Education Matters (Secondary): April 2019

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Principally Speaking: Caulfield Grammar School Teaching for a greener future Combatting digital distraction

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EDITOR’S NOTE

With results from the 2018 Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey recently released (see page 12), it is timely to consider the mental health and wellbeing of our school leaders.

Stress caused by heavy workloads, teacher shortages, difficulty in maintaining a work-life balance and rising levels of violence in schools have become an all too common occupational hazard.

The high proportion of principals working excessive hours and experiencing dangerously high stress levels is clearly a major concern, which is echoed by many in the sector. In his latest column, President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association, Andrew Pierpoint, talks about how principal wellbeing can have a direct impact on the educational outcomes of students (see page 10).

Striving to properly prepare students for the future world they will live and work in further adds to the pressure felt by schools and their staff, and student health and wellbeing is another important talking point. According to Beyond Blue, over half a million young Australians experience a mental health condition each year. This has led to the launch of Be You. It provides free evidence-based online professional learning and resources aimed at promoting student mental health and assisting educators to provide support to students when needed (see page 28).

Along with exploring mental health, in this issue we also look at physical wellbeing. BRITA Water Filter Systems talks about the importance of adequate hydration for students to enhance engagement and academic performance (see page 26). While Family Planning Victoria discusses how delivering comprehensive, age and developmentally appropriate relationship and sexuality education can help to teach students about safe and healthy relationships (see page 27).

In their bid to help students stay on top of the latest developments in the technological sphere, schools continue to embrace new and innovative technology. EduTECH, which will be held in June, 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 34).

Along with constantly evolving technology, environmental sustainability is another key area of interest; and this brings us to this edition’s ‘Hot Topic’ article. 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. Education Matters speaks with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, Planet Ark, Sustainability Victoria and the Australian Association for Environmental Education about measures schools can take to become more sustainable and some of the resources currently available (see page 20).

It’s an honour to join you for this edition of Education Matters – Secondary. 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. Those who subscribe to both the email newsletter and print magazine before 14 June 2019 will also go in the running to win a Hitachi interactive 65-inch flat panel for their school (see page 59).

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Cover Image Caulfield Grammar School

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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.

contents SECONDARY April - June 2019

REGULARS

Editor’s note 4

Advertiser’s directory

8

ASPA column

10

President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association, Andrew Pierpoint, talks about school leader wellbeing and its impact on students.

News

12

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

Principally Speaking

16

Ashleigh Martin, Principal of Caulfield Grammar School, discusses how the school inspires its community to follow their passions, preparing students for the world beyond school and encouraging professional growth among staff.

Hot Topic

20

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.

The Last Word

55

Events Diary

58

Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP; Federal President of the Australian Education Union, Correna Haythorpe; and Director of Education and Evaluation at the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute, Dr Anna Dabrowski; offer opinion pieces on a variety of topical subjects.

6

FEATURES

24 Combatting distraction and dependency

Psychologist and cyberpsychology researcher, Jocelyn Brewer, talks about the importance of schools and parents working together to teach young people about using technology safely and responsibly.

30

The science of digital innovation

Learning design expert, Nilanjana Saxena, investigates the role of augmented reality and how it can support and extend classroom learning.

42 Supporting inclusive practice

Senior Lecturers and Co-Chairs of the Research in Inclusive & Specialised Education group at Flinders University, Dr Julie McMillan and Dr Jane Jarvis, discuss the topic of effective, inclusive practice in secondary schools for students with disabilities.

46

Rural vs the city

48

STEM-savvy students

Associate Professor in Curriculum Inquiry and Rural Education at the University of Canberra, Dr Philip Roberts, looks at the ongoing challenge of skilling, attracting and retaining teachers in rural, regional and remote schools.

An increased focus on STEM in the early years of schooling is creating a generation of well-prepared students ready to tackle the STEM subjects in their secondary years, writes Dr Jane Hunter of the the University of Technology Sydney.

A calendar of upcoming education events happening around Australia.

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ADVERTISER’S DIRECTORY HEALTH & WELLBEING

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

26 BRITA Water Filter Systems

41 Monash

Dehydration can affect cognitive function, memory and concentration. BRITA discusses the importance of hydration for students in order for them to achieve their best academic performance.

With many teachers in Australian schools teaching outside their specialist subject areas, Monash Professor Colleen Vale discusses how school leaders can support out-of-field teachers.

27 Family Planning Victoria

44 AITSL

When it comes to sexual education, it’s important to ensure we provide students with information that is correct and age appropriate in order to help promote safe and healthy relationships.

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.

28 Beyond Blue With nearly one in seven young Australians experiencing a mental health condition every year, Beyond Blue has launched Be You which aims to empower educators to help grow Australia’s most mentally healthy generation.

CURRICULUM

50 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.

TECHNOLOGY

32 Acer Computer Australia Acer’s 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.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

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

36 FLIR FLIR’s thermal imaging cameras are allowing students to learn about physics and thermal concepts in an interactive and engaging way, offering exciting opportunities in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

38 Epson 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 is considering incorporating the same projectors into its new secondary classrooms too.

40 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.

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52 Excel Lockers Locker manufacturer and installer, Excel Lockers, combines optimum strength and durability in its school locker range, which can now be found in numerous schools across Australia.

53 PGL Adventure Camps Offering residential adventure camps at three sites in Australia, PGL Adventure Camps encourages students to push their boundaries, step out of their comfort zones and be challenged.

54 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.

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ASPA COLUMN // Andrew Pierpoint

School leader wellbeing – an authentic way forward PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY PRINCIPALS’ ASSOCIATION (ASPA), ANDREW PIERPOINT, DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL LEADER WELLBEING AND ITS IMPACT ON EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS.

Andrew Pierpoint is President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association – the peak body for school leaders across Australia. He was previously President of the Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association for four years.

Mr Pierpoint has had over 35 years of experience in high schools as a science teacher, Head of Department (Science), Deputy Principal and Principal, as well as having several system positions in the support of principals. Throughout his career, he has worked in complex rural and remote communities through to large regional and metropolitan schools. He has led communities and reference groups at district, regional, state and national levels.

Mr Pierpoint’s special interests are the provision of high quality professional learning for school leaders, school leader wellbeing and he is personally highly active in school sport – particularly cricket and golf.

Mr Pierpoint has demonstrated a passion for state education in Queensland for many years and possesses an excellent understanding of the principalship from first-hand experience. Most importantly, he has a genuine desire to make a meaningful difference for school leaders in the application of their ever-increasing, complex roles in schools and the broader communities they work in.

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Quality education is essential to national future growth. “The quality of schooling in a country is a powerful predictor of the wealth that countries will produce in the long run” (Eric A. Hanushek and Ludger Woessmann in ‘Universal Basic Skills: What Countries Stand to Gain’, 2015).

Strongly supported school leadership is crucial to driving sustained improvement in educational outcomes and innovation for the future. High quality school leadership is essential to get the best from our teachers in order to maximise student learning.

Recently The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey 2018 data was released – this being the eighth year in a longitudinal study led by Associate Professor Philip Riley.

The data in this report highlights two troubling aspects of principal work: • One in three principals suffered physical assault in 2018; and • The sheer workload on principals (53 per cent of principals worked more than 56 hours per week during term; approximately 24 per cent of principals, or one in four, worked more than 6165 hours per week; and during school holidays, approximately 40 per cent of principals worked more than 25 hours per week).

Associate Professor Riley suggested six broad foundations to address the concerns raised in the report: 1. No single stakeholder group is responsible for the state of education in Australia, nor do they hold the power to effect much change to the

education matters secondary

system on their own.

2. Many issues impacting negatively on the education system are entrenched in the wider Australian culture.

3. Taking a long-term rather than short-term focus is essential for significant improvement in the system.

4. Taking a holistic inquiry approach to both the successes and failures in the Australian education system is also essential. We can learn a great deal from both if we do not limit our gaze or look for quick fixes.

5. De-politicising education at the macro- and micro-political levels will promote equity, continuity and transparency. For example, the politicisation of the Gonski report, universally agreed by educators to provide a sensible and equitable way forward in education, should have set the conditions for a decade of educational development. Instead, it is suffering the fate of many educationally sensible reforms in Australia and its potential is being diminished.

This becomes demotivating to educators. It is an example of the ‘moral harassment’ suffered by educators.

6. Australian education needs a change of mindset: moving beyond sectorised thinking.

The problems and the solutions are very similar in all sectors so the differences between the sectors are more superficial than substantive.

The variation in social capital inside schools demonstrates that simple resourcing, while important, is not going to fix intractable issues.

A change of mindset is also needed.

These foundations are all strongly supported

by ASPA. Although all foundations are important, foundation number five has significant potential for meaningful impact. Over the last four to five years, ASPA has been a national leader in the field of school leader wellbeing; going from innovative to accepted practice. The practice of school leader wellbeing, however, remains differential across the educational jurisdictions within Australia.

It is the very strongly held position of ASPA that consistent philosophical, professionally supported and appropriately funded programs to enhance school leader wellbeing are central to increasing school leader effectiveness, student performance, and for many of rural, remote and indigenous schools, community stability. ASPA is firmly committed to: 1. Strongly advocating for a de-politicised system of education policy across Australia. An education system and policy, with appropriate resourcing and consultative structures, that is set for a sustained period (say 10 years) and adhered to

Strongly supported school leadership is crucial to driving sustained improvement in educational outcomes and innovation for the future. High quality school leadership is essential to get the best from our teachers in order to maximise student learning. by the government of the day. This notion is a proven underpinning component of other education systems that are held up as being successful.

2. Increased authentic consultation with the profession – of the profession, for the profession.

Education, unlike other professions, is subject to continual ‘input’ from a range of ‘experts’ who

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suggest a wide variety of school improvement strategies. Advice on leading large, complex organisations is the providence of those who do this every day – principals. That is why the profession needs to have much higher engagement with policy making at all levels.

3. Working with communities across Australia, to recognise and address that violence in schools is not a school issue – it is a community issue. We have seen violence in our communities increase over recent years and consequently, in our schools.

The community needs to immediately stop offensive and violent behavior towards educators.

The notion of school leader wellbeing transcends the political cycle. All levels of government must commit to a way forward and stay the course.

ASPA very strongly calls for governments, at all levels, to focus on authentic collaboration, genuine consultation, trust-based responsibility, professionalism and equity to build genuine engagement in finding solutions to the school leader wellbeing challenge we currently face. Our students deserve nothing less.

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NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

High principal stress levels a major concern Almost one in three principals are experiencing dangerously high levels of stress, according to the results of the latest Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey released on 27 February 2019.

dominant pedagogies, rules and obsolete assessments.”

Professor Jeffrey Brooks, who also researches school leadership, and is the Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at RMIT University agrees that the survey

Stress caused by heavy workloads and not enough time to focus on teaching and learning have remained high in recent years, though there has been an upward trend

should act as a call for action.

“The Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing for 2018 data confirms

in both since 2015. Student and staff mental health issues, combined with teacher

what we already know, but it raises the stakes – the alarming rise in violence against

shortages have further added to increasing stress levels among principals.

principals demands an urgent response at local and national levels,” said Professor

Average working hours have remained stable over the past eight years, though the survey reports that this remains too high for a healthy lifestyle to be maintained. On

Brooks.

“Working conditions for principals are a problem for several reasons. First, people

average, it was found that 53 per cent of principals worked upwards of 56 hours per

in the positions now need immediate help in terms of wellbeing and safety. Second,

week during term, with around 24 per cent working upwards of 61-65 hours per week.

principals influence quality teaching and student learning. If they are not well or pushed

The report also highlighted that principals and deputy/assistant principals experience

too hard, it will surely have a negative effect on our schools. Third, Australia needs a

far higher levels of offensive behaviour in the workplace than the general population.

steady pipeline of high-quality leaders. This is a priority for all states, and if we aim to

The number of principals who had experienced threats of violence rose between

attract high quality candidates, they must know they will be supported and cared for.”

