Matthew Flinders Anglican College has a new podcast with College Principal Michelle Carroll on the mic!
“At the Bell Tower” aims to guide parents along the schooling journey in healthy, balanced and compassionate ways!
We'd love you to tune in to Episode 2: For the Love of Reading at Soundcloud.
There is also Episode 1 to enjoy: Embracing the Power of the Dramatic Arts at Soundcloud.
Join Michelle to dive into captivating conversations with some of our expert educators at Flinders and thought leaders from diverse industries.
Michelle and her guests are aiming to help parents unpack education trends and feel better equipped to approach issues impacting young people in society.
EPISODE 2 SUMMARY
In Episode 2, Matthew Flinders Anglican College Principal Michelle Carroll is joined by Ingrid Clarke, the Head of Senior Primary and Kersti Mowat, the Head of Junior Primary.
In this conversation, Michelle, Ingrid and Kersti explore the benefits of being a bibliophile and how to nurture a love of and confidence in reading from a young age to support lifelong learning.
Ingrid shares the ways we celebrate literacy in the Flinders Primary School and her top tips for encouraging children to read more, including to model it in the home and to have a range of books close by at all times!
The conversation also explores the different reasons children may be reluctant to read and how to support their joy of reading.
And Ingrid shares how her bilingual family upbringing influenced her love of languages and the books she loves to read - from the children’s section and as an avid adult reader.
Kersti shares the journey early learners take to build skills in reading and then develop the confidence to inject creative flair into their writing.
There’s also a conversation about how too much time on screens can diminish attention spans and, on the flipside, how reading a book has the power to build young people’s wellbeing, creativity and sense of peace.
IN THIS EPISODE
To begin, Michelle Carroll chats with Ingrid Clarke, Head of Senior Primary.
- Ingrid explores how to encourage a love of reading through decoding, reading fluency and building a rich vocabulary. Ingrid explains Flinders’ Literature Circles, Accelerated Reader program and Millionaires Lunch celebrations. [1:23]
- The value in children being exposed to lots of different genres, from mystery to biographies and fiction. [5:30]
- How to help the reluctant reader. [6:40)
- Three top tips for Primary School parents to help enhance their children’s reading. [8:40]
- Ingrid shares her favourite books. [10:20]
And then, Michelle Carroll chats with Kersti Mowat, Head of Junior Primary.
- Kersti shares how reading builds children’s emotional and social development. [11:58]
- How a child’s imagination grows through reading. [12:49]
- How reading gives children the confidence to write. [13:30]
- How a child’s confidence in early reading benefits their secondary school years. And how reading (or “attending to a book”) builds concentration for learning and wellbeing. [14:20]
- The benefits of sustained attention and how parents can motivate their children to read for joy. [15:48]
- Why “boredom” is so healthy for childhood development. [17:17]
- The benefits of parents reading, for example, parents can read the same text as their child is reading at school. [17:50]
FEATURE SEGMENTS
Flinders Fast Five [18:56]
With Michelle Carroll, asking our students: “Where do you love to read and what’s a favourite book?”
Flinders students featured: Eloise, Year 5; Evie, Year 9; Noah, Year 4; Sebastian, Year 7; Sienna, Year 1.
Flinders Fact [20:07]
With Gerry Price, Flinders staff member for more than 33 years and Honorary Life Member of the Old Flinderians’ Association. Learn a College fact from our history since foundation in 1990 and have a go at guessing the tricky question Mr Price poses. If you know the answer, comment on our Facebook or Instagram pages, and the first correct answer receives a coffee from our Flinders Quarterdeck Cafe.
LEARN MORE
- Want to purchase tickets to upcoming productions at Flinders? Check out our Events at Flinders
- Follow Flinders on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Visit our Flinders Website News
- Listen to more podcast episodes on Soundcloud
