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 ...
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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 ...
More »Am I meant to be a teacher? Opinion
I probably shouldn’t have asked myself such a heavy question two days before school holidays were over, particularly given I found Teacher by Gabbie Stroud while scrolling through the iBooks store during The Bachelor finale (such was my rage at ...
More »Autonomy in the classroom: an international perspective
We all like autonomy – the feeling of freedom and being in control. The classroom is no different. Students are more engaged and have a greater sense of responsibility when given autonomy over their learning. They thrive when they are ...
More »Coaching the team: one principal’s game plan to create opportunities for students
Teamwork comes naturally to a school leader like Michael Battenally. The principal of Canberra’s Melba Copland Secondary School for the past decade, and an educator in the ACT system for the past 33 years, Battenally can also list on his ...
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 »Personal best goal setting can buffer student disengagement: opinion
Research consistently shows that many students become disengaged in their schoolwork as they move further into the middle years of high school. As students become disengaged, they participate in class less often, enjoy school less, become less interested in schoolwork, ...
More »Early careers advice could be great for students – if introduced properly: opinion
The state government is set to overhaul careers education in Victorian secondary schools, introducing careers workshops for students as young as Year 7, according to a recent article in The Age. My first reaction is that this initiative is long ...
More »Opinion: Universities are crucial to improving pre-service teachers’ literacy
It is very difficult to dispute the need for teachers to possess sounds literacy skills. Communication and literacy are central to teaching success and personal literacy competency is an obvious prerequisite for much of a teacher’s work. Not only do ...
More »Opinion: Why the Safe Schools program was doomed to fail
While parents, educators and policy makers fought over the politics and practices of the Safe Schools program, few assessed whether the program was educationally sound for the NSW Education system - that is, suitable for use in educational settings that ...
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