Ros Lugg

Educators at intermediate and secondary school levels know better than anyone the challenges many students face when it comes to literacy. 

As educators, we all know the feeling of having too much to do and too little time to do it. During my recent meetings with senior representatives of Australian State education departments, principals, and other education leaders in Melbourne and Sydney, I was intrigued – and delighted - about their strong conviction that educational technology is a game-changer for busy, overloaded teachers in our classrooms.   There was unanimous support for encouraging and adopting quality, evidence-based technology – partly to support over-loaded teachers, but also to address increasing teacher shortages.

This question comes up surprisingly often. Concerned parents, who are worried about their child’s reading, are keen to do the right thing at home, but it can be difficult to identify the most effective approach. It’s not easy for parents to put themselves into the position where they’re actively ‘teaching’ their child. Some manage fantastically, but for some, it just doesn’t work – even when they’re qualified teachers! It’s just not the right kind of relationship in some cases.

Learning handwriting is one of the most essential skills for a child’s literacy development. With the rise of digital technology like tablets, learning this skill sometimes takes a backseat in a child's development.  It’s sometimes seen as an ‘old-fashioned’ or ‘outdated’ part of the curriculum, but research shows its continuing relevance to a number of different areas of the curriculum.