Relax, say Amanda Levido and Aleesha Rodriguez, it’s just a ringlight for kids. Recent outrage surrounding a young children’s toy “vlogger” set echoes moral panics of the past, particularly when words such as children, play and digital come together. Aldi recently released a new range of wooden...
– but that’s not happening in most Australian schools, writes researcher Margaret Kristin Merga We know literacy is important. Unfortunately, many Australian students move through the years of schooling without achieving the literacy they need for essential daily activities. When we think about building literacy, we most...
In the new Disney Pixar movie Lightyear, time gets bendy, reports Sam Baron Spoiler alert: this article explains a key plot point, but we don’t give away anything you won’t see in trailers. Thanks to reader Florence, 7, for her questions. At the beginning of the new...
Here’s how we can protect children’s digital rights, reports researchers Tiffani Apps, Karley Beckman and Sarah K. Howard Schools’ use of educational technologies (edtech) grew exponentially at the height of COVID lockdowns. A recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report has exposed children’s rights violations by providers...
Is this the game-changer for Aussie kids? Asks Wendy Boyd and Michelle M. Neumann Shutterstock Celebrations greeted Thursday’s co-ordinated announcement by the NSW and Victorian governments that they will invest $6 billion and $9 billion, respectively, to provide 30 hours a week of play-based learning for all...
Why has the revision of the primary school geography curriculum caused it to be 'stripped back'? asks Alaric Maude Revisions to the Australian primary school curriculum for geography mean children will learn much less about the world and its diversity than they do at present....
Lucinda McKnight looks at War, social media and the urgent need to update how we teach English The war in Ukraine is being described as the first social media war, even as “the TikTok war”. Memes, tweets, videos and blog posts communicate both vital information...
What are parents’ favourite TV shows to watch with their kids? How important is it that kids’ TV is Australian? Which are the best streaming services for children? A Swinburne-based research team, Australian Children’s Television Cultures, have completed a nationwide study of parents about how Australian...
Consistent school attendance is important in any child’s education but for many children in out-of-home care, going to school every day is no easy thing. Researchers Kitty Te Riele, Anna Sullivan, Daryl Higgins, Jesse King, Joseph McDowall, Michael A. Guerzoni, Rhonda Coopes and Sharon Bessell...
Researcher Peter Hurley, reports that about 9 million Australians, 35% of the population, live in neighbourhoods classified as childcare deserts – populated areas where there are more than three children per childcare place. In the first research of its kind in Australia, the Mitchell Institute has...
