Link 4 Learning

Show Notes

Post-it notes sequence to use with chant.

Since my last podcast, I have become a parent myself. My son is now five years old and has begun showing an interest in podcasting. Rather than beginning a new podcast with him, I thought we could revive this one and begin sharing some of the things that we do to enhance his learning at home.

Daily chart for packing bag.

I continue to teach full-time, and then come home to continue the learning journey with my son. So far he is going well with his education and seems to catch onto new concepts fairly easily.

Today we share with you a simple activity that can be used to practise the order of the months of the year. We also give a couple of examples of everyday sorts of things that you can do, including creating a chart for packing the school bag.

Useful online resources include:

Interactive Maths Games and Activities

Math-drills

One app my son found really good when he was younger is Hickory Dickory Dock by Mindshapes Limited.

Click here for the podcast.

Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Show Notes

Post-it notes sequence to use with chant.

Since my last podcast, I have become a parent myself. My son is now five years old and has begun showing an interest in podcasting. Rather than beginning a new podcast with him, I thought we could revive this one and begin sharing some of the things that we do to enhance his learning at home.

Daily chart for packing bag.

I continue to teach full-time, and then come home to continue the learning journey with my son. So far he is going well with his education and seems to catch onto new concepts fairly easily.

Today we share with you a simple activity that can be used to practise the order of the months of the year. We also give a couple of examples of everyday sorts of things that you can do, including creating a chart for packing the school bag.

Useful online resources include:

Interactive Maths Games and Activities

Math-drills

One app my son found really good when he was younger is Hickory Dickory Dock by Mindshapes Limited.

Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

At a recent Parent Information Evening, parents of my students requested some information on how we teach Maths these days. A lot of what we do involves mental computations, but we also teach the written algorithms. Over the next couple of months I am going to be creating a combination of videos and podcasts to provide this information to parents.

This first video was a bit of an experiment with my webcam to see how it all works. It is a simple Maths activity to practice creating number patterns.

Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Description: This episode addresses how you can assist your child in the development of research skills.

Key Points and Links:
1. Before you start, discuss what your child already knows and what they plan to find out.
2. Consider together the best places to find the information.
YouTube
TeacherTube
Flickr
Google Search
Yahoo Search
Google Maps Street View
3. Access a variety of resources together.
4. Assist your child to organise their notes logically and put the ideas in their own words.

Click here for the podcast. (Now also available FREE through iTunes to enjoy on your iPod at your convenience).
If you enjoyed the show or have suggestions for future episodes, please leave your comment below.
Thanks, Penny.
Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Description
This episode provides some direction for supporting and encouraging your children once they've learnt to read and have begun reading independently.

In Review:
Early Years Are Learning Years
Top 5 Books for a Baby - Sandra Foyt
Tips for how to Talk to your Baby
Family Education.com
Parents as Partners at Ed Tech Talk

Key Points and Links
1. Help your child consider their personal tastes and interests in reading
Usborne Publishers - Here's a sample of craft books from Usborne .

2. Help your child to build connections and think about different perspectives

Building Rainbows.com - Online book reviews for kids where they can submit their own reviews.

Shelfari - Social Networking Space around books and book reviews. UPDATE: No age limit communicated through terms and conditions.

Good Reads - Social Networking Space around books and book reviews. Members must be 13+ years.

My Readable Feast - Tips and resources for bringing families closer with children's books.

Kids off the Couch - Activities to keep families active.

Click here for the podcast. (Now also available FREE through iTunes to enjoy on your iPod at your convenience ).

If you enjoyed the show or have suggestions for future episodes, please leave your comment below.

Thanks, Penny.

Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Description
This episode addresses how to support your child as they begin reading in the early years of school.

Key Points and Links
1. Read Together - Enjoy and Discuss
Spaghetti Book Club
Jack Prelutsky's Poetry
The Magic School Bus (at Scholastic)
Various Cutaway Books illustrated by Jon Richards, Ken Marschall, or Mark Bergin.

