Education Matters (Primary): March 2019

A content rich, comprehensive, buyer’s guide for schools. www.educationmattersmag.com.au

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EDITOR’S NOTE

With the 2019 school year now in full swing, many Australian students right across the country have returned to school with fresh hopes and ambitions for what lies ahead. For those who are just beginning their school journey, it can be both an exciting and anxious time as they settle in to life as a student.

As educators strive to prepare students for the future world they will live in, classrooms and schools continue to embrace new and innovative technology. At EduTECH, the largest education event in the southern hemisphere, innovation, creative thinking and leadership come to the fore. The event will bring together the latest in technology and education and play host to an impressive list of speakers including internationally recognised education and innovation expert, Sir Ken Robinson; and 2019 Australian of the Year, Dr Richard Harris (see page 36).

Environmental sustainability is another area that continues to make its way into the spotlight.

Pushes to eliminate single-use plastic bags and plastic straws serve to highlight the need for various industries to adopt more sustainable practices. In the education sector, many schools are working to reduce their environmental impact and set an important example for students, encouraging them to adopt sustainable practices in all parts of their lives – both now and in the future. Education Matters speaks with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Planet Ark, Sustainability Victoria and the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) about measures schools can take to become more sustainable and some of the resources currently available (see page 20).

In this issue, student wellbeing is also addressed. Through its recent initiative, Be You, Beyond Blue hopes to help develop a mentally healthy generation. Be You supports children’s mental health by offering evidence-based online professional learning, along with a variety of tools to assist in implementing this in the classroom (see page 26). And, child development expert Dr Lesley-anne Ey talks about the impacts bullying can have on young children and the need for early education around this issue (see page 24).

It’s an honour to join you for this edition of Education Matters – Primary. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please feel free to email me at danielle.gullaci@primecreative.com.au. You can also sign up to our fortnightly email newsletter, The Whiteboard, by visiting our website educationmattersmag.com.au.

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Copyright Education Matters is owned by Prime Creative Media Pty. Ltd. and published by John Murphy. All material in Education Matters is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequenses arising from information published. The opinions of the magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated. All photographs of schools (including students) depicted in feature articles and advertisements throughout this magazine have been supplied to the publisher (and approved) by the contributing school. All material supplied by schools is done so with the understanding that such images will be published in Education Matters and may also appear on the our website: www.edumatters.com.au.

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contents PRIMARY March - May 2019

REGULARS

Editor’s note

4

Advertiser’s directory

8

APPA column

10

Newly elected president of the Australian Primary Principals Association, Malcolm Elliott, discusses the sustainability of school leadership and some of the challenges faced along the way.

News

12

Principally Speaking

16

A snapshot of some of the latest news and developments in the education sector.

Tim Morgan, Principal at Karama School in Darwin, discusses the importance of providing a supportive and inclusive environment where students can thrive.

Hot Topic

20

The Last Word

59

Events

62

In this edition, our focus turns to environmental sustainability within schools.

Education Matters speaks with ACARA, Planet Ark, Sustainability Victoria and the Australian Association for Environmental Education.

FEATURES 24

Bullying: Is early education the key?

38

The challenge of STEM

40

Preparing children for life

Child development expert, Dr Lesley-anne Ey, discusses her research about young children’s understanding of bullying and the importance of educating children about this issue early on.

With STEM education maintaining its place in the spotlight, Russell Tytler of Deakin University looks at a variety of recent innovations in STEM teaching and learning.

19th century educational pioneer, Robert Owen, believed education should be enjoyable, rewarding and prepare children for life. Dr Don Carter from the University of Technology Sydney reflects on his impact and how his views are still relevant today.

44 Phonics-first test not the answer

Griffith University’s Beryl Exley explains why a phonics-first and nationally mandated synthetic phonics check isn’t needed in the early years.

50

Crafting contemporary classrooms

Learning space expert, Peter C. Lippman, reveals his strategy for creating contemporary learning environments in new and existing classrooms by uniting five key concepts.

Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP; CEO of ACARA, Robert Randall; and Associate Professor of Educational Technology at CQUniversity, Dr Michael A. Cowling; offer opinion pieces on a variety of topical subjects.

A calendar of upcoming education events happening around Australia.

6

education matters primary

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

26 Beyond Blue

46 AITSL

Supporting children’s and young people’s mental health, Beyond Blue has launched Be You, which provides educators and schools with evidence-based online professional learning.

Acting CEO of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), Edmund Misson, reveals the organisation’s focus for 2019 and how it aims to encourage the growth of teachers and school leaders.

48 Monash

TECHNOLOGY

Offering a wide range of easy-to-read articles and how-to videos that draw on recent research, Monash’s new online initiative called TeachSpace supports teachers and school leaders.

28 Hapara Designed to assist teachers to view the most recent student efforts across all Google Suite applications, Hapara’s instructional management tools support collaboration and real time engagement.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: PLAYGROUNDS SPECIAL FEATURE

30 Acer Computer Australia

52 PlayRope

Acer’s exclusive My Classroom facial recognition technology is relieving teachers of tedious, yet necessary administrative tasks such as the daily roll call through an innovative solution designed to improve operational effectiveness across the school.

Following a recent redesign of an entire school campus in Singapore, PlayRope investigates what makes the designs so successful and reveals how various design elements can be incorporated into local school playgrounds.

32 Epson

54 Kompan

With Epson EB-695Wi ultra short throw projectors now installed in all primary classrooms across the school, St John’s Catholic School in Roma, Queensland, explains how the technology is helping to enhance student learning.

Play and fitness supplier Kompan Australia has unveiled a new Matched Funding Grant Program to assist schools to create their next great play or fitness space.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

34 LiteracyPlanet LiteracyPlanet’s comprehensive e-learning program has helped to improve spelling skills and student engagement since being implemented at Tyndale Christian School in Adelaide.

36 EduTECH When EduTECH returns to Sydney in June, Sir Ken Robinson and Dr Richard Harris will take to the stage to discuss creative thinking, innovation, leadership and working under pressure.

CURRICULUM

42 Victorian Electoral Commission The Passport to Democracy program from the Victorian Electoral Commission aims to develop critical thinking skills in students through a range of free lesson plans and resources centred around Civics and Citizenship Education.

8

education matters primary

56 Reconciliation Australia Held biennially, the Narragunnawali Awards will celebrate schools and early learning services that show dedication and commitment to implementing reconciliation initiatives in the classroom, school or service, and within the community.

58 Sherpa Kids Out of school hours care provider, Sherpa Kids, reveals its innovative ‘playducation’ approach, which melds educational opportunities with play-based activities.

Reference the Standards to inform and evidence your professional growth

Supporting your professional growth We develop evidence-based tools and resources to help teachers and school leaders achieve their goals.

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aitsl.edu.au/tools-resources

APPA COLUMN // Malcolm Elliott

Leadership and challenge NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION (APPA), MALCOLM ELLIOTT, JOINS EDUCATION MATTERS FOR HIS FIRST COLUMN, WHERE HE DISCUSSES THE SUSTAINABILITY OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP WITHIN SCHOOLS AND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES PRINCIPALS ARE FACED WITH.

Malcolm Elliott has been a teacher for 40 years. From 2015-2018 he was president of the Tasmanian Principals Association, representing government primary and secondary school principals. He is now president of the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA).

10

It is both a pleasure and an honour to be writing as the new president of the Australian Primary Principals Association. In so doing I want to warmly applaud the work done by Dennis Yarrington as president over the previous four years.

The idea itself of sustainability is enough to sustain an educational programme for anyone, of any age for a very long time. This raises the question of big ideas as the core of thinking in curriculum, as well as the central place of capabilities in educational programmes.

Over recent times there has been a welldocumented struggle for teachers and school leaders with the breadth and depth of the primary curriculum.

A rudimentary assessment of time allocated to learning in primary schools reveals the impossible nature of complete coverage of the curriculum which realisation, in turn, has led us to pedagogies that integrate learning areas.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have for some years been a focus of the education world. APPA, the Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) and the University of Tasmania are working together on the Principals As STEM Leaders project. Of course, there is a world of challenge, wonder and delight in STEM – engaging learners for life and exemplifying the challenges of choice and

education matters primary

prescription in educational programming.

But to move away from curriculum and into school leadership I believe there are serious challenges regarding sustainability there.

Professor Philip Riley’s report on principal health

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have for some years been a focus of the education world. APPA, the Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA) and the University of Tasmania are working together on the Principals As STEM Leaders project. Of course, there is a world of challenge, wonder and delight in STEM – engaging learners for life and exemplifying the challenges of choice and prescription in educational programming.

Looking for a solution to your OOSH/OSHC challenges? and wellbeing for 2018 (at the time of writing this is yet to be released) points to issues affecting individuals’ capacity to sustain the role of school principal.

The bullying and intimidatory behaviour of some members of school communities towards principals, teachers and office personnel comes in a range of forms and simply must stop. In my view this behaviour (and the evidence of it elsewhere in our communities including the abuse of social media) must be the subject of a public discourse on a more civil society in which we all participate and in which our political leaders have a prominent role to play.

Another angle on sustainability of leadersxqhip is about role clarity.

Professor Riley’s report has continually reflected the frustration of school leaders who want to work much more closely with teachers in continuous improvement of schools (including planning for the wide range of student capability which exists in every cohort).

Public perception seems to have two broadly stereotypical views of the principal: one, seated at their desk, as the omniscient administrator; and the other, on bended knee beside children working in classrooms. The reality is a blend of both, and a wide range of other roles and tasks as well, spread over an average working week of about 55 hours. It is no wonder that leaders struggle to thrive in such a complex and, at times confusing, context.

Added into this complexity is the uncertainty principals face around staffing from year to year based on variations to enrolments. I contend that schools must have multi-year certainty on the number of staff they will be allocating across their school. Annual variation in student numbers has too great an effect on school planning, stability and sustainability of relationships and programming.

While our larger schools can work in teams (sector or grade, literacy and/ or numeracy, as examples) and have a better chance at sustaining culture, smaller schools must continually adapt – modifying models of provision; and experiencing subtle (and not so subtle) variations of knowledge, skill and experience in their staffing cohort.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has plans to revisit the Melbourne Declaration. This is good news. There has been discussion about the incorporation of the purposes of education in a renewed declaration. Clarity and agreement regarding those purposes will provide impetus and direction for programming and the design of education across our nation.

A ‘new’ declaration would provide a more developed context for the application of the principles of Through Growth To Achievement – with the sorts of underpinnings for joyful learning in differentiated contexts and a creative, compassionate, civil and sustainable society.

Australian families are desperate for good quality, affordable outside school hours care

These days both parents are likely to be employed and working longer hours than ever.

This, combined with transport issues, can make the issue of after school care a stressful one for parents and children alike.

AND IT’S BECOMING A MAJOR ISSUE ACROSS THE EDUCATION SECTOR. Volunteer-managed OOSH or OSHC committees are struggling with the issue of out of school care in the face of new regulatory reforms that increase quality expectations but also increase administrative burdens.

You’ll be well aware of the difference it makes to you and your school community when you have high quality, well managed outside school hours care on your site. At Sherpa Kids we deliver exactly that – but with a difference that other after school care and OOSH service providers cannot match.

Our business is built on the local franchise model you get the best of both worlds; the care and concern of a local decision maker based in your community, combined with the confidence and authority of stable, professional central management.

The franchisees are all part of a highly professional group with centralised resources geared to ensuring State and Federal regulatory compliance.

We’ve developed a fun and flexible, engaging programme of before and after school activities that is syllabus-led and can be tailored to fit the individual requirements of schools and their curriculums.

Sherpa Kids Australia are currently working with local schools in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra areas. Sherpa Kids presents your school with the opportunity to make real a difference for your local community by providing out of school care.

Please contact the team at Sherpa Kids to find out more.

CALL US TODAY +61 2 4647 5294 www.sherpa-kids.com.au

NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

Cyber security to be taught in classrooms The Australian Computing Academy (ACA) has announced the launch of a $1.35

the program first-hand, demonstrating how the first Challenge enables students

million national program which will see cyber security taught to Year 7-10 students

to think from an attacker’s perspective. This Challenge involves students hacking

around Australia for the first time.

and collecting personal information from the social media profiles of fictitious

The Schools Cyber Security Challenges (Cyber Challenges) program will be taught in conjunction with the compulsory Digital Technologies Curriculum and aims to close the growing gap in cyber security awareness and skills among Australian students.

characters, including simulated banking, email, online shopping accounts and even parent posts.

Speaking at the launch, Associate Professor James Curran, Academic Director of the Australian Computing Academy, and one of the original authors of the

Delivered by the ACA, the program consists of four uniquely designed,

Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies, said, “There is a significant lack of

interactive ‘Challenges’, the first of which was unveiled on 19 February 2019. Now

awareness and skills around cyber security – in society in general, and amongst

accessible to teachers and schools, the first Challenge introduces students to cyber

students. The Schools Cyber Security Challenges addresses this gap by fostering

security fundamentals.

security-conscious students who are well equipped to deal with cyber security

The Cyber Challenges program is also the first cross-industry coalition of its kind in Australia, with the ACA spearheading a unique collaborative effort with

challenges both in their personal lives, and later in the workforce.

“Teachers and parents concerned about cyber security can now be confident

AustCyber (Australian Cyber Security Growth Network), ANZ, Commonwealth

that their students and children will be vigilant in all aspects of their digital lives

Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac and BT (British Telecom). These industry

by participating in the Schools Cyber Security Challenges. Students will also be

partners were able to bring real-life cyber security experience and expertise into

presented with a new perspective on pursuing a potential career in cyber security.”

the program and the Challenges have been developed and designed with the input of their security experts.

CEO of AustCyber Michelle Price added, “It is critical for Australia’s economic prosperity that we build a highly skilled and educated cyber security workforce,

The partnership draws on the need for schools, government and Australia’s

as well as ensure all students, parents and teachers across the country have

business sector to address the immediate skills shortage, while also fostering a

access to cyber security resources aligned to the Digital Technologies curriculum.

longer term cyber security culture within Australia’s education system and future

By focusing on Australian students, Cyber Challenges provides an important

workforce.

foundational step towards resolving skills shortages and supporting a sustained

According to AustCyber’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan, Australia will need 18,000 more cyber security workers by 2026. The Cyber Challenges program aims to provide a step forward in trying to reduce this gap.

Students from St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney and other local schools that attended the official launch of Cyber Challenges had the chance to experience

skills pipeline for generations to come.”

The remaining three challenges are scheduled to be launched throughout 2019 and will focus on data transmission and encryption, wired and wireless network security, and web application security. For more information, please visit aca.edu.au/projects/cyber-challenges/.

Scanning Pens named Exporter of the Year Designed to help students with reading difficulties read independently and become more engaged in the classroom, Scanning Pens has been named 2019

the preferred solution for supporting struggling readers to access exam questions

Exporter of the Year at the prestigious Bett Awards in London.

in the exam hall, negating the need for human readers. This makes sense both

The assistive technology company’s ExamReader pen was also highly commended in the Digital Devices category, only just missing out on securing the award.

financially for schools but also sets the students up to be independent and workplace ready.”

The Bett Awards, produced in association with Besa, is a leading global

“We couldn’t think of a better validation of the progress we as a team have made over the years and are grateful to the industry for this recognition. A portion of our success can be attributed to a positive change in attitude towards

12

“The pens have been a game changer for schools and students as it is now

education technology awards. This year’s ceremony was attended by UK Education Minister Damian Hinds.

Following Scanning Pens’ latest accolade, the business said it hoped to

supporting hidden disabilities such as dyslexia and the arrival of ground-breaking

further break down barriers around reading difficulties and enable people to reach

technology,” said CEO and co-founder of Scanning Pens, Jack Churchill.

their potential by accessing the printed word.

education matters primary

PM reveals plans to close education gap As part of a new Closing the Gap initiative, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed plans for teachers to have their university debts waived if they commit to working in remote indigenous communities for four years or more.

Though many have welcomed this announcement, some education experts have expressed their views that more should be done to attract locals into the teaching profession.

Associate Professor Philip Roberts is an expert in rural and remote education at the University of Canberra. He welcomed Mr Morrison’s announcement to wipe HECS debts of new teachers committing to working in very remote communities as a “positive first step”.