2011 and 2018 from 28 per cent to 45 per cent; and those who had been subjected to actual physical violence rose from 27 per cent to 37 per cent.

The latest survey results are based on 2018 data, which involved the responses of 2365 participants. This research was led by Associate Professor Philip Riley of Australian

“The results from the 2018 Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey should shock us into action for two reasons,” said Professor John Fischetti, an expert on education leadership and Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Newcastle.

Catholic University, who is also a registered psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey has taken place annually since 2011 and since its inception around 50 per cent of Australia’s

“First, the experiences of our fantastic school leaders are becoming more ‘United States-like’, where young people and their parents often take out their economic stresses

10,000 principals have taken part.

Survey data from the 2018 results consisted of responses from principals across

and their sense of hopelessness for the role of education on those who are there to turn

various sectors: 58.5 per cent primary; 26.3 per cent secondary; 13.3 per cent kinder/

that around,” he said.

primary-Year 12; 1 per cent early childhood; and 1 per cent special schools. Of these

“And, second, the boredom and lack of engagement of so many young people are not-so-silent cries out for a new design of schools based on learner passion not teacher-

principals, 74.7 per cent are from government schools; 14.2 per cent from Catholic schools; and 11.1 per cent from independent schools.

ACARA appoints new CEO The Board of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)

“I look forward to continue working with David and supporting his leadership

has announced that David de Carvalho has commenced his role as the organisation’s

of Australia’s national curriculum, assessment and reporting authority to achieve

new CEO.

ACARA’s mission of improving the learning outcomes for all young Australians,”

He brings with him a wealth of leadership experience from the education sector, and from the public sector at both the Commonwealth and state government level.

added Ms Robinson.

Mr de Carvalho has previously served as Deputy Secretary at the NSW

His most recent position was as Chief Executive of the NSW Education Standards

Department of Family and Community Services, has led the National Catholic

Authority (NESA), which he held since January 2017.

Education Commission and was Head of the Higher Education Division in the

“On behalf of the ACARA Board and staff, I congratulate David on his appointment and am delighted to welcome him as ACARA’s new CEO. David has

Australian Government’s Department of Education.

He started his career as a secondary school teacher, and has served on the

significant experience and expertise in education,” said ACARA Board Chair, Belinda

boards of the Australian Council for Educational Research and the Curriculum

Robinson.

Corporation (now Education Services Australia).

In addition to his wealth of experience in the education sector, Mr de Carvalho has also served on ACARA’s Board since November 2017.

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Mr de Carvalho was appointed as CEO for ACARA following an extensive executive search process. He officially commenced his new role on 4 March 2019.

education matters secondary

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

also be presented with a new perspective on pursuing a potential career in cyber

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

security.”

around Australia for the first time.

CEO of AustCyber Michelle Price added, “It is critical for Australia’s economic

The Schools Cyber Security Challenges (Cyber Challenges) program will be

prosperity that we build a highly skilled and educated cyber security workforce, as

taught in conjunction with the compulsory Digital Technologies Curriculum and

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

aims to close the growing gap in cyber security awareness and skills among

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

Australian students.

She said that by placing a focus on Australian students, the Cyber Challenges

Delivered by the ACA, the program consists of four uniquely designed, interactive ‘Challenges’, the first of which was unveiled on 19 February 2019.

Now accessible to teachers and schools right throughout Australia, the first of these Cyber Challenges aims to introduce students to the fundamentals of cyber security.

program will provide an important foundational step towards resolving skills shortages and helping to support a sustained skills pipeline for the generations of the future.

The second Challenge, which focuses on data encryption and transmission, has also now been released. The two remaining challenges are scheduled for release

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 AustCyber (Australian Cyber Security Growth Network), ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, Westpac and BT (British Telecom). These industry

in May 2019. These will focus on wired and wireless network security; and web application security.

For more information on the Cyber Challenges program, please visit the website aca.edu.au/projects/cyber-challenges/.

partners were able to bring real-life cyber security experience and expertise into the program and the Challenges have been developed and designed with the input of their security experts.

The partnership draws on the need for schools, government and Australia’s business sector to address the immediate skills shortage, while also fostering a longer term cyber security culture within Australia’s education system and future workforce.

According to AustCyber’s Cyber Security Sector Competitiveness Plan, Australia is expected to need an additional 18,000 cyber security workers by 2026. The Cyber Challenges program aims to provide a step forward in trying to reduce this gap by teaching students a range of important cyber security skills.

Students from St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney and other local schools that attended the official launch had the chance to experience the program first-hand, demonstrating how Challenge #1 enables students to think from an

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He continued, “Teachers and parents concerned about cyber security can now be confident that their students and children will be vigilant in all aspects of their digital lives by participating in the Schools Cyber Security Challenges. Students will

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NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

New report gauges public opinion on quality of schooling According to findings in a new national survey by Monash

contentious and personal, our findings suggest that we can

education provided to their children, though many believe

all be a little more positive in the overall quality of schooling

more attention should be given to developing students’ life

Australia provides,” Dr Leahy said.

skills.

Among younger Australians, 86 per cent of people

These findings were captured by Dr Deana Leahy and

between the ages of 18-29 believed learning outcomes would

Professor Neil Selwyn from Monash University’s Faculty of

stay either ‘roughly the same’ or be ‘better than they are now’

Education in a nationwide survey of 2052 Australian adults to

in the next 10 years.

gauge public opinion on the quality of schooling.

Published on 21 February 2019, the report ‘Public

fundamentals of respect and honesty being at the top of the

first national accounts into public opinions of the state of

list for older Australians.

“Levels of concern for students being respectful to

Adults surveyed widely supported the introduction of

teachers and peers is almost double amongst respondents

‘life skills’ as part of the school curriculum with a particular

in the 60+ years’ age group (72.4 per cent) in comparison to

focus on money and money management, job preparation

those aged 18-29 years (38.9 per cent). Discrepancies were

and domestic tasks, as well as dedicated courses to equip

also found between the two age cohorts when it came to

students with skills in technology, coding and artificial

the importance of literacy and numeracy, as well as teacher

intelligence for future jobs.

quality,” Dr Leahy explained.

Some of the key findings of the report include:

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But community views differed when it came to identifying the most important issues of children’s education, with the

opinions on Australian schools & schooling’ is one of the classroom education.

Adults surveyed widely supported the introduction of ‘life skills’ as part of the school curriculum with a particular focus on money and money management, job preparation and domestic tasks, as well as dedicated courses to equip students with skills in technology, coding and artificial intelligence for future jobs.

“While debates on education are understandably

University, Australians are largely positive about the level of

• 56 per cent of Australians rate the performance of

The traditional subjects of mathematics and English were still regarded as priority learning areas across the board, but

Australian public schools as okay; 23 per cent rate them as

science (46.2 per cent) and health and physical education

very good/excellent.

(19.2 per cent) were seen as less important.

• 52 per cent of Australians think the standard of education will remain the same in 10 years’ time.

• An overwhelming number of Australians believe

Dr Leahy said the report results point to an opportunity to broaden the collective educational imagination of Australians.

“Ideally, it would be wonderful if all Australians could go

Mathematics (76 per cent) and English (75 per cent) should

‘back to school’ for a little while – to experience first-hand

be given more priority in schools. Languages (7 per cent)

how and why teaching practices and school policies have

and The Arts (4 per cent) were least valued.

changed since they were in a classroom,” Dr Leahy said.

• The most important aspects of schools to a child’s

“Failing that, we need to explore ways of having an

education included: basic literacy and numeracy (69.8

informed national conversation about our school system.

per cent), students being respectful to teachers and peers

News media and TV can play an important role here.

(54.6 per cent) and teachers being of high quality (54.5 per cent).

“School is something that affects us all. If we are going to make the right decisions for the future, then we need to be up

Dr Leahy said surprisingly few differences were found

to speed with what is going on at present – not just our own

between voters of the main political parties, suggesting that

recollections from our school days.”

politicians, policymakers and governments should collaborate

To view a copy of the report, please visit www.monash.edu/

to deliver the best possible student outcomes.

edfutures.

education matters secondary

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // CAULFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Inspiring passion PRINCIPAL OF CAULFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL, ASHLEIGH MARTIN, SPEAKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT HOW THE SCHOOL ENCOURAGES PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AMONG ITS STAFF, AND NURTURES THE INTERESTS AND ABILITIES OF ITS STUDENTS.

WHAT IS CAULFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY AND HOW DOES IT GUIDE YOU AND YOUR STAFF? Caulfield Grammar School is a grounded school.

We pursue excellence in all we do, however we have a tangible sense of community and broad opportunities available to all in our school. We are a school that is passionate about authentic coeducation. Girls and boys take part in all activities together and this just makes sense to us.

We want our students to engage in their learning in an environment that is aligned to the society they will immerse themselves in beyond school. We are also an open-entry school that doesn’t base enrolment (or continued enrolment) on academic testing. We are unapologetic about this approach as we encourage diversity and want all arrays of skills and talents to make up our Caulfield community.

Ashleigh Martin is Principal at Caulfield Grammar School, which has five campuses and 3320 students.

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HOW DOES CAULFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL DIFFER FROM OTHER SCHOOLS? Caulfield Grammar School is a five-campus school with 3320 students, 700 full-time employees and over 400 casual staff. Our size and scale afford us the privilege to provide a vast range of broad and balanced programs to our students and staff.

I firmly believe there is a pathway for all involved in the Caulfield community to pursue their passion.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE SCHOOL EVOLVED IN THE PAST 10-20 YEARS? We have a rich heritage of 138 years and it is in the understanding of what went before us that helps us think responsibly about the future. We have a campus in China that has been a part of a Caulfield Grammar School student’s journey for 20 years.

We have recently launched an inspiring set of values and underpinning behaviours that will provide our leaders a great platform to thrive. If you work at our school you are clear on what we value and what we expect of each other. For me, this is great modelling for our young people.

When in China, our Year 9 students immerse themselves in a new culture whilst residing in our own purpose built campus in the heart of Nanjing.

The duration of the program is five weeks and it has a profound impact. Over 6000 students have benefitted and thrived from this experience since 1998.

Caulfield Grammar School has always evolved while maintaining the fundamentals of an outstanding education for our students. We certainly haven’t sat still for the last decade and I value that the fabric of who we are has always been maintained. I don’t underestimate the honour of leading the conversation on what our next 10-20 years could be. This is the real privilege of educational leadership.

HOW DO YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO YOUR STAFF? With such a large staff, it is essential for me to be a collector of great leaders who can inspire and motivate. If you are a leader at Caulfield Grammar School you will have autonomy and trust to improve the experience for our students.

We have recently launched an inspiring set of values and underpinning behaviours that will provide our leaders a great platform to thrive. If you work at our school you are clear on what we value and what we expect of each other. For me, this is great modelling for our young people.

One of the fulfilling elements of my role is seeing staff promoted internally. There are a multitude of opportunities at Caulfield Grammar School for staff to feel professionally satisfied and to pursue growth in the profession.

Year 8 students take part in a team building activity at Caulfield Grammar School’s Yarra Junction Campus.

HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE WELLBEING AMONG YOUR STAFF AND STUDENTS? I have said publicly a number of times that gone are the days where the last car in the carpark is the hardest working staff member. I understand as educators, staff need to be present and working with students during the school day. The productivity of our staff before and after school hours is up to them.

I’m a morning person and where feasible I want to be a husband and father at night. Other people work differently and as long as you are delivering in your role, I have trust in our professionals to manage their time.

The wellbeing of all of those in our school will be the cornerstone of our future. Whilst we aim to be ambitious in achieving many priorities, ensuring a balance and improved mental health for students will be the centre of all decisions. Everything we do at our

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school will be to help equip our students to thrive into the future and find their passion. I want a school where everyone is known and valued, where we can be authentic, where the contributions of all are genuinely acknowledged.

WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF THE STUDENTS? There is a risk in a school like ours, that the principals could quickly become invisible to the student cohort.

I have always felt and am now even more convinced after one year leading our school that a principal must be relevant, accessible and approachable to the student body. I block out 7.30am to 9am every morning and ensure this is community time where I can engage with students, staff and parents. This gives me energy and also allows people to share their views on our school which helps inform my decision making.

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // CAULFIELD GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Whilst we aim to be ambitious in achieving many priorities, ensuring a balance and improved mental health for students will be the centre of all decisions. Everything we do at our school will be to help equip our students to thrive into the future and find their passion. I want a school where everyone is known and valued.

Junior school students enjoying a music lesson.

WHAT WOULD YOU IDENTIFY AS SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACED BY TEACHERS IN THE SECONDARY SECTOR? Our Director of Teaching and Learning, Dr Katherine Hoekman, often talks about fads in education. We believe schools can knee-jerk and overreact to the next big thing in education and always be searching for a point of difference. This approach can be a difficult landscape for teachers to navigate as they are the ones who are on the end of the new ideas from above. There is nothing more frustrating for teachers than when they see ideas come and go. I believe the fundamentals of our school are sound, and students value healthy

ritual and routine. We will always innovate and provide engaging, purposeful learning experiences for our students, but we will never react to ideas that aren’t bound in research and proven to positively impact the lives of young people.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT EITHER AS A TEACHER OR SPECIFICALLY IN THE ROLE OF PRINCIPAL? One of my fondest memories at Caulfield Grammar School is accompanying a Year 11 study tour to our Nanjing Campus. Spending extended time in a foreign country with a group of passionate and energetic students was a privilege. Being able to experience first-hand, learners adapting, adopting and immersing themselves in a culture entirely different from their own

During their time at Caulfield Grammar School’s Nanjing Campus, Year 9 students visit the Great Wall of China.

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left a lasting impression on me.

As Principal, I love the interactions every day that help me be the leader I want to be.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT NAPLAN AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS? NAPLAN is a measure that acts as a good temperature check for individual students and their families and also provides our school a set of data that we may use internally to help inform future practice. We have an open-minded approach to NAPLAN and don’t invest too much time into thinking about what it is not. We have many other programs and initiatives at Caulfield Grammar School that inspire our students.

WHAT TRAITS MAKE FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL LEADER IN EDUCATION TODAY? Those in our Caulfield community would know I hold authenticity and humility as the two distinct leadership attributes required by educational leaders.

Through my leadership journey I have realised quickly you can’t wear a mask and pretend to be someone you are not. Humility is about taking a step back and allowing others to shine. I don’t want to be a leader that is known for self-importance. All schools have challenges and none of them are insurmountable with the right people and the right culture. To lead Caulfield Grammar School is a privilege and whilst there might be some cynicism about the future of education, I certainly approach my role with a great sense of optimism. Our young people deserve this from their school leaders.

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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 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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Setting up recycling systems and encouraging students to recycle are simple actions schools can take to become more sustainable.

“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 classroom-

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

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ready 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 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.

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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.

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

These included implementing new recycling systems and waste reduction measures, such as the use of compostable packaging in its canteen. By reducing

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.

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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.”

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 participants 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.

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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 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

“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.” 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 that are designed specifically for schools, including Schools Tree Day and the Schools Recycle Right Challenge.

There are approximately 3000 preschools, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools across Australia that take part in Schools Tree Day each year, planting native seedlings, trees, shrubs, edibles and flowers; or running nature care projects.

The next Schools Tree Day will be held on Friday 26 July 2019.

The Schools Recycle Right Challenge takes place annually in November 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.”

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HEALTH & WELLBEING // DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Combatting distraction and dependency PSYCHOLOGIST AND CYBERPSYCHOLOGY RESEARCHER, JOCELYN BREWER, DISCUSSES THE NEED FOR SCHOOLS AND PARENTS TO WORK TOGETHER TO BUILD YOUNG PEOPLE’S DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP SKILLS.

When I was in high school, I was a chronic notepasser and letter-writer. Behind the teacher’s back there was a flurry of communication happening under desks, and sometimes between classrooms thanks to well co-ordinated toilet pass requests.

Fast-forward nearly three decades and the same desire to connect and communicate (and the propensity to be distracted) still pervades classrooms, but the method is phenomenally different. Young people are more likely to have two digital devices with them than they are to have two pens, with many secondary school students carrying both a BYOD (bring your own device) along with a smartphone as part of their normal school day.

The access to, and impacts of, technology use by young people is a pressing concern for school leaders, teachers and parents alike. There are vast complexities and variables when it comes to fully understanding the risks and benefits of technology in both leisure and learning.

It is only relatively recently that the mainstream conversation is moving to better preparing young people with the skills required to be safe, savvy and responsible participants in the online space, rather than handing out devices without consideration for

these largely human skills and expecting that young people would develop them spontaneously. This begs the question of not only identifying exactly what these skills are and how to effectively teach them, but also whose job is it to teach them anyway?

The difficulty in answering these questions arises when we see young people’s use of technology in binary terms – smartphones for non-educational activities, the ‘fun’, compelling, distracting and, in many adult’s eyes, inconsequential unnecessary activities young people regularly engage in; versus laptops, which are sometimes thought of as purely learning tools devoid of the distraction and dependency lures, protected with firewalls and monitoring software.

Smartphones are largely demonised in both classrooms and beyond. They’re the fall-guy for the ills apparently plaguing modern teenagers – from a fall in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings to the alarming suicide rate.

Yet they’re the must-have accessory in a modern age, where ‘keeping up with the iPhoneses’ is an important part of adolescent (and increasingly preadolescent) identity formation, belonging and social capital. Participating in online spaces like gaming Jocelyn Brewer says fully understanding the risks and benefits of technology has many complexities and variables.

Jocelyn Brewer is a registered psychologist and accredited teacher with a passion for dispelling myths around cyberpsychology and the impacts of technology. She is the founder of Digital Nutrition which offers a range of digital wellbeing and cyber education services, from parent and student presentations, whole-school consultation projects to individual and family therapy around technology use, overuse and abuse.

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and social media is like a contemporary skate park or the town hall steps, where young people congregate, connect and share – and their ability to participate in these social spaces and virtually meet their peers (augmenting face-to-face experiences) has been shown to actually support young people’s wellbeing.

There is also the conflict between how schools manage technology use with behaviour management principles, engaging pedagogy and upskilling with digital citizenship education, and how parents choose to mediate and monitor their family’s device use.

While some schools might champion strictly enforced smartphone bans, this might have little impact on a student’s wellbeing if they go home to an environment with no guidelines around screenbased media use, study routines or bedtime. For both parties we’re in new territory when it comes to rescuing young people’s attention from the glow of their handheld devices, stemming the viral transmission of misinformation and reducing the potential for online maleficence.

Digital citizenship skills-training is not part of a mandatory curriculum in Australia. Telcos or technology companies don’t offer skills training with a new device (in the same way no car company teaches a new owner how to drive). The task of preparing young people

with not just the technical skills but also the socialemotional and critical thinking skills to be an effective online citizen falls to both parents and schools – in not only what they teach but how these skills are role-modelled to young people in daily life. From texting while driving, to mindlessly scrolling social media at the supermarket checkout – young people are constantly learning from the cues we send them in our actions.

While digital citizenship skills show up in aspects of the PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) syllabus, the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) general capability, the personal and social capability and in teaching standards 1, 3, 4 and 6, it’s up to schools to decide how they prepare their students for life in the digital economy, where attention capital is a key resource.

It’s also at the school’s discretion as to how they collaborate with parents to create partnerships to empower families to have an ongoing and active role in tackling technology use issues – from sexting and selfies to video game addiction and the impacts of screen-time on sleep.

Increasingly this needs to move beyond the annual guest speaker at parent evenings to a more embedded (that is more regular and relevant), accessible (for example for families from culturally and linguistically

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diverse backgrounds) and flexible (such as for those who can’t attend face to face sessions) model for reaching out to parents and helping them feel proactively supported and empowered to understand the rapidly changing, constantly growing, highly compelling digital landscape.

Breaking down the stigma around needing support to parent a ‘screenager’ is also vital. While we spend lots of time and energy educating parents in the perinatal period, many parents of tweens and teens feel a sense of failure for needing support to build their skills in this stage of parenting. Schools can partner with experienced, reputable organisations who offer ongoing resources, updated training and holistic education programs that address the concerns and confusion parents have in managing their kids online.

The aim should be to empower rather than shame parents around their digital parenting choices and habits and use fear-free, evidence backed strategies to help shape our relationship with technology positively.

When school leaders and parents look beyond some of the morally panicked headlines about teens and screens and talk to young people about online experiences, we can start to more meaningfully and powerfully shape the programs that support them in the digital playground that is a hallmark of their generation.

HEALTH & WELLBEING // BRITA WATER FILTER SYSTEMS

Choose the best hydration to nurture the best academic performance EVEN MILD LEVELS OF DEHYDRATION CAN AFFECT COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MEMORY AND CONCENTRATION, IMPACTING ON LEVELS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM.

The brain is made up of approximately 73 per cent water. It controls movement, memory, speech and the function of many of the body’s vital organs. But in order to do all of that correctly, it needs to remain hydrated. When the brain is dehydrated, it shrinks and needs to work much harder than it does when it is properly hydrated.

Determinant to a lack of water intake, the brain shrivels causing headaches, dizziness and fatigue, which can make it difficult for students to concentrate in the classroom and retain information.

During the school term, students spend a large portion of their day at school, but far too often, they aren’t drinking enough water throughout their school day. Drinking only during breaks isn’t enough to keep the body and brain replenished.

When students aren’t drinking enough water, they can seem irritable, tired or lethargic.

Regardless of the efforts taken by the teacher to create an interesting and engaging class lesson, if the brain’s water supply isn’t replenished, it can have a significant impact on learning.

As the body’s water levels drop, so too does a student’s ability to remain focussed. By the time

a student actually feels thirsty, their bodies may already be showing signs of dehydration, so it’s important for students to drink water regularly throughout their day.

BRITA water filtration products provide easy access to purer drinking water whether you are at home or on the go.

BRITA’S TIPS FOR STAYING HYDRATED AT SCHOOL • Start each day by drinking water to replenish depleted reserves after the night and detox the body.

• Try to drink the first litre in the morning.

• Keep a bottle of water at arm’s reach throughout the day.

• Drink water constantly during the day.

• Have water with you when you are on the go.

• Drink water alongside coffee and soft drinks.

• Constantly hydrate during physical activity.

When the brain is dehydrated it can have a significant effect on learning, making it more difficult for students to remain focused.

HYDRATION ON THE GO A trusted household name, BRITA, a German company with over 50 years of expertise in water filtration, has developed the Fill & Go Active Bottle.

This convenient bottle uniquely filters water as you drink, to deliver purer drinking water – so students have access to filtered water any time, anywhere.

These 600ml bottles are squeezable for easy drinking, are shock and leak resistant, have an easy to open mouthpiece, feature an indented grip and carry strap, and are also BPA free and dishwasher safe.

They provide an economical way to help students stay hydrated throughout the regular day, as well as during sport.

Using unique ActivSelect technology, the bottle’s MicroDisc filter reduces taste-impairing substances like chlorine, and contaminants like microplastics, while retaining essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Though small in size, the MicroDisc filter delivers big results, capable of filtering a large amount of water before needing to be replaced.

As the Fill & Go Active Bottles are durable and the filters are long-lasting, they are eco-friendly and convenient, delivering a perfect solution to ensure students stay hydrated for increased health and wellness, and optimised academic performance.

If you wish to include BRITA Fill & Go Active Bottles in your official school supplies listing, please contact BRITA Water Filter Systems Distributors Pty Ltd at marketing@brita.com.au or call 02 9486 4200.

