Randa Abdel-Fattah demystifies the values and practices of Australia’s Islamic schools, of which she was a pioneering student. I graduated from St Clement of Rome Primary School in Melbourne in 1990. I was one of a small number of Muslim students, but my parents didn’t feel...
A Senate inquiry is calling for a new ‘behaviour curriculum’ to try and tackle classroom disruptions reports researcher Erin Leif A Senate inquiry has found Australian students need specific lessons in how to behave. The inquiry, which has been looking at “increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms,”...
Rebecca Chaney faces the quandary of whether or not to send her daughter to school next year. I’m watching my child in the preschool playground. I have just kissed her goodbye for the day. She runs to her teacher and gives her a hug. The teacher...
How this Canadian program could help address Australia’s childcare staff shortage, write researchers Marg Rogers, Laura K. Doan and Navjot Bhullar. On Wednesday, federal parliament passed Labor’s bill to reduce childcare fees for many Australian families. More affordable childcare for families is great, but it will not...
Esperanza Vera-Toscano reports that an increasing number of Australian children are going to private high schools, as new research shows. The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Annual Statistical Report has found an increasing number of students going to public schools over non-government...
Jayne Kearney finds a way to steer her daughter through the mysteries of multiplication. When I was training to become a teacher, our class was presented with two ways to motivate our future students: extrinsically and intrinsically. Extrinsic motivation is when a child will do something in...
‘I feel guilty about not being good enough’ by Nick Parkinson (from the Grattan Institute) School education in Australia needs a circuit-breaker. Student performance continues to stagnate and teachers report excessive workloads and alarming rates of stress. Our new report from the Grattan Institute, Ending the Lesson...
Get them to join a choir, orchestra or band! Write researchers Dr William James Baker, Anne-Marie Forbes and Dr Kim McLeod One of the most important qualities for a young person to develop is resilience. This involves their ability to overcome adversity. Resilience is perhaps more important now...
Meena Jha reports that Contract cheating – where commercial cheating services provide assignments for university students – has become a global problem. Australia is not immune. According to the latest data, record numbers of Australian students are paying someone else to do their assessments. This comes amid...
Kids’ screen time rose by 50% during the pandemic. Joanne Orlando suggests a healthier way to balance it out for the whole family. Has your child’s screentime increased since COVID? If you were to estimate by how much would you say 20%, 30% or even a...
