Education

Meet the new neighbours on the other side. Jj is for Jottings: 7. Effects of Screens on Children – My Observations, Part 1. During the 35+ years that I have worked as a speech pathologist in education, technology has made its way into our children’s everyday lives at an ever-increasing pace. At the beginning of […]

Jj is for Jottings 86.  R-Controlled Vowels and Diphthongs. There are other vowel sounds, apart from the short and long vowels.  These include r-controlled vowels, schwa and diphthongs. “Some of these r-controlled vowels and diphthongs are quite tricky to get your tongue around – if you’re an alpaca.”  R-CONTROLLED VOWELS. When a vowel is followed […]

Jj is for Jottings 138.  Brain Gym. WHAT IS BRAIN GYM? Brain gym is a series of movements which claim to enhance whole-brain learning.  An alternative term is “educational kinesiology”.  The word “education” comes from the Latin educare, which means “to draw out”.  “Kinesiology” is from the Greek root kinesis, which means “motion” and is […]

Jj is for Jottings 99. Print Books are Better than Digital Books for Toddlers. The question of whether print books are better than digital books for toddlers is a concern for many parents who are looking to do the best by their children.  Here are two pieces of evidence, one anecdotal and one from research, […]

Jj is for Jottings 148.  Other Effects of Noise. Most of us know about the effects of noise on our hearing, discussed in the previous post.  Spending much time in noisy environments can cause long-term damage to your hearing.  Examples are working in a noisy factory or living near an airport.  Exposure to loud music […]

Jj is for Jottings 123.  Neuroplasticity and Power. The topic of neuroplasticity and power is related to this article which defines neuroplasticity and this article on neuroplasticity and complaining.  Every experience we have and every thought we think affects the way our brain develops and changes.  In turn, this affects our physiology and psychology.  The […]

Jj is for Jottings 140.  Tongue Tie. After discussing /s/ speech sound problems in the previous post, in a way the topic of this post is the opposite: tongue tie.  Why is it the opposite?  Some /s/ problems involve tongue protrusion or sideways movement. But tongue tie anchors the tongue which limits movement to varying […]

Jj is for Jottings 66.  7 Tips for Reluctant Readers. Some early readers find large blocks of print rather daunting and are therefore reluctant to read.  Here are some tips for getting around this: Continue reading Jj is for Jottings 65.  What Is Synthetic Phonics? We’re just taking a break from the series on How […]

Jj is for Jottings 123.  Neuroplasticity and Power. The topic of neuroplasticity and power is related to this article which defines neuroplasticity and this article on neuroplasticity and complaining.  Every experience we have and every thought we think affects the way our brain develops and changes.  In turn, this affects our physiology and psychology.  The […]

Jj is for Jottings 138.  Brain Gym. WHAT IS BRAIN GYM? Brain gym is a series of movements which claim to enhance whole-brain learning.  An alternative term is “educational kinesiology”.  The word “education” comes from the Latin educare, which means “to draw out”.  “Kinesiology” is from the Greek root kinesis, which means “motion” and is […]

Jj is for Jottings 115.  Digital Distraction. WHAT IS DIGITAL DISTRACTION? Digital distraction is that constant checking of phones and multi-tasking which we see going on around us all the time (or even engage in ourselves).  There is a theory that our ancient food-foraging survival instinct has evolved into info-foraging.  It is sort of a […]

Jj is for Jottings 88.  Hearing Loss Effects on Speech, Language and Literacy. Hearing loss effects on Violet’s speech, language and literacy? None, because at this stage there is no evidence to suppose that Violet has a hearing loss. And Simon is certainly getting her off to a flying start with speech, language and literacy […]

Jj is for Jottings 147.  The Effects of Noise on Hearing. Many of us have heard about the effects of noise on hearing – noise is a significant source of hearing loss.  But we need to understand how noise causes hearing loss and about different noise levels if we are to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. […]

Jj is for Jottings 49.  Nasal Sounds – And I Don’t Mean Blowing Your Nose! Nina is demonstrating how to say /n/: see – her tongue is up behind her top front teeth and of course the air is coming down her nose. She is actually starting to say “Nnnnina”. Clever girl. When you have […]