COVID and schools: Rachel Wilson and Giuseppe Carabetta report why Australia is about to feel the full brunt of its teacher shortage The Omicron wave is likely to exacerbate Australia’s existing teacher shortages and demanding workloads. As school starts at the end of January and beginning...
For many of us, learning from home has been the norm for quite a while. There’s no doubt that new routines have been tried and tested, and you’ve probably learnt things about yourself as a parent. However, it’s time to get back into familiar routines as...
by Julia Collins Many of us could happily fold a paper crane, yet few feel confident solving an equation like x³ – 3 x² – x + 3 = 0, to find a value for x. Both activities, however, share similar skills: precision, the ability to follow an...
Here are 4 of them writes Marg Rogers Thousands of families are without childcare as hundreds of services have had to close due to a surge in COVID cases, while many more are running at reduced capacity. Many parents dread another chaotic year that may have...
Paediatric infectious disease experts, Fiona Russell and Robert Booy, explain why. With Omicron daily infection rates in the tens of thousands, there have been calls for states to delay the start of the school year, which begins at the end of January. The vaccination program for children...
Let’s be honest, writes Hamish Curry. Indonesian language studies in our schools have plummeted in the last decade. Just 755 students now graduate high school speaking Indonesian across all of Australia. That’s half the number compared to a decade ago. This should be of great concern to...
A failure at 6? Children go from playing to being tested in the blink of an eye, reports researcher Martina Tassone. Children’s early years from birth to the age of eight are crucial for their social, emotional and intellectual development. However, early years education in Australia...
Yes, Australia’s PISA test results may be slipping, but new findings show most students didn’t try very hard, reports Stewart Riddle Most Australian students who took part in the last OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) said they would have invested more effort if the...
These stories with diverse characters can help kids develop empathy Gifting children books can be about more than just giving them something to read, writes Helen Joanne Adam. Books are portals to adventure, imagination and new experiences. Importantly, books can help children understand and appreciate themselves,...
Parents needn’t be perplexed when choosing appropriate toys for children with special needs, writes Gail Kearns. Ask your child’s therapists (occupational therapist, physical therapist and/or speech and language pathologist) for ideas regarding which skills need to be developed, based on their therapy goals. Play is not idle...
