Blog Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Renaissance Australia

Renaissance Blog

Shareable tips and insightful thoughts on K–12 education from Renaissance teams and educational leaders from Australia and around the world.

January 22, 2019

5 icebreaker activities for the first week of school

By: Ken Stoflet, Communications Specialist, Renaissance USA   The end of summer is bittersweet, but the beginning of a new school year is exciting. Fresh notebooks, […]
January 14, 2019

4 quick tips to build connections with students through reading

By:  Christina Ostrander, Fourth-Grade Teacher, USA “The positive teacher-student relationship is thus important not so much because this is worthwhile in itself, but because it helps build […]
January 7, 2019
Photo of girls studying at a desk

6 summer reads for educators

By: Gene Kerns, EdD, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Renaissance USA   There’s nothing quite like reading a great book on a warm summer day—whether […]
January 7, 2019

How do you involve parents in their students’ reading practice?

By: Ken Stoflet, Communications Specialist, Renaissance USA How do you involve parents in their students’ reading practice? The answer might not be so simple. We asked […]
January 7, 2019

Interwoven: Achievement in reading, science, and maths

By: Team Renaissance USA Struggles in science? Low maths scores? Maybe your students need more reading practice. At first, “reading practice” may seem an odd answer to […]
January 7, 2019

6 more minutes: Struggling readers, reading practice, and growth

By: Team Renaissance USA What are the differences between a student who starts and ends the school year as a struggling reader, and a student who starts […]
December 3, 2018

Sneaky ways that can help parents conquer the dreaded summer slide

By: Kim Hall, myOn Renaissance USA It’s time to talk about the infamous Summer Slide. Ouch! This isn’t the old, rusty metal playground equipment that burns […]
December 2, 2018

Resources to help struggling readers

By: Team Renaissance USA Go from gap to growth—Because struggling readers can’t wait Struggling readers can’t wait—they need to get on the path to literacy success […]
October 30, 2018

(Almost) perfect heroes and the science of learning

By: Jan Bryan, EdD, Vice President, National Education Officer, Renaissance USA   (Almost) perfect heroes Although Hercules would disagree, Achilles is widely considered the closest thing to a […]
September 18, 2018

Learning with a destination in mind: The art and science of personalised goal setting

By: Eric Stickney, Director of Educational Research, Renaissance USA A version of the famous quote from Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu states, “A journey of a thousand miles […]
September 18, 2018

Building reading comprehension through questions, inquiry, and sketchnotes

By: By Billy Spicer, Instructional Coach, Renaissance USA To comprehend or not to comprehend—that is the question. To comprehend illustrates a strong connection between reader and text, a […]
September 17, 2018

What does Student Growth Percentile do?

What is Student Growth Percentile? Achievement indicates whether performance is below, above, or on par with grade-level expectations. Growth explains the kind of progress the student is making […]
September 17, 2018

Tips for helping students find reliable news and online sources

By: Team Renaissance USA In a world of constant notifications, tweets, and status updates, we have access to more content than ever before. With a 24/7 […]
August 30, 2018

What is Lexile® Framework?

The Lexile® Framework for Reading is a scientific approach to measuring reading ability and the text complexity of reading materials. The Lexile scale is like a thermometre, […]
August 20, 2018

How to: Accelerate Progress with Guided Reading

By: Margaret Allen, Strategic Education Manager, Renaissance UK More haste, less speed. It’s a well-known fact of life. But what about when you’re faced with a […]
August 20, 2018

Learning to sail: Engaging reluctant readers

By: Jan Bryan, EdD, Vice President, National Education Officer, Renaissance USA What was the last thing you read? Did you read for pleasure, to gain information, […]
August 20, 2018

From text to technology…

By: Margaret Allen, Strategic Education Manager, Renaissance UK When it comes to reading, my personal preference still remains to pick up a book and experience the […]
August 12, 2018

What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

By: Renaissance US team The Zone of Proximal Development, or ZPD, was a concept introduced by Lev Vygotsky in the late 1920s. Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, […]
August 11, 2018

How to make blended learning work in your classroom

By: Jan Bryan, EdD, Vice President, National Education Officer, Renaissance USA “To have a great idea, have a lot of them.” – Thomas A. Edison Creating […]
August 11, 2018

What is blended learning?

Blended learning provides a digital framework that puts your students in control of a particular element of their learning, whether it’s place, path, or pace. Educators […]
August 10, 2018

Renaissance Accelerated Reader as an effective intervention program