“The attraction and retention of teachers in rural regional and remote communities has been a problem since the advent of compulsory education,” Professor Roberts said.

But he added, “Attention also needs to be given to the conditions teachers experience, as resourcing, access to professional development, quality housing, and limited support staff are amongst the most cited reasons teachers leave these settings.”

Professor Roberts also highlighted the importance of attracting teachers into the profession from rural and remote areas. “All major studies show that teachers from rural regional and remote areas often return to, and remain, in these communities,” he said.

“Perhaps more importantly, they also understand the students’ backgrounds and can better connect their teaching to those students’ needs and pre-existing understandings.”

Dr John Guenther of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education agreed. He highlighted that local instructors who understood local needs was amplified when it came to remote Indigenous education.

In this context, he said, “The importance of having Aboriginal staff, Aboriginal teacher assistants and Aboriginal teachers, particularly local ones, becomes really, really important for the outcomes of students.”

“Attention also needs to be given to the conditions teachers experience, as resourcing, access to professional development, quality housing, and limited support staff are amongst the most cited reasons teachers leave these settings.”

Philip Roberts Associate Professor

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NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

Bringing mindfulness to students A free national program is helping to generate greater

beneficial role in supporting wellbeing,” said Principal Chris

awareness around student mental health and assist teachers

Bozikas.

to introduce mindfulness into the classroom through a range of guided meditations and activities, which are tailored to each

Smiling Mind program to our own school community. I really

year level.

hope all the students, teachers and parents get on board and

In the past 12 months, over 18,400 school children across 23 schools throughout Australia have benefitted from

introducing mindfulness into schools can include: • Managing stress • Developing emotional intelligence

bring the benefits of their free mindfulness program to 75,000

• Enhancing creativity

children at 90 schools.

• Enhancing decision making and problem-solving skills

of the Smiling Mind program at schools in New South

• A sense of calm, clarity and contentment “Teachers learn the skills they need to guide their

Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland, with 921

students through the program and they can apply the

teachers now having participated in the organisation’s training

techniques to manage their own stress. By including parents

workshops.

in each of the school communities we work in means they,

Workshops for parents have also been held at each

along with teachers, can also support their children and

participating school, in a bid to introduce the concept and

have the opportunity to learn the techniques themselves,”

practice of mindfulness to parents and the wider community.

Dr Wootten explained.

“Working with students in particular is so important to build awareness and resilience around mental health. It doesn’t matter what age they start,” said Dr Addie Wootten, Smiling Mind Chief Executive Officer.

“With one in four secondary students and one in seven primary students suffering from a diagnosed mental illness it’s vital that we, as a community, do everything we can to

Craigieburn South Primary School in Melbourne has also adopted the Smiling Mind program this year.

Student Wellbeing Leading Teacher, Marisa Corsetti, said that since introducing Smiling Mind into the school’s classrooms, both the students and teachers are feeling calmer and more positive.

Mrs Corsetti revealed she has seen a noticable

take a proactive approach to preventing this health issue into

improvement in students’ ability to reflect on their emotions

the future.”

and manage these emotions to support positive outcomes.

Through the Smiling Mind app, teachers can access the

“Students are recognising when they need time to calm

program’s guided meditations and mindfulness activities.

down and are requesting Smiling Mind. They look forward

Teachers also receive support from the organisation over the

to whole class Smiling Mind sessions as part of their daily

whole school year to help introduce mindfulness into their

routine. The whole school participates in Smiling Mind each

classrooms.

Monday morning at assembly to commence their week

Roxburgh Rise Primary School in Melbourne is one of the 23 schools that have already signed up for the program, which

positively,” said Mrs Corsetti.

“The benefits to teachers receiving the education around

will be delivered to more than 700 students, 530 families and

mindfulness are longstanding and something they will be able

42 teachers from the school.

to draw on for many years to come.”

“Our school has a strong focus on student and staff wellbeing and we are aware that mindfulness can play a

14

According to Dr Wootten, some of the benefits of

organisation Smiling Mind and Frasers Property Australia.

The first year of the program has seen a steady uptake

Smiling Mind Chief Executive Officer, Dr Addie Wootten

learn these valuable techniques.”

this charitable partnership between mindfulness education Together, Frasers Property and Smiling Mind are hoping to

“With one in four secondary students and one in seven primary students suffering from a diagnosed mental illness it’s vital that we, as a community, do everything we can to take a proactive approach to preventing this health issue into the future.”

“We were very excited to have the opportunity to offer the

education matters primary

Schools interested in participating in the Smiling Mind program can find out more at www.smilingmind.com.au.

Schools critical to solving Australia’s inactivity crisis With childhood inactivity becoming a growing concern,

She added that children who grow up being active

Australian children moving more often.”

Sport Australia CEO Kate Palmer says schools are a

and playing sport are 10 per cent more likely to remain

key vehicle to help solve the issue and get children to

active into adulthood. “We want to make daily physical

Schools program is managed by Sport Australia,

The Australian Government’s $200 million Sporting

become more physically active.

activity a part of every child’s life and we believe a

providing Australian children with free access to

According to research, up to 81 per cent of

key vehicle to solving our inactivity crisis is through

physical activity. In just over three years, the program

Australian children are not meeting physical activity

schools. We want to support schools and teachers to

has reached 84 per cent of Australian schools.

guidelines. A report card released by Active Healthy

deliver high quality physical education because we

Kids Australia in late 2018 scored the nation a

believe that is a critical vehicle for children to develop

tells us we need more. Increasingly, Australian

D-minus for children’s physical activity levels. It also

the confidence, competence and the motivation

children are unable to perform basic fundamental

ranked Australia at number 32 out of 49 countries for

required to move.”

movement skills such as running, throwing, kicking,

children’s physical activity levels.

“This is not good enough because we know sport

“Despite the program’s enormous reach, evidence

Ms Palmer said that Sport Australia remained

catching or jumping,” Ms Palmer said. “Sport Australia

committed to making Australia the world’s most active

is developing a national commitment to increase

and physical activity can play a crucial role in the

nation, but it would require generational change.

physical literacy by embedding it within education

holistic development of children, putting them on the

“Sport Australia wants to work collaboratively with

environments. Our focus is on ensuring all young

path to vibrant and productive lives,” Ms Palmer said.

the education sector and with organisations such as

Australians have access to the volume of time and the

“It can impact positively on their physical and mental

ACHPER (the Australian Council for Health, Physical

quality of experience needed to ensure they develop

health, social development, and their ability to learn.”

Education and Recreation), so together we can get

into more physically literate Australians.”

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // KARAMA SCHOOL

Community-centred learning TIM MORGAN, PRINCIPAL AT KARAMA SCHOOL IN DARWIN TALKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING A SUPPORTIVE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT, WHERE EVERY STUDENT IS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO THRIVE.

WHAT IS KARAMA SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY AND HOW DOES IT GUIDE YOU AND YOUR STAFF? ‘Together We Achieve’ is our overarching motto here at Karama School. Within this we, the entire staff, believe that all students can and will achieve and be supported with this goal. To accomplish this we continue to develop and demonstrate a positive approach to learning to incorporate all students, staff, our community and partners (Department of Education, The Smith Family, Save the Children, Balanced Choice).

Our four whole school values underpin our motto. These are integral to all interactions school-wide to include setting goals, talking about wellbeing and as an expectation as the ‘code’ at our school. These values are The 4Rs – Relationships, Responsibility, Respect and Resilience. The values are at the forefront of communication and contact between students, staff and the community. They are specifically taught across the school, are visible within the school and understood by the community.

When developing school strategic plans or further reviewing approaches, we include the staff knowledge, families of students and our school council in the development of these directions, to give us an informed understanding of the community.

Respect is one of Karama School’s core values, and there is a strong focus on this throughout the school.

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In developing strategic plans, there is consultation with students, current staff, the community and the directions of the Department of Education, to ensure these plans have a sharp and narrow focus.

HOW DOES KARAMA SCHOOL DIFFER FROM OTHER SCHOOLS? Karama School is located in the Northern suburbs of Darwin. Our current enrolment sits at 200 students. Although a small cohort of students, there are many complexities and challenges that we continually review to ensure best practice approaches. Our student demography in 2018 includes 49.9 per cent Indigenous and 67 per cent English as a Second Language (ESL). Our Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) is 837. There are 23 different cultures represented across the school. Karama School takes a holistic approach based on supportive wellbeing, social, emotional and academic approaches to support all students to succeed.

Karama School has established and continues to maintain a sister school relationship with Fomento School in Dili, Timor Leste for the past three years. This relationship is built on developing cultural knowledge, educational and development support and practices two ways.

• Healing: Trauma informed • Strengths: Character and wellbeing • Growth: To promote academic rigour This will be measurable with ongoing academic assessments and the Bruce Perry NME profiling tool.

Fundamental to the success of these programs and initiatives is the ongoing delivery of quality professional learning that is integrated across the school to ensure success and continued review cycles to monitor our impact. The welfare and wellbeing of all staff is also checked to safeguard against professional and personal fatigue.

Karama School provides a supportive environment for its staff.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL? Karama School celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2017. The school has a solid foundation in supporting similar cohorts to today, with many Indigenous and ESL students.

When established, Karama was a new suburb, with many young families. Although the families in the area have grown up, we still have a consistent enrolment of 200 students. Many students today are either children or grandchildren of previous student cohorts. This builds on the close links the school has with the wider community.

Due to many schools in the immediate area, we’ve had to change our approach and strategies to support and focus on improved attendance rates of our students. Thus, our focus is not so much about growing the school’s numbers but about what we can do to best support our current students’ needs. We have invested a lot of time in developing and improving the infrastructure across the school and also redeveloping and designing curriculum approaches to continually meet the needs of our students.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS KARAMA SCHOOL EVOLVED SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1982?

Further, over the last four years, Karama School has been fortunate through many applications and assigned grants to be able to modernise the infrastructure. We are very proud of our learning spaces, specialist areas and school grounds that are functional and engaging. To further complement

this our classes now boast a variety of learning configurations with stand up desks, low tables, fit balls, wobble boards, couches and group work desk configurations with different seating arrangements.

In the last few years, Karama School has evolved to look at whole school programs that encompass a focus on wellbeing and support for students to be regulated and then able to access at level whole school learning programs.

HOW DO YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO YOUR STAFF? At Karama School we have an enthusiastic leadership team that continually monitors and reviews practice school-wide. We do not look for the shiny bauble; instead we look for areas of improvement where we can make an impact to support our staff to deliver quality education across the school.

This year we are working on new curriculum documentation to further tailor programs for students and to support our staff. This Pathways approach looks at students’ academic levels (triangulated data) combined with social emotional maturity, utilising Neurosequential data, to establish classes and inform learning goals.

We were also recently successful in winning a collaborative grant among four schools for innovation to further support our students to be able to focus on learning in their classes with wrap-around support.

This work is based on the Berry Street Education Model that is a pedagogy that we are embedding at Karama School. Working in the focus areas of

education matters primary

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE WELLBEING AMONG YOUR STAFF AND STUDENTS? Karama School runs a number of wellbeing programs to support students; whether it be boys’ or girls’ groups, self-regulation in our engine room, robotics, our cooking and gardening program or the life-skills program. We incorporate a number of evidence-based programs to support students to be ready to learn.

This supports all students to achieve success against set goals.

Our entire staff is extremely dedicated to supporting the lives of our young primary school students. In turn this promotes the potential of a life choice for their future. This process is supported by all staff at Karama School through the lens of supporting students to regulate (bodies for learning), relate (develop relationships with our students and clear expectations), and then reason to achieve.

Karama School has a very collegial team that looks out for each other and supports each other. We have a wellbeing group that focuses on the welfare of both students and staff. Wellbeing is not about a social gathering each Friday or once a term, it’s about staff being happy, comfortable and supported to come to school all day, every day. The obvious result of this is a reduction in absenteeism and an increase in achievement through professional pride.

Although as a staff we do get together and socialise at times, I believe it is easy to get mixed up in a social club approach to wellbeing – rather than nurturing our staff’s professionalism and ability to deliver on our school’s, our parents’ and Department’s expectations.

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // KARAMA SCHOOL

WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF YOUR STUDENTS? My day-to-day activities include interactions through my presence in the schoolyard, regular classroom visits, walk-throughs and more formal observations.

I am in the yard in the morning to welcome students and engage with parents and there at the end of the day to say goodbye. I work with the boys’ group across the school, and am involved with interactions with staff about the curriculum and other aligned initiatives and how these are delivered to our students.

My focus is strongly centred on the wellbeing and support for students’ achievement through the delivery of quality, engaging learning programs.

My interactions with students are many and varied – from engaging with children in the yard, to taking them to our oval during lunch breaks. There are many student engagement activities across our school. The school even has a nine-hole Putt Putt golf course. The deeper the engagement we can develop with our children, the more focused and engaged they will be to not only achieve their goals but enjoy our school environment.

Community/student interactions across the school are couched in academic and emotional goals that are set by students, together with their teachers.

Goals are set in English, Maths and Social Emotional development. These are also communicated with the students’ families. We discuss what we believe the students will achieve each year and develop checkpoints to monitor the progress. All students have a PLP (personal learning plan) and these are the focus of our parent-student-teacher semester meetings.

We partner with a number of NGOs (NonGovernmental Organisations) such as The Smith Family and the NT Music School to expand on our positive engagement.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACED BY TEACHERS IN THE PRIMARY SECTOR? In the Darwin area, we have a lower ICSEA rating and 65 per cent of our families are in the lower quartile.

However, we have a strong belief across the school that we have no excuses. We understand where our children are at, what they need and we work together with all support bases as teaching groups and leadership teams, to deliver the best education for our students to succeed with gaining a quality education. And we enjoy it and encourage a bit of fun

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Mr Morgan and his staff work to develop various skills among students to equip them for life beyond school.

around the place too. In saying that, we take our jobs very seriously as through being entrusted to teach our students by our community we can invest our time to ensure students have a choice when making informed decisions.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT EITHER AS A TEACHER OR SPECIFICALLY IN THE ROLE OF PRINCIPAL? I have been lucky to work in both very remote (West and Central Arhnem Land) and urban schools in the Northern Territory for many years now.

One of my memorable roles was working in a very remote school on Goulburn Island called Warruwi School, which at the time only had three teachers, 35 enrolments and a low attendance rate. When I joined the school, it was not very engaged with the community. However, four and a half years later, after considerable work building relationships within the community, the school grew to 120 students, with a consistent attendance rate for a community school of 85 per cent. I was very proud of that achievement and proud to know that through a lot of hard work from myself and the great staff, we had a big impact on the education of students in the Goulburn Island community. It’s all about the team – this is paramount.

More recently in 2017, I received a John Laing Professional Development Award. I was very humbled to be recognised by the staff here at my current school in being nominated for this.

At Karama School we have been able to build an incredibly committed team over the past few

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years. We believe now that we have introduced and embedded the corner stones required to be able to significantly build on students’ learning to make a considerable shift in our student data. This will be further supported with our new Pathways approach across the school in 2019.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT NAPLAN AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS? We use NAPLAN data here as a snapshot of our Year 3 and Year 5 cohorts each year, a measure for improvements over a two year cycle and as a longitudinal monitor of ongoing whole school programs. However, this is heavily supported with other parallel assessments to triangulate data and make informed decisions about the delivery of the curriculum to our students.

WHAT TRAITS MAKE FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL LEADER IN EDUCATION TODAY? Effective and successful leaders need to build good relationships across the school and community. This includes students and their families as partners in education.

A school’s staff is the driver of making improvements for students. Support for teachers is imperative. A successful and effective leader needs to understand educational trends but stay true to the goals and directions that are set within the school.

They need to be data informed and flexible and brave to make changes to address the needs of students year after year.

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HOT TOPIC // Sustainability

Teaching for a greener future SUSTAINABILITY IS A PRESSING ISSUE THAT CONTINUES TO GAIN WIDESPREAD ATTENTION. BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS ACROSS VARIOUS SECTORS – INCLUDING SCHOOLS – ARE SEEKING OUT SMARTER AND GREENER PRACTICES TO HELP DELIVER A GREENER FUTURE. EDUCATION MATTERS INVESTIGATES SOME OF THE MEASURES SCHOOLS ARE TAKING TO REDUCE THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND EDUCATE THE GENERATIONS OF TOMORROW. There is no doubt that the topic of sustainability remains front and centre, with mounting pressure for businesses big and small to do their part. As of late, there has been a global movement pushing for more sustainable practices across various industries.

