Victoria Carlton ~ The Child Whisperer

When lockdown initially happened, I moved all our students to ZOOM. We did the same with teacher training seminars.

I expected to have a sort of hands-off, inferior experience of teaching.

Instead, after a year of ZOOM I find myself invigorated, excited and always searching for new and better ideas to handle the distance education thing.

Most of my students are back to face to face learning and that is fantastic.

Some are not- due to distance and other concerns. 90% of all my training is still on zoom.

These have been many positive effects for my teaching:

• I have to carefully monitor children’s body language and facial expressions to know how they are responding. The same goes for adults in my workshops.
• I have been forced to search for ways to keep kids (and teachers/parents) active.
• I have been unable to avoid learning about Kahoots, break out rooms, electronic whiteboards etc etc.
• Interactive power-points, Boom cards, online spinners and stimulating zoom backgrounds are now part of my teaching kit.
• I have learned to draw and be creative with kids in remote sessions.
• I write copious observational notes about all students and NEVER teach or run a workshop without a pencil and notebook beside me. I NEED every bit of good feedback to inform my teaching.
• I can assess kids with running records, spelling tests, maths concepts, teach tables etc etc
• I have learned that if you think hard enough, strategies such as modelled writing, science experiments, all sorts of art and craft and ways to stimulate the brain such as Brain Gym can be taught effectively.
• I have learned to be more flexible with strategies because at any stage our often wonky internet connection can let me down!

All this problem solving has actually enlivened my teaching and training. I think I am a more organised and empathic teacher. Interestingly, my face to face teaching has benefited greatly from the shake-up.

This pandemic has forced me to do a late re-boot to my teaching repertoire and has stretched my brain in many directions. It requires creativity and “out of the box” thinking. I have made SO many mistakes but have learnt to forgive myself.

My resilience has grown and my “bounce factor” is much higher!

I have also learned to place glasses of water right away from my keyboard and to be super-careful when conducting science experiments!  CRUCIAL LESSONS HERE!

Sure, I AM totally exhausted after each ZOOM teaching and training session but so happy we can all continue to learn and share!

I would love to hear from other teachers, trainers and anyone receiving ZOOM training, about their experiences.

Recently I received this note from a child and rediscovered it yesterday under a mess on my desk.

I was busy preparing my GROWTH MINDSET seminar for this Saturday and as I re-read it I was reminded about the true worth of our work with children.

Our attitudes towards children and ability to connect and build rapport  really matter- not so we can receive nice, complimentary notes like this;  more because our personal attitudes affect the futures of our students.

Like all teachers, I have times when I have spoken harshly and perhaps not always tried to see a situation from a student’s viewpoint.

Those times are always when I am tired, under pressure and pushed for time. All teachers experience these conditions.

However, I KNOW this matters and that we need to take care of ourselves so we can offer the best interactions possible with children.

We can make or break futures when we show kindness, empathy and understanding.

It costs nothing but requires we remember the almost sacramental importance of teaching.

Teachers touch the future and because of this they need to look after themselves and take the time to do this.

I am so pleased to see schools adopt mindfulness apps and programs for staff. Nurturing all staff who work with children is vital and I have deliberately added an extra hour to deal with this in my GROWTH MINDSET course at no extra cost.

Kindness matters- to ourselves and our students!

Kids with literacy problems often don’t get to “play” with written language in the same way other kids do. This means they don’t predict, try out patterns such as rhyming, are scared to experiment with new vocabulary and generally view the literacy area as a serious of momentous tasks!

I see this in my primary and secondary tuition students and watch with dismay as they gradually become more and more turned off to reading, will only borrow very easy “thin” books and write the minimum number of words. (In case the spelling is wrong.)

We need to still take time to nurture the playful aspects of learning for these kids. This means doing lots of reading aloud, discovering word patterns together, encouraging playful use of language and tolerating some spelling mistakes in the interest of growing creativity.

Even phonic blending and drills can be carried out in fun ways. Use your imagination and try to see the tasks through children’s eyes. As soon as you mention the word “game” children visibly relax so try turning even the most boring but essential drills and tasks into games.

Play is ESSENTIAL to all children. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/3/e20182058

There is a balance of course and spelling and grammar are essential.

There is something more to language – a non-definable element that shows itself in an author’s tone, style, freshness of vocabulary and often playfulness with words. If we only concentrate on grammar and spelling, kids with learning difficulties will miss some very big areas of literacy development as well as form negative attitudes to literacy-possibly forever!

There are ways to help these kids-

• Make sure they get to do lots of oral work daily.
• Read, read, read aloud to students. (all ages)
• Read to them and with
• Never make a student read aloud in front of their peers if reluctant to do so.
• Play with rhymes and substitute words so children can learn to make the language their own.
• Occasionally record their words/stories on speech to text software so the words just pop up- you can then get the student to simply copy. This helps kids relax and let the words fly!
• Use charts, videos, hands-on games and have many attractive picture books available for children to enjoy. Have some art/craft based comprehension activities. Minimise worksheets. Utilise digital media such as Kahoot to reinforce boring facts that must be learned.
• Consider using the MASTERY LEARNING FOLDER approach. This really helps to individualise learning and WORKS so students can then apply basic skills and display their creativity. https://www.masterylearninggroup.com.au/mastery-learning-folders
• Don’t (EVER) give them homework tasks they cannot understand. This just compounds the problem and causes frustration at home. One of my secondary students has just spent the entire year from February till now trying to cope with tasks he cannot possibly understand. He does not have the vocabulary and comprehension skills needed to complete the set tasks and is becoming more and more frustrated each week. That would be like asking me to read and comprehend a medical text and use the information to write reports, essays and offer my own opinions!

