Our new Learning section: need your feedback, please

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Please can we get your musings on our new Learning section, which we've developed with Pearson.

It's going to build month-by-month to cover the early years and primary curriculum. It started with phonics and reading. Literacy is coming shortly, and then maths and other topics. As well as articles, there are videos, print-off activity sheets and eBooks.

So please have a browse, if you haven't already, and let us know what you reckon. We're all ears

[ChateauRouge]

I took a look when it was launched last week... but as soon as I saw the words Pearson, I closed the window tbh.

the words education, marking, and fiasco come to mind...

[ChateauRouge]

Also- I know MN need sponsors, but I am really unhappy about the slant an educational publishing company put on home based learning. Especially as the links to buy their materials are so prominent.

Parents nowadays seem completely brainwashed into thinking they have to buy all the complementary reading scheme books, workbooks etc, otherwise their child will fall behind
The number of threads in Primary Education where worried parents are asking questions about book bands, reading levels, so anxious that their child will struggle if they don't read these schemes every day.

Surely the best way to strenghten their reading skills, and to embed what they've learned in school is to read non-reading scheme books, books that are not phonics based, that are published for their merit as good stories- that is the way to foster a love of reading, not turgid reading scheme books with stilted rhymes, and odd word choices (because they need to practice phonemes of 'oo' this week).

Getting story books from the library is the best thing for children- they're exercising choice over the material they're reading, they're out in their community interacting with other children and adults in responsible positions, they're supporting their ocal library use, and building a habit for a lifetime of library use, meaning we wouldn't have the situation we see today where lots of local libraries are closing down, and nothing is being done to stop it.

[ChateauRouge]

And worksheets for phonics learning? Do they not get enough of this in school?

Talk, talk, talk to your child, don't make a 5yo sit down every night and do worksheets.

My DC1 could read fluently at 4- we have never done a worksheet with her. We read to her from birth, showed her the pictures, took her to the library from 5mo, generally had a lot of books around our home, let her see us reading etc etc. Both my children love books, I'm very smug pleased that they do. But I am surprised and saddened that people (other parents at DC's school, who have perhaps 3 books in their home) think they can catch up on 5 years' pre-reading familiarisation and experience by buying a reading scheme and making their children do worksheets every night.

[ChateauRouge]

Actually... not sure I have strong enough feelings on this subject

[nowit]

I found it pretty useful, especially the audio of the phonics sounds. DS (4) starts school in Sept and is really eager atm. DD (7) is a fairly confident reader and he has learnt some of the sounds from her.
We sat and looked at the images, he made the sound that he thought it was and I clicked the audio link, great reinforcement tool especially when you can't remember what ou is

[Worcesterwoman]

I think you should start encompassing fodder that interests parents of older children too, too baby and toddler based ......you do Grans now so what about the bit in the middle?

[SilveryMoon]

I've just had a quick look and it looks like it will be pretty useful!
My ds1 (3.8yrs) has been asking me how to read and after a very slow start he is starting to enjoy writing and making letter sounds, so no doubt I'll be there reading up and printing stuff off for him.
Although I have no intention of pushing my children to do anything at all, if they are interested I'd like to encourage it.
Plus, ds1 gets homework from nursery twice a week so is good to know I can pop on here and read up on how to do it in a manner that will be similar to his teachers.
Thank you MNHQ

[coppertop]

I think it's more like an advert than a MN guide. It doesn't have the MN 'feel' that the rest of the site does. I was hoping for something written in the same way as the MN books or the child development e-mails and was disappointed tbh.

I hope it works out well for you but I can't see myself going back for another look anytime soon. Sorry.

[JemimaMop]

Its not really relevant to me as we are in Wales. Different curriculum to England, and as my DC attend a Welsh medium school they learn to read in Welsh first and then in English later (Year 3), by which time the teaching methods are different to Nursery/Reception.

So completely irrelevant really.

[SummerRain]

I found dd only learned to read once we stopped doing phonics so I for one won't be using it with the boys.

dd has come on in leaps and bounds since I've stopped forcing her to sound everything out and just sat with her and supplied the word she needed before she began to struggle.

She now sits down and reads 30/40 page books independently and loves reading whereas before Christmas she couldn't understand what on earth we were asking her and couldn't read at all due to the idiotic phonics system.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

couldn't access through my phone, but I am assuming it is based on the english curriculum? If so, no use to me in scotland...