Among the most widely publicised here in Australia were the banning of single-use plastic bags by Coles and Woolworths in mid-2018; and the announcements that both McDonald’s Australia would eliminate plastic straws from all of its restaurants and Starbucks would phase out plastic straws from 28,000 stores around the world, by 2020.

Sustainability is a hot topic across all levels of education too. Early learning centres, primary schools, secondary schools and universities around the nation are introducing new practices and policies to help reduce their environmental impact and educate students on this important issue.

The Australian Curriculum provides an overview of the context of sustainability across the subjects in the curriculum. Sustainability has also been formally included as part of the Australian Curriculum for over a decade.

“Sustainability was initially identified as a priority in the 2008 Melbourne Declaration – the foundation document for the Australian Curriculum, reveals Janet Davy, Curriculum Director at the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

The Declaration outlined the goal that, “All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens [who] work for the common good, in particular sustaining and improving natural and social environments [and] are responsible global and local citizens.”

Within the Australian Curriculum, the Sustainability cross curriculum priority is organised into three central themes: Systems, World Views and Futures.

These themes can be reflected across numerous subjects. “Strong opportunities to focus on sustainability exist within the Science, Technologies and Humanities and Social Sciences learning areas. Opportunities also exist within other learning areas,” adds Ms Davy.

In partnership with Planet Ark Power, Siena Catholic College in Queensland installed a rooftop solar system that will save an estimated 92 tonnes of carbon a year.

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“The Australian Curriculum allows for flexible place-based or school approaches to sustainability.

Schools make their own decisions about the degree of focus. Teachers draw on the local environment to enhance learning about sustainability as part of the Australian Curriculum. For example, when planning lessons, teachers consider the needs and abilities of the students, the resources available at the school, and any relevant external events going on, such as Schools Tree day, Clean Up Australia Day, Earth Hour, etc.”

In 2014, a national research conducted by The Australian Education for Sustainability Alliance (AESA) and report by the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) had significant findings. The research involved a series of structured collaborative discussions and engagement processes to gain the views and insights of mainstream teachers and other target audiences. Sustainability was seen as a major priority for the classroom.

According to AAEE’s report, 92 per cent of teachers surveyed agreed that sustainability is important, of value to students, and should be integrated into the curriculum. Furthermore, 85 per cent of teachers considered it important to personally integrate sustainability into their own teaching practices and 74 per cent considered that students would benefit from being taught about the concepts, knowledge, skills and values of sustainability.

Identifying the need for suitable sustainability teaching resources, the AESA website was launched, followed by the Getting Started with Sustainability website.

“The AESA qualitative and quantitative research has grounded the importance of the work and commitment of AAEE in education for sustainability for all students and teaching staff. We have a clear message to support educators in all sectors to source and present appropriate resources and to work with ACARA to further elaborate the importance of the sustainability cross curriculum priority,” says Dr Jennifer Pearson, President of AAEE. The Getting Started with Sustainability website (sustainabilityinschools.edu.au) provides classroomready resources linked to the Australian Curriculum and Sustainability Organising Ideas, with resources available for Prep to Year 10, across nine different subjects. Resources can also be searched via the Australian Curriculum’s three central sustainability themes (Systems, World Views and Futures).

Sustainable philosophies and values taught to

students in the classroom extend beyond the school gates, encouraging students to adopt sustainable practices in all parts of their lives. As well as setting the foundations for future sustainability, there are financial gains to be had for schools too. Adopting energy saving technology, for example, can have a significant impact on the bottom line.

Established in 1992, Planet Ark is an Australian not-for-profit organisation tasked with assisting people, governments and businesses to reduce their impact on the environment. It runs various campaigns designed to promote positive environmental actions that underpin its three main objectives: sustainable resource use, low carbon lifestyle and connecting people with nature. This includes several campaigns designed specifically for schools.

“The problems facing the environment are one of the greatest challenges of our times. It gets a lot of attention in the media, social media, documentaries and through other channels. From what I have seen in my own children’s schools and from the responses Planet Ark gets from its campaigns, it really does seem that schools right from preschool to university are taking sustainability seriously,” says Claire Bell, Senior Recycling Campaigns Coordinator at Planet Ark. For many schools, various sustainability initiatives have proven their worth, resulting in significant savings.

Siena Catholic College in Queensland is among the schools that have taken action to reduce energy costs and C02 emissions, with the school now reaping the benefits. As part of an initiative called Planet Ark Power, which aims to speed up the installation of solar panels on non-residential rooftops across Australia, the school installed an 80kW rooftop solar system, using 308 solar panels and three inverters. Generating around 120,000kW/ hour of electricity, the system is expected to save the

Sustainability Victoria’s ResourceSmart Schools program has reached over 1400 schools since it was launched in 2008.

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Planet Ark outlines some simple and effective steps schools can take to become more sustainable: • Set up proper recycling systems and educate students on how to use them.

• Encourage waste-free lunches and reduce the use of single-use plastics.

• Recycle paper and cardboard.

• Recycle printer cartridges, batteries and other e-waste.

• Reduce paper use and reuse where possible.

• Collect and recycle soft plastics.

• Ban plastic straws.

• Host plastic-free and low waste events such as fete days.

• Set up a composting or worm farming system and school veggie patch.

• Switch to solar panels and install rainwater tanks.

• Encourage children and parents to walk or ride to school.

school an estimated $75,000 in annual energy costs, along with an estimated annual emissions saving of 92 tonnes of carbon – the equivalent of 500,000 kilometres travelled by car.

At Kiama High School in New South Wales, after partnering with ABC program War on Waste to identify areas for sustainability improvement, several sustainability measures have been introduced.

These included implementing new recycling systems and waste reduction measures, such as the use of compostable packaging in its canteen. By reducing the amount of waste going into landfill, Kiama has revealed it is saving up to $800 a month in waste management fees.

Sustainability Victoria Director of Communities and Climate Change, Stephanie Ziersch, echoes the importance of reducing waste and energy consumption in schools. “Schools report that uneaten food and food packaging waste are considerable. Heating and cooling appliances along with IT-related equipment are some of the highest energy consumers in schools,” she says.

“Sustainability Victoria assists schools to embed sustainability in everything they do through our ResourceSmart Schools program. The program encourages real-life sustainability learning and action while also helping schools save money on their utility costs.”

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HOT TOPIC // Sustainability

The East Victoria Park Education Support Centre in Perth recently won the Schools Recycle Right Challenge, which is part of National Recycling Week.

ResourceSmart Schools supports schools to minimise waste, reduce energy, save water and promote biodiversity to benefit their school and community. It also provides practical support to integrate sustainability into the curriculum.

Since its launch in 2008, ResourceSmart Schools has reached over 1400 Victorian schools. Ms Ziersch reveals that participants in the program have saved over $24 million through energy, waste and water savings and avoided over 60,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. Currently, ResourceSmart Schools is used at over 600 Victorian schools annually, representing an estimated population of 200,000 students.

The program also rewards and recognises students, teachers and schools for sustainability achievements through Sustainability Certification and the annual ResourceSmart Schools Awards.

“There are many different things a school can do to reduce its impact on the environment. For example, Louis De Montfort’s Primary School recently established a unique water habitat area to support students’ understanding of water conservation. The school’s water initiatives are empowering students to see water as a precious commodity. Students are encouraged to engage in experiential, participatory and multidisciplinary approaches to build understanding, knowledge and responsibility about water,” explains Ms Ziersch.

The Victorian primary school monitors its water use through ResourceSmart Schools and the Schools

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Water Efficiency Program (SWEP) and engages with local wetlands by taking part in activities like testing water quality pH levels for optimum animal and plant growth.

“From driving the popular Steps to Sustainability Conference and establishing partnerships with the local community, Louis De Montfort’s commitment to student water education is inspirational,” Ms Ziersch adds.

Sustainability Victoria also provides teachers with various modules and toolkits to assist in teaching sustainable practices both in and out of the classroom. The ResourceSmart Schools program offers free access to local sustainability experts and an online system that assists schools to plan and track sustainable actions.

“The teachers we talk to say there is more of a focus on sustainability in schools today than in the past. Sustainability as a cross curricula priority has helped with raising the importance of teaching and learning about sustainability. It has also helped increase the number of tools and learning resources available to assist teachers and students to embed sustainability in schools,” explains Ms Ziersch.

Planet Ark also runs a variety of initiatives designed specifically for schools, including Schools Tree Day and the Schools Recycle Right Challenge.

Approximately 3000 preschools, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools across Australia take part in Schools Tree Day each year, planting native seedlings, trees, shrubs, edibles and flowers; or

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running nature care projects. This year, the event will be held on Friday 26 July 2019.

The Schools Recycle Right Challenge takes place annually in November, held as part of National Recycling Week.

“For both Schools Tree Day and the Schools Recycle Right Challenge, Planet Ark provides guides and activities for teachers and students, curriculum aligned lesson plans produced in conjunction with not-for-profit teaching resource provider Cool Australia, competitions and posters, factsheets and other resources,” says Ms Bell.

“Students are very knowledgeable and often drive positive environmental actions in schools. It is vitally important to engage students at an early age so that taking environmentally responsible actions in their daily lives become habits that will last them a lifetime.”

By taking measures to reduce their own waste and energy consumption, schools are not only setting an important example for their students, but doing their part to help promote a more sustainable future for generations to come.

“Education for sustainability develops the knowledge, skills, values and world views necessary for people to act in ways that contribute to more sustainable patterns of living,” Ms Davy adds.

“Sustainability education is futures-oriented, focusing on protecting environments and creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action.”

+ =

Original Playground / Budget ($50,000)

Matched Funding ($25,000)

New Playground ($75,000)

HEALTH & WELLBEING // BULLYING AND CONFLICT

Bullying: Is early education the key?

CHILD DEVELOPMENT EXPERT, DR LESLEY-ANNE EY, DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATING CHILDREN FROM AN EARLY AGE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BULLYING AND CONFLICT, AND THE EFFECTS BULLYING CAN HAVE ON THEIR PEERS.

Children are often seen as vulnerable, hopeless and in need of protection. As a researcher and advocate for the protection of children’s rights and safety, I want to do all I can to support children’s healthy development and wellbeing. However, I also think that to do that, we need to include children’s voice.

As an adult who grew up in a very different era, with less technology, more freedom to play on the streets, and limited understanding of how to keep myself safe beyond, “don’t ride your bike on the main road”, who am I to predict today’s children’s experiences?

For me, if you want to understand what children know, how they interpret particular experiences and what they need, you should ask them. As such, I try to put children’s voice at the centre of my research when I am exploring concepts that will directly affect children. This is what I did when looking at young children’s understanding of bullying.

Bullying is a globally recognised phenomenon which has many detrimental impacts on children’s and young people’s healthy development. Children who experience or are involved in bullying are

Dr Lesley-anne Ey lectures in Child Development, Educational Psychology and Child Protection in the Bachelor and Master of Teaching programs. Her research revolves around the impacts of media on children’s healthy development, bullying, children’s problematic sexual behaviours, and child protection issues, with the aim to support teachers and inform curriculum. She is interested in supporting the wellbeing of children and is a great advocate for placing children’s voice at the centre of her research.

Dr Lesley-anne Ey says children should be educated about bullying from a young age.

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vulnerable to social, physiological, psychological, educational, behavioural and adjustment problems which commonly persist into adulthood if overlooked.

Consequently, there has been a lot of research to explore ways to prevent bullying. Despite this, there is limited research about children’s understanding of bullying in early childhood, particularly in Australia, and equally, there are few resources and programs for early childhood educators about the topic of bullying.

Now we know that early intervention is generally the key to positive outcomes, whether it be in relation to child protection, education, disability or just about anything else, so if we are wanting to prevent bullying, why aren’t we talking to children about it from an early age?

In the early years we tend to focus on helping young children develop social competence, being kind, friendly and polite, sharing, and respecting one’s self and others. If young children have a fight, we discuss the impacts, such as how it makes them feel, alternative choices, such as what they could have done differently to avoid that fight, and finally a resolution, which commonly involves apologising, forgiving and moving on. But what happens if these fights are continuous, if one of the children is in a more powerful position, whether it be because they are bigger, more popular or older, and there is an intention to cause harm, embarrassment or humiliation?

Conversely, what happens if a child is hit or pushed over or teased and they think they are being bullied? Let’s face it, the word bullying is not a foreign word, it is often in the news and we have an antibullying day, however many children and adults do not understand that bullying behaviour means that the behaviour is repetitive, there is a power differential and there is an intent to harm. So why aren’t we educating young children about bullying? Do we think they will not be able to understand the concepts?

Or are we viewing them as vulnerable and innocent so they don’t need to know about bullying at such a young age?

I am of the view that young children are very capable citizens and wired to learn and we should be talking to them about bullying. For this reason, I wanted to get an understanding of young children’s knowledge about what they thought bullying is and whether they could recognise bullying and non-bullying scenarios, thus we interviewed 99 children aged 5-8 years. As predicted, based on similar research conducted in the

Bullying means that the behaviour is repetitive, there is a power differential and an intent to harm.

There is limited research about children’s understanding of bullying in early childhood, particularly in Australia, and equally, there are few resources and programs for early childhood educators about the topic of bullying.

United Kingdom by Claire Monks and Peter K Smith, the majority of young children thought that any form of aggression was bullying. This means that young children are over labelling aggression or conflict as bullying which may result in mislabelling their peers as bullies and not having an understanding that conflict is a normal part of healthy social development. This

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does not mean that I encourage conflict or fighting, but rather, for young children, conflict often leads to learning conflict resolution strategies with support from adults as well as learning social competence and conflict prevention strategies.

As this lack of understanding is problematic, we worked with teachers to help them to co-create a bullying program specific to their context to educate young children about the three elements of bullying: repetition, power differentials, and the intent to harm; alongside bullying verses conflict, conflict as a normal part of social development, managing conflict, help seeking if you think you are being bullied, helpful and harmful bystanders, understanding friendship, being kind, self-regulation, team building, understanding diversity, and building resilience. When we reinterviewed the children who participated in the program, their understanding had increased and they were more than capable of engaging in this learning.

Teachers reported that the children were highly engaged, learnt a lot and enjoyed the program and were eager to keep using the program with future classes.

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HEALTH & WELLBEING // BEYOND BLUE St Charles Borromeo Primary School in Templestowe, Victoria is working on implementing Be You in its learning community.

Growing a mentally healthy generation with Be You IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN YEARS 3 AND 7, STUDENTS WITH PERSISTENT EMOTIONAL OR BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS FALL A YEAR BEHIND THEIR PEERS IN NUMERACY, WITH SIMILAR, ALTHOUGH SMALLER, TRENDS IN READING.

Providing educators with the tools to foster resilience and social and emotional wellbeing is an investment in the future of our children and young people. That’s why Beyond Blue – with its delivery partners, Early Childhood Australia and headspace – is dedicated to empowering educators to help grow Australia’s most mentally healthy generation through the creation of Be You. BE YOU PROMOTES MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING, FROM THE EARLY YEARS TO 18 Be You supports children’s and young people’s

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mental health by offering current and future educators and schools evidence-based online professional learning, complemented by a range of tools and support to turn learning into action.

The initiative is about empowering educators, helping them develop valuable mental health skills and knowledge, while also providing an effective model for implementing a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

Be You focusses on mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention and critical incident response, should issues arise – everything educators and schools need at their fingertips,

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offering two key areas of support: • Continuous learning and professional development for educators.

• Links and pathways to tools and evidencebased programs.

In Australia, children and young people spend upwards of 30 hours per week in the care of educators – from early learning through to primary and secondary school. Be You’s vision is that every learning community be positive, inclusive and resilient – a place where every child, young person, educator and family can achieve their best possible mental health.

BE YOU OFFERS EVIDENCE-BASED ONLINE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING At the heart of Be You is a content framework that provides educators and leaders with a structure for both professional development and the actions schools can take to implement a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing for children and young people.

