Yesterday was both nerve-wracking and exciting for Year 12 students across NSW who received their Admissions and Tertiary Entrance Rank (ATAR). Unlike the ‘good old days’ when students had to wait for the postie to deliver the all-important news, this ...
More »Unique program tackles bullying in schools: Podcast
Having been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, Samwise Holmes's high school years were characterised by relentless bullying, constant feelings of isolation and even having his head flushed down a toilet. But being subjected to such extensive and cruel bullying didn't defeat ...
More »NSW review recommends ‘leaner’, more ‘rigorous’ school syllabus
NSW is undergoing its biggest curriculum overhaul in 30 years, with a review released today finding it too cluttered and placing undue importance on the HSC and ATAR rankings at the expense of real world skills. The CEO of the ...
More »Podcast: Issue of the week – ATAR overhaul?
This week NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell announced she wanted “an overhaul” of ATAR. Her decision was based on research showing the population has lost faith in it and it was causing students too much stress. As 61,000 NSW students ...
More »Gamer Changer Challenge asks: Can we humanise technology?
It’s one of the pressing issues of our age: How, if at all, can we humanise technology? That’s the big question for this year’s Game Changer Challenge, an annual competition that began in 2018 and is open to over 2200 ...
More »What is critical thinking and how do we teach it?
A recent paper commissioned by the NSW Department of Education sheds light on the importance of critical thinking skills in the future, strategies to teach critical thinking and the kinds of programs that do and don’t work. It should come ...
More »Bringing the world into the classroom
As any educator will tell you: telling your students about something is one thing, but being able to show them is another. That’s the idea behind On Safari, the latest Google Expedition created by the NSW Department of Education and ...
More »Is this the end of EPAC?
The NSW Employee Performance and Conduct unit (EPAC) was under siege this week with critics of the government unit calling it “opaque”, “slow” and “lacking procedural fairness”. The unit, which investigates misconduct in schools, has also been accused of using ...
More »NSW teacher standards too subjective: think tank
On Monday, Prime Minster Scott Morrison announced he doesn't send his kids to a public school because of "values". On the same day, the NSW government introduced new standards for graduate teachers, to be imposed from 2019. They include a ...
More »Teachers experience virtual reality
More than 300 teachers are expected to flock to an event today which will showcase how new technology can transform the classroom. A Department of Education initiative, InteractEd will be hosted by the University of Newcastle to support the effective ...
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