[whomovedmychocolate]

Okay, some positive feedback here: it's good for people who don't know anything about learning so as a basic quite, well done :)

For those of us who are already doing it, it's a bit basic - for example, it needs links to home education support groups, it needs information on what will happen in school - what the bloody hell are the 'what colour book is your kid on' question needs answering for one. Oh and that is such a source of angst isn't it? Link it back into talk with a learning support thread.

I in particular struggle to find science (KS1 and preschool level) sourcebooks. And would welcome more info on what is in the NC at this level.

Similarly maths. There's a lot of link ins to other bits of the site (including local Mumsnet) which could be done.

[stream]

Mine are well past the learning to read stage now, but I thought it might be useful to include a section on books for young fluent readers. Mine finished the reading scheme before the end of year 1 and I struggled to find challenging books that were still age-appropriate. Not G&T, just good readers, iyswim.

[Grockle]

Unless you are home-educating, or learning about phonics to support your child yourself I'm not sure I see the point. This is what they do in school. As a parent, and a teacher I wouldn't use any of this. It's much better to talk to your children, read with them, do things with them... not worksheets.

There are thousands of websites with similar resources (and better ones). Why is MN trying to do what other sites already do very successfully?

[ShoonaBee]

Too much emphasis on Pearson - very commercial looking page, not very 'Mumsnet'. Really don't need another website asking me to buy something. The link to the Mumsnet education talk bit was most useful for me - as ever, other MNers are a goldmine of brilliant (and brilliantly silly) advice and news.

The info on 7-11 readers was interesting but nothing I haven't read or heard before so not sure if I'll be going back.

P.S. Will be telling my mum 'bout Gransnet!

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Well I'm not too bothered about the reading thing, but what I would find very useful is an idea of likely topics that will be covered in each year and likely vocabulary/themes.

[FreudianSlipOnACrown]

Doesn't seem to work on my phone :( will check it out on the laptop soon

[Wordworker]

It's just an advert isn't it. As soon as I read the phrase "Mumsnet have teamed up with ..." I just think, oh, another advert.

[Jux]

DD's now in secondary but this wouldn't have helped me when she was in primary. She loves books because dh and I do. She is a fluent and avid reader because she's been read to since the day she was born. Phonics was a waste of time with her too, but the school pushed it so, angst-ridden and ill as I was, I pushed it. Luckily I stopped and read her good books until she was reading them herself. If I had come across this then, it would have compounded my feelings of confusion, misery, distrust of my instincts and inadequacy.

Wouldn't it be better to compile the advice that's already here? Surely with such a fantastic and varied resource available to you it's unnecessary to go outside? You could give percentages of people who recommend a particular resource, point to old threads, current threads and so on. It's more work for you, but ultimately results in better advice for everyone coming here.

[ChateauRouge]

Ah- you Cat said what I wanted to... just much more succinctly

[Wordworker]

Reminds me a bit of those bookselling stalls they sometimes have in the school hall, or the brochures children are sometimes given at school, so that the schoool can get commission for selling the books. It rams home the idea that 'supporting your child's education' translates into 'buying stuff'. It just makes me want to throw the moneylenders out of the temple; it makes me want to halt the colonisation of our children's development by marketing interests. One of the attractive features of MN is finding a non-commercial sphere for information - but of course it isn't really.

[Shannaratiger]

The list of phonics sounds was soo useful. Dd is in yr2, dyspraxic and really struggling with reading. I didn't learn phonics at school so have no idea of how to sound out the words until now. Thank you very much for greatly reducing the frustration tantrums at home reading time.

[Guildenstern]

Ok, have had a look.

Phonics section - I am not interested in phonics activities for my children. I don't think they need extra phonics work. Firstly, this is covered at school. Secondly, phonics are not the be-all and end-all of learning to read. If I felt my children needed extra help with literacy I would not use phonics worksheets.

Reading section - I do not need any support with reading activities, or choosing books for my children. I do need an extra storey on the house to house all the books we have, but I'm guessing Pearson can't help with this.

Activities section - 'Help your children get to grip with phonics'...as explained, I'm not interested in phonics. 'Free e-books' - I'd rather use free paper books from the library.

Primary education section - At last, something useful! I find the MN boards packed with useful information. And they have no agenda to sell me pointless phonics stuff either.

[Nunk]

I found the information on phonics interesting. Didnot feel that i had to buy any products advertised . Handy to have information in one place. But having 3 children already through the phonics phase, and 1 just starting it, I feel i have phonics overload , but it may be helpful for those starting on the path to reading.