Be You Professional Learning consists of 13 modules grouped under five domains, with content centred around mentally healthy communities and targeted to each setting – early learning, primary and secondary.

Strong connections between home, school and the broader community are important to supporting children’s and young people’s mental health. As they grow and transition to school, children begin to more actively participate in family, school and community life. They establish a sense of self, develop social and emotional learning, and form relationships with a wider range of people, including peers and non-family adults. Be You focuses on how educators can support children as individuals in their community, while also providing information and advice on how they can partner with families.

Be You Professional Learning is accredited with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute and endorsed by NSW Education Standards Authority. In all other states and territories, the Professional Learning package meets the requirements for teacher identified professional development.

Each module highlights alignment to and reinforcement of national education and wellbeing priorities including the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals, National Quality Standard, Australian Curriculum and Australian Student Wellbeing Framework.

BE YOU HAS BEEN DESIGNED WITH AND FOR BUSY EDUCATORS – AND IT’S FREE Be You has been developed with input from hundreds of educators, with workloads, daily pressures and complexities of their roles in mind. It offers flexible professional development that allows educators to set their own pace and start anywhere, depending on their unique needs and priorities.

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Be You is a free resource available to every educator and learning community in Australia.

CHANGE STARTS WITH INDIVIDUALS BUT GAINS MOMENTUM WITH A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH Be You recognises that positive change happens through a whole school approach to implementation, because success requires collaboration and a shared understanding of the specific needs of each school. Once registered as an individual Be You user, a request for registration as a whole learning community can be made.

Registered Be You primary schools have access to whole school support, including Be You Consultants, and targeted planning and implementation tools.

Over 70 trained, dedicated Be You Consultants from Early Childhood Australia and headspace play an integral role by supporting registered Be You early

learning services and schools through their journey.

They’re on hand to help design and implement a mentally healthy learning community action plan that’s aligned with existing planning processes and supports continuous improvement in your school.

THERE’S NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH Be you is another crucial step in making this a reality in Australia. Learn more about Be You and speak to your principal and wellbeing team to start taking action in your school today.

Buyer’s Guide Beyond Blue Web: beyou.edu.au

St Charles Borromeo Primary School has installed a Friendship Seat, which helps students to make friends.

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TECHNOLOGY // SCHOOL AND LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Hapara tools allow educators to be present with learners working in the cloud.

Teaching with technology, simplified HAPARA’S INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT SUITE PROVIDES EDUCATORS USING GOOGLE SUITE FOR EDUCATION WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO CREATE VISIBLE, DIFFERENTIATED AND FOCUSSED LEARNING EXPERIENCES. Hapara instructional management tools are designed to help teachers see the most recent student efforts across all Google Suite (G Suite) applications. These tools support collaborative assignments and projects, encourage real time engagement, and highlight student browsing activity. Here we look at some of its key features.

HAPARA DASHBOARD The Hapara Dashboard makes managing learner work in G Suite easy. Teachers can organise learners into groups and observe their progress; quickly share documents with the whole class, with groups or individuals; and provide formative feedback as it’s needed.

HAPARA HIGHLIGHTS Hapara Highlights promotes learning by enabling teachers to view and facilitate online activities in the classroom. This means teachers can see exactly what learners are accessing online. This feature:

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• Promotes digital citizenship by reinforcing positive individual and group behaviour; • Focuses individuals and groups of learners on specific online resources and work; • Prevents individuals and groups of learners from accessing specific websites; • Provides more personalised help to keep learners on track; and • Allows teachers to quickly share links to resources.

HAPARA WORKSPACE Teachers can efficiently create activities with pathways based on learner needs and interests through Hapara Workspace. It enables teachers to create engaging digital lessons to share with learners and fellow teachers. Teachers can also organise learners into groups and customise assignments to meet learner needs; provide feedback on work-in-progress; share resources and tools from the web in one central location; and track learner progress on different activities.

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HAPARA ANALYTICS Hapara Analytics provides actionable data about learner engagement, collaboration and device usage, starting with the first day G Suite was implemented.

Through Hapara Analytics, regional and district decision makers are able to view learner engagement and equity; can see what is going well, and uncover areas for improvement; can gain better visibility into learning without the risk of spying on browser activity; and can uncover trends in learner engagement with easy to read graphs and charts.

With Hapara, digital learning becomes visible by empowering educators with the tools that they need to be present with learners working in the cloud.

Buyer’s Guide Hapara Web: www.hapara.com/aus

8 Keys to Inclusive Play The school playground should be a space for all children to play together. Learn how you can make your space entertaining for kids of all abilities.

5. The ‘Coolest Thing’ Identify the piece of equipment that you think children will be most excited about. Make sure that this activity is usable by everyone.

1. Physical, Sensory and Social Activities Create a rich play environment by offering a diverse range of activities across all three categories.

6. Pods, Rooms and Zones Develop specialised areas of play. This allows choices by a child who may be overstimulated by a noisy or very active area.

2. Mulitple Levels of Challenge Choose equipment with a wide variety of challenge levels to provide appropriate involvement for everyone.

3. Grouping of Activities Invite engagement between children of different abilities by locating similar activities close to one another.

4. Elevated Play Make high decks a destination point with engaging play so everyone wants to climb or wheel themselves up there.

7. Unitary Surfacing Surfacing can be divided into two groups: loose and unitary.

Unitary surfacing allows people in wheelchairs to get to the play activities easily.

8. Routes and Maneuvarability Routes through the play area should be wide enough for people in wheelchairs to pass one another. Also to enter, turn and exit without difficulty.

Climbing Challenge Level 3

Climbing Challenge Level 2

Social Interaction

Climbing Challenge Level 1

Upper Body Challenge Level 1

Tactile & Auditory Sensory Experience

Tactile & Auditory Sensory Experience

Unity Dome by Playworld When the budget or the space is tight, think about equipment that has multiple challenge levels and inclusive intents.

We design school play spaces for all abilities.

For more information visit playrope.com.au/schools

TECHNOLOGY // ACER COMPUTER AUSTRALIA

Facial recognition a game changer ACER’S FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY, MY CLASSROOM, AIMS TO IMPROVE STUDENT SAFETY, REDUCE THE REPORTING BURDEN ON TEACHERS AND PROVIDE PARENTS WITH PEACE OF MIND THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THEIR SCHOOL EXPERIENCE.

Australian schools are on the brink of adopting cutting-edge innovations to enhance teachers and students’ lives. As virtual reality and chatbots, among other technologies, make their way into the classroom, all eyes are looking at what can be adopted next and how it can improve education as we know it.

Acer’s exclusive My Classroom facial recognition technology can be used to track classroom attendance, provide head counts, identify parents and relatives, show students that are present or missing, and more.

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While we’re increasingly seeing facial recognition in airports and now even on our phones, the technology has enormous potential for the classroom.

One such offering is My Classroom. Available exclusively from Acer, this technology uses facial recognition in order to track classroom attendance, empowering teachers,

protecting children and providing parents with peace of mind.

MORE TIME FOR TEACHING Through automated classroom roll call attendance tracking and integration with the school’s management system, teachers are relieved of the reporting burden placed on them through tedious yet necessary administrative tasks such as taking the roll.

At the heart of My Classroom is the safety and security of children.

The technology provides schools and teachers with interactive floor plans mapping the location of students, combined with a reliable notification system which alerts parents, teachers and the attendance officer if students are missing or their location is unknown.

When teachers are freed up to focus on highervalue work, it means they can give their students the time and recognition they deserve to learn and grow.

This can allow for greater innovation in the classroom through new teaching methods and engaging activities, as well as providing the opportunity for teachers to be able to spend more one-on-one time with students who may require additional support.

CENTRED ON CHILDREN’S SAFETY There have been stories reported in the media of school children going missing far too often, which serve as a tremendous reminder of the duty of care and responsibility educators have for students and families to keep children safe while they are at school.

At the heart of My Classroom is the safety and security of children. The technology provides schools and teachers with interactive floor plans mapping the location of students, combined with a reliable notification system which alerts parents, teachers and the attendance officer if students are missing or their location is unknown. This additionally minimises the cost for security administration and management so schools can invest in new technologies and infrastructure to enhance the learning experience.

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WHY FACIAL RECOGNITION? The benefits of facial recognition go far beyond individuals being able to unlock their phone without having to enter a passcode.

Facial recognition can be used by schools to innovate the traditional way teachers previously took the roll.

The technology improves the speed of operations, using a fast algorithm ideal for environments with large and repeat traffic such as schools.

It is reliable, with a very low error rate, and can be managed by teachers with an intuitive user interface to achieve results efficiently and accurately.

The technology is flexible and is easy to use and install, and can be integrated with other software systems to improve operational effectiveness across the entire school.

For more information about Acer’s My Classroom technology or to sign up for a free school attendance and security audit, please call 1300 308 056 or email education.aca@acer.com.

Buyer’s Guide Acer Computer Australia Ph: 1300 308 056 Web: www.acer.com/ac/en/AU/ content/home

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TECHNOLOGY // EPSON

After the success of the projectors in the primary classrooms, St John’s has ordered the first two EB-695Wi to be used in its secondary classrooms.

Endless possibilities COMMITTED TO PROVIDING INNOVATIVE, STATE-OF-THE-ART LEARNING FACILITIES, ST JOHN’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN ROMA, QUEENSLAND, RECENTLY INSTALLED EPSON’S INTERACTIVE PROJECTORS IN EACH OF ITS PRIMARY CLASSROOMS.

St John’s now has a total of 24 Epson EB695Wi ultra short throw projectors across the school. Along with one installed in every primary classroom, there is another in the boardroom and another two on order for the school’s secondary classrooms.

The Epson EB-695Wi was chosen following an internal survey conducted by the school in 2017 that found this projector was the preferred audio-visual aid for its teachers. The first of these projectors were installed in 2017, and have now been in use for close to two years.

Principal at St John’s, Donaugh Shirley, says the school chose to install these projectors with the hope of increasing student performance and productivity, inspiring teaching methods on a school-wide level and enhancing the level of engagement between students and teachers. “The projectors provide endless possibilities to teachers in delivering the curriculum. They are so much more than just a projector and a whiteboard. They assist

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our teachers in delivering an effective teaching and learning environment that connects with our students. Teachers can now engage with mstudents in real time learning activities on the whiteboard, which is a feature of the Epson projector. This enables students to feel part of the lesson.”

Advanced connectivity and interactive features were also key drivers of the school’s decision to implement the Epson projectors across the school. “The EB-695Wi stood out for us due to the interactive features and specifications, while still being affordable.

The advanced connectivity aspect was also important for the school. We are teaching curious 21st century students and we must continually adapt to new technologies to enhance our learning environment,” adds Ms Shirley.

Along with being affordable to purchase, Epson EB-695Wi projectors also have a long maintenance cycle.

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Through the use of the Epson EB-695Wi projectors, existing whiteboards, plain walls, and tables can be transformed into interactive workspaces. Teachers can deliver interactive lessons using either finger-touch or Epson’s interactive dual pens. These pens enable the teacher and student or two students to work simultaneously using different attributes.

Ms Shirley lists the projector’s ability to display objects using the camera, being able to use different boards for different purposes, the unlimited whiteboard space that comes with the free Epson Interactive Software, and the ability to save whiteboard work to your PC as some of the standout features of the Epson EB-695Wi. The ability for the projectors to be easily integrated with various devices and software was another factor in the school’s decision to install the Epson EB-695Wi model.

Epson’s EB-600 series is designed for the modern Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classroom. With higher colour brightness than

Through Epson’s Interactive Software, teachers can save whiteboard work to their computer.

All Epson projectors are based on 3-chip LCD technology for amazing colour, incredible detail and solid reliability. 3LCD’s 3-chip architecture dedicates an entire chip to process to each primary colour – red, green and blue continuously, unlike single-chip technology that delivers colour sequentially. The result is vibrant, realistic images and video delivered with 3LCD’s true-to-life colour. various competitor models, these 3LCD projectors display bright and vivid images. They incorporate optional wireless functionality and advanced connectivity, which allows teachers to easily share content from multiple student devices, including Chromebooks. With the addition of Moderator software, teachers can share content with up to four devices simultaneously.

St John’s Epson projectors were installed by Epson agent, Datacom. “The project ran smoothly

and was delivered on time and within budget,” says Ms Shirley. “The teacher training provided as part of the install project was both relevant and comprehensive. Staff came away from the training excited by the possibilities offered by the Epson projector within the learning environment.”

With St John’s now in the process of planning a new secondary building, the school is looking at

incorporating Epson EB-695Wi projectors into the new classrooms.

Buyer’s Guide Epson Australia Ph: 1300 361 054 Web: www.epson.com.au

Through Epson’s Interactive Software, teachers can save whiteboard work to their computer.

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TECHNOLOGY // LITERACY PLANET

Tyndale students use LiteracyPlanet to complete English class work and homework.

Enhancing literacy AT TYNDALE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN ADELAIDE, LITERACYPLANET’S COMPREHENSIVE E-LEARNING PROGRAM IS HELPING TO DEVELOP ENGLISH LITERACY SKILLS AND IMPROVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.

All Middle School students at Tyndale Christian School have a personal laptop and teachers use a variety of digital resources across all curriculum subjects. After trialling a variety of online resources for English, the school chose to implement LiteracyPlanet based on its variety of content; its ability to effectively target the development of spelling, grammar and comprehension skills; its ease of use for both students and teachers; and its ability to work with each student’s individual needs and skillsets.

“The school wanted to be able to help students consolidate their learning in an engaging way,” says Meredith Lockery, Tyndale’s Director of Studies. “All of our students have personal devices from Years 4 and up, so we were looking for an IT based

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program that could be accessed through the cloud, and provided enhanced learning opportunities for students. As LiteracyPlanet can be used as an individualised program, students can work at their own pace and level in order to improve their literacy outcomes.”

Cassandra Quast, Middle School English Curriculum Leader, agrees. “Differentiation is a focus for us, so the ability to assign templates at different levels for students to work on simultaneously was significant in our decision.”

Tyndale first started using the program at its Salisbury East campus in mid 2017, where it is now in use across Years 6 to 9. Due to the success of the program, the school introduced it to the Murray Bridge campus in early 2019, where it has been implemented for students in Years 7 to 10.

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Each week, students engage with LiteracyPlanet during English class work and homework. And, as Mrs Lockery reveals, the program has been widely embraced by the Tyndale students. “They really love the program. We have many students asking when they are going to be able to use it next and they’ve been thrilled with their literacy results.

Tyndale has a strong focus on creating a sense of community, and through LiteracyPlanet, we can observe improvements in their results across the board. This has created a real collegial element, where all students put in their best to increase these overall results.

This community of learning is a great thing for students to embrace because they understand it’s not just about them, but about everybody in the school community.”

At Tyndale, English teachers for each year level create programs and share these with each other for planning efficiency. In Years 6 and 7, students complete a number of homework activities created from LiteracyPlanet’s spelling lists, and at the end of the week they are assessed via a different spelling activity within the program.

Students can practise their literacy skills using LiteracyPlanet and the program has become a popular way to consolidate learning of the concepts and strategies taught in class, particularly for comprehension and grammar in Years 8 and 9.

The program is often used as a tool for English literacy revision for students who struggle with a particular skill or topic. Individual tasks are established to help that student develop their understanding. At the other end of the spectrum, it is used for differentiation for high ability learners, with teachers setting extension tasks that require them to work to the standard they are capable of.

Through its immediate feedback, students of all abilities can better understand concepts and progress more quickly.

Tyndale’s teachers list the variety of exercises, time-saving functions like automated marking,

LiteracyPlanet can be individualised to suit each student’s needs and abilities.

being able to easily see students’ progress, and the ability to set tailored work for students of different abilities as some of the most important aspects of the LiteracyPlanet program. “I love that I can assign work to all of my students to work on

simultaneously, that meets their individual learning needs in all aspects of English. Whether they find English difficult or excel in the subject, there are always tasks to set that will help them to achieve their best,” says Ms Quast.

“I have seen spelling results in my Year 6 class dramatically improve. Some students have recorded results of up to 40 per cent improvement since the start of the year.”

