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Literacy, Numeracy and ICT

Jigsaw Learning is a successful learning centre, presently in North London, where children aged from 4-10 join together to study literacy, numeracy and ICT.

The centre was started as a response to the school curriculum becoming too narrow. Children and parents told us that they felt their children were given too many answers and not enough problems. The children needed to understand how to "learn to learn". Children also told us they wanted to know how well they were progressing with their learning.

At Jigsaw Learning, we wanted to make learning fun, especially as children are there on a Saturday. This is led by an ex head teacher. We understand that brain breaks are important part of learning and we incorporate these into the sessions.

The growing concern shown by a wide range of experienced professional groups about the dangers of age-banding books is reflected in our attitude to buying and choosing books for our children.

"... the neat sorting-out of books into age ranges, so dear to publishers, has only a very sketchy relation with the habits of any real readers. Those of us who are blamed when old for reading childish books were blamed when children for reading books too old for us. No reader worth his salt trots along in obedience to a time-table."

CS Lewis 1952 essay On three ways of writing for children, collected
in Of Other Worlds (latest edition, Harvest Books 2002)

We believed that age banding schemes, used in some schools; put a brake on individual reader development imposing categories on what should be a continuum of development. We were also concerned that weaker readers may make wrong choices or be discouraged from making book choices at all by being stigmatised by low age bands. We also wanted to give the children a chance to choose exciting books to borrow each week.

We know that children, given the tools can be independent learners, so we listened and taught self assessment so that children can be learning partners.