Buyer’s Guide BRITA Water Filter Systems Ph: 1300 557 762 Web: www.BRITA.com.au 26

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FAMILY PLANNING VICTORIA // HEALTH & WELLBEING

Sex ed: Teaching with confidence WHEN DELIVERING RELATIONSHIP AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION TO YOUNG PEOPLE, IT’S IMPORTANT TO ENSURE WE GET IT RIGHT. ARMING STUDENTS WITH THE CORRECT INFORMATION HELPS TO PROMOTE SAFE AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.

Family Planning Victoria provides a range of teaching, learning and professional development activities to assist teachers to deliver comprehensive, age and developmentally appropriate relationship and sexuality education.

2019 marks the 50th year that the organisation has been offering educational services for schools and young people. Its online portal provides general relationship and sexuality education resources catering to students from Foundation to Level 10. All resources have also been adapted for students with cognitive disabilities.

Topics covered include healthy relationships, sexual and reproductive health, assisted reproduction and sexuality in the digital space.

Family Planning Victoria’s online portal provides relationship and sexuality education resources for students from Foundation to Level 10.

Family Planning Victoria aims to make teachers confident in their abilities to deliver sexuality education, providing evidence behind why it is important along with how it can be delivered in the classroom.

“What we are finding all too often is that teachers lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to answer the tricky questions when they arise. A common concern for schools is also in knowing how to promote these issues within their broader school communities,” says Bonnie Lee, Manager of the Schools Team at Family Planning Victoria.

“Teachers just want to do what is right for their students. But fear of doing the wrong thing can mean they risk falling into the trap of not doing anything or not doing enough to educate their students on important topics about relationships and sexuality.”

Family Planning Victoria advocates for strong home, school and community partnerships to educate young people about these important topics.

“Teachers are really well placed to be able to deliver these classes, as they have the ongoing rapport with their students. Good quality relationships and sexuality education has excellent health and wellbeing outcomes for young people, including decreases in unplanned pregnancy, STIs and blood borne viruses, more inclusive attitudes towards people of diverse sex, sexuality and gender, improved understandings of what makes for a healthy relationship and an increased ability to seek appropriate help when needed,” Ms Lee adds.

In today’s digital world, sexuality in the digital space is another pressing issue, particularly with the prevalence of things like social media and

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The resources assist teachers to approach sex ed in a developmentally and age appropriate way.

pornography. “Young people are really good at determining reality from fantasy, but even though they know something isn’t real, we are still seeing it impacting on their sexual behaviours,” reveals Ms Lee. Family Planning Victoria’s resources aim to affirm the backgrounds and experiences of all young people and their families.

Supporting teachers to be aware of the use of heteronormative and cisgendered language within the classroom is important to ensure that all people feel welcome and included in relationship and sexuality education lessons.

“We know young people are learning about the anatomy and the physical mechanics of sex,” says Ms Lee, “but they want to know more about the intricacies of navigating relationships in safe and healthy ways.”

Family Planning Victoria also runs a series of teacher workshops and student class group workshops. For more information, please visit the website below.

Buyer’s Guide Family Planning Victoria Ph: 03 9257 0191 Web: www.fpv.org.au/schools

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HEALTH & WELLBEING // BEYOND BLUE

Growing a mentally healthy generation with Be You ALMOST ONE IN SEVEN, OR OVER HALF A MILLION, YOUNG PEOPLE IN AUSTRALIA EXPERIENCE A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION EVERY YEAR.

Up to 10 per cent of young people aged 14 to 15 self-harm and up to 5 per cent attempt suicide each year. Mental health issues that emerge during these formative years can have a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of the individual, and on the lives of those around them. In Australia, children and young people spend upwards of 30 hours per week in the care of educators from early learning services through to primary and secondary school. This means educators are well positioned to promote mental health and inquire and respond appropriately if support is needed.

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. This is why Beyond Blue, with its delivery partners, Early Childhood Australia and headspace, Southern Cross Grammar School is working on implementing Be You to help empower its educators to develop valuable mental health skills and knowledge.

are dedicated to empowering educators to help grow Australia’s most mentally healthy generation through the creation of Be You. The vision of Be You is that every learning community is positive, inclusive and resilient, and a place where every child, young person, educator and family can achieve their best possible mental health.

BE YOU PROMOTES MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING, FROM THE EARLY YEARS TO 18 Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Be You is free to every educator and learning community in Australia. It supports children’s and young people’s mental health by offering future and current educators evidence-based online professional learning, complemented by a range of tools and support to turn learning into action.

Be You empowers educators and builds their valuable mental health skills and knowledge.

It offers flexible professional development that allows educators to set their own pace and start anywhere, depending on their unique needs and priorities.

Be You focusses on mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention, critical incident response and recovery. Educators can build their knowledge and skills through continuous professional development, links and pathways to resources, tools and evidence-based programs.

BE YOU OFFERS EVIDENCE-BASED ONLINE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING At the heart of Be You is contemporary, interactive and evidence-based content that provides educators and leaders with a framework for professional learning.

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Southern Cross Grammar School pupils in the classroom.

The vision of Be You is that every learning community is positive, inclusive and resilient, and a place where every child, young person, educator and family can achieve their best possible mental health.

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.

For secondary school teachers, learning focusses on how they can support young people – both as individuals and as part of a learning community. Be You acknowledges the many developmental changes experienced during adolescence and emphasises the need to empower young people. Be You also highlights the importance of partnering with families

in a collaborative way to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.

There are many changing demands and competing priorities for secondary school teachers.

The number of young people they have contact with is often extensive, however, the duration they spend with these young people often fluctuates and is somewhat transient. Be You supports teachers to make each interaction count, and take opportunities to notice, inquire and support young people.

Be You Professional Learning meets the requirements for teacher-identified professional development across all states and territories. It is also accredited with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute and endorsed by the NSW Education Standards Authority.

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.

CHANGE STARTS WITH INDIVIDUALS, BUT GAINS MOMENTUM WITH A WHOLE LEARNING COMMUNITY APPROACH Be You recognises that creating positive change is more effective through a whole school approach

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to implementation, because success requires collaboration and a shared vision, unique to the specific needs of each school. Once registered as an individual Be You user, a request for registration as a whole school can be actioned.

Registered Be You secondary schools have access to whole school supports, 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 in Be You by supporting early learning services and schools through their journey. They are on hand to help guide and implement a mentally healthy learning community Action Plan that is aligned with existing planning processes and continuous improvement models.

THERE IS NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH Be You is a 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

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TECHNOLOGY // AUGMENTED REALITY

The science of digital innovation DIGITAL INNOVATION CONTINUES TO IMPACT LEARNING OUTCOMES AND TEACHING EFFICACY, LARGELY IN A POSITIVE WAY. LEARNING DESIGN EXPERT, NILANJANA SAXENA, INVESTIGATES HOW AUGMENTED REALITY CAN SUPPORT AND EXTEND LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM.

Nilanjana Saxena is a learning design professional who has worked on the implementation of innovative educational and training delivery solutions in a variety of settings. She started her professional career as a school teacher, teaching Chemistry and running summer science camps. Her interest in education innovation prompted her to transition to learning design which took her to Australia.

While in Sydney, she gained valuable experience while working at OpenLearning and Pallas Advanced Learning Systems, both of which are upcoming ed-tech start-ups.

Currently, she is working as a learning designer at a higher education institution, pursuing her passion of creating effective learning experiences which are researchinformed and practically relevant.

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Despite all of the positives that have resulted from digital innovation, educators and the broader teaching and training community continue to grapple with how best to communicate abstract concepts to learners.

Misconceptions that many students hold in multiple disciplines, especially science, are mostly due to concepts being abstract, counterintuitive and lacking relevance; thereby increasing cognitive load and decreasing motivation and learning.

In this article, I share some of the research on what learning science says about the benefits of deploying augmented reality (AR) in education.

Over the years AR has evolved. As generally perceived, AR includes technology that enables users to see an extra layer of digital content on top of a real world object. AR environments are characterised by flexibility, safety and ubiquity, finding application when concepts are cognitively challenging for learners, if taught through conventional means.

To understand how AR supports learning, it is relevant to understand learning as a cognitive process.

Learning involves the formation of associations between the new and prior knowledge. The deeper these associations, the longer and more lasting the memory codes, which can be retrieved later. This shows that learning and memory are interdependent. Forming associations is part of the processing of information, and this process is an iterative cycle involving the acquisition, storage and retrieval of data.

A well designed AR feature allows learners to explore through manipulations and observe trends by different variables such as time and dimensions, while at all times keeping them physically safe. AR applications for training professionals in high risk jobs – such as training surgeons or technicians repairing elevators – remove both the risk and fear, while providing a realistic training environment. Thus with AR, meaningful deep associations between prior and new knowledge can be formed which enable deeper processing, and long-lasting memory codes for future retrieval of information.

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Learning sciences research offers evidence that AR based learning benefits learners by influencing their interaction with difficult concepts.

FOSTERING MOTIVATION Literature supports that immersing learners in highly interactive visuals aids in creatively constructing knowledge and increasing motivation. A learning environment conducive for facilitating knowledge construction is needed to overcome most learning challenges. In their article, ‘Affordances of Augmented Reality in Science Learning: Suggestions for Future Research’, published in Journal of Science Education and Technology (August 2013), research by authors Kun-Hung Cheng and Chin-Chung Tsai shows how AR’s interactive and media-rich visuals provide the tools to create opportunities for learners to construct knowledge. Mobile AR additionally allows ubiquitous and flexible manipulations catering to differing learner needs, pace and styles; as Keith R. Bujak et al reveal in, ‘A psychological perspective on augmented reality in the mathematics classroom’, Computers and Education (October 2013).

Even the real time feedback and sense-stimulating environments created through such manipulations of what lies hidden beneath further motivates learners’ inquiry, problem solving and critical thinking (Matt Dunleavy, Chris Dede and Rebecca Mitchell in ‘Affordances and Limitations of Immersive Participatory Augmented Reality Simulations for Teaching and Learning’, Journal of Science Education and Technology, February 2009). Such learning settings are fertile for learners to create both meaning and relevance which adds to motivation and positivity towards learning.

MAKING ABSTRACT CONCEPTS RELATABLE AND RELEVANT AR environments can be used to demystify abstract concepts for they allow one to see the invisible. Through AR, learners can manipulate content right from the

nano to the galactical level. These causal relationships and mechanisms underlying abstract concepts, along with hands-on work and sense-stimulating experiences made possible by AR, helps create an immersive experience, allowing deeper associations with abstract concepts by making them more concrete and relatable.

Pavio, 1969 (as cited in the 2010 book Psychology: Themes and Variations (8th edition) by Wayne Weiten) states that words with concrete images are retained better by memory. Imagery and manipulations offered

by AR help create connections by making it possible for the learner to go deeper into the concept, view invisible concepts and improve spatial skills by viewing 3D objects from different planes (Cheng and Tsai, 2013).

Such episodic memories enhance retrieval in new situations.

MANAGING COGNITIVE LOAD AR learning environments afford chunking and clustering of information, enabling the working memory to deal with fewer interacting elements (new abstract entities) at any single time. This enhances processing and assimilation of information by reducing cognitive

load, which is the effort associated with a specific topic.

Furthermore, an AR learning environment allows the user to focus on one screen with digital content overlaid in the real world. As highlighted by John Sweller in his article ‘Element Interactivity and Intrinsic, Extraneous, and Germane Cognitive Load’, published in Educational Psychology Review (June 2010), this reduces splitting attention between screens and the real world while also collaborating with peers, enabling the learner to instead maintain and increase focus on the task at hand.

Through their research, as shown in their article ‘Making the Invisible Visible in Science Museums Through Augmented Reality Devices’, published in TechTrends (January 2014), authors Susan A. Yoon and Joyce Wang reveal that using AR added to greater team work, dynamic visualisations of invisible phenomena, and students gained in-depth knowledge about magnetic fields by increasing relatability, reasoning skills and reducing cognitive load.

