– but what teachers in New Zealand really want are clear guidelines and expectations, writes Christine Braid Anyone watching the debate over the NZ National Party’s recent curriculum policy announcement could be forgiven for thinking there is a deep divide in education philosophy and best practice...
Open-plan classrooms are trendy, write Anika Stobart and Jordana Hunter but there is little evidence to show they help students learn. If you step into a newly built school these days, chances are you will see classrooms that look very different to the classrooms most of...
My child is in a composite class this year. Is this a good thing? Katherine Bates looks at the pros and cons. The majority of classes in Australian primary schools are made up of children from the same grade. The philosophy behind this is students of...
Why is this a problem? Teresa Swist, Fiona Suwana, Kalervo Gulson and Terry Flew look at 10 questions parents should ask. A Sydney high school recently introduced fingerprint technology to "help narrow down" students who were vandalising school toilets. Under the plan, students needed to scan their...
Personalised learning is billed as the ‘future’ of schooling, writes Maya Gunawardena: what is it, and could it work? It is not uncommon for kids to complain about school, but studies show significant numbers of Australian students are actually disengaged with their education. A 2017 Grattan Institute...
We need to ask students why, write researchers Nigel Howard and Andrew Bills. Today federal and state education ministers are meeting to talk about school attendance. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has repeatedly flagged this as a key concern. As he told Channel 7’s Sunrise last...
Jessica Holloway, Glenn C. Savage and Steven Lewis search for some answers. Australia’s education ministers have recently announced changes to NAPLAN that will start right away (2023). These include bringing the testing date forward and changing the way results are reported. According to the ministers: These new...
Researcher Rebecca English looks at why more and more parents are homeschooling and why governments need to be vigilant. Bullying can be a major factor in deciding to homeschool. An increasing number of Australian families are educating their children at home, either through homeschooling or distance education. My...
Whether it’s a new teacher or class – parent and researcher Sarah Jefferson gives insights into what to do when your child is not loving it The first signs were the half-eaten lunches coming home from high school. This was in stark contrast to the primary...
The idea to open up grounds and facilities is not new, write Ange Fitzgerald and Thembi Mason There is a new push for private schools to open their grounds and facilities to the broader community. North Sydney mayor Zoe Baker, wants to ask top private schools...
