As previously prefaced, tough new standards are being introduced in NSW for teaching graduates, who will now need a credit average in their degree to be able to apply for a job in the state's public schools. Graduates will also have ...
More »Birmingham’s achievements and failures: a retrospective
He was in charge of grading, but now, the public has the scorecard. With Simon Birmingham's departure from the Education Ministership, it's possible to weigh up his tenure. For schools, will he get a Band One on some initiatives, and a Band ...
More »Introducing Simon Birmingham’s successor
The son of a former state Liberal MP (his mother) and a past party vice-president (his father), Dan Tehan has politics in his veins. His rapid ascent – from local federal MP in 2010 to government front bencher in 2016 – ...
More »Amid #libspill, NSW teachers cry out for funds
How would schools fare under a Peter Dutton-led government? According to the NSW Teachers Federation, they couldn't do much worse than the status quo. The union is using the battle for leadership of the Liberal party to highlight one of ...
More »Are ‘poop hands & green lizards’ the future of STEM engagement? #NationalScienceWeek
If 'poop hands & green lizards' or 'dino dandruff & asteroids' don't intrigue you, what will? These episodes illustrate the premise of Up & Atom, a radio show for young listeners. Broadcast on Sydney-based independent youth radio station FBi (94.5 FM), the 15-20 minute show aims ...
More »What drives teaching quality? A PISA co-creator’s take
Last week's hand-wringing over the comparability of online NAPLAN tests with paper versions is moot. That is, according to one of the architects of PISA, Professor Doctor Eckhard Klieme. Klieme, a professor of education research (with a background in maths and psychology) ...
More »Why teaching should be like medicine
What do a doctor and a teacher have in common? Potentially nothing, yet Professor Geoff Masters would like them to share something significant. Delivering a keynote presentation at the ACER Research Conference 2018, Masters, ACER's CEO, explained his viewpoint. "The origins of ...
More »Transitioning refugees to an Australian school? It takes villages
Jericho, Jordan, Nazareth, Bethany and Emmaus aren't just Biblical places. To Good Samaritan Primary School, they are ways of ensuring no child gets lost in their system. By splitting the school into these namesake 'villages', the needs of 700 children – ...
More »Surveillance and the delicate social balance in school playgrounds
Australian school councils have come out pushing for surveillance cameras to be implemented into school playgrounds to help fight bullying and crime. This is a highly delicate issue, as one of the keys for creating a positive, social school playground ...
More »What might help would-be psychopaths
We need to talk about Kevin. Kevin Khatchadourian is a 15-year-old boy who committed a massacre at his high school and killed his father and sister. Growing up, he exhibited early signs of psychopathy: chronic unrest during infancy, failure to ...
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