2. Obsess over print - Point out EVERYTHING

3. Encourage your child to write
Free printable shopping list, to do list and things to remember list

4. Encourage and support your child with reading

Click here for the podcast

If you enjoyed the show or have suggestions for future episodes, please leave your comment below.
Thanks, Penny.
Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Description
This episode addresses ways to immerse your child in literature during the early years to prepare them for reading as they enter school.

Key Points and Links
1. Read aloud to your child regularly
Ten Read-Aloud Commandments - Mem Fox
And do it like this - Mem Fox
ReadWriteThink - video
The Little Ones Reading Resource
Toddlers Now

2. Variety, variety, variety. Make use of the library.
Book - "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle
Story Nory
The Story Home
The Mother Goose Pages - On Reading Nursery Rhymes
The Mother Goose Pages - Nursery Rhymes

3. Think immersion. Sourround your child in great books.
Oprah's list of kids' books
Kidsreads - age-appropriate books with reviews

4. Go beyond the books.
PBS Parents - How to Create a Literate Home
Literactive - Online books (requires registration)
Starfall - Online books

Click here for the podcast.

If you enjoyed the show or have suggestions for future episodes, please leave your comment below. Thanks, Penny.
Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Description
This episode addresses the ways you can keep in touch with what is happening in your child's classroom. We begin with the back-to-school night, or parent information session, and then look at ways to keep in touch throughout the year.

Links
Making the most of Back-to-School night:
Great Schools.net
Megan K. Scott
Volunteering in the classroom
Mommy Meryl
Parent/Teacher Interviews
The Raising Children Network

Click here for the podcast.
Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Welcome to the first episode of Link 4 Learning. Strenthening the partnership between parents and teachers in education. In this episode I give you an idea of my background and fill you in on my goals for this podcast.

I realise that it requires a team effort for children to achieve their full potential. At home parents can be laying the ground work by helping their children to love learning and to ask questions as they explore the world around them. In the classroom, students receive explicit teaching and opportunities to practice with teacher support. Parents are then able to show children how their learning relates to life outside the classroom.

Whether your child has more than enough homework, too little homework, or troubles in some areas, I hope this podcast will provide you with support. I also feel that homeschooling families may find the topics we cover useful.

Please email your questions and let me know what has worked for you and your child. Bring the dialogue to life.

For podcast, click below:
http://www.archive.org/download/PennyRyderLink4LearningEpisode1/Link4Learning_Episode001_2008.mp3
Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.

Teaching is my passion, and learning is my obsession.

I find it so fulfilling to teach the children in my class and to be a part of their growth. It is exciting to see them learning new things and applying their knowledge to new areas. When a child has made noticeable progress I feel like shouting it to the world and having a party to celebrate.

Parents will know what I am talking about. You were there when your child said their first word, or took their first step. You know what it's like to feel truly proud of a child. You also see them learn new things and progress in their understanding of the world around them.

Parents and teachers don't always get the opportunity to come together - to celebrate learning and work in partnership. Too often teachers do the bit at school and parents do the bit at home, and both complain that the other one isn't doing their job well enough!

I'd love to see this partnership strengthened such that parents have a thorough understanding of what happens in the classroom even to the point of helping in class where possible; and teachers are aware of the background of the child and understand things that are important to his/her family.

Sometimes when I have had parent/teacher interviews, parents have asked me for some tips about how to help their child with his/her learning. On many of these ocassions I have been unable to provide what I feel is an adequate response. In the pressure of the moment, my mind comes up blank. So, I've decided to start a podcast, and this blog in attempt to provide the advice I never can in that moment!

I really need your feedback on this, as a chain isn't a chain at all if it consists of only one link! Just as I hope you can learn from my observations in the classroom, I hope to learn from your experiences in the home. I can offer suggestions of what I might try if I had kids, but you are the ones who will test it out. If my advice doesn't work, I'd like to know!

I look forward to writing many more posts for you, and attempting my first podcasts.

Cheers,
Penny
Please leave your comments at www.link4learning.blogspot.com or email me at johnandpeninny@hotmail.com.