Education Matters Secondary April-September 2021

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

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ENCOURAGING THE NEXT GENERATION TO SUCCEED Principally Speaking: St Margaret’s Anglican School Preparing students for the future The importance of wellbeing Proudly supported by the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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Few educators could have imagined a year like 2020. When COVID-19 struck, teachers and students across the nation were forced to move to an online classroom, adapting to a new way of learning and teaching in a matter of weeks.

Term three saw further rapid changes when Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced a state of emergency, enforcing remote learning for six weeks of the term.

With students feeling the pressures of online learning – all while, dealing with the collective trauma of a pandemic – many teachers made their wellbeing a core focus.

Chief Executive Officer of Education Services, Andrew Smith, says it is important to understand how the legacy of COVID-19 will continue to affect education in Australia. He says the goal now is to identify opportunities to build a more resilient education system, one that is prepared to meet the challenges the future (see page 47).

Publisher: Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au

Adding to the challenges of remote learning, educators focused on keeping students safe online with the increased used of technology during the pandemic. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant emphasises that in moving education online, schools across the country faced significant challenges.

This included how to transition daily classroom activities while protecting not only students, but also staff and the school community, from online dangers (see page 48).

Managing Editor: Sarah Baker sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au

Keeping connected online however, became pivotal in ensuring students felt happy, safe and engaged in their school work.

Tech adoption in the classroom has increased over the past two decades with interactive whiteboards, tablets, and laptops replacing chalkboards, textbooks, and clunky desktop computers of the traditional classroom.

As a result of the pandemic, technology assumed an even greater role in the education of students today.

At the height of the COVID-19 outbreak, over 1.5 billion children across the world (according to World Bank) were taken out of the classroom because of school closures, which, in turn, forced the widespread adoption of remote teaching technologies and the suspension of in-class teaching.

As lockdowns eased and schools started to reopen across the world, new technologies opened up ways to transform practices, structures, and even cultures in schools.

Children who start school from now on will grow up to be workers and leaders in a digital-first world that will demand new skills and new ways of thinking.

To succeed in life and at work, they will need all the social, emotional, and academic support they can get via flexible learning experiences that will differ vastly from their parents.

Whether classrooms ever return to how they were before COVID-19, or a more hybrid online approach will become the new norm, technology will be at the centre of the educational experience.

It’s a pleasure to join you for this edition of Education Matters – Secondary. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please email me at molly.hancock@primecreative.com.au. You can also sign up to our fortnightly email newsletter, The Whiteboard, by visiting our website educationmattersmag.com.au.

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Editor: Molly Hancock molly.hancock@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager: Michelle Weston Art Director: Blake Storey Designers: Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Advertising: Danny Hernandez danny.hernandez@primecreative.com.au 0431 330 232 Client Success Manager: Justine Nardone Education Matters is a division of Prime Creative Media Pty. Ltd. 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne 3205 Ph: (+61 3) 9690 8766 Fax: (+61 3) 9682 0044 Subscriptions Education Matters is available by subscription from the publisher.

The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher.

Ph: (+61 3) 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format.

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

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

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contents

SECONDARY APRIL - SEPTEMBER

REGULARS

Editor’s note 5

Buyer’s Guide

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News

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ASPA column

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

In this edition’s Australian Secondary Principals’ Association column, President Andrew Pierpoint is joined

by Monash University Lecturer, Dr Amanda Heffernan, to discuss the challenges of attracting and retaining school leaders in hard-to-staff schools.

Principally Speaking

Ros Curtis, Principal of St Margaret’s Anglican school in Brisbane, speaks about how the school’s philosophy helps ensure its practices best prepare its students for their futures.

knowledge is one of the strongest predictors of literacy outcomes across the school years, according to Dr Clarance Green.

34 The important role of supervising teachers to improve Indigenous educational outcomes

42 Paving the way for educational justice through reconciliation

Sharon Davis is a proud Aboriginal woman from both Bardi and Kija peoples of the Kimberley who is committed to enhancing education experiences for Aboriginal students, families and communities.

The Last Word

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Events

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A calendar of upcoming education events happening around Australia.

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CEO of the Australian Curriculum David de Carvalho; Chief Executive Officer of Education Services Andrew Smith; eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant; and Senior Research Fellow with the University of South Australia Dr Dorothea Dumuid; offer opinion pieces on a variety of topical subjects.

32 Selecting words for teaching print?

Consider productive oral language vocabularyVocabulary

Dr Tracy Woodroffe explains the power of equipping preservice teachers with sufficient experience in Indigenous context.

Hot Topic: Impacts of COVID-19

There have been numerous reports and a great deal of research highlighting the growing number of young people struggling with literacy. Education Matters speaks to several experts for an in-depth discussion of the issue.

FEATURES

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BUYER’S GUIDE

TECHNOLOGY

CURRICULUM

36 MusicEDU: The MusicEDU Suite

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38 Road Smart: Road safety begins with the next

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STEAM

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

26 Australian Teacher Aide: Building the

40 Modern Teaching Aids: Curriculum-aligned digital learning platforms Learn how a blended approach of physical and virtual robotics programs can help build students’ STEAM skills and equip them for the jobs of the future.

capability of education support staff in schools Australian Teacher Aide, a national professional learning organisation, examines the research on the preparedness of education support staff, and highlights how three Australian schools are building the capability of their support teams.