To add, the gamified aspects of the program help to make learning fun and entertaining which also assists with student engagement.

“LiteracyPlanet has definitely been living up to what we were hoping for in terms of student engagement, improvements in literacy skills and helping students to be excited about a subject they might not have been overly excited about before – it has been ticking all of these boxes very nicely,” Mrs Lockery concludes.

Buyer’s Guide LiteracyPlanet Ph: 1300 565 696 Web: www.literacyplanet.com/au/

The gamified aspects of LiteracyPlanet help to enhance student engagement.

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TECHNOLOGY // EDUTECH

Creative thinking and leadership INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED AUTHORITY IN EDUCATION INNOVATION, SIR KEN ROBINSON, AND 2019 AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR, DR RICHARD HARRIS, WILL LEAD THE BILL OF CREATIVE THINKERS AND EXPERT SPEAKERS WHEN EDUTECH RETURNS TO SYDNEY IN JUNE 2019.

In recent times, technology has had a major impact on the way educators teach and students learn. It is rapidly evolving and constantly changing.

Bringing together the latest in technology and education, EduTECH aims to help schools

keep up with what’s new and discover how it can be used in schools. It is the only event in Australia that combines the entire lifecycle of education under one roof.

EduTECH is the largest education event in the southern hemisphere and Asia Pacific

Celebrated educator, best-selling author and advisor to education departments around the world, Sir Ken Robinson, will give three talks during EduTECH 2019.

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region, bringing together over 11,000 visitors from across the globe. A true festival of education, it will include five congresses, eight masterclasses, over 300 exhibitors and 220 speakers.

“EduTECH has grown from year to year. People from all around Australia, New Zealand and the region come for professional development, networking and to find and compare new products and services from over 300 suppliers and exhibitors,” adds Craig Macfarlane, CEO of EduTECH. Visitors can test out new technology, understand how to use and adapt this technology in the classroom and network with peers. It will also provide the opportunity to explore emerging technologies such as robotics, drones, 3D printing and virtual reality in depth.

Held annually, EduTECH brings together the entire education and training sector to learn, debate, exchange ideas and be inspired by the latest in education thought leadership.

Each year, EduTECH puts together an impressive list of speakers from around the world, including world-leading education and training experts. They will deliver talks on thought leadership and speak about practical case studies.

Celebrated educator, best-selling author and advisor to education departments all over the world, Sir Ken Robinson, returns to EduTECH in 2019 and will also be speaking for the first time at co-located event EduBUILD, which takes place across the same dates.

EduBUILD is Australia’s largest education buildings and infrastructure conference and

EduTECH is the largest education event in the southern hemisphere and Asia Pacific region, bringing the entire lifecycle of education together.

trade show for education leaders and decisionmakers involved in design, construction, renovation, maintenance, operation and management of buildings for schools, colleges and universities.

A second co-located event – the Australian Workplace Learning Conference – will also be held, incorporating the AITD National Conference and bringing together leaders in Australian and International learning and development.

A globally recognised authority in creativity and innovation in education and business, Sir Ken Robinson is a revered speaker, who has a long list of achievements throughout his long and illustrious career. He also received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth in 2003 for his services to the arts.

Educator, best-selling author and advisor to education departments all over the world, Sir Robinson works with governments in Europe, Asia and the United States, international agencies, Fortune 500 companies and leading cultural organisations. He led a national commission on creativity, education and the economy for the UK Government, was the central figure in developing a strategy for creative and economic development as part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, and was one of four international advisors to the Singapore Government for a strategy to become the creative hub of South-east Asia.

Known as one of the world’s elite thinkers on creativity and innovation, he has received numerous awards and recognitions for his ground-breaking contributions to the education sector.

“EduTECH is very important,” says Sir Robinson. “It’s the largest education event

in Australia, and the region. If you’re serious about education, whether you’re from a school, university or you’re at all interested in creativity or innovation, you shouldn’t miss this event.”

At EduTECH 2019, Sir Robinson will conduct three talks during day one: • Creative thinking and innovation • Content vs skill • Creativity in the workplace Dr Richard Harris SC OAM has also been revealed as a keynote speaker for EduTECH 2019, making his inaugural appearance at the event.

The celebrated anaesthetist was named Australian of the Year in 2019 following his invaluable contribution to the Thai Cave Dive Rescue that resulted in 12 young boys and their soccer coach being rescued from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand. After his heroic efforts, he was awarded The Star of Courage, the second highest Australian Bravery Decoration, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Dr Harris works in anaesthesia and aeromedical retrieval medicine in Adelaide. He has a professional and voluntary interest in search and rescue operations, establishing the first sump rescue training course in Australasia. By building relationships with emergency services in Australia, he was able to put his training to work during the delicate Thailand rescue.

With expertise in diving, wilderness and remote area health, Dr Harris’ passion for cave diving has taken him to all corners of the globe in search of new adventures. He has explored some of the world’s deepest caves, including the Pearse Resurgence in New Zealand to 229 metres depth, Daxing Spring in China to 213 metres depth and Song Hong Cave in Thailand to 196 metres depth.

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Acclaimed anaesthetist and Australian of the Year, Dr Richard Harris, will discuss leadership and working under pressure.

Dr Harris will give his keynote address, ‘Thinking outside the box, leadership, pressure’ on day one, where he will discuss working under pressure, teamwork, problem solving, resilience, risk assessment and hard work.

EduTECH will run from 6-7 June 2019 at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, with a series of masterclasses running the day prior, on Wednesday 5 June.

Tickets are now on sale. Book early to secure a priority seat. All tickets purchased during March and April are eligible for a 20 per cent discount by using the code ‘EduMatters20’ when purchasing online. For more information, please visit the EduTECH website.

Buyer’s Guide EduTECH Australia Web: www.edutech.net.au

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CURRICULUM // STEM

The challenge of STEM STEM EDUCATION IS CAPTURING POLICY ATTENTION AT THE MOMENT AS A KEY CURRICULUM FOCUS, WRITES RUSSELL TYTLER OF DEAKIN UNIVERSITY. HE TALKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT SOME OF THE RECENT INNOVATIONS IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF STEM IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL YEARS.

Much of this focus is driven by concerns about wealth creation and global competitiveness. This is somewhat at odds, one might think, with the broader education agenda of personal growth in skills and dispositions, and citizenship, emphasized by the Melbourne Declaration. This concern to engage students in STEM pathways and improve the learning of STEM has increasingly extended into the primary school years, given growing evidence that orientations towards the STEM subjects and to STEM thinking working are largely established in the primary and early secondary school years.

Alongside this largely economic agenda, there are some interesting developments in thinking about STEM, associated with growing advocacy of

Russell Tytler is Alfred Deakin Professor and Chair in Science Education at Deakin University. His research covers student learning and reasoning in Science, and extends to pedagogy and teacher and school change. He researches and writes on student engagement with Science and Mathematics, school-community partnerships and STEM curriculum policy.

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interdisciplinarity as reflecting how these disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) interrelate in the real world. With this, there are calls for a focus in the curriculum on STEM skills which include problem solving and design thinking, critical and creative thinking, and quantitative skills.

Increasingly STEM has come to be associated with calls for integration of these subjects around projects based on authentic problems. In this, engineering design is often a driving force, with projects based on such things as design of structures, optimisation of cart or boat design, clothing or personal artefact design, etc, with science and mathematics being developed as needed in the design process. For other schools, STEM is centred around the incorporation

In a Grade 1 ecology study involving the charting of living things in sample plots in the school ground, students discussed the need for equal size plots, searching and counting processes, and how to tabulate and map their living things. They produced maps of the plot, and tallies which they transformed into graphs.

Pictured above and bottom left: Grade 1 students’ representation of their sample plot showing animal counts and woodlouse counts across plots, with interpretation.

of digital technologies into the curriculum. In truth, there are many types of interpretation of this call for interdisciplinary STEM, and a preferred curriculum model has thus far not been established.

A large US review study of integrated STEM – titled ‘STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research’, by Margaret Honey, Greg Pearson and Heidi Schweingruber (2014) – found that while there was evidence of greater student engagement in the STEM subjects, there was little evidence of enhanced learning, especially in mathematics. It has been argued that while STEM project-based activities can be engaging and can develop skills such as design and collaborative problem solving, they often lack coherence in the way that knowledge in the individual subjects is represented.

For science and for mathematics in particular, the learning can be disjointed or trivialised unless carefully planned, and there is not generally a program of progression in knowledge and skills that can be associated with STEM that is distinct from disciplinary knowledge. Thus, while STEM encompasses four disciplines, the real challenge for the school curriculum concerns how science and mathematics knowledge can be developed through interdisciplinary challenges.

In an Australian Research Council funded project, ‘Enriching Maths and Science Learning: An

Interdisciplinary Approach’, a Deakin led international team is collaborating with schools in Australia and the US to investigate how science and mathematics can be productively combined to deepen student learning in each. Underpinning the approach is a guided inquiry pedagogy where students are challenged and supported to invent, evaluate and refine representations (such as annotated drawings, maps, graphs) in a process that reflects the core knowledge building practices of the disciplines. In combining the subjects, we look for concepts that lie at the intersection of the two disciplines but that are dealt with differently in the two subjects. Thus, in a Grade 1 ecology study involving the charting of living things in sample plots in the school ground, students discussed the need for equal size plots, searching and counting processes, and how to tabulate and map their living things. They produced maps of the plot, and tallies which they transformed into graphs that were compared and discussed such that their graphing processes were refined. Sharing of class data allowed the representation of variation in numbers of the same animal (e.g. worms, spiders) across habitats and discussion of why this might be the case.

Thus, the science investigation opened up a need for mathematical representational work, and the mathematics led back into questions of the science.

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The representational and modeling work was core to these inquiry processes. Teachers developed their pedagogies around refined questioning strategies to draw on student work to develop understanding. They were very surprised, for instance, at the development of Grade 1 students’ graphical skills well beyond expectations. This was related to the purposeful nature of the task and students’ appreciation of the measurements underpinning the numbers. Discussion centred around sampling, data handling and variation in mathematics, and habitat and adaptation in science.

One of the challenges for this work has been fitting the sequences into the curriculum in ways that teachers understand. The mathematics for instance grows out of the investigation as a need for quantification, or articulation of spatial thinking.

We argue that this is a natural and powerful way for mathematics to be developed, but to the teachers it looks very different compared to traditions of mathematics teaching. Over the next two years we plan to extend the number of activity sequences we develop, and work with teachers to refine the pedagogy. We are tracking the development of understandings and also ‘representational competence’ of a set of case study students over the three years, anticipating that this way of working yields cumulative benefits.

Our intention is to pioneer new ways of thinking about the interdisciplinary interactions between science and mathematics in ways that preserve the integrity of these core subjects through innovative approaches to their teaching and learning. In this way we see our work as contributing to the challenge of STEM.

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CURRICULUM // EDUCATIONAL PIONEER

Preparing children for life IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, INDUSTRIALIST, PHILANTHROPIST AND EDUCATIONAL PIONEER, ROBERT OWEN, ARGUED THAT AN EDUCATION WAS ABOUT PREPARING CHILDREN FOR LIFE. TWO CENTURIES ON, SENIOR LECTURER IN EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY, DR DON CARTER, REFLECTS ON HOW THESE VIEWS ARE STILL EVIDENT IN EDUCATION TODAY.

Dr Don Carter is senior lecturer in Education at the University of Technology Sydney. He has a PhD, Master of Education (Honours), Master of Education (Curriculum), Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education. Dr Carter is a former Inspector, English at the NSW curriculum authority and led a range of projects including the English K-10 Syllabus.

His research interests include the effects of standardised testing, literacy pedagogies and curriculum theory and history. Dr Carter has published extensively on a range of issues including curriculum reform, English education and standardised testing.

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We tend to take for granted key assumptions about education, particularly the way in which we view children and the notion of childhood. Clearly, we love and value our children for many reasons but especially for who they are and what they might grow into. We acknowledge and celebrate their curiosity, innocence and vitality. And our contemporary views on childhood and the nature of the child can be traced back to assumptions about childhood evident over two centuries ago.

Notions of play, experimentation and explicit teaching have a long history in education. If we look at the 18th century, we can see a watershed in the fashioning of new, more modern attitudes to childhood, with education moving away from a religious, civic and institution-based regime to one that was more secularised, civil, social and experiential. Influential during this period was Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) and English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704). Rousseau’s conceptualisation of childhood centred on the status of the child being elevated to that of a person, a specific class of being with needs and desires and even individual rights, with the importance of independent thinking from an early age at the forefront, while Locke’s view of childhood held that the child’s natural state was a ‘tabula rasa’, founded on the hypothesis that all knowledge is acquired through sensory experience.

While specific notions of childhood had their advocates, the child as the source of uncorrupted wisdom and harmony that was both redemptive and healing for the adult was promoted through the poetry of William Wordsworth (1770-1850) who celebrated the transcendent and transfigured archetypal child and exerted a profound influence on philosophies of childhood and education during the Romantic period.

In fact, a version of the acclamation of childhood found expression in Scotland at the village

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of New Lanark, southeast of Glasgow, in 1776.

Established by David Dale (1739-1806), the village and factories were further developed by his sonin-law, Robert Owen (1771-1858) who established a school for the children of his mill workers. Here, Owen promoted a view that an effective education had to connect with children and their interests and like Rousseau, highlighted the significance of infancy and early childhood, emphasising these as the basis of a healthy and positive adulthood.

Influential in Owen’s thinking was the educational practice of Johann Pestalozzi (17461827). Owen visited Pestalozzi’s school at Yverdun in Switzerland in 1818 and was impressed with Pestalozzi’s approach. Here, children were engaged through ‘sense impressions’ where they examined the shapes and varieties of different objects and then named and interpreted these objects.

Pestalozzi developed carefully graded lessons requiring children to move from the simple to the complex through the examination of minerals, animals, plants and human-made artefacts, emphasising natural science and geography.

Children explored the local countryside, noting topography, flora and fauna and investigated issues and features of interest.

Owen set out his principles in A New View of Society (1813), a treatise heavily influenced by Enlightenment thinking where he consequently set about shortening the hours of his mill workers, repairing their houses and cleaning the streets of the village. In addition, he ensured that company stores stocked high quality goods to be sold at cost and children under the age of 10 were taken out of the factories and enrolled in the local school. And it was at this school that children were treated kindly and learned not through memorisation, but through the study of natural objects from the local woods, engaged in song and dance as well as precision drills and movements. As a result, the New Lanark

site and school became an international phenomenon, attracting 20,000 visitors between 1815 and 1825.

More specifically, and during this era where usual educational practice often emphasised the rote learning of facts, Owen argued education was preparation for life, the development of character and the equipping of children to be able to think critically about information presented to them, rather than mere memorisation. He advocated education for the child from an early age with the teacher acting as a nurturer, to ensure that learning was as enjoyable and rewarding as possible.

Many of the sentiments evident in Owen’s era carried over into the 1905 NSW primary schools syllabus. In this syllabus, the interests of children were to be the basis of lessons; sense impressions appeared as Nature Knowledge where children observed the “nature of school surroundings” including “plant and animal life within reach of the children’s opportunities”.

The development of character was expressed as “upright conduct” and “moral obligations... to the family, to society, and to the State”.

And more recently, the Australian Curriculum aims for children to “make informed decisions and act

In the village of New Lanark, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Robert Owen established a school that adopted new practices, where teachers strived to make learning enjoyable and prepare children for life beyond school.

responsibly”, emphasising that “appreciation of the world is provided through exploratory, analytical and creative practices”. In addition, our national curriculum says that children’s “desire to make sense of the world provides a platform to plan and review their learning through interactions with others, experimentation, scaffolding, explicit teaching, practice and play in the classroom and beyond”. And the Melbourne Declaration Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008) aims

to ensure that children “act with moral and ethical integrity” and “(be) prepared for their potential life roles as family, community and workforce members”.

Our valorisation of childhood in educational thinking can be traced back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries and we can certainly assign Robert Owen in Scotland as one of the pioneers whose work provided a strong educational inheritance still evident in curriculum today.