I’ve been a teacher for over 30 years so I DO know how overloaded and stressed teachers are BUT someone has to curriculum adjust for these children. Teachers need to be given time to do this properly and develop workable IEPS.

It doesn’t matter if students can’t read every word. It DOES matter if they hate books- so relax and help kids to enjoy playing with language, dive into poetry- sometimes ditch your rules and PLAY with words.

Keep your sense of humour and learn to laugh – kids also need to laugh and relax and using a light-hearted approach can diffuse many tense and unhappy moments. I tell jokes, have many joke books and encourage children to share jokes as often as possible.

Let’s try to help kids with learning difficulties to develop a more optimistic, positive and relaxed attitude to literacy. Personally I think helping kids to develop growth mind-sets and ENJOY learning are the keys to improving  results and encouraging a life-long love of words!

W is for WANTS (rather than NEEDS)

Christmas is approaching and many families are doing it tough this year. This might need to be a Christmas of restraint and more careful spending. Even Santa might be forced to cut back!

Children naturally focus on wants. Young children are terribly focused on immediacy! They do not understand that having that toy, designer sneakers, app and so on will not make them instantly happy for a long time.

We need to help them focus on needs and to be gradually able to perceive the difference.

It helps for children to make lists of both NEEDS and WANTS and to be well aware of the difference.

Doing this as a family is great because then they understand everyone has wants. They can even make lists of things they NEED

Family planning is important when planning budgets, giving money etc. it doesn’t mean we cannot have a want- just that we need to take care of needs first.

This needs v wants video is very helpful. Really it is all about SELF-CONTROL!

https://youtu.be/J8P3sCooGg0

this is a great article with some excellent suggested books and strategies.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-wants-versus-needs-4150278

It is hard for children to understand the sharing and accommodation that must needs happen in family life but this is essential if we are trying to bring up caring, compassionate young people. Being able to distinguish between NEEDS and WANTS is also necessary for financial intelligence to grow!

I have used JOLLY PHONICS and JOLLY GRAMMAR for over 20 years to help children improve literacy skills. I am NEVER disappointed.

It is a foolproof system and all you have to do is read the handbooks, stick with the suggested system and make sure you use it at least 3-4 times each week.

Even once or twice will give you observable results.

Each level has a handbook and there are numerous quality resources that can be used to deepen the learning.

It comes with digital support, reading books and a great deal of support: https://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

It can easily be adapted for on-line learning as it already has the digital resources and detailed lesson plans in the handbooks.

As far as I am concerned, it works because of its multisensory, lock-step approach to learning. I have had many children with serious deficits in learning and this program ALWAYS works. Children enjoy the approach and are so proud of their results!

I suggest that ALL pre-schools and schools utilise this approach as most participating children will be at least one year ahead with their literacy results. There is SO much research around this program and I believe children should always be offered the best!

Jolly Learning provides an excellent literacy foundation for ALL young children.

I work closely with September 21 in Singapore to provide literacy professional development to schools in Australia and SE Asia. We have many ZOOM training sessions to choose from- depending on your available time.

This Sunday 16^th August 4-6pm we have a JOLLY PHONICS basics course that will get you started and provide you with the skills you need to get young children successfully reading and writing. There are some places available. Please email me – victoriacarlton@iinet.net.au or chewyeh@september21enterprise.com to confirm your place.

The course has been fairly- priced at $80.

In the midst of the worst social behaviour I have ever witnessed, a sparkling gem emerged on Sunday and restored my faith in humanity!

After Church we trooped over to the hall to have morning tea and there was a big box of toilet paper displayed –  all donated by a parishioner with a sign:  “Caught short? Help yourself!”

I watched the people around me, expecting the rolls to quickly disappear but no, they didn’t. People really appreciated the generous gesture and only those who had really not been able to get any at all took one or two rolls.

When I left, the box was still half full- showing that people can act with grace, display good manners and ARE able to think of others. I felt proud to be a member of this group.

Come on Aussies- we can ALL act like this. This difficult time calls for calm, patience, generous spirits and kindness- in spades!

My colleagues are doing it tough.

The Corona Virus pandemic has changed the landscape completely. Teachers have to help children learn social distancing procedures – something that NEVER comes easily for children, wash hands thoroughly and somehow carry on with their teaching loads.

They are also preparing online courses and take-home packs as the closure of some schools is inevitable. Teachers are doing their best to make sure their students will not be educationally disadvantaged.

Apart from all these duties, teachers are helping children deal with their very real fears about this virus. Children see the panic buying clips on TV and many  are extremely stressed and worried if they even sneeze or get a mild cold.

We forget that teachers also have their own families to be concerned about; also have aging parents and also cannot buy any toilet paper!

When you pick up your children after school today, tell their teacher how much you appreciate all their efforts. Put a smile on a tired teacher’s face today and maybe gift them a roll of toilet paper!!