MAKING CONTENT PERSONALLY RELEVANT Learning is most effective when learners see content as personally relevant. Well-designed AR activities in

learning help create relevance of class material to the real world.

Interaction and application of knowledge in the AR environment give rise to draw deeper associations and schemas. Through situated investigation, the learner finds learning personally relevant. For instance, being able to relate the theoretical triangles in textbooks with the real world triangles enables self-reference and thus greater motivation for self-directed learning.

AR has come a long way in making learning holistic, enjoyable, personalised and far reaching. For AR based learning to deliver all it promises, learning designers and trainers must themselves be clear about what the desired outcomes are. AR is well suited to be applied when learning outcomes cannot be well achieved through conventional teaching methods and tools.

As AR is ultimately a tool, its utilisation must be integrated with the overall learning experience that is envisaged. Like any other teaching aid, AR must be aptly fitted alongside teachers and conventional teaching methods. Careful consideration needs to be given in the design of any educational intervention, keeping in mind the fundamentals which underpin teaching and learning.

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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,

Child safety and security are at the heart of Acer’s My Classroom technology.

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 child safety and security. Acer’s facial recognition 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 any 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 child safety and security.

Acer’s facial recognition 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 any 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 // 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 Southeast 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 before 30 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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TECHNOLOGY // FLIR Thermal imaging cameras make it possible to monitor bats by their thermal signature.

Measuring heat FLIR’S THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS ARE A GREAT WAY TO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICS, BY MEASURING HEAT, WHICH IS EVERYWHERE IN OUR DAILY LIVES. THE BUSINESS OFFERS INSIGHT INTO HOW ITS TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED OUT IN THE REAL WORLD.

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Allowing students to learn about thermal concepts in an interactive and engaging way, FLIR’s thermal cameras offer exciting opportunities for learning in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Rather than just reading about friction, insulation and heat, students can see how it actually works.

In just one real world application, FLIR cameras are helping researchers to study the behaviour of bats living in the world’s largest underground river cave system. The ItalianPhilippine team are using the technology to study bats in the Puerto Princesa Underground River cave system in the Philippines. Researchers are hoping the FLIR technology will give them more insight into the size and identity of the bat colony, and that this knowledge will help them preserve the species for many years to come.

The pristine natural beauty and distinctive wildlife of the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park has captured the attention of ecotourists, who can travel through the massive cave by boat and see hundreds of bats, giant monitor lizards, monkeys, pythons, sea snakes and other wildlife.

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PRESERVING BIODIVERSITY Unfortunately, increased tourism often has an impact on the environment. Fully aware of this danger, a program called Support for Sustainable Eco-Tourism in the Puerto Princesa Underground River Area was initiated through a collaborative Philippine/Italian effort. This program is aimed at the study of the fauna in the cave and ultimately has the intention to be better prepared for sustainable tourism and the preservation of the site’s biodiversity.

Dr Paolo Agnelli, an Italian zoologist, is one of the members of the research team. He has already carried out several faunistic research studies and zoological collections, especially of amphibians, reptiles and mammals, all over the world.

As a specialist in the field of small mammal ecology, Dr Agnelli’s main goal is to identify the bats present in the caves, in order to exactly define the bat species and to have a correct estimate of their numbers.

COUNTING BATS Dr Agnelli reveals the exact number of bats in a colony is difficult to determine. “And yet, this

information can be very valuable because it helps us to see population trends through the course of the years. Should we be able to assess that the number of bats is decreasing, then we should be investigating the disturbing factors and take action in order to preserve these species,” he says.

In the multiple research missions he has already been part of, Dr Agnelli has made use of thermal imaging technology to help overcome the practical difficulties typically encountered in bat studies.

BAT DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES Today, a wide array of techniques and technologies are being used to study the behaviour of bats, ranging from actively searching buildings, trees and subterranean cavities, to capturing bats with mist nets, and monitoring by means of ultrasound bat detectors, which convert the echolocation ultrasound signals of bats to audible frequencies. With thermal imaging, another important technology has been added to the professional bat researcher’s toolbox.

“I have been using thermal imaging cameras for already three years now to study the hibernation behaviour of bats in caves, especially for their deep hibernation conditions. Since 2016, I have also been using this technology to count bats while coming out of their caves,” Dr Agnelli explains.

Thermal imaging cameras make it possible to monitor bats by their thermal signature. Bats are nocturnal animals and usually leave their daytime roosts at dusk, an ideal moment to capture the bats on video while in action. As thermal cameras see heat, not light, they also allow researchers to

study bats at night, at a time when they are most active. Thanks to its visual nature, thermal imaging technology can also be combined with smart software that is able to count and identify bats and perform intelligent motion tracking.

ROBUST THERMAL IMAGER “For the several missions to the Puerto Pricesa Underground River, I was looking for a thermal camera that is robust and able to withstand the humid conditions that are typical of underground caves,” says Dr Agnelli. “After thorough evaluation of several brands, FLIR offered the best technical characteristics and the highest reliability.”

Dr Agnelli ultimately chose the FLIR E60bx thermal imaging camera, a 320×240 resolution point-and-shoot model with a fully integrated colour camera. “The FLIR E60bx is very easy to use, it’s economical and the 60 Hz frame rate allows us to present the small-sized bats in motion in very good definition.

“The long-life battery of the FLIR E60bx, the light and compact size, and the possibility to add extra lenses – it’s the total package that makes it a very attractive camera, especially for the specific tasks that I was designated with during my research missions.”

RAISING AWARENESS During the first research mission in Palawan in November and December 2016, Dr Agnelli says the camera served the research team very well. “At the cave exit, we had to identify the best viewing point,

The FLIR E60bx thermal imaging camera is a point-and-shoot model with a fully integrated colour camera.

so it was possible to capture the entire evening flow of bats leaving the cave, considering every possible route. We also had to take into account so-called ‘light sampling behaviour’, where the bats repeatedly leave the roost and return immediately if the conditions are not suitable.”

Next to other established techniques, thermal imaging has proven to be another effective technology for the Puerto Princesa Underground River team in their study of bats living in the cave system.

THERMAL IMAGING IN THE CLASSROOM Featuring a thermal imaging camera and software, FLIR’s educational kits can be used for a range of practical exercises, allowing the collection of quantifiable data that can form the basis of further lessons and discussions. Some of the concepts that can be easily visualised with a thermal imaging camera include the thermal properties of materials and objects; heat conduction, convection and radiation; heat insulation; friction; energy transformation; and phase change.

FLIR’s educational kits also include access to education content including lesson plans, experiments, training videos and application notes.

Buyer’s Guide FLIR Ph: 1300 729 987 Web: www.flir.com.au

The Puerto-Princesa Subterranean National Park in the Philippines is home to the world’s largest underground river cave system.

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TECHNOLOGY // EPSON

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

Endless possibilities DESIGNED FOR THE MODERN BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE CLASSROOM, EPSON’S EB-600 SERIES DELIVERS VERSATILE ULTRA-SHORT THROW DISPLAYS FOR ENHANCED CLASSROOM COLLABORATION.

Offering brightness of up to 3500 lumens, Epson’s EB-600 series ensures the screen is easily viewed from anywhere in the classroom, even without dimming the lights. Existing whiteboards, plain walls, tables or any other flat surface can be immediately transformed into interactive workspaces.

For a huge wall space, adding two EB-600 series projectors side by side allows for the area to be used as an extended whiteboard.

Through the included Easy Interactive Tools (EIT) software, users can achieve a giant display on which they can create or annotate content.

The projectors use quick start-up technology. The PC-free annotation mode means teachers don’t even need to power up their computers to use the projector. Simply plug it in and turn it on.

Teachers can either use their fingers to annotate directly onto the screen or can make

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use of Epson’s interactive pens, which are now more responsive and user friendly. With the new dual pens, a teacher and student or two students can work simultaneously, using different attributes.

Projected images can also be saved directly onto a USB as jpeg files. Any annotations written over an image using PC Free Annotation can also be saved.

St John’s Catholic School is just one school that has recognised the benefits of Epson’s EB-600 series projector technology. Based in Roma, Queensland, St John’s recently installed Epson’s EB-695Wi interactive projectors in each of its primary classrooms as well as the boardroom. A total of 24 of these projectors are currently in use, with two more on order for the school’s secondary classrooms.

With St John’s now in the process of planning a brand new secondary building,

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the school is considering incorporating the same projectors into the new secondary classrooms.

The Epson EB-695Wi was chosen following

Offering brightness of up to 3500 lumens, Epson’s EB-600 series ensures the screen is easily viewed from anywhere in the classroom, even without dimming the lights.

Existing whiteboards, plain walls, tables or any other flat surface can be immediately transformed into interactive workspaces.

The Epson EB-600 series delivers high quality images and crisp, sharp text without any distortion.

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 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.

an internal survey conducted 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 decided to install these projectors with the hope of increasing student performance and productivity, inspiring teaching methods on a schoolwide 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 our teachers in delivering an effective teaching and learning environment that connects with our students. Teachers can now engage with students 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 at 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,” Ms Shirley adds.

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

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

“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 our teachers in delivering an effective teaching and learning environment that connects with our students.” 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 this model of projector.

St John’s 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.”

Buyer’s Guide Teachers can deliver interactive lessons using either finger-touch or Epson’s interactive dual pens.

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Epson Australia Ph: 1300 361 054 Web: www.epson.com.au

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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 the 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

MONASH EDUCATION // PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

How school leaders can support out-of-field teachers ONE IN FOUR TEACHERS OF YEAR 7-10 STUDENTS IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS ARE TEACHING OUTSIDE THEIR SPECIALIST SUBJECT AREAS. FOR GRADUATE TEACHERS, THIS NUMBER RISES TO ONE IN THREE.

In a three-year study looking at teachers working out-of-field, Monash Professor Colleen Vale found positive experiences were directly linked to the level of support they received from their school.

“Finding a way to increase time for out-offield teachers for additional planning and learning was central to this,” she writes in TeachSpace, Monash Education’s free online resource for educators.

Teachers in the study valued the support they received from mentors and more experienced teachers. “These [critical friendships] were particularly helpful for out of field-teachers as they had a friendly expert to call upon if challenged by content, teaching strategies or student questions.”

Time and opportunities needed to be created for out-of-field teachers to regularly meet and work with more experienced colleagues.

“We also found the supporting and mentoring role was very demanding for discipline leaders

and other members of the teaching team who were working with the out-of-field teacher,” adds Professor Vale.

“Their contribution needed to be acknowledged, valued and planned for,” she found, and added that offering more time provided valuable support to both the out-of-field teacher and the mentor.

Collaborative practices at schools were found to help out-of-field teachers develop their confidence and knowledge of the curriculum.

“This was particularly the case where schools were innovative or took a whole-of-school approach to their teaching style,” Professor Vale writes.

“The detailed discussions helped out-of-field teachers develop content knowledge but also understandings about why these approaches would be most effective.”

Professor Vale found it took at least a year for

out-of-field teachers to adapt, dependent on the level of support received.

She says that out-of-field teachers who taught the same subject and the same year level for over a year developed both knowledge and confidence.

“They were able to adapt effective teaching strategies from their specialist subject, and use these techniques in their non-specialist subject.

“These teachers were also more likely to include innovative approaches in their out-of-field teaching, and were able to adapt and transfer approaches across subject boundaries.”

Professor Vale found it was important for outof-field teachers to maintain a connection to their subject specialisations, and have genuine say in their load allocation and career planning.

“Out-of-field teachers were reluctant to participate in out-of-school professional development. School-based PD, such as working with a mentor or collaborative planning, was initially more effective.”

The study found there were negative experiences that did not improve over time, and these were mostly linked to change – either with their mentor, relationships or with the subject or year level being taught.