Create deeper digital learning experiences with G Suite See why schools across Australia use Hapara to make learning visible Find out more at: www.hapara.com/aus

CURRICULUM // VICTORIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Civics and citizenship education brought to life THE VICTORIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION EXPLAINS HOW ITS TAILORED, FREE AND FLEXIBLE RESOURCES ARE HELPING TEACHERS PROMOTE STUDENTS’ PARTICIPATION IN AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY.

With the Victorian Curriculum now effective in primary and secondary schools across Australia, Civics and Citizenship Education is mandated for delivery in all government schools throughout Victoria. Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) promotes students’ participation in Australia’s democracy by equipping them with

the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions of active and informed citizenship. It helps students familiarise themselves with Australia’s democratic heritage and traditions, political and legal institutions and the shared values of freedom, tolerance, respect, responsibility and inclusion.

The Victorian Electoral Commission runs State and Local Council elections in the State of Victoria.

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So in what ways can we support our teachers to ensure that the CCE curriculum is adequately addressed? How can we ensure that students are at the centre of engaging, inquiry-based and practical units of CCE study?

James Fiford, Education and Electoral Inclusion Officer at the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), notes that teachers are often time poor, which can affect their ability to plan comprehensive units of work. Furthermore, teachers are sometimes asked to work outside the areas of their specific curriculum knowledge and financial limitations can preclude expensive external consultancy or commercial solutions.

This is why the VEC has developed a series of tailored, free and highly flexible CCE resources.

As an independent and impartial statutory body, part of the VEC’s role is to run education programs to ensure that young people in Victoria understand democracy and the electoral process.

Mr Fiford notes that for young people, while they often engage strongly on issues of social justice, elections may not be a particularly exciting subject. This is why the VEC has taken an issuesbased, student-driven approach in its Passport to Democracy program.

The VEC regularly works with schools from Years 3 to 6 (as well as offering a comprehensive secondary school program). The active civics and citizenship concepts underpinning Passport to Democracy aim to develop critical thinking skills in students. It prompts them to consider how they can make an impact on issues they care about and, ultimately, how they can engage with the community and participate meaningfully in the democratic process. The AEC’s research tells us that providing young people with a positive

experience of democracy in a school setting can set them up for a lifetime of civic participation.

HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK? Passport to Democracy is divided into four modules: Decide, Research, Activate and Vote. Each module has a lesson plan containing learning activities with detailed instructions, online content and activity sheets. It can be delivered over six to eight weeks, or a smaller version is available if required. VEC Education Officers support teachers through on-site professional development sessions. They also offer a mock election for students as part of the Vote module.

The 4 stages of the Passport To Democracy program.

1. DECIDE The lesson plans in Decide expand on students’ existing knowledge of community issues. In groups, students choose an issue they care about and an aspect stemming from this issue that they want to change. Before deciding, they are supported to understand the complex notions of issues, communities, power and influence, rights, government, responsibility and points of view.

Students should ideally be supported in selecting their own issues to enable genuine student-centred inquiry learning. If teachers are delivering course content in upper primary or lower secondary, focusing on school-based issues is a good starting point. Middle secondary schools can focus on Victorian state-based issues, and in senior classes on either national or global issues. Any combination of these can, of course, work at any level if well supported.

2. RESEARCH The Research lesson plans guide students to understand the social context of their issue, to discover what others have done about it and to test their own assumptions and possible solutions.

Student research into an issue can have multiple goals. The activities in this unit elevates students to complete the entire research process, and assists them to develop critical literacy skills, while considering how their local political representatives might help.

3. ACTIVATE The aim of the Activate lesson plans is to support students to choose actions that are achievable,

appropriate and that can have an impact upon their chosen issue. These lessons contain many examples of active citizenship for inspiration, and they guide students to delegate tasks and campaign for awareness and support. Students can then use their research findings to plan and carry out an effective action.

4. VOTE The Vote lesson plans allow students to evaluate the impact of their action and reflect upon any change it has sparked, as well as their own active citizenship learning. Students also experience the electoral process through a complete sequence of electoral activities including candidate nominations, party platforms, campaign speeches, how to vote cards, a mock-election (including printed ballot papers) and a preferential vote count. Teachers completing a Passport to Democracy unit can request a free mock-election incursion run by the VEC (state-wide, including metro and rural areas) to demonstrate and celebrate students’ democratic participation.

Vote lesson plans can also be used independently of the Passport unit, if teachers wish to focus only on elections and campaigns.

All lesson plans that comprise the Passport to Democracy program are aligned to the Victorian Curriculum and the Australian Curriculum for the teaching of Civics and Citizenship content across Years 5 to 10. In addition, the Passport to Democracy website, passport.vec.vic.gov.au, offers summative and formative assessment resources. It includes assignment instructions, a submission checklist and curriculum-aligned rubrics, plus a list of assessment for learning Passport activities.

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NEW FOR 2019 Passport to Democracy will have two exciting additions in 2019. To celebrate the start of the school year, the website has been optimised to be mobile-friendly. This means that teachers can now utilise the student interactives on the website, and watch the embedded videos, with their students on either tablet or via smartphone. This will be useful to teachers operating one-to-one, or in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment, in their classrooms. Another important addition to the Passport to Democracy online offer (available later in Term 1 of 2019) will be a suite of teacher professional learning materials. Consisting of small videos and information sheets, this advice will help teachers new to the resources, as well as assist regular users with extra ideas and tips.

HOW TO BOOK By completing a booking form (available online at http://passport.vec.vic.gov.au/teachers/bookings/) teachers can order voting resources (voting screens, ballot boxes) and/or book a VEC education officer who can deliver teacher professional learning, and/ or a mock election session to their class. All of the resources, and school visits by a VIT registered education officer, are offered free of charge by the VEC.

Buyer’s Guide Victorian Electoral Commission Passport to Democracy Ph: 03 8620 1184 Email: education@vec.vic.gov.au Web: passport.vec.vic.gov.au

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CURRICULUM // LITERACY

Phonics-first test not the answer ACKNOWLEDGING AND RESPECTING THAT CHILDREN ARE CAPABLE AND CONFIDENT LEARNERS, PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH CURRICULUM AND LITERACIES EDUCATION AT GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY AND EXPERIENCED CLASSROOM TEACHER, BERYL EXLEY, SAYS WE DON’T NEED A PHONICS-FIRST AND NATIONALLY MANDATED SYNTHETIC PHONICS CHECK IN THE EARLY YEARS.

Beryl Exley has taught in schools for 11 years, and in teacher education for 17 years.

She is a Professor of English Curriculum and Literacies Education at Griffith University. She is the National President of the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association and immediate past Chair of the International Development in Oceania Committee.

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These young people have interests, familial language experiences which may or may not be English, and by and large, some prior interactions with print, albeit to varying degrees. These children have already started their apprenticeship in learning to read, they have listened and learnt, discovered and experimented, and amassed an incredible repertoire of understandings about language-in-use across the modes of communication in a handful of years.

The world is full of parents who have marvelled at their child’s capacity to fathom the language of communication in their first few years of life, and to continue that journey into breaking the code of written text in the early years of school alongside sharpening their skills with making meaning, using the texts that they read, and being critical consumers.

It is important to recognise that children’s uptake of reading occurs at different rates, depending on their capacity, experiences, and the relationship between their learning and self-efficacy.

I am critical of approaches that insist on ‘phonicsfirst-and-only’ for all children. I recall the experiences of a young child by the name of Alicia who was drilled with the ‘Ants on the Apple’ ditty in her formative years and was taught that the letter ‘a’ says /a/ (as in ‘at’) and that the letter ‘c’ says /k/ (as in ‘cat’).

With real life experiences of learning that ‘a’ can also say /u/ (as in ‘up’) and ‘ci’ says /sh/ (as in ‘ship’), it’s no wonder that the version of phonics Alicia was receiving was confusing. The current push from the Birmingham appointed Panel of Experts to implement a nationally mandated synthetic phonic check will do more damage than good. Any practices that disregard the young people as individuals with histories and different starting points when they commence school, as having a myriad of experiences with language-inuse, including its peculiar sounds, forms and functions, is to do these young people a disservice. Instead, I

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advocate for practices that take as their starting point the whole child, and from there plan learning and teaching experiences that build their competence and confidence with learning to read and reading to learn.

Explicit instruction in phonics must be a part of these learning and teaching experiences, but phonics does not need to be ‘first-and-only’ and instituting a national mandated synthetic phonics check means that that the fuller repertoire of learning to read skills are not given the required attention.

Professor Margaret M Clark OBE (2018) from Newman University in the United Kingdom identified that 89 per cent of head teachers and 94 per cent of teachers who took part in a large scale independent national survey reported that the national synthetics phonics check didn’t tell them anything they didn’t know. On the matter of using synthetic words such as ‘braits’, ‘zued’ and ‘splue’, these same cohorts each recorded an 80 per cent negative response. Similarly, Associate Professor Misty Adoniou from the University of Canberra provided a detailed account of the issues with the proposed test items and implications for implementation in the EduResearch Matters blog hosted by the Australian Association of Research in Education. Both documents make for riveting reading.

Some media commentators have mispresented the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association’s (ALEA) advocacy for a balanced approach to the teaching of reading. To be clear, the ALEA Literacy Declaration sets out the following: “There is a need for explicit instruction in letter sound connections (phonics) and word analysis skills; this should always occur within genuine literacy events and in contexts meaningful to the student.” This is also the approach supported in the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum: English. To do otherwise will be to undo the philosophical position inherent in these foundational documents.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // AITSL

Helping you grow as a teacher and school leader WITH THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR NOW IN FULL SWING, THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (AITSL) TEAM IS FORGING AHEAD ON ITS PROGRAM OF WORK TO SUPPORT QUALITY TEACHING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, AS ACTING CEO EDMUND MISSON EXPLAINS.

Unquestionably it’s going to be a big year for education, with new cohorts of students to teach and inspire, a continued focus on excellent teaching and the status of the profession, and the use of evidence to ensure all educators can thrive.

Amidst all of this activity, Australia’s teachers and school leaders continue their crucial work at the frontline of delivering the best possible outcomes for students. AITSL is here to help you get on with what you do best – having an impact in the classroom.

Edmund Misson is the Acting CEO of AITSL and brings to the organisation a depth of experience in education and public service.

Prior to this, Mr Misson was AITSL’s Deputy CEO. He joined AITSL as a General Manager in 2011, following a distinguished 15-year career in the Victorian Government advising on a range of education, training and other social policy issues.

Throughout his career, Mr Misson has focused on policy development and implementation to achieve the best possible outcomes for the community.

He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

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A BIG YEAR FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING With so much happening in every school, we want to make sure Australia’s teachers have access to the additional tools and support they need to reach their goals for the year.

That’s why a big focus for AITSL in 2019 will be ensuring teachers and school leaders like you have opportunities for effective professional learning. The right kind of professional learning can boost student achievement and amplify your effectiveness as a teacher.

We’re talking about professional learning which is relevant and context-focussed, and keeps in sight our collective goal to improve learner growth and achievement. We’re talking about professional learning which is embedded, sustained and collegial – because research tells us that’s what has the biggest impact.

At the heart of all AITSL work is evidence and collaboration. That’s fitting because collaboration with teacher colleagues is also an important factor in professional learning.

While this is true for all teachers, undoubtedly there are cohorts whose circumstances make it

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hard for them to access collaboration opportunities and high-quality professional learning. These include early childhood, casual/relief, and rural, regional and remote area teachers.

This issue is absolutely on AITSL’s radar.

Informed by a national dialogue on high quality professional learning convened late last year, we are right now looking at solutions and recommendations for improving professional learning opportunities for these cohorts of teachers.

A key focus must remain making sure all teachers feel valued, supported and included as members of the profession.

In line with our philosophy of working with the profession for the profession, we’ve consulted widely to get to this stage and will continue doing so as this work progresses.

SCHOOL LEADER SUPPORT We know school leaders have an immense impact when they have the time to focus, develop and reflect on how to lead teaching and learning for maximum impact.

Throughout 2019, we’re looking forward to empowering school leaders to do all of that and more, no matter what state or territory, or system and sector they’re in.

One really useful and relatively new resource for school leaders is our ‘Leading for impact: Australian guidelines for school leadership development’.

These guidelines are aimed at making it easier for systems and sectors, principals and other education leaders to find and develop future leaders, and ensure pathways to leadership are clear and inclusive.

AITSL’s evidence-informed recommendations and advice describe what teachers need to develop their leadership skills, and the specific preparation of those who aspire to become a principal. They also guide the professional growth of current principals.

During 2019, strengthening principal preparation and helping school leaders prioritise the leadership of learning for maximum student impact will be particular areas of AITSL’s focus. We’ll keep working with the profession to co-develop a suite of tools and resources for school leaders to easily apply the Leading for impact guidelines in their schools. And don’t worry, we’ll also keep you posted as this progresses.

REACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH THE STANDARDS At AITSL, we are with teachers at every stage of their career lifecycle – from pre-service to school leader.

A crucial part of this is our role as custodian of the

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and the Australian Professional Standard for Principals.

The Teacher and Principal Standards were co-developed and implemented with the support of teachers, school leaders and the sector more broadly, and provide clear, nationally-agreed definitions of what it means to be an outstanding teacher and school leader, and a road map to get there. At each stage of your career, you need to demonstrate understanding of and proficiency in relation to the relevant standards.

Alongside these twin standards, a suite of easily understood resources and tools designed to assist and support teachers are available on the AITSL website.

The provision of these practical resources is part of AITSL’s longstanding commitment to work with the profession to deliver the support teachers and school leaders tell us they want and need.

STAY UP TO DATE To find free resources to help you improve your practice, and to stay updated on AITSL’s latest work, please keep an eye on the AITSL website, our social media platforms, and our monthly AITSL Mail which you can subscribe to through the website.

We’re looking forward to supporting you and promoting excellence across the teaching profession this year because nothing is more important than what you bring to the classroom, and its direct and positive impact on Australia’s students.

Buyer’s Guide AITSL Ph: 03 9944 1200 Web: www.aitsl.edu.au

AITSL works to ensure teachers have access to all of the tools and support they need to deliver effective learning outcomes to students in the classroom.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // MONASH EDUCATION

Breaking down the research around school curriculum THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM CAN BE AN UNWIELDY DOCUMENT TO READ, MUCH LESS IMPLEMENT. BUT A TEAM OF EDUCATION SPECIALISTS FROM MONASH AIMS TO SUPPORT TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS WITH THEIR NEW ONLINE INITIATIVE CALLED TEACHSPACE.

TeachSpace is full of easy-to-read articles and how-to videos that draw on Monash’s latest research. Here, we look at a selection of what’s available.

HOW TO USE MINECRAFT IN THE CLASSROOM In this two-part series, education technology experts Roland Gesthuizen and Gillian Kidman look at how Minecraft can enable learning in the classroom. The pair break down the actions required in the school curriculum and use Blooms Taxonomy as well as their ongoing research to show how Minecraft can be used to build integrated STEM lessons.

TACKLING CULTURAL EDUCATION Cultural education is a mandatory part of the school curriculum. In a series of three articles,

cultural education expert Niranjan Casinader breaks down the key concepts of the curriculum, the pitfalls to avoid and ways to build modern understandings without resorting to stereotypes.

Growing teacher expertise, he writes, can yield big results in the classroom.

THE FIVE PROPOSITIONS IN HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION In this five-part video series, HPE lecturers Karen Lambert and Justen O’Conner look at each of the key ideas in the curriculum. They provide options, ideas and case studies to show how each of these propositions can be explored in the classroom.

At the heart of each of these pieces is the question: How can HPE teachers create lessons that last a lifetime?

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING IN PRIMARY MATHEMATICS Critical and creative thinking is a crosscurriculum priority in Australian schools, and features in each subject area. Drawing on her research, Colleen Vale shows how and why mathematical reasoning tasks can be used to provoke these 21st century skills. Teachers can also see short videos of how this works in practice in Australian classrooms.

