC ICT links

The veteran journalist and Wiradjuri man, Stan Grant, has told a Sydney audience that racism is "at the heart of the Australian dream," as he delivered a sobering speech about the impact of colonisation and discrimination on Indigenous people and their ancestors.

via Teacher Tech

Natalie Scott provides an account of education in refugee camps

Alex Quigley explores the topic of group work. Rather than a clear answer, he provides a excellent series of reflective questions to guide things. If we accept the notion of the 'wisdom of crowds', then what is the magic number for group size? There is no fixed answer, but research evidence shows that any group size above six is unlikely to be effective. Why is this? Well, successful group work relies on group goals, but alongside individual responsibility. With too many students in a group it is too easy for social loafing (students putting in less effort when they know they can because other group members pick up the slack) to happen. Better to have a smaller groups, such as trios or fours. Of course, even then, they'll need training.

"Cooperative Learning Tools"

"Quentin Blake's handwriting typeface  MAR 09 2016 "

Tim Shanahan explores the connection between the act of repetition and learning new words. he provides analysis of a range of strategies, as well as exploring the research at the same time. It is true that high frequency words do not have typical spelling patterns, but it is rare that all of their elements are odd (e.g., the vowel pronunciation in "the" is a bit funky, but the /th/ is a more consistent element). Analyzing such words, rather than just repeating them again and again, is a better avenue to long-term learning than copying it over and over again