Damon Thomas
@DamonPThomas
Followers
690
Following
708
Media
32
Statuses
1K
Senior Lecturer in Literacy Education at the University of Queensland. Interested in all things reading & writing theory, development, pedagogy, & assessment.
Brisbane, Queensland
Joined July 2011
🎉 NEW POST: AERO has released a suite of new writing resources to improve writing instruction in every subject. Here are my key takeaways after completing the courses
readwritethinklearn.com
AERO has released new writing resources with clear messages about what they think matters in writing instruction. Here are my takes.
0
0
2
🎉 NEW POST🎉 In this blog post, I unpack what it means to score in coveted and much-reported Australian "Top 100 schools" lists following NAPLAN each year.
readwritethinklearn.com
This post unpacks what it means to score in coveted and much-reported Australian "Top 100 schools" lists following NAPLAN each year.
0
0
3
The NAPLAN results for 2023 have been released. It's a whole new world of testing, with new proficiency standards and an earlier test each year (March instead of May). Here's my analysis of the results with some unexpected findings: https://t.co/R6CQQjleKM
readwritethinklearn.com
This post outlines my analysis of 2023 NAPLAN results. There have been some big changes to NAPLAN testing, and some results were unexpected!
1
0
4
Really enjoyed listening to Steve Graham on SOR the Podcast. Many interesting points. One that stuck out was recent research showing grammar instruction done right ‘does’ enhance student writing. Will be tracking down that paper!
0
1
3
The transition to secondary school was found to be a crucial period affecting boys' literacy outcomes. The developmental trajectory differed by test. You can dive in here: https://t.co/aSLEBNF64Y (2/2)
0
2
7
New article 🎉 @NathanielRSwain, Jack Walton, David Hicks and I explored gender gaps for all NAPLAN literacy tests from 2008 to 2021. Girls outperformed boys on all literacy tests. The biggest gap? Writing, followed by grammar and punctuation, then spelling, then reading. (1/2)
1
7
16
NEW POST 🎉 Figurative language is an underrated aspect of English, being taught from Year 1 to Year 10 and across all 3 strands of the curriculum. In this post, I outline a project that will investigate how successful young writers use figurative language
readwritethinklearn.com
This post outlines how I'll research high-scoring primary and secondary students' use of figurative language for three recent NAPLAN tests
0
0
1
Great take on grammar here. I'd just add that 'teaching grammar in context' should include the context of different genres (narratives, arguments etc.) that are distinguished by their grammar (and structural) choices.
theconversation.com
Grammar is the backbone of any language and kids need to understand it to communicate effectively.
1
3
11
It's been great to see responses roll in from academics across Australia. If you'd like to share your views on the literacy skills of your #HigherEd students, please take a look at this survey. It's taking far less than the estimated 30 mins to complete.
latrobe.questionpro.com
1
7
11
Just finished reading the game-changing textbook "Effective Instruction in Reading and Spelling" for pre-service and in-service teachers. This book is a must-have resource for any undergrad in edu. 10/10 stars 🌟 Congrats to the editors @KevinWheldall @RWheldall @buckingham_j
2
8
58
New post 📝 3 simple ways to fix NAPLAN writing without scrapping the test
readwritethinklearn.com
People want the NAPLAN writing test to be scrapped. Instead, here are 3 simple ways to fix the test 'and' address their concerns.
0
0
4
📝 New post! Are girls better at literacy and boys better at numeracy? And how do gender gaps change across the school years? In this post, I explore the gender gaps in reading, writing, and numeracy in Australia
readwritethinklearn.com
This post explains the extent of gender gaps in literacy and numeracy in Australia and how these gaps change across the school years.
0
1
5
New article published 🎉 Here I unpack how successful primary and secondary school writers structure their arguments. This research shows why teaching paragraph writing with PEEL/TEEL may not be overly useful beyond early-mid primary https://t.co/T4x932YiXW
2
4
32
NEW ARTICLE 🎉 Gender differences in reading and numeracy achievement across the school years. We looked at patterns of male and female achievement on the NAPLAN reading and numeracy tests from 2008-2021. Published in the Australian Educational Researcher
0
0
3
I had a great time tonight at the launch of Brisbane's MultiLit Centre. It was brilliant to catch up with @RWheldall, @buckingham_j and many others in person. Congrats to the whole MultiLit team 👏
1
2
22
Calling all teachers/school leaders using TWR as part of your approach to writing instruction. How have your students gone with the notetaking part of TWR? I'm keen to know if younger students pick this up reasonably well and whether you believe it's improved their writing. Thx!
1
2
4
I really enjoyed listening to @JudithCHochman on @greg_ashman's Filling the Pail podcast. Some very interesting ideas shared about writing instruction ✍️ Give it a listen here:
0
0
5
Thank you @Smithre5 for your very positive review of Teaching and Learning Primary English in the latest @LD_Australia Bulletin. Also, awesome to see a stellar article by @learnwithmrlee in the same issue 👏
4
1
6
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Jodie Watson from @FIVEfromFIVE present the SoR to more than 200 educators tonight. What was shared is consistent with what I'll explore with PSTs at UQ in a few weeks. Can't wait for the deep dive into SSP teaching for their next seminar 👌
2
3
20