A PLAY-BASED MODEL FOR EARLY YEARS AND STEM CONCEPTS From Marilyn Fleer, the woman who wrote the text books for early childhood, comes a new playbased model called Land of Learning. Designed to be used in the early years of primary school, it encourages students to take the lead and solve STEM problems in their imaginary world. Stepby-step videos are available outlining each stage of the process.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST YOUTUBE VIDEOS FOR YOUR CLASSROOM Combining cognitive science and real-world practice, Matt Fyfield draws on his research to break down the steps for teachers to pick the gold from the garbage on YouTube. What is the ideal length? Do the bells and whistles help understanding? Do students learn best from individual screens or a communal teachercontrolled screen?

Buyer’s Guide Monash Education Web: monash.edu/education/teach

Professor Marilyn Fleer has created new play-based resources for the early years of primary school to help develop concepts in STEM.

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educationmattersmag.com.au educationmattersmag.com.au is a leading source of breaking industry information. The website is updated daily with news, policies, governance, curriculum and editorial from leading authorities, industry experts and ministerial decision makers.

All advertisers in Education Matters Magazine are given the opportunity to have a

Education Matters Premium School Suppliers Directory

premium profile page in the Premium School Suppliers Directory. The Premium School Suppliers Directory has a userfriendly interface making it easy for educational professionals to search for products and services they may require for their school.

for further information, contact: Chelsea Daniel-Young

Mobile 0425 699 878

This is your one stop shop for anything your school or learning facility may require. You can browse any category or use our search function to find what you require.

Email chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // LEARNING SPACES

Crafting contemporary classrooms BASED ON ACADEMIC AND ACTION RESEARCH PROJECTS IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA AND SWEDEN, LEARNING SPACE EXPERT PETER C. LIPPMAN DISCUSSES HIS STRATEGY FOR CRAFTING CONTEMPORARY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR NEW AND EXISTING CLASSROOMS.

Uniting five different concepts, this strategy aims to help enhance student engagement in the classroom.

AN OPEN PLAN APPROACH Developing an open plan means that teachers are able to see and have access to all that is occurring in the classroom. For students, they are able to view the activities of their peers, as well as having direct access to their peers and any necessary resources.

For the last 25 years, Peter C. Lippman, M. Phil., Assoc. AIA, has been researching, writing about and designing activity-based learning environments for the future. By providing insight that reaches beyond the current normative mindsets about learning environments, Mr Lippman is able to fashion dynamic places for learning. His approach is holistic, not fragmented, as he understands that learning environments are places in which learners are always acquiring knowledge in relationship to an ever-evolving physical environment. This approach recognises that the goal is not the design of dynamic buildings, but rather creating places for learning. An acknowledged thought leader in the field of educational architecture, Mr Lippman has been invited to work around the world where he guides municipalities, school districts, schools and design professionals in creating places for learning. He is the author of Evidence-Based Design for Primary and Secondary Schools: A Responsive Approach to Creating Learning Environments (2010) and the founder of Places Created for Learning.

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At Camboon Primary School in Perth, moveable storage units were used to delineate the activity settings of the classroom.

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INCORPORATING ACTIVITY SETTINGS Activity settings are differentiated learning zones in the classroom that allow learners to focus, explore and share concepts. They support the diverse ways that individuals work. Furthermore, activity settings may be attuned by learners to create spaces that are safe and secure for them to learn.

In a primary school classroom, a larger activity setting may be crafted at the front of the room. This area may be defined by

clustering desks and placing them perpendicular and against two or three of the perimeter walls in the classrooms.

EXPLOITING WALLS By freeing walls of storage units, additional learning areas are found within classrooms. Activity settings may be further actualised with whiteboards hung on walls. These additional whiteboards provide a place that learners can personalise and share what they are learning. In sharing, others recognise a student’s achievements which affords learners to develop selfawareness and social-awareness.

Desks are clustered in groups of four to create additional corners in the classroom at St Joseph’s Catholic School in Perth.

a whiteboard and a television (or smart board) hung on the wall and a large rug where learners can sit and meet. Other activity settings may be delineated by moveable storage units. These units may be freestanding in the middle of the room and located behind the rug or placed against tables. In each scenario, storage units provide places where learners may meet, stand and work.

USING CORNERS Corners are features of a rectilinear classroom where learners can settle. Being settled suggests a level of comfort so that learners may become fully engaged on their projects. However, in a rectilinear classroom, typically, only three corners may be re-claimed by teachers. Hence, corner activity settings must be crafted using furniture. This may be achieved by

CONSIDERING THE SPACES IN BETWEEN The spaces-in-between may be described as areas sandwiched between the activity settings. These encourage learners to leave their refuge and see what others are doing as well as invite others into their space and share their daily progress. These areas also allow teachers direct access to their students. In the event of a conflict, the teacher can quickly and easily attend to their students.

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // PLAYGROUNDS

International appeal THE NEW PLAY SPACES THAT HAVE RESULTED FROM THE REDESIGN OF AN ENTIRE SCHOOL CAMPUS IN SINGAPORE ARE GAINING ATTENTION FOR THEIR INCLUSIVITY AND INGENUITY. AUSTRALIAN PLAYGROUND COMPANY PLAYROPE DISCUSSES WHAT MAKES THE DESIGNS SO SUCCESSFUL AND HOW THEIR VARIOUS ELEMENTS CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO LOCAL PLAYGROUND DESIGNS.

At the German European School in Singapore (GESS), four separate play spaces have been created to encourage inclusive play and cater to a high volume of students. Featuring various climbing components, the spaces aim to encourage neuronal, social and psychomotor development. With rope a key element in their design, the play spaces were exclusively created using items from German play equipment manufacturer Berliner, which is among PlayRope’s supply partners.

PlayRope is the exclusive distributor for Berliner in Australia and New Zealand. “The brand is our biggest and our original supplier. We continue to sell more products from the Berliner range than any other brand, and that’s because rope is so important in play. It’s great to have equipment that offers

The first play area encourages climbing in a three-dimensional space to help develop students’ psychomotor and mathematical skills.

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imaginative and social play,” explains Graeme Gilson, Managing Director at PlayRope.

GESS is a private school catering to children from 18 months to 18 years of age. During break times, the school encourages cognitive learning through physical exercise and social interaction. Its four new play spaces were created with the aim of engaging all age groups within the school community.

“Providing equipment for children of different ages, skillsets and abilities is essential when creating a school playground and that’s one of the things PlayRope is very mindful of during the design process. Playground equipment is the way children learn to self assess risk. If the child is small and the equipment is a reasonable size then they may get to a certain point and stop

because it gets too high, but next time they might go a little higher, so climbing equipment is one of the most important things to put into a school playground.

The idea of play equipment is for children to learn and of course to have fun,” explains Graeme.

At GESS, the first play space features playhouses and rope playhouses, connected by different bridge elements. The bases of the rope playhouses are three-dimensional nets made of ropes. Spatial nets were seen as a perfect fit for this space as they offer enough space for numerous children to play at the same time.

“For schools, equipment that has the ability to engage multiple children and has multiple entry points is ideal. And rope equipment meets that brief.

Climbing is an activity that tends to keep children engaged for a longer period of time and it offers multiple access points so children don’t have to queue,” adds Graeme.

In GESS’s second play space, a low rope course consists of five different climbing elements, providing differing levels of difficulty for different skillsets and age groups. The open design of the rope play equipment means teachers can easily see all children playing within the space.

A similar concept features in the third space, a wave-shaped play sculpture called ‘Shout’, where students can climb the entire span of the sculpture, with space for over 200 students at the same time.

This huge climbing net is coupled with a combination of play houses, connected by net tunnels, where students can rest or relax after climbing.

The fourth play space includes two play houses, catering for smaller children. A close-meshed net bridge is designed to train the sense of balance.

As Graeme adds, there are multiple houses available from PlayRope in various heights and sizes, with countless ways they can be incorporated into a playground’s design.

“There is a unique design language running through all of the play spaces at GESS. They are heavily accented with Berliner’s unique rope, stainless steel and high quality bamboo to soften the look.

There are common materials and features right through the Berliner range, in the materials and the shapes, which offers flow and consistency. Berliner has been making lift cable for over 150 years and is one of the oldest and largest rope play equipment manufacturers in the world,” Graeme says.

The Shout play sculpture is designed with enough space for over 200 children to play on it at the same time.

The fourth play space is designed for younger children, with a close-meshed net bridge connecting two play houses.

Though Berliner is PlayRope’s biggest equipment supplier, the playground specialist offers equipment from numerous other suppliers too. Its extensive portfolio includes over 10,000 standard products, along with the ability to also produce custom products. Many of the items used at GESS were recently launched into the Australian market by PlayRope and have proven to be extremely popular among the company’s school clients.

Though all of the rope play equipment it supplies is from Berliner, products from PlayRope’s other

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suppliers work to complement this range, with items available such as water play equipment and outdoor musical instruments for example. “Our extensive range of products allows us to address almost any design brief,” says Graeme.

Buyer’s Guide PlayRope Ph: 1800 767 529 Web: www.playrope.com.au/schools

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // PLAYGROUNDS

Happier, healthier students WITH SCHOOLS ENCOURAGING GREATER LEVELS OF LEARNING IN THE OUTDOORS, PLAY AND FITNESS SUPPLIER KOMPAN AUSTRALIA SAYS THAT PLAYGROUNDS ARE INCREASINGLY BEING SEEN AS MULTIFUNCTIONAL SPACES THAT CAN BE UTILISED OUTSIDE OF THE TRADITIONAL TIMESLOTS OF RECESS AND LUNCH.

Kompan is one of a number of organisations helping schools around Australia to create play spaces that are interesting, ageappropriate, stimulating and developmentally beneficial.

Schools recognise that the act of play – and therefore, playgrounds – play an important role in the mental, physical and social-emotional developments of their students. Gone are the days when schools looked to simply fill the maximum

MATCHED FUNDING GRANT PROGRAM As part of a new initiative, which is a first for the Australian playground industry, Kompan Australia recently launched its Matched Funding Grant Program for schools in Victoria and Western Australia.

Kompan’s Robinia Play, Act and Learn range helps bring the classroom outside.

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amount of surface area possible when choosing play equipment. Attitudes to play provision are maturing, and as a result, schools are looking to create stimulating, compliant play spaces filled with play value.

The emerging trend of learning in the outdoors is being encouraged by initiatives such as Outdoor Classroom Day, a global campaign that aims to inspire and celebrate playing and learning outside.

To cater to this trend, Kompan has developed the Robinia Play, Act and Learn range. Making use of the organic shapes and textures of Robinia wood, the equipment brings elements of creative, musical, dramatic and education play into the outdoors. This range is already proving popular for younger primary school students, kindergartens and early childhood providers looking to incorporate outdoor learning into their program.

Ipswich Grammar School in Southeast Queensland is one school that has taken a different approach to its playground design. After assessing options for a stimulating new play space for its all-boys junior school cohort, it opted for an intriguing combination of rope play, and climbing, agility and obstacle course elements. The resulting space, created and installed by Kompan in collaboration with Queensland local partner Urban Play, is a physically and mentally challenging space where boys can burn off their excess energy during breaks. “The climbing, hanging and jumping required on the nets, monkey bars and obstacle course is perfect for our boys,” says Head of Junior School, Mark Douglas. “The resulting core strength benefits also assist student learning back in the classroom through better posture control, coordination and fine motor control.”

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Ipswich Grammar School’s new junior school playground combines elements of rope play, climbing, agility and obstacle courses.

The program aims to assist primary and secondary schools in creating their next great play or fitness space. “We’re really excited about the Grant Program,” says Kompan Australia Managing Director, Peter McKewen. “The program was trialled successfully by Kompan in European countries last year. We’re hugely passionate at Kompan Australia about the role that schools have to play in increasing the physical activity levels of their students, so when the opportunity arose to introduce the Matched Funding Grant Program here in Australia, we jumped at the chance to make our schools a priority for these grants.”

To enter, schools must describe their ultimate play or fitness space on the Matched Funding Grant Program web page. Entries will then be assessed and judged against a range of criteria (which can be viewed on the program’s terms and conditions page), and three matched funding grant recipients in both states will be announced. There will be two rounds of grants awarded (April and August), giving the opportunity for up to 12 schools across Victoria and Western Australia to have brand new playgrounds, agility trails or outdoor gyms before the year’s end.

“We’ve received some extremely high quality applications already,” says Mr McKewen. “We can’t wait to get started on helping some local schools

create some incredible spaces for their students. It is our desire in 2020 to roll this grant program out to all of Australia.”

OTHER FUNDING AND GRANT PROGRAMS Schools seeking to improve student health, wellbeing and physical activity levels through the provision and/or upgrading of facilities and programs have a wealth of funding options to choose from. For example, the Federal Government’s $200 million Sporting Schools initiative is designed to help schools increase student participation in sport, with opening dates for applications each term.

Also emerging are innovative digital solutions to assist schools with managing and tracking grants and funding sources. The Grants Hub (www.thegrantshub.com.au) is an online portal that serves as a one-stop-shop for schools and community organisations to find, track and manage available grants.

Schools Plus (www.schoolsplus.org.au) is another platform which has a number of functions, the most interesting of which is its role as a fundraising medium – think of it as a GoFundMe or similar crowd funding website, but specifically for schools.

Schools in Victoria and Western Australia can enter Kompan Australia’s Matched Funding

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Grant Program by visiting www.kompan.com.au/ matchedfunding2019.

Successful grant recipients in Kompan’s Matched Funding Grant Program could choose to install outdoor fitness equipment, such as this gym at Mt Alvernia College in Brisbane.

Buyer’s Guide Kompan Australia Ph: 1800 240 159 Web: www.kompan.com.au

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA

Celebrating reconciliation RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA HAS LAUNCHED THE NARRAGUNNAWALI AWARDS 2019, WHICH RECOGNISE EXCEPTIONAL COMMITMENT TO RECONCILIATION IN EDUCATION.

Reconciliation Australia is an independent, national not-for-profit organisation promoting reconciliation by inspiring and enabling all Australians to build stronger relationships, respect and trust between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In 2017, Reconciliation Australia, in partnership with BHP Foundation, established the Narragunnawali Awards to celebrate schools and early learning services that demonstrate dedication and commitment to implementing reconciliation initiatives in the classroom, around the school or service, and within the community.

Held biennially, it is the first and only national awards program for reconciliation in the early, primary and secondary education sectors.

Awards are presented in two categories: • Schools: including primary, secondary, senior secondary and combined schools within the

government, independent or Catholic sectors.

• E arly Learning: including early childhood education and care, preschool, family day care and out of school hours care services.

Schools and early learning services that display exceptional commitment to reconciliation are encouraged to nominate, with prizes including $10,000 to support the winners’ reconciliation initiatives, and a short film vignette showcasing the reconciliation initiatives in their school or early learning centre.

At the inaugural awards, Queanbeyan Public School and Explore Develop Penrith South were named winners. Both involved their broader communities in reconciliation, and highlighted local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages in day-to-day school activities.

Chief Executive Officer of Reconciliation Australia, Karen Mundine, says that historically,

educational institutions had perpetuated myths and misinformation about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for this reason the Narragunnawali Awards take on a particularly important place in Australia’s reconciliation process. “Education is critical to how we understand and think about reconciliation. The earlier we have these conversations, the better.”

Reconciliation Australia identifies five key dimensions critical to advancing reconciliation: historical acceptance, race relations, unity, equality and equity, and institutional integrity.

“It is clear that education plays a powerful role in progressing reconciliation in Australia.

Education is the key to broadening perspectives and cultivating understanding of reconciliation – each of these five dimensions can be progressed on a daily basis in classrooms around Australia,” Ms Mundine adds.

Through the Narragunnawali program, over 3400 schools and early learning services across Australia have committed to developing a Reconciliation Action Plan to drive positive, whole-scale change in their local educational communities.

Ms Mundine encouraged those schools and early learning centres that strengthen community relationships, and build respect and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, to nominate for the upcoming Narragunnawali Awards.

Nominations for this year’s Narragunnawali Awards close Friday, 10 May 2019.

Nominations can be made online by visiting www.reconciliation.org.au/narragunnawali.

Buyer’s Guide Zoe from Narragunnawali lighting the remembrance candle at Queanbeyan Public School’s Awards celebration event.