“The addition of responsibilities on top of their out-of-field teaching also had a negative impact and led to teacher attrition,” Professor Vale adds. “A school culture of support that recognises these difficulties and creates a positive learning environment is essential if out-of-field teachers are to stay at the school and flourish.”

Buyer’s Guide The study found that out-of-field teachers valued the support they received from mentors and more experienced teachers.

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Monash Education Web: monash.edu/education/teach

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Supporting inclusive practice WHAT DOES EFFECTIVE, CONTEMPORARY INCLUSIVE PRACTICE LOOK LIKE AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY? AT A TIME OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE FIELD OF DISABILITY SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS, THIS IS A QUESTION WORTH CONSIDERING, WRITE DR JULIE MCMILLAN AND DR JANE JARVIS FROM FLINDERS UNIVERSITY.

Programs and practices for students with disability (SWD) are guided by legislative obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act and the associated Disability Standards for Education, which enshrine their right to access education ‘on the same basis’ as all other students. But, beyond the legislation and the references to inclusive practice on school websites and in policy documents, what issues should secondary leaders and educators consider (or reconsider) in the provision of a contemporary, inclusive education for SWD? In this article, we propose three such issues for reflection. While we use the term SWD in a somewhat general way throughout this article in discussing trends and practices, we acknowledge that SWD is a very broad category used to describe a diverse group of individual children and young people.

Dr Julie McMillan (left) is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Chair of the Research in Inclusive and Specialised Education (RISE) group at Flinders University. Her research and teaching include the design of personalised programming for students with substantial and extensive support needs including autism, physical and intellectual disabilities and the professional learning of educators.

Dr Jane Jarvis (right) is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Chair of the Research in Inclusive and Specialised Education (RISE) group at Flinders University. Her research and teaching is primarily concerned with designing and implementing effectively differentiated learning experiences for academically diverse learners, including those with disabilities and those with advanced abilities.

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THE ROLE OF TEACHER AIDES Among the most significant recent shifts in the Australian educational landscape has been the proliferation of teacher aides (TAs) in mainstream classrooms. According to the Department of Employment, the TA workforce grew by a staggering 34 per cent in the five years to 2017, and it continues to grow. With changes to funding arrangements and levels for students with disability, the presence of TAs, often employed to provide personalised support to SWD, has become an established classroom practice.

The significant increase in TAs has changed the role of the classroom teacher. Yet, it has occurred without due reflection on its implications for teachers and students, or systematic evaluation of its effectiveness. Large-scale research by Peter Blatchford and colleagues in the United Kingdom, and research such as that of Michael Giangreco in the US, has consistently identified a lack of positive impact on student learning for SWD. In fact, well-

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documented outcomes of reliance on TAs across a range of settings include further social isolation for SWD, and negative consequences for learning and the development of independence. In addition, TAs are commonly expected to assume responsibility for curriculum planning and adjustment, assessment modification, and program design and evaluation, representing a shift of these responsibilities away from classroom teachers or educators with specialist qualifications.

The presence of TAs in classrooms might have a questionable impact on student learning, but some evidence points to reduced stress for teachers who feel overworked, overwhelmed, or inadequately prepared to teach SWD. Of course, support for teachers is an important consideration that should be seriously addressed, but the question is whether the goal of TAs is to help teachers reduce stress, or to support inclusive outcomes for SWD. Since the intention of additional funding for SWD is to facilitate access and progress through the curriculum, any intervention should prioritise this core purpose.

There is no question that many TAs are highly competent and passionately committed to their work. This value notwithstanding, the evidence suggests a number of considerations in the employment of TAs to support inclusive outcomes: • Deploying the school’s least qualified and lowest paid educators to spend the majority of time with the students most in need of highly qualified, experienced teachers raises questions about the effective use of resources.

• The role of TAs should be to support, rather than replace, the classroom teacher. The presence of a TA should not result in the reassignment of curriculum planning responsibility away from the qualified teacher, or reduced interaction with the classroom teacher for SWD. • The effectiveness of TA support should be systematically monitored – in terms of both

academic and social outcomes for SWD – to ensure that it is a warranted use of funding.

• TAs should have access to a clear description of roles and responsibilities, meaningful collaboration with teachers, effective supervision, and adequate training and support. Teachers should also be clear about roles and responsibilities and have a chance to negotiate this as appropriate.

THE NEED FOR HIGHLY QUALIFIED SPECIAL EDUCATION PERSONNEL Qualified special education teachers offer specialist knowledge in areas such as assessment, behaviour, evidence-based intervention, communication, inclusive and adaptive technologies, developing individual goals, and curriculum adaptation and modification.

This expertise complements the classroom teacher’s content and curriculum expertise and therefore enhances collaborative planning efforts for SWD in inclusive settings. In addition, special education teachers can guide the work of TAs and facilitate effective relationships between teachers and support staff. Special education is a field particularly prone to expertly-marketed interventions and programs with questionable independent evidence of effectiveness.

It is essential that both classroom teachers and TAs are supported in their work by personnel with genuine understanding of evidence-based practice for SWD. Yet, many secondary teachers do not have ongoing, on-site access to such expertise.

A particularly problematic view of teaching SWD holds that it is ‘just good teaching’. At the other extreme is an equally problematic view of teaching SWD as the exclusive province of specially-

trained staff and, therefore, beyond the capabilities of classroom teachers. The reality lies somewhere in between; SWD typically do best in mainstream classrooms with competent teachers who are knowledgeable about SWD and well supported by specialist staff. Classroom teachers are responsible for establishing inclusive learning environments, knowing their content, and designing effectively differentiated learning experiences. In order to do so, they need access to quality professional learning opportunities tailored to their own contexts, and quality on-site support to develop and sustain effective practices.

Professional learning for all teachers and leaders is necessary for sustained implementation of inclusive practice and quality education for SWD. PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT With the right personnel in place, schools can work to address the needs of all students through a continuum of evidence-based practices. Underpinned by a significant body of research, The Technical Assistance Centre on Positive Behavior Interventions in the US recommends a continuum of practices ranging in scope and intensity from universal practices for all students (e.g. differentiated learning experiences), to targeted supports for a smaller number of students (e.g. modified curriculum and systematic instruction), to more individualised supports to address specific, identified needs.

This model is often termed a Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS), and has applications across academic, social and behavioural domains. School leaders play an essential role in ensuring the

sustained implementation of evidence-based, quality teaching and intervention at all levels.

The MTSS aims to prevent academic and behavioural difficulties and facilitate the early identification of students who may need special educational or more intensive supports. This approach stands in contrast to traditional categorical models, whereby a student was ‘in’ special education or not, based on some qualifying criteria. Instead, the implementation of the MTSS requires that all students receive quality differentiated teaching practice at the first tier. If a student has a learning or behavioural difficulty that is not responsive to these more universal strategies, increasingly intensive supports are provided at the secondary tier, while the tertiary tier provides for highly personalised supports if progress is still inadequate. This flexible combination of prevention and intervention, applied when and how it is needed, enables a timely response to specific needs in the context of an inclusive education. Implementation of the MTSS requires systemic, school-wide resourcing and long-term commitment from leaders and specialist teams. It relies on qualified special educators to lead the development, intervention and monitoring of interventions across levels, and professional support for teachers to implement inclusive teaching practices.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to inclusive education for SWD. However, a flexible and thoughtfully considered suite of adequatelyresourced, evidence-based approaches that promote the philosophy of inclusion and address the inherently diverse nature of schooling, is a good fit for any setting.

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 with teachers at all career stages, from pre-service to school leader.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // RURAL SCHOOLS

Rural vs the city SKILLING, ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TEACHERS IN RURAL, REGIONAL AND REMOTE SCHOOLS IS AN ONGOING CHALLENGE FACED BY MANY AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITIES. AS DR PHILIP ROBERTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA EXPLAINS, IN ORDER TO OVERCOME THIS ISSUE, WE MUST FIRST CHANGE OUR PRECONCEIVED IDEAS.

We seem to have an enduring problem in Australian education – an inability to imagine anything outside of the city as valuable. Perhaps we should keep it a secret, but rural schools are hotbeds of innovation as they continually work to turn challenges into opportunities. They are also training grounds for many new teachers who start their career in these schools.

The recent independent review into regional, rural and remote education, led by Professor John Halsey, notes that attracting and retaining appropriate teachers in rural, regional and remote schools remains one of the most pressing challenges on the Australian education agenda. It was also noted as such by the 2000 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Enquiry, and even mentioned as a key challenge by the NSW parliament in 1904. Sadly, progress towards a more equitable educational experience, outcomes from schooling and access to post secondary education, has been slow.

The release of the report of the independent review into rural, regional and remote education does however provide a much-needed focus on the unique challenges and opportunities rural, regional and remote communities encounter. Ultimately, this is an issue of the place or rural, regional and remote communities in contemporary Australian society.

Dr Philip Roberts is an Associate Professor in Curriculum Inquiry and Rural Education at the University of Canberra. His major ongoing research focuses on place, the sustainability of rural communities, and the place of rural knowledges in curriculum. Dr Roberts is the research leader for the Rural Education and Communities research group at the University of Canberra.

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Indeed it is a justice issue par excellence – in terms of social and educational outcomes, and how we value people, places and communities.

Rural places are not homogenous – each place is distinct given its particular geographic context, population composition and economic base. Learning to read these ‘contexts’ is a distinct professional skill.

Connecting these contexts to the existing curriculum, to make it meaningful to students, takes even greater professional skill. To do that in multi-age classrooms, with students spread across five schools and linked via video or with fewer staff – well, that takes it to another level again.

Problematically, the current professional architecture doesn’t capture this complexity well.

The focus on standards, models of pedagogy, and a standardised curriculum send a message that what matters transcends context. Nearly all teacher education degrees are now the same and almost all have lost older disciplines like sociology and philosophy – those that help people learn to read contexts and think about what they are doing, and why, rather than merely just doing it. To be clear this shouldn’t be read as a critique of professionalism, instead it is a call to reclaim that professionalism.

The social circumstance in which we live, not the

Sacred Heart School near Broome, Western Australia, is a remote Kindergarten to Year 10 school, catering to approximately 110 students.

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individual teacher, impose the limits of professional practice. Implicated here is how we value and engage with rural difference, and how we prepare teachers for these contexts.

It’s much harder to measure and judge the qualities of things that are context dependent and situated, but that really just says our evaluation tools are pretty blunt. That standards and pedagogy models are validated in rural contexts post development doesn’t address issues of confirmation bias. Rather than try to understand what effective teaching looks like in ‘this rural school’, teachers and schools are often subtly told to be less rural by comparing their practices to nonrural schools. Professionals are able to balance context with standards and interpret ‘know(ing) students and how they learn’ and ‘know(ing) the content and how to teach it’ as contextually dependent.

The evidence that after 10 years NAPLAN has not changed the educational landscape, suggests all the policy rhetoric of this era has had little success.

Thinking of new approaches is not something we are particularly good at though. Thankfully history has some lessons for us.

Over the last decade there has been much attention given to preparing teachers for rural schools in their pre-service teacher preparation, with the aim being to help them better transition to positions in rural schools. This includes at least four large-scale federally funded research projects. In all this work there has also been a big focus on understating the unique characteristics of rural school leadership, and for preparing rural school leaders. However, a scan of university courses show only a handful offer anything aimed at preparing teachers for rural schools, and they are all elective units. It seems the research done by those committed to this cause has made little impact on the standardisation agenda. Surely we can do better than this?

Many of the approaches to overcome the staffing challenges of rural schools have focussed upon incentives to attract and retain teachers, professional development and pre-service preparation in understating how rural schools are different to metropolitan schools, mentoring programs, and accessing professional development. There has been a move away from incentives though – as while they get

teachers to these schools they also encourage them to leave.

