Category: Primary

Ultimate Project Based Learning – How Student Teamwork Built a World Championship Car

Every year for the past twenty the Saint Thomas Academy Experimental Vehicle Team (STA EVT) has built a new vehicle from the ground up to give our students the best engineering experience a high-schooler can get. […]

7 Great Zipper Binder Picks for Students Young and Old

Handouts are a teacher’s best friend, but they can be a student’s worst nightmare. It’s difficult to keep track of all the papers that students throughout the school year. Folders hold up for a few weeks, […]

EdTech Comfort Zones – From G Suite to Office 365

What is your preferred platform for regular digital work? What makes it your favorite? I learned how to use Microsoft Word and Appleworks (yes, I’m old) in high school. I continued to use those tools for […]

The Scourge of Education: Neoliberal Economic Revolution

During the 1980s, an economic revolution sneaked up, bopped us on the head, and proceeded to rob us. The seeds of that revolution lay in the University of Chicago Economics Department, headed by Milton Friedman.[1] The […]

15 Popular Pencil Case Options for Quirky Cool Kids

Whether it’s for school, art, or work, everyone loves a new pencil case. A schoolbag essential, a pencil pouch doesn’t just store pencils, pens, erasers, and rulers. It also expresses personality and encourages organization, tidiness, and […]

White Men Can’t Jump…But Levitate?

It’s true. It’s been my sad and woeful battle with gravity for years. My jumping suggests that perhaps gravity has an abnormally negative effect on me. Sadly, there is no Rare Gravity Abnormality Syndrome (RGAS for […]

Avoid The Brain Drain! Here’s How You Can Make the Most of Outdoor Learning This Summer

The summer months are notorious for triggering brain drain. The shear gap in time, combined with the hiatus from hours of learning every day, prompts a decline in knowledge acquisition and retention. Now, it is no […]

The Student-Teacher Relationship Matters More Than You Might Think

Quality instruction isn’t the only factor that determines students’ academic achievement. Students’ sense of belonging to the school community is also significant to student achievement. A growing body of research shows the sense of belonging or “connectedness” […]

Fidget Spinners: Educational Panacea or Classroom Distraction?

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock this past year, you’ve probably encountered kids (and even adults) playing around with the hottest new toy craze, fidget spinners. These little hand-held toys contain a ball bearing at […]

7 Amazing KidKraft Kitchen Playsets to Get Your Little Chef Cooking

Is there a little chef eagerly waiting for their turn to stir a pot each and every time you prep a meal? Well now, you can continue to feed their “inner” chef with a KidKraft Kitchen! […]

Appreciating What, Where and How Boys Read [Infographic]

Unfortunately for many boys, what gets in their way of reading for pleasure are very well-intentioned adults who try to steer them in the “right” direction. That’s why the greatest gift we can give boys this […]

“I Am My Faith”—A Story of Language and Faith in the Classroom

A disclaimer to start. I tell this story because it has a moment of true beauty to it and I’m trying to do it some justice. To get to that moment though, faith and culture may […]

5 Reasons Teachers Should Love Podcasts—and 5 Shows to Try in The Classroom

Savvy do-it-yourselfers and self-educators know there’s an instructional YouTube video for everything. Want to learn how to make great Spanish rice? There’s a video for that. Several, actually. Speak Dutch? Sure. Replace the brake pads on […]

Fading or Thriving In Sport? The Mental Approach That Shapes Healthy & Happy Champions Of Tomorrow

Over the past few years, there has been an increase in visits to my office by parents with young athletes between 11–13 years of age. At first, this seemed like a positive movement, perhaps motivated by […]

Marbotic Smart Letters and Numbers Review: Tech Toys With A Soul (and Major Fun Factor!)

The Product Marbotic offers wooden letters and numbers that work with six apps (free with the purchase of the letter and number blocks), which together allow your child to practice number- and letter-recognition, addition, subtraction, tens […]

A Future Artist May Be in Your Preschool Classroom—Some Things to Consider When Setting Up Your Art Centre

The art area in a preschool child care center can be one of a child’s favorite spaces. Just imagine, mounds of crayons, boxes of colored pencils, markers in every color, plain paper, glue, plastic scissors, magazines […]

Recess Rules!! And Why Kids Need MORE of It!

“For generations, recess has been considered by many students in elementary school as their favorite part of the day.” Recess is a cornerstone of childhood. For many children, it’s a breath of fresh air, an opportunity […]

Books to Inspire Coding & Robotics

I have been running a Coding and Robotics Club at my school, St Aidan’s AGS Junior School, Brisbane, for a couple of years now. One of the best ways to inspire children I have found is […]

The 6 Reading-Habit Initiator Personalities (Hint: Only 1 Transforms Boys into Readers)

There was a time early in my 20+ year teaching career when I didn’t plan ahead or think about what aliterate preteen/early teen boys needed from me to become self-directed readers. I truly believed that if […]

Get Young Minds Wired for Science

The first time that I was asked to teach a workshop it was on the subject of science. The conference organizer said, “let’s get young minds wired for science by introducing the need for a science […]