Representation shapes how we understand ourselves long before we have the language to explain who we are, report Jess Rowlings and Matthew Harrison When autistic children don’t see themselves reflected in toys, stories or media, the absence can feel like a message about who belongs –...
At this time of the school year, many schools are asking families to pay fees. These are not private schools, but public schools, writes Emma Rowe. Why are public schools asking parents to pay fees? The fees are voluntary and go towards a range of items such...
Before you throw out that broken toaster or wobbly chair, there’s a growing movement encouraging families to stop and fix instead. Across Australia, Repair Cafés and Men’s Sheds are helping people save money, reduce waste and learn practical skills — often for free. The return of...
Brendon Hyndman and Vaughan Cruickshank look at why some schools have stopped running camps as costs rise. What can we do instead? School camps have long been a rite of passage for many Australian students in both primary and high school. Typically, camps begin in primary school...
Australian students spend years learning handwriting, yet many receive little formal instruction in writing on computers. Researchers, Anabela Malpique and Deborah Pino Pasternak say digital writing skills are now essential for school, study and work — and classrooms need to catch up. Writing using computers is...
Australia’s recycling system has been lurching from one crisis to another for decades, writes Jonathan Baker Soft-plastic schemes are collapsing, kerbside contamination is on the rise, and states are still struggling to coordinate a coherent national approach. But the deeper problem isn’t technical. It’s historical — and...
Traumatic experiences can have ripple effects that permeate across many aspects of people’s lives, reports Tom Brunzell For students, adverse childhood experiences have been shown to impact attention, memory, language development and relational functioning – the exact skills learning relies on. Students who have experienced childhood aversity can often act...
New Australian research from the UNSW Institute for Cyber Security, has found many school-approved apps begin collecting children’s data within seconds — often without clear consent. Here’s what families and educators need to know, and what can change. The hidden cost of “trusted” school apps Parents and...
As school holidays end around Australia, many parents are looking for educational ways to keep their children entertained, write Chris Zomer and Niels Kerssens. If you own an Android device and have young children, you may find yourself browsing Google Play for educational and age-appropriate...
Active zones and mini retreats – Fatemeh Aminpour looks at how to build preschools suitable for neurodivergent kids An estimated 15–20% of children are neurodivergent, with diagnoses rising each year. They may have a neurodevelopmental condition such as autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We know many neurodivergent children...