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Reconciliation Australia Ph: 02 6273 9200 Web: www.reconciliation.org.au

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As numerous principals or governing councils would attest, many Australian parents are desperate for more options when it comes to OSHC. More parents are employed and working longer hours, and transport issues can make the school-to-work, workto-school transition a stressful daily routine. Where extended families exist, grandparents may be too far away to help with the care of children.

Volunteer managed OSHC committees are struggling in the face of onerous regulatory requirements that increase quality expectations but also increase administrative burdens.

Australian owned and operated, Sherpa Kids Australia continues to respond to the demand for quality OSHC care. Its local team offers local Australian school communities the best of both worlds: strong business expertise and a local heartbeat that puts children and families first.

Sherpa Kids’ programs deliver an innovative approach, developed for the children’s education and care sector, with independent local ownership, backed by strong central quality control and expert guidance.

The team at Sherpa Kids looks forward to working with schools, school staff and local school communities to develop programs that will reach the local community, engage local families and challenge children to new heights.

CREATING INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS Sherpa Kids currently provides OSHC care in Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa.

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The ‘playducation’ approach at Sherpa Kids melds educational opportunities with play-based activities.

The business aims to deliver a fresh and vibrant approach to OSCH, and to give children such a great time that they don’t want to go home.

In addition to offering a wide range of activities, Sherpa Kids also capitalises on its international school connections by, for example, encouraging Sherpa Kids children from Sydney to send postcards to Sherpa Kids children in County Cork, Ireland, to learn about life on the other side of the world.

Buyer’s Guide Sherpa Kids Ph: 0403 824 119 Web: www.sherpa-kids.com.au

Minister for Education // THE LAST WORD

Towards better student outcomes Australian students should receive a world-class education, tailored to individual learning needs, and relevant to a fast-changing world, writes Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP. Students should be challenged and supported to progress and excel in learning in every year of school, appropriate to each student’s starting point and capabilities.

To achieve this, our Government is delivering real, needs-based funding, and our Government is delivering real reforms to improve student outcomes.

The Australian Government will provide a record $307.7 billion dollars in recurrent funding to all Australian schools over the period 2018 to 2029.

There will be more money available for disadvantaged students, including those with disability, those from remote and regional areas, and Indigenous children.

However, despite the states, territories and Commonwealth spending more money than ever before on education, our performance is stagnating in parts and going backwards in others.

So spending more money can’t be the only answer.

That is why our Government is delivering reform with our National School Reform Agreement.

We are ensuring every state and territory commits to the improvements identified in the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools.

That review identified three priority areas: • Deliver at least one year’s growth in learning for every student every year; • Equip every student to be a creative, connected and engaged learner in a rapidly changing world; and • Cultivate an adaptive, innovative and continuously improving education system.

Every state and territory is now on board to

deliver reforms across these three areas.

To further the Australian Government’s education agenda, this year we will embark on the ambitious and necessary project to update the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

The Melbourne Declaration set out the aspirational goals to improve equity and excellence in education for every student.

An updated declaration will need to be a big picture document – it must outline what we want for students, for society and for the economy in the future, and ask how education will get us there.

This will mean looking beyond the scope of the original Melbourne Declaration to encompass education from early childhood through to higher education, vocational training and then beyond.

It will be important that we ensure a public consultation process, where anyone can provide input or feedback.

One thing that is apparent is that we need to strengthen the relationship between students, parents and educators.

As I have travelled around the country talking to teachers and parents, I keep hearing the same message: the curriculum is overcrowded and that means we are sacrificing quality for quantity.

The Australian Curriculum has the fundamentals right but we can maintain stability while reducing complexity.

It is the view of the Australian Government that our education system must ensure that every child gets the basics right.

If you can’t read, and you can’t write, and you can’t count, then you can’t continue to learn.

As Australia’s chief scientist Dr Alan Finkel points out, mathematics is a skillset that is

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fundamental to science, to economics, to medicine, to engineering, to geography, to architecture, to IT. Only deep subject-matter knowledge is the key to success.

As Dr Finkel says, “Mastering a discipline is mastering your destiny. Focus on your discipline – then you’ll see your options expand.”

Our Government will never support any change to our national curriculum that diverges from these priorities.

Another area of opportunity is the area of teaching.

We know that teachers can make the biggest difference to a child’s education.

Research by respected education academic John Hattie indicates that a student’s achievements can be improved by as much as 30 per cent if they experience quality teaching.

I want to ensure that the best, the brightest and the most passionate people want to become teachers and want to stay teaching.

That is why I asked the House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training to inquire into and report on the status of the teaching profession, specifically looking at increasing the attractiveness of the profession, reducing out-of-hours work and increasing retention rates.

We have all benefitted from Australia’s world-class education system and we all have a stake in the education of future generations.

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THE LAST WORD // ACARA

The future is bright After overseeing the introduction of various national education reforms at the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) over the past 10 years, Robert Randall’s time as CEO comes to a close. As he bids farewell, he reflects on how far the organisation has come, and the impact it has had on teachers and students.

It is bittersweet for me to be writing a piece in The Last Word, as these will be some of the last words I write as the CEO of ACARA. When I started my journey with ACARA, at the organisation’s founding, our major focus was to develop a national curriculum in English, mathematics, science and history. Fast forward almost 10 years, and we have far surpassed that goal. Our final product – the Australian Curriculum – is a truly national curriculum, available to all students no matter where they live in Australia.

We now have nine learning areas complemented with general capabilities such as Critical and Creative Thinking; Personal and Social Capability; ICT Literacy; as well as cross-curriculum priorities such as Sustainability.

Setting national expectations for education and working as a nation to improve learning opportunities for all young Australians is no easy feat. In developing a national curriculum, we worked with educators, experts and advisers to receive and review over 7000 responses to shaping papers and draft the curriculum over an 18-month period. We received 12,500 responses during consultation.

More than 2100 teachers trialled the curriculum in classrooms around the country.

ACARA assumed responsibility for the National Assessment Program, including NAPLAN, which was initially introduced by Australia’s education ministers as a replacement of state/territory assessments. It remains the only national literacy and numeracy test that students participate in across several years of schooling.

It has not been without controversy. Like the growth of students’ results we have seen over time, we have also seen NAPLAN itself grow and change – from a paper-and-pencil based assessment, to

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being linked with the Australian Curriculum, and to the online adaptive test that took place last year for the first time. There is no doubt NAPLAN is a much better assessment now than when it first began.

Public reporting of NAPLAN results on the My School website also generates debate, however ACARA’s focus has always been on celebrating student gain and promoting school improvement.

We encourage principals who have seen progress in NAPLAN results year-on-year to share strategies and programs with the wider education community, so all schools can benefit from their knowledge.

We know parents value the transparency My School affords – they can see attendance rates, NAPLAN achievement, student and staff numbers, and school financial data in one location. They can use this to start conversations with current or prospective schools, and it assists them to make informed decisions about their child’s schooling.

It has been my privilege to oversee these major national education initiatives and lead ACARA’s exceptional team of passionate educators and colleagues. I leave just shy of a decade at ACARA and I cannot help but wonder what the next 10 years will look like for Australia’s education system.

I have no doubt our Curriculum team will continue developing comprehensive resources to support teachers in implementing the Australian Curriculum.

We have already established a presence in 160 disadvantaged schools to help local teachers implement the Digital Technologies curriculum, and recently released information to support teachers in implementing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority into the Australian Curriculum: Science. I imagine the observations from recent comparative studies of the British Columbia, Singapore, Finland

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and New Zealand curricula will provide some insight into the next iteration of the Australian Curriculum.

I hope the commentary around NAPLAN and NAPLAN Online begins to shift. NAPLAN is a simple snapshot in time. It is a clear, nationally comparable indicator of students’ literacy and numeracy achievements. Because we have NAPLAN data, we know where we are doing well and where we can do better. Rather than not have the information (as those who argue for removing the test appear to seek), we need a more mature discussion about what the data are telling us and about better ways we use these data. We know that the great majority of schools and school communities use NAPLAN data constructively, alongside other school-based tests and information, to ensure students have fundamental skills to succeed far beyond school.

I look forward to all students across the country reaping the benefits of NAPLAN Online. We have done a tremendous amount of planning and testing to ensure there is as minimal impact on students as possible. I am always pleased to hear that students have found the online test format easier and more engaging. Additionally, the more precise information about a student’s literacy and numeracy skills is a big plus for many parents and teachers.

If the last 10 years are anything to go by, the future of Australia’s education system is bright and full of opportunities for innovation and change. I look forward to seeing ACARA’s work continue to contribute to improving the education outcomes for millions of young Australians.

CQUniversity // THE LAST WORD

Creating a new breed of digital natives Teaching children appropriate technology use rather than simply taking it away from them is key to preparing children for the digital world of the future, writes Associate Professor of Educational Technology at CQUniversity, Dr Michael A. Cowling.

I remember the first car I ever drove at the tender age of 16. It was a rusty old Toyota Corolla, 20 years old, with no power steering, no central locking, and a different key for the door than the one in the ignition. It was my Mum’s car, our family runabout car, and was famously christened the ‘leaky boat’ by my brother when he finally got to drive it, because by then the rust was so bad that water came up through the floor when it rained.

But the thing was, it represented freedom. Mum and Dad knew the risks of helping me get a license, and even got to experience my driving firsthand sometimes, but they also knew the benefits it would bring for me in the future. Giving me the keys to the leaky boat to drive around town was a balance, it certainly increased the danger in my life, but it also helped me set up a life for the future, so Mum and Dad did it without hesitation.

And yet, more than 20 years later, we seem to hesitate to do the same thing with technology.

Despite all using technology every day, when it comes to our kids our position seems to be that it’s often better to take it out of their hands. We know the benefits and we know the risks, but instead of handing them the keys, our approach seems to be to lock them away in a cupboard. School after school seems to be taking this approach, banning personal technology devices for students rather than encouraging their use.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for balance. Young people, especially those in primary school, clearly don’t have the experience necessary to understand how to use technology properly.

Just like they need to learn how to tie their own shoelaces, interact with other students, or follow the school schedule, they also need to learn how to use technology. Understanding what websites they are

supposed to be visiting, what apps to use, and what is appropriate on technology is an important part of their skillset.

But the challenge is we need to let them use the technology so they can understand how best to use it. Mum and Dad knew I needed to practice driving, so they handed me the keys to the car, and then tried to remain patient when I ran it into a pole at university, or backed it into a tree. It’s a learning experience, but it’s an important one, especially when those poles and trees jump out at you.

So, I’m here to advocate a responsible adoption of technology by our young people. Sure, give them an old beaten up phone, or let them use a device with a cracked screen for six months (as long as it still works), but let’s give them a chance to learn how to use technology effectively. No more lining the mobile phones up on the whiteboard at the front of class, no more asking students to put phones in a pillowcase as they walk in the door, instead let’s help them understand the appropriate use of technology, the same way as we help them to understand how to follow the schedule and socialise with the kids in their class.

Of course, some of this might be a challenge, because as adults we are still learning ourselves how the technology is best used. Part of this is because technology moves so fast that we are struggling to keep up, but part of it is also because the truth is we’ll never understand it as well as our students do as we prepare them for a digital world that we might never live in.

So perhaps the best we can do is set some broad guidelines about practice in digital. Just like provisional drivers get told they must drive slower than anybody else, with less passengers and not at night, perhaps we need to tell kids that there are

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limits on technology, and that they only get to use the device for five minutes at a time, or in certain apps at certain times of day, or only for reference (and not communication). That’s okay, as long as they’re not up against the whiteboard.

In this way, we can be sure that we are balancing the benefits and the challenges, and setting an expectation for the positive use of technology in the future. At the recent 2018 San Diego Comic Con, popular Science Communicator Adam Savage was asked about how we could prepare kids for the future, and help prepare them for the world. To be expected from the man who popularised a show about understanding science and busting myths, he advocated for teaching them how the technology works, both the benefits and the risks, so that they can make an informed choice about how to use it in the future.

Calling on us to produce a new breed of digital natives with a nuanced understanding of technology, Savage perhaps hit on a key idea: that the future is shaped by these students, and shouldn’t we try to just do our best to set them up for this future? Sure, you can be scared for their future, and you should be concerned, but that doesn’t mean you don’t hand them the keys. If we want them to learn how to use technology in a positive way, we need to give them a chance to practice positive technology use.

After all, setting out on a leaky boat is better than missing the trip entirely by standing on shore, and it might even teach you to swim.

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EVENTS

LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND LEARNING CONFERENCE 4-6 April 2019 Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, WA Web: literacylanguageconf.com Aimed at those with an interest in improving literacy and numeracy outcomes among students, including teachers, principals, school psychologists, speech pathologists and occupational therapists.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE TRANSFORMATION SUMMIT 9-12 April 2019 Novotel Sydney Darling Square, NSW Web: liquidlearning.com/events/future-studentexperience-summit-fsx0419a-s Based around the theme ‘Exceed Expectations’, the event explores ways to help build a student-centric culture and drive student engagement.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT SCIENCE 24-25 April 2019 Quest Melbourne Airport, VIC Web: iser.co/Conference2019/Australia/2/ICPESS/ The International Society for Engineers and Researchers, ICPESS provides an opportunity for academics to share their research findings with global experts.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON E-LEARNING & INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGIES 2-3 May 2019 Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, TAS Web: ubi-learn.com/2019-conference Presented by AADES and Common Ground Research Networks, the event will focus on the theme: From the Ends of the Earth to Connected Learners.

VET DEVELOPMENT CENTRE TEACHING & LEARNING CONFERENCE 16-17 May 2019 RACV Torquay Resort, VIC Web: vdc.edu.au/vdc-2019-teaching-learning-conference Designed for VET teaching staff, this annual conference is organised by the VET Development Centre (VDC).

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THINKING AND LEARNING CONFERENCE 16-19 May 2019 Caulfield Racecourse, VIC Web: www.hbconf.com.au/events/melbourne.html Featuring a series of national and international presenters who will discuss methods for school improvement, the conference is aimed at teachers, principals and school administration staff.

NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT 31 May-1 June 2019 Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, QLD Web: nationaleducationsummit.com.au Aimed at principals, school leaders and educators from K-12, the event combines conferences, a symposium, free seminars and a free trade expo.

Speakers will present on a range of key topics.

EDUTECH 5-7 June 2019 International Convention Centre, Sydney, NSW Web: www.edutech.net.au Bringing together the latest in technology and education, EduTECH is the largest education event in the Southern Hemisphere. It combines the entire lifecycle of education under one roof.

EDUBUILD 5-7 June 2019 International Convention Centre, Sydney, NSW Web: www.edubuild.net.au This is Australia’s largest education buildings and infrastructure conference and trade show for education leaders and decision-makers involved in design, construction, renovation, maintenance, operation and management of buildings for schools, colleges and universities.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 5-7 June 2019 Howard Smith Wharves, Brisbane, QLD Web: www.qassp.org.au/ theschoolleadershipconference2019 Centred on this year’s theme ‘Navigating the Future’, the conference delves into what the future holds for education and the plans school leaders can make in order to get there.

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PRIMARY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MATHEMATICS EDUCATION CONFERENCE 20-21 June 2019 University of Melbourne, VIC Web: mav.vic.edu.au/conference/primary-andec-2019.html Presented by the Mathematical Association of Victoria in collaboration with the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Mathematics Education Group, the conference focuses on primary school mathematics education.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION, LEARNING AND TRAINING 28-30 June 2019 Central Queensland University Australia – Sydney Campus, NSW Web: www.icelt.org This event aims to bring together researchers, scientists, engineers and scholar students to share ideas and research about education, learning and training; and discuss challenges and solutions.

EDTECHSA STATE CONFERENCE 17-18 July 2019 Immanuel College, Adelaide, SA Web: edtechsa.sa.edu.au/2019-conference/ Presented by EdTechSA, the 2019 conference will be based on the theme ‘Thinking Technologically’.

NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT 30-31 August 2019 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, VIC Web: nationaleducationsummit.com.au Aimed at principals, school leaders and educators from K-12, the event combines conferences, a symposium, free seminars and a free trade expo.

Speakers will present on a range of key topics.

THE EDUCATION SHOW 30-31 August 2019 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, VIC Web: www.theeducationshow.com.au Showcasing the latest learning and teaching resources, programs, support services and technology for educators, the event is aimed at principals, school leaders and educators.

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