A Responsibility Theory® (RT) classroom uses optimal evidence-based teaching and learning strategies (see Purje, 2014, 2019). The teaching and learning experiences created ensure that the classroom environment is safe, secure, academically challenging, socially supportive and where all students are actively ...
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Five reasons why science fiction writing is now a critical genre: Opinion
The science fiction writing genre has never been more critical for students to master in their pursuit of academic success. In fact, the increasingly relevant part that science fiction plays in our lives has been emphasised by the director of ...
More »Parents want online learning beyond COVID-19: opinion
In July and August, Citrix conducted a national survey with 500 parents of Australian school children to capture their opinions as their households adapted to education technology, in order to facilitate learning from home in the midst of the COVID-19 ...
More »Data and differentiation in online learning: opinion
In my frequent conversations with teachers across the globe, I am privy to many of their challenges. Many of these challenges are centred around differentiation in the classroom. And with the recent pandemic forcing a far deeper engagement with their ...
More »Moving on from ‘stand and deliver’ teaching
“Look, why don’t you ask your teacher?” It was the exasperated lament of generations of parents frustrated by the endless and incessant questioning of their own children as they navigated homework, or even as they just wondered something banal out ...
More »What to do about disrespect and aggression against teachers
Australian parents have, in 2020, had a peek behind the curtain of what it means to be a teacher. Sure, it hasn’t been real. I mean, any parent who contends that they’ve been “doing” remote learning themselves is having a little ...
More »Motivation matters: What we’ve learnt about education from a pandemic – Opinion
Understanding the importance of motivation in education has never been more significant than now. Studies have shown that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation directly correlates with an improvement in students’ academic performance and grades. However, the current educational discord as ...
More »Self-talk, sequence learning, explicit teaching, worked-examples and brain-based pedagogical considerations
In trying to teach self-management to young students who had been identified as being impulsive and unruly, Donald Meichenbaum found he was able to help these students manage and control their impulsive behaviours when he applied the strategy of self-talk. ...
More »Against all odds: why the Class of 2020 might be the strongest we’ve ever produced – Opinion
As we near the end of the school year, graduation ceremonies look set to be yet another casualty of COVID. Yet if any cohort deserves the tears and cheers of a full ceremony, it’s this year’s Year 12s. There’s the ...
More »Now more than ever, it’s vital that schools teach their pupils to be e-smart: Opinion
The educational, social and developmental benefits of digital technology are clear - especially in the midst of a global pandemic, where our devices have become a vital window to the outside world. Despite this, we can’t ignore the risks that ...
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