The Learning Success Blog

More than 730,000 children in Australia are living below the poverty line.

These disadvantaged children are at risk of having their learning compromised.

The Poverty in Australia 2016 Report, released last week, found the number of children living in poverty is increasing.

The report was written by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) in collaboration with the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales.

Find out how poverty and disadvantage can disrupt learning – see this infographic (courtesy of We Are Teachers and Scientific Learning Corporation).

Research from Stanford University, USA, has shown that phonics instruction activates the left hemisphere of the brain. This is where visual and language regions are located.

The researchers showed that an alternative reading instruction method, known as whole-word or whole-language activates the right side of the brain.

Prof Bruce McCandliss, a co-author of the research noted that left hemisphere activation is characteristic of skilled readers, and is lacking in individuals who struggle with reading.

What's your opinion about young children using computer technology?  Do you think too much use is a problem? How much is too much? Is it a problem for their intellectual, social, emotional, or physical development? Does it reduce their learning capacity and contribute to behaviour problems?

If you have, like me, been reading some of the commentary about this issue, it would be easy to believe that there is definitely a problem. Or you might have an uneasy feeling that in some ways, for some children it could be.

Well, maybe it's time to think again. 

A team of academics from Auckland University’s Centre for Brain Research and School of Psychology has produced an objective overview of 15 computer-based and group or whole class behavioural intervention programs that are designed to remediate learning disorders.

They point out that advances in the scientific understanding of disorders such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have paved the way for the development of programs aimed at helping the  estimated one in five students with these disorders.

At a recent neuroscience conference in the USA, I heard Dr Martha Burns give a wide-ranging talk summarising the latest neuroscience research about learning and learning disorders. She related the latest research findings to how the Fast ForWord & Reading Assistant programs improve language skills, reading and learning capacity for many children.

Dr Burns is a neuroscientist, author of over 100 journal articles and multiple books, and a leading expert on how children learn.  Her talk covered topics including autism, attention & listening skills, working memory, self-regulation & cognitive control, dyslexia, intelligent tutoring systems, the neuroscience of learning, goal setting, and what's next for neuroscience. 

Bringing an awareness of brain based learning into the classroom may seem a little unusual for many people. Anything to do with brain training still seems to have a connotation of remedial work. But there is a growing awareness of the fact that teaching and learning really does have a lot to do with understanding how the brain works, and how to activate maximum learning capacity in each individual. Consider this quote.

Unsure if your child is having too much screen time? Should you ban TV, iPads and other screens on school days? Or ban them completely? Or just limit your child’s time playing computer games?

Maybe it doesn’t matter – isn’t technology just a part of life now?

Yes it is. But think about this:

Quite a few new parents wonder whether they should try to teach their babies sign language to help them learn to speak.

Remember "little Jack" from Meet the Fockers movie and his baby signing lessons? Well, language experts - from Universities and professional practice - say you are better to put your energy as a new mother into other interactions with your baby. For example researchers from the University of Hertfordshire - there is no evidence to support claims that using baby signing with babies helps to accelerate their language development (ScienceDaily Oct. 4, 2012) . Read the full article here.