Every FLOTUS in recent history has had a main cause. Nancy Reagan's was 'Just Say No' to drugs. Barbara Bush's was literacy. Michelle Obama's was tackling childhood obesity. Currently, Melania Trump aims to stamp out cyberbullying. Many claim this is ironic considering ...
More »In The Classroom
Religion versus ethics in schools: an unwinnable debate?
In 2015, a series of incidents rattled the religious education sphere. Some scripture teachers in public schools had veered off the course curriculum. Children were being taught that they were sinners, that wives were subordinate to husbands, and that Harry Potter ...
More »Australian students are among the most test-anxious in the world
Dear Mum and Dad, This is just to let you know that I took the torch, the hammer, the gardening trowel, the plastic strainer, the chocolate biscuits and the stuff that's missing from the bathroom. So it's OK, you haven't been ...
More »Collaborating out of clouded disconnection: the effects of social media on learning and a pedagogical way forward
The context to any contemporary discussion on student learning and pedagogy is the exponential growth in the influence of the internet over the past 40 years. Subsequently, we must note “the importance of an intentional approach to using the internet ...
More »Students, particularly girls, ‘switch off’ in maths, but there’s hope yet
If you're a teacher or parent of a high school girl, or know one, have you noticed that they seem disinterested in maths compared to a similar-aged boy? If so, there's truth in your observation. A new, joint UNSW-USYD study has ...
More »Autism friendship belief challenged by research
This year, the international journal Autism replaced its cover art of overlapping grey and red puzzle pieces with scattered circles, after a team of editors decided that puzzles evoked negative connotations of the disorder. Yet autism is puzzling: we still don't even know what causes it. Autism assumptions ...
More »How to help students suffering from ‘math trauma’
Math trauma, the issue highlighted in the US edition of The Conversation, is real. If a student never masters irrational numbers then when they come to trigonometry (which involves lots of irrational numbers) they will receive a constant bombardment of ...
More »Simplifying professional development: opting for quality not quantity
The most passionate teachers are also enthusiastic learners; not content to let their practice become stale and always looking for ways to improve the outcomes of their students. Professional development is so important for these teachers who actively look forward ...
More »Why students are skipping school this month
Beginning Thursday last week, students across Australia walked, and continue to trot off school grounds – for a few hours, to a day, to up to a week. Unlike previous student protests, however, 'School Strike 4 Climate Action' is far from what some ...
More »Improving Australian education: why upping the ATAR score isn’t enough
Last month, the Labor opposition called for systematic change in the Australian education system. "I don't want people with ATARs of 35 going into teaching," noted Labor spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek, vocalising a frustration shared by many. The system is facing ...
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