A large number of Australian adults are struggling with basic literacy skills, new research has revealed, with most agreeing that technology could have helped them overcome reading and writing difficulties while at school. Global technology education company Texthelp commissioned a ...
More »Almost half of Tasmanians ‘functionally illiterate’
Almost 50 per cent of Tasmania’s population is functionally illiterate, a parliamentary committee heard on Tuesday. Tasmanians are believed to be disproportionately affected by illiteracy due to intergenerational and regional disadvantage, as well as lower education attainment among young Tasmanians. ...
More »One in eight Aussies are functionally illiterate but there’s no national policy to help
Struggling with literacy as an adult can have a devastating effect on multiple areas of an individual’s life, a parliamentary committee has heard. Managing household bills, helping their children do their homework and managing their bank accounts are just some ...
More »School leaders critical in supporting teachers with reading improvement: new study
A recent study led by Flinders University’s Anne Bayeto and Griffith University’s Tony Townsend has found that principals are integral in supporting teachers across their schools to improve students’ reading. To conduct the study, both researchers interviewed school leaders, teachers ...
More »Reading for fun: the last bastion of the English classroom – opinion
When students enter into learning – real learning as opposed to simply being given something to do – they can get lost in it much like I imagine an orchestra can be carried away by a musical composition. Readers are ...
More »Research explores link between handwriting and the development of broader literacy skills
The increasing shift to paperless schools could have a negative impact on student literacy, with a new study showing crucial links between handwriting and other literacy skills. The study, conducted by Monash University’s Dr Anabela Malpique and University of Canberra’s ...
More »Study finds it’s what children read that matters
While the act of reading anything has long been encouraged, a study of 43,000 Spanish students has concluded that it is the quality of the reading material that really matters. Conducted by the University of Malaga and University College London ...
More »NZ writing program helping to lift Queensland students’ writing standards
There has long been consensus among literacy and education experts that Australian students’ writing abilities are eroding, with last year’s NAPLAN results for years 7 and 9 showing an average decline since 2011. Teachers, politicians and the media have all ...
More »Pen pal program gets students off to a flying literacy start
As a young boy I always enjoyed letter writing, especially if I was writing to someone from a different culture. Their names elude me now, but I can still recall the excitement I’d feel when my pen pal’s envelope arrived ...
More »Partnership helps make a difference in Indigenous literacy
Australia’s largest supplier of education resources to secondary schools has congratulated the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) for its tireless work in bolstering young Indigenous Australians’ literacy levels and engagement across remote parts of Australia. Campion Education partnered with ILF in ...
More »