If we want teachers to stay we need to change the way we talk about rural places, and help these communities to grow. Indeed, many of the key elements of any answers to the question of rural school achievement exist in the public policy environment, and the place of rural Australia in contemporary Australian society. Unfortunately, rural communities are just not all that attractive places for many teachers to relocate to.

When they do, it is often only a stopover on their way to what is regarded as a professionally desirable spot in a big city.

Meeting the unique needs of the community is only possible if there are appropriate teachers in the schools to do so. It is not surprising then that the challenges of staffing are a major theme. Many approaches have been tried throughout Australia to train, attract and retain appropriate teachers for rural, regional and remote communities. If we are going to ensure the equitable distribution of skilled teachers in these schools it is time to try something radically different.

Now that’s a debate worth having.

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 // STEM

STEM-savvy students DR JANE HUNTER OF THE STEM EDUCATION FUTURES RESEARCH CENTRE DISCUSSES HOW AN INCREASED FOCUS ON STEM IN THE EARLY YEARS OF SCHOOLING IS PREPARING A GENERATION OF SWITCHED ON STUDENTS READY TO TACKLE THE STEM SUBJECTS IN THEIR SECONDARY YEARS.

Dr Jane Hunter is a former primary and high school teacher. She is currently conducting a series of funded research studies to build teacher capacity in STEM and STEAM in NSW, ACT and Victorian schools. Her work reinforces the importance of teacher professional learning and building teacher capacity through ongoing school-university partnerships. The pedagogical framework featured in her recent book Technology Integration and High Possibility Classrooms: Building from TPACK is leading change in schools and was developed through deep studies of practice in Australian teachers’ classrooms.

Dr Hunter also teaches pre-service teachers in the School of Education at the University of Technology Sydney. In March 2019 she received the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Social Impact in Teaching and Learning. She is a requested academic partner to schools and a regular keynote speaker at national and international education conferences.

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While it is fair to say that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) conversation has mostly revolved around secondary school education in Australia, there has been increasing recognition that activating interest in the STEM disciplines needs to start from the early years of schooling. Primary school students recognise that the STEM subjects they are taught using student-centred pedagogies provide them with opportunities to develop team working, problem solving and mastery skills. Principals, teachers and primary school communities are crucial for activating their students’ enthusiasm and academic interest in the STEM disciplines.

The Australian Government’s Office of the Chief Scientist has been relentless in creating a sense of urgency to advance societal knowledge in STEM since 2012. Central to these calls to action are beliefs that too few students are taking high levels of Mathematics and Science in secondary schools; too many STEM teachers are either unqualified to teach the disciplines well or are in an ageing cohort; and that efforts to maximise end-of-school results by taking STEM subjects may come at the expense of higher Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) scores.

NEW RESEARCH Two studies conducted in NSW public schools over the past three years have demonstrated that when primary school teachers integrate the STEM disciplines using the High Possibility Classrooms pedagogical framework they foster inquiry, projectbased approaches and design thinking. These studies were part of several large-scale research

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projects designed to build teacher capacity and confidence in the STEM disciplines. Thirty-seven teachers and 1000 students from eight primary schools in diverse communities in Western and South Western Sydney participated in a series of focus groups across a 10-week period.

STEM was viewed by these primary school students as preparation for secondary school and broader career choices. There was recognition that their teachers were building their knowledge for possible future career options. And, for the majority of girls, seeing how STEM linked across the disciplines facilitated more autonomy and self-direction.

Findings from the studies demonstrate that students aged 5 to 12 years old develop more enthusiasm for content knowledge in STEM subjects, have a greater willingness to experiment and engage in hands-on learning, and are more readily able to see the benefits of being part of an effective team to solve complex problems when their teachers actively integrate the four disciplines. In particular, as primary school students come closer to attending secondary school they have strong beliefs about what they like and don’t like about STEM, and what they regard as their favourite STEM experiences.

WHAT DO PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS LIKE ABOUT STEM? Students’ responses fell into four distinct areas: the most common theme was teamwork; this was followed by the opportunities that STEM provided for making and building using hands-on approaches; next, it increased their opportunities

Theory

Findings from the studies demonstrate that students aged 5 to 12 years old develop more enthusiasm for content knowledge in STEM subjects, have a greater willingness to experiment and engage in hands-on learning, and are more readily able to see the benefits of being part of an effective team to solve complex problems when their teachers actively integrate the four disciplines.

to make friends with other students in the same year group; and last, they liked using the real equipment of STEM (e.g. digital thermometers, water-testing kits, microscopes and circuitry boards). When questioned more about hands-on approaches, students explained that it gave them a sense of the scale of things, and they liked using recycled materials as this was a way of being resourceful, and building or creating something that wasn’t there before. The social aspect afforded by STEM learning and working in larger class groups was significant; this comment was typical: “I like that we get to make friends during the process of making the machines – being in a new group that we have not worked in before. Making new friends when we focus on STEM is great,” says Kikki, aged 11.

WHAT DON’T THEY LIKE ABOUT STEM? Although the older primary students were generally much more vocal about what they liked about STEM,

Public Learning

Creativity

HPC

High Possibility Classrooms

Life Preparation

Contextual Accommodations

High Possibility Classrooms is a new model for technology enhanced learning. It has five conceptions (pictured above) and 22 underpinning themes of teaching strategies and student learning processes.

when asked about less-positive aspects they would describe frustrations in what they were doing or trying to ‘master’, rather than the nature of the subject matter itself. Typically, they said there was never enough time do STEM: “I didn’t like packing up. We only just got started… teachers don’t make enough time for us to do this kind of work.”

FAVOURITE STEM EXPERIENCES These primary students offered varied responses when asked what were their top STEM lessons.

There was the repeated liking of building chain reactions and constructing the Farmbot style devices and simple circuits. One student described the simple video she made of a circuit; another created a page-turner, while others referred to the tooth brusher device. Expressions of joy and creativity were common responses, for example: “Working with the circuits – complex but great fun. Being able to see how electricity was created and being able to fix things to make them work.”

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FINAL REMARKS In most Australian primary schools, teachers are deemed generalists in that they are required to teach at least six key curriculum areas. The integration of STEM subjects is therefore not reflected comprehensively in school reporting.

Its relegation to weeklong sessions, small projects, or a series of single lessons acts as a major impediment.

What is clear from this recent research on STEM in NSW primary schools is that there is a whole wave of enthusiastic, capable and independent students who are STEM-keen as they anticipate high school.

It’s now up to secondary schools to carry that motivation and engagement forward. Our STEM-savvy primary school students are expecting it.

“When we go on to high school and when we do group activities or engineering activities, we know how it will work and how to work together and how to do research… that gives us a head start,” says Sandra, aged 12.

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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 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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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // EXCEL LOCKERS

Lock it in COMBINING DESIGN AESTHETIC WITH MAXIMUM DURABILITY, EXCEL LOCKERS’ RANGE OF SCHOOL LOCKERS HAS BEEN A WELCOME ADDITION TO NUMEROUS SCHOOLS ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

A locker manufacturer and installer, Excel Lockers was established by Tony Downes in 2006, bringing his decades of industry experience to the business.

Brisbane based, Excel supplies its products nationwide.

Excel’s range is manufactured using the latest in computer-controlled machinery and installed by passionate staff who take a keen interest in how they look and function.

Well known for their versatility and quality, the school locker range has been designed for optimum strength and durability. Together with their robust construction, they feature heavy-duty recessed padlock fittings and heavy-duty hinges.

“Excel provides a heavy-duty option for schools which are durable and long-lasting, ensuring they can withstand whatever students throw their way,” says National Sales Manager, John Lupton.

At Excel, quality and service go hand in hand.

According to Mr Lupton, a major drawcard for the business is its personal touch and ability to provide tailored solutions based on each school’s specific requirements.

“We take a real interest in each of our projects to ensure we deliver exactly what our customers need, not just what’s on the tender. This ensures the architects and the school can work together to provide students with the best possible solution,” he says.

A few years ago, Oxley College in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales purchased a number of lockers to match its house

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The school locker range is designed with strength and durability in mind.

colours. Pleased with the results, the school recently added more lockers to accommodate student growth. Excel also supplied lockers for its Oxley Junior College campus. Tailored to suit primary school-aged children, these lockers were manufactured in a shorter height.

Excel has now provided locker solutions for numerous schools including Sydney Church of England Grammar School, Reddam House School in Bondi, Cammeraygal High School on Sydney’s North Shore and St John Fisher College in Brisbane.

“We are involved in projects in the very early stages, advising architects on designs and how we can build into what they are trying to achieve. Though we aren’t the biggest locker manufacturer, our major point of difference is in our personal touch. Excel is involved at every stage of the design process, right through to the final installation, so that school and students are provided with a finished product they can be proud of,” reveals Mr Lupton.

And Peter Sultana, Business Manager at St John Fisher College, agrees. Excel built and installed over 600 lockers for the school. “The

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design phase was detailed, Excel staff listened to our needs and designed a locker that suited the college. Excel designed a locker that met the needs of our students, rather than an alternative of modifying our needs to suit an off-theshelf package. This gave us a better product, appreciated by our students and used effectively to store books, equipment and clothing. The lockers are well designed, well built and stylish.

All the people we dealt with, from sales to design to installation, listened to us, were authentic and delivered a product that was truly bespoke.”

Lockers can be finished in a broad range of colours, and timber-based designs can be custom made in any size or configuration. The business can also advise on which lockers are best suited to each school’s needs. All Excel lockers are covered by a seven-year warranty.

Buyer’s Guide Excel Lockers Ph: 0408 886 346 Email: john@excellockers.com.au Web: www.excellockers.com.au

PGL ADVENTURE CAMPS // BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Adventures in the great outdoors THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT EDUCATION EXTENDS BEYOND THE SCHOOL GROUNDS AND THAT STUDENTS NEED TO PUSH THEIR BOUNDARIES, STEP OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONES AND BE CHALLENGED. AS PGL ADVENTURE CAMPS EXPLAINS, SCHOOL CAMPS OFFER PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DO ALL OF THIS.

According to PGL, it is important for students to be able to develop mentally and physically, acquire new skills and learn to deal with situations outside their usual range of experience.

Established in 1957, PGL (named after its founder Peter Gordon Lawrence) offers residential adventure camps for school children and young people at three sites in Australia: two in Victoria (Camp Rumbug, South Gippsland and Campaspe Downs, Kyneton) and one in Queensland (Kindilan, Redland Bay near Brisbane).

The PGL philosophy is founded on the idea that outdoor adventure activities are an effective pathway to improved confidence, enthusiasm for learning and positive attitudes which translate into more motivated, better achieving individuals.

PGL offers a range of outdoor adventure-based programs suitable for primary and secondary schools and for small numbers of students up to whole year groups. Its programs include: ACTIVITY CAMP There are four one-and-a-half-hour activity sessions each day, to challenge, motivate and

inspire – on land, water and in the air. Students enjoy activities such as climbing, abseiling, canoeing, raft building and flying fox. All activities are designed to challenge, develop new skills and motivate each individual.

STUDY SKILLS RETREAT This new course gives students the opportunity to spend time away from the school environment to learn, reflect and connect with senior teachers and peers, while developing important skills for study. It’s a specialised program designed to teach resilience, perseverance and, importantly, when to ask for help. PGL Study Skills Retreat helps keep students motivated, focussed and engaged, with a unique combination of adventure activities and teacher-led study time.

CAMP OUT EXPERIENCE In the supported setting of PGL camps, students immerse themselves in learning about the natural Australian bush environment, camping in the great outdoors, in PGL’s own bushland with the help of experienced PGL leaders. It’s a 24-hour

At Campaspe Downs in Kyneton, students enjoy various activities including canoeing.

outdoor experience which introduces camping skills (including cooking) and outdoor living. This is a back-to-nature experience to help develop mindfulness, resilience and leadership skills, in a typical bush setting.

