Education | Peter "Just Loves Flying"

The simple magic of learning to spell

December 5, 2012

Peter Singhatey Education Education, People & Society, peter singhateh 1 Comment

Your child has picked up a book, understood what they’ve read and now, in the third part of our literacy series, it’s time to help with spelling

Who needs spelling? Isn’t that what spell-check is for? Well despite advances in technology, there is still a need for children to learn to spell in order to write and convey their thoughts. Spelling is essential for written communication.

Many people will remember the Friday spelling test: learning lists and lists of words, only to write them down and have your classmates correct them – gold star optional.

The problem with this method is that being good at memorising lists of words is no guarantee that a child will be able to reproduce the same words at a later date. There are many reasons why children struggle with spellings…

Now is the time to tackle the schoolbook publishing industry

September 25, 2012

Peter Singhatey Uncategorized Education, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Now is the time to tackle the schoolbook publishing industry.

“The development of the ebook sector offers the Department an opportunity to reshape the field, so that it works for the student, parent and school instead of for the publishing industry. I believe that we should demand clarity now from ebook publishers around how they plan to handle edits and reissues, and the pricing of ebooks generally…”

“Now is the time for the Department of Education to rethink the way classroom material is compiled, published, updated, priced and paid for. The sector is changing. We have to power now to change it for the better. Let’s not just drift into the next chapter and spend another generation complaining about it.”

Newspaper initiative to improve literacy

September 21, 2012

Peter Singhatey Uncategorized Education, People & Society, peter singhateh Leave a comment

Newspaper initiative to improve literacy.

AN INITIATIVE to give transition year students a better idea of how newspapers work and to improve literacy will begin on Monday. The Press Pass scheme will see free national and regional newspapers distributed to 14,000 students in 250 schools over a fortnight. They will be accompanied by a workbook.

The idea “should help to improve literacy standards for those students taking part” because of the “strong yet practical focus on reading and writing”, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said yesterday.

The initiative by National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) is in conjunction with the Department of Education.