KIDS INPERTH
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Born & Bred in WA
OCTOBER 2013
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Kip McGrath Education Centres – help is at hand!
Tablets or books? by Dr Julia Solomon
By Cheryl Stott (Mundaring) and Julie Courtis (Willetton) f you are concerned about your child’s academic achievements or about the move to National Curriculum, help is here!
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Early intervention is the key to getting on top of any issues that your child may be having with learning in English and Maths. By identifying areas needing attention, individualising programs, using quality resources and professional tutors, Kip McGrath Education Centres are able to help students move forward with their learning. It’s not just children who are struggling with their school work who may need support. Kip McGrath centres also offer programmes for Extension students and those requiring help to prepare for GATE or Scholarship exams. Many gifted children are not academically challenged in the classroom and tend to underachieve. At Kip McGrath they will learn that it’s ok to make a mistake; that’s how they learn. They will be challenged to develop thinking and problem solving skills. Secondary Maths and English is also catered for, with students focussing on the skills they need to achieve better results in tests and exams. Some centres also offer other subjects (Physics,
n a recent newspaper conversation on the topic of student’s learning through technology, specifically the use of the tablet for reading and writing, readers of high school age were invited to offer an opinion on whether this should be the future of school learning.
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Chemistry, Economics etc). Check with your local centre for details. Kip McGrath Education Centre students enjoy being taught by qualified, caring tutors. As they work on individualised programs, with computer activities to revise and consolidate their learning, students learn how to learn as well as what to learn. Homework tasks are specifically designed to revise and consolidate the teaching and learning which takes place during sessions.
The majority of opinions submitted in that conversation were against tablets as the major tool of learning. A telling argument was that the enormous cost of purchasing and maintaining a tablet for every student and teacher would be wasted as most pupils would use them most of the time for playing games and accessing material that was of no benefit educationally.
All students can learn given the right teaching and Kip McGrath Education Centres pride themselves on assessing, devising programs and quality teaching to give students the opportunity to reach their potential.
Another comment from a student was that the tablet was great for cut and paste exercises but that did not equate to learning. However, the major objection was that the teacher-student contact would disappear as both would be attending only to the tablet. Moreover, in terms of learning the syllabus requirements,
Parents gain peace of mind and support by bringing their children to Kip McGrath Education Centres. Proven methods gain results! They are here to help. For further information and to book your free assessment, visit the Kip McGrath website at www.kipmcgrath.com.au or call: Balcatta 9240 2335, Gosnells 9490 7822, Ellenbrook 9297 3654, Joondalup 9301 2334, Mundaring 9295 6255, Victoria Park 9472 7480, Willetton 9259 4833.
how can teachers and parents assess what students are actually accomplishing? Perhaps the worst outcome would be parents’ eschewing books and buying
technology in the form of screens in the early childhood years. Already toddlers are being kept occupied by manipulating the images on their hand held screens. As replacement for printed books, the preoccupation with (and likely addiction to) tablets would be equivalent to placing the child at risk of never learning to read or write and so exacerbate the current literacy picture of fifty percent of students leaving primary school virtually illiterate. The Universal Reading System is a transformative educational tool which, through its Stepping Ahead program, introduces the turning of the pages of a book and authentically reading text by the age of three. Through its Reading for Sure program, it provides a proven method for remedying reading delay or failure during the primary school years and prevents at risk readers from that disability. Parents who want to ensure their children will learn to read through books can access the Universal Reading System programs by contacting its office at info@worldliteracy.com.au or visit www.worldliteracy.com.au
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