Every PGL adventure camp has a dedicated, trained team of activity instructors and staff who provide support and encouragement so that everyone gets the most out of their stay.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES All PGL adventure camps include accommodation, adventure activities, evening entertainment and support from the PGL camp team. Free places for teachers and accompanying adults are given in the ratio of one to every 10 students.

Accommodation is provided in cabins, platform tents, roundhouse lodges and safari huts, depending on the camp.

Buyer’s Guide PGL Adventure Camps Ph: 1300 859 895 Email: info@pgladventurecamps.com.au Web: www.pgladventurecamps.com.au

PGL runs residential adventure camps at three Australian locations.

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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, wholescale 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

Minister for Education // THE LAST WORD

World-class education Minister for Education, the Hon. Dan Tehan MP discusses how the Australian Government is working to ensure that every Australian child, no matter where they live, has access to a world-class education.

The Australian Government is providing record, needs-based funding of $307.7 billion for state schools, Catholic schools and independent schools.

We can pay for our plan without increasing taxes by $200 billion and hitting retirees in the hip pocket.

In education, we are addressing three key areas: • School reform • Improving teacher quality • Improving Indigenous and regional education outcomes

SCHOOL REFORM The Australian Government is investing in education and providing real, needs-based funding. We are providing an extra $36.7 billion nationwide.

Parents want to know money being invested on educating their children is delivering results.

We believe that record money flowing into schools won’t improve one student’s education if that money is not invested wisely. That is why school funding goes hand-in-hand with education reforms.

The Australian Government has signed a National School Reform Agreement with every state and territory government. This is a national endeavour that commits all governments to providing the best opportunities for students and support for teachers in every school. The Australian Government will: • Enhance the Australian Curriculum so teachers and schools can better target teaching to meet unique demands of students and the community.

• Create a unique student identifier so that we can track the performance of students to provide a clear indication of where they may be lagging and what can be done to address that.

• Establish a new national evidence institute to drive improvements in teaching practice, school systems and policies.

We are also leading a project to update Australia’s goals for education, called the Melbourne Declaration. Over the last ten years, major economic, social and technological changes have been reshaping employment, the economy, society and individuals. Given these changes, it’s timely to have a frank discussion about Australia’s future education system. Updating the declaration will chart the course for everything we do in education over the next ten years.

We need an education system that meets the needs of every Australian, no matter where they live and no matter where they learn. Updating our education goals will involve consultation with parents, teachers and principals across Australia about how we can improve our education system.

Everyone has a stake in our education system and everyone should be heard.

IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY Teachers are critical to a successful education.

That means listening to them as we update the Melbourne Declaration. It also means supporting them to succeed and ensuring they are of the highest quality.

The Australian Government is ensuring the next generation of teachers will be better prepared to provide a top-class education from day one. Every teaching student must now pass a test that puts them in the top 30 per cent of the adult population for literacy and numeracy before they can graduate. Starting this year, trainee teachers will also be required to pass a teaching performance assessment before they graduate. Like passing a driving test before being allowed on the road, teachers will be assessed on things like managing challenging behaviour and teaching literacy and numeracy, before they’re allowed in the classroom.

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IMPROVING INDIGENOUS AND REGIONAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES We recognise the value of improving Indigenous educational outcomes to close the gap. To do so we are providing an additional $5.3 billion to support more than 224,000 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students through the Indigenous loading component of our schools funding package.

The Australian Government will waive all or part of the HELP debt for 3100 students who commit to teach and stay teaching in very remote areas.

We will provide an extra $200 million to give more Indigenous students the support and mentoring they need through their secondary studies. And we will work with individual communities and individual schools to invest $5 million for projects that support and promote school attendance.

But delivering real, needs-based funding is only half the job, and that is why our record funding is matched by national reforms that will drive better results and outcomes. The Australian Government believes that growing up in the country should not be a disadvantage. We are providing $69.8 billion for remote schools, and our reforms through the National School Reform Agreement, updated Melbourne Declaration and improved teacher standards all have a focus on regional education.

The Australian Government believes a quality education should be available to everyone because education changes lives. This is what we will continue to strive towards.

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THE LAST WORD // Australian Education Union

It’s time for real equity in public school funding Australia has a history of deep inequality when it comes to public school funding, writes Federal President of the Australian Education Union (AEU), Correna Haythorpe.

All children deserve the best start in life when it comes to their education. However fairness has not always been a priority for political decision makers when determining school funding policies.

One recent example of this was a report which revealed that 85 per cent of private schools around Australia in 2016 received more public funding than public schools.

This trend has only been exacerbated by the Australian Government and its 2017 changes to the Australian Education Act, which have had a detrimental effect on public school funding. This has delivered a $14 billion cut to public school funding over the next decade, which is nothing less than scandalous.

At the end of 2018, the new bilateral funding agreements brokered by the Australian Government with the states and territories made things even worse. In effect they mean that 99 per cent of public schools will not have sufficient funding to cater for all students by 2023. That’s more than 2.5 million students in total not getting the funding they need.

Conversely, the Australian Government’s $4.6 billion private school special funding deal means that 99 per cent of private schools will be at or above the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by 2023.

Add to this a private school deal of $1.9 billion for capital works and not one extra dollar for public schools.

How can anyone look at these school funding figures and describe the current arrangements under the Australian Government as fair?

On any reckoning, they are completely unfair.

The vast majority of Australian students attend a public school under a funding system that does not meet their needs.

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AEU members are already feeling the effects of school funding inequity. According to the AEU’s latest ‘State of our Schools’ online survey, more than nine in ten public school teachers used their own money to purchase supplies for their school or students in 2018.

Of this number, nearly eight in ten public school teachers purchased stationery or classroom equipment, while nearly half of public school teachers bought library resources and textbooks.

They do so to provide much needed resources to their students in the face of funding shortages.

In addition, almost nine in ten public school principals said that fundraising and voluntary contributions were important to their school budget, with three in ten public schools using fundraising for basic infrastructure maintenance.

With the Australian Government setting in legislation a 20 per cent cap on the Commonwealth’s share of the SRS for public schools, while it provides 80 per cent of the SRS for private schools, it is no wonder that inequity abounds.

It should not be up to public school teachers to fund their students’ education. When public school principals are forced to use parent fundraising for basic building maintenance, we need to ask serious questions as to why the Australian Government is redirecting funding to the already advantaged private sector and away from the system with the greatest need.

Equitable funding is a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving educational outcomes. The OECD Equity and Quality in Education report makes the firm statement that high-performing systems also have high equity in funding, and that is vital to ensure that all

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This trend has only been exacerbated by the Australian Government and its 2017 changes to the Australian Education Act, which have had a detrimental effect on public school funding. This has delivered a $14 billion cut to public school funding over the next decade, which is nothing less than scandalous.

students have the opportunity to develop to their potential. Only when this equitable funding is in place can we focus on systemic educational reform. The funding issue is just too important.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has one last opportunity to restore fairness and equity to school funding – the Federal Budget.

Public schools deserve better treatment than the billions of dollars in funding cuts delivered by the Australian Government.

It’s time for public schools to have a Federal Government that puts public students first.

National Excellence in School Leadership Institute // THE LAST WORD

Supporting our educators New Director of Education and Evaluation at the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) and lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Dr Anna Dabrowski, discusses the need for schools to place a greater focus on teacher and principal wellbeing.

At the end of February, results of the 2018 Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey were released. The research indicated that more than half of our principals work upwards of 56 hours a week, and one in three reported significant stress from their occupation.

On top of this, close to half had been threatened with violence by parents or students, while over one third had experienced actual physical violence and assault in their role.

Research indicates that the teaching profession is one of the most stressful professions within which to work, and attrition rates in Australia are starting to seriously suffer. Being yelled at by parents, being bullied by your students (and sometimes colleagues), operating in a stage of constant triage, all while trying to understand how to produce data informed outcomes? Welcome to the teaching profession. Challenges and pressures come from parents and students, but also from policy mandates and an ever-changing system, and educators often rate their wellbeing as lower than other comparative social professions.

When I undertook my own teaching degree, there was nothing to prepare me for the realities of the classroom, particularly if you end up in a school that is starved for resources, or too far away to be supported in times of crisis. It’s therefore not surprising that attrition rates are dismal and wellbeing levels are continuing to slide. While we continue to obsess over the performance of students on national and international assessments, not enough is being done to support teacher and principal wellbeing.

Schools across Australia have embraced wellbeing initiatives to support individual students, and to foster a sense of belonging and community.

Mindfulness mechanisms can be found in many schools, in light of increasing concerns around depression and anxiety in young people in Australia, as well as to combat bullying and to restore respectful relationships. However, while the importance of wellbeing is usually acknowledged at a staff level, we are clearly not doing enough.

Research tells us time and time again that if your employees are happy and being well looked after, you get more positive results. The teaching profession is no different. In order to lift academic achievement and student wellbeing, you must first address the wellbeing of your principals and teachers as a matter of urgency.

Although educators face enormous challenges in their roles, the difficulty of the profession can be eased through positive relationships with students, parents, colleagues and leadership, which in turn, can have an affirmative influence on educators’ sense of wellbeing. The relationships within schools, and the resultant reciprocity created through bonds, norms and trust are often missing in a profession struggling with overload and burnout.

My recent review of NESLI’s Staff Wellbeing Toolkit confirms this point. Based on extensive research into the duress facing the education profession, and in collaboration with psychologists and educators, the toolkit aims to equip schools with a way to embed wellbeing support within the school structure. From a sample of more than 6000 participants, the main concern cited by Australian educators was not threats from parents, uses of data, or even a high workload: it was loneliness.

The stresses of the job were seen as impacting on personal and professional relationships, and reducing the possibilities to be an engaged parent, partner or friend. The resultant lack of confidence,

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guilt and shame that teachers and members of the education profession described was striking, and the anxiety around forming new relationships, or repairing lost connections with friends and family was evident. This is why the toolkit is so important – it goes beyond yoga during lunchtime, and instead focusses on the power of building positive relationships. Encouragingly, the data and participant feedback already shows that this is a big step in the right direction.

Participating in a collaborative (and proactive) approach to building relationships and community bonds moves participants away from the reactive ‘solutions’ to educator wellbeing used in an effort to clean up the mess left by daily school life. This is not to say that trauma informed approaches to wellbeing are not of value; but they do need to become part of the structure of the school rather than a reactive response.

As a former teacher (and now lecturer, researcher and coach), I have worked with thousands of educators, from graduate to principal level, all of whom are struggling to maintain their wellbeing and relationships under the increasing weight of the profession. For this reason, I am encouraged by the approach taken by NESLI in designing and delivering the Staff Wellbeing Toolkit – but it’s just the beginning in a broader conversation around how we can best support the people who educate, guide and provide futures for our children.

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EVENTS

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 12th International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies 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-learningconference Designed for VET teaching staff, this annual conference is organised by the VET Development Centre (VDC).

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, 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.

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EDUTECH 5-7 June 2019 International Convention Centre, Sydney, NSW Web: www.edutech.net.au The largest education event in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing professionals together to learn, debate, exchange ideas and be inspired.

EDUBUILD 5-7 June 2019 International Convention Centre, Sydney, NSW Web: www.edubuild.net.au 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 we can make to get there.

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,

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scientists, engineers and scholar students to share ideas and research about education, learning and training; and discuss challenges and solutions.

ALEA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 9-12 July 2019 Pullman Melbourne on the Park, VIC Web: www.englishliteracyconference.com.au The 2019 Australian Literacy Educators’ Association’s National Conference will be centred around the theme of ‘Literacy Empowering Voices: Reflecting the Past, Viewing the Present, Scripting the Future’.

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’.

DIGICON 25-26 July 2019 Catholic Leadership Centre, East Melbourne, VIC Web: digicon.vic.edu.au This two-day conference for teachers will have speakers discussing a range of topics including STEM, Digital Technologies Curriculum and emerging technologies.

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.

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 Education Show is a professional development event for principals, school leaders and educators.

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