28 EdPartnerships International: Partnering, colearning and capacity building EdPartnerships, a team of highly qualified and experienced educators who bring a strong partnering approach to their co-design and leadership of research, professional learning and in-school capacity building.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

HEALTH & WELLBEING

34 MacKillop Institute: The ReLATE model The MacKillop Institute’s Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments (ReLATE) model is a traumainformed approach that supports schools and systems to create real and measurable change in culture and practice, leading to improved teaching, learning and wellbeing.

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23 Epson: Education projectors A new era in collaborative learning, Epson interactive projectors are the perfect ultra-short-throw projector for today’s bring your own device classroom. With brilliant widescreen resolution, plus advanced network connectivity and wireless performance, these projectors make it easy to share larger-than-life lessons and control the projector remotely.

44 Jands: Audio, lighting and staging solutions Jands’ stage lighting, staging and venue engineering solutions can turn a multipurpose, traditional school hall into an advanced performance space with moving lights, wireless microphones and custom stage machinery.

NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

Non-state QLD schools receive boost More than 40 independent and Catholic schools will be able to make $45 million worth of capital improvements thanks to a Queensland Government capital injection.

Education Minister Grace Grace announced the third of four instalments of non-state school capital assistance, which will eventually total $100 million in 2020-21.

“These funds will continue to provide new, modern learning facilities for young Queenslanders no matter where they go to school,” Grace said.

“And as Queensland’s economy continues to open up and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a continuing pipeline of work for local tradies.”

The grants range from $18,500 to almost $3.7 million, and will go to schools from Cooktown in the north to Normanton in the west, and south to Tallebudgera.

The funds are made available on the

recommendations of the two non-state schooling sector Capital Assistance Authorities – the Queensland Catholic Capital Assistance Authority and the Queensland Independent Schools Block Grant Authority.

Schools typically use the funds for a wide range of important works such as new buildings including specialist classrooms, libraries, canteens and sports courts.

Funds can also be used for refurbishing or converting existing facilities, improvements to schools ground including pick-up and set-down areas, covered walkways and landscaping.

Grace stated that the funds were part of the Queensland Government’s record $1.9 billion spend on school infrastructure in 2020-21, supporting almost 4800 jobs.

“This builds on our record investment of $5.2 billion in school infrastructure spending we have

Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace.

delivered since 2015,” she said.

“This includes building 13 new schools with another nine on the way.” EM

More students to benefit from school breakfast program

Breakfast program reaps rewards for Victorian students.

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The school breakfast clubs program has reached a milestone with 1000 schools now participating across Victoria.

As a result of the program, which is delivered in partnership with Foodbank Victoria, provides free breakfasts for kids at participating Victorian schools, allowing more students are able to learn with a full stomach and get the most out of school.

Minister for Education James Merlino announced that the school breakfast clubs program has so far served more than 15 million meals to students since it was established in 2016.

“We know that kids can’t learn properly on an empty stomach – that’s why we expanded School Breakfast Clubs program to 1000 schools to help the students who need it most,” Merlino said.

“The School Breakfast Clubs program has gone from strength to strength making sure more students have access to healthy meals no matter what their background or circumstance.”

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The Labor Government has invested $58 million to expand the program by doubling the number of participating schools from 500 to 1000, providing lunches and school holiday supplies to those most in need and will begin delivering cooking classes for parents and children at 100 schools in 2021.

Despite the impacts of COVID-19 during Term 2 and 3 in 2020, more than 2.5 million meals were delivered to students, and a further 1.2. million meals provided in Term 4.

Foodbank Victoria chief executive officer Dave McNamara further added that the school breakfast clubs program provides more than just nutritious food – it improves concentration, builds social skills, and gives kids a better chance to create a bright future for themselves through learning.

“Since 2016, Foodbank Victoria has been proud to deliver this vital program providing healthy meals to kids who might otherwise go without, giving them a happy, healthy start to the day,” McNamara said. EM

Department of Transport

NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

Education sector welcomes new minister Alan Tudge has been appointed as the new Minister for Education and Youth following the Federal cabinet reshuffle before Christmas.

Replacing Dan Tehan, who is now Minister for Trade, Tudge brings a wide range of experience and insight to his new role.

“Alan Tudge will become Minister for Education and Youth with a clear brief of improving education outcomes and helping younger Australians navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing world,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined.

“In recognition of the importance the Government places on driving down unemployment, Luke Howarth will become Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services.”

Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) offered its thanks to Minister Tehan for his work as

the Minister for Education.

“The APPA has enjoyed a positive working relationship with Minister Tehan in his nearly two years in the education portfolio and we greatly appreciate the support and recognition that the Minister has given to the education sector during his term,” APPA president Malcolm Elliott said.

“Minister Tehan’s awareness and attention to equity and fairness in education, particularly in a nation which has such a socially and geographically diverse student population as Australia, is respected across the sector.”

In welcoming Tudge to his new role, Elliott described education as a vital plank in the platform of nation building.

“The APPA looks forward to continuing on with the positive relationship it has enjoyed with the

federal government and to working with the new Minister to delivering the world class education that every Australian student deserves.” he said.

In addition, Universities Australia chair professor Deborah Terry said the pandemic has hit Australia hard, with Universities Australia looking forward to working with Minister Tudge, ensuring students and future generations receive a world class education.”

“Australia will need even more new ideas, new skills and new jobs to power economic and community recovery. Universities are the engine rooms of that renewal,” Terry said.

“Universities thank outgoing Minister Dan Tehan for his consultative and highly accessible approach to the sector during a period of significant challenge for universities and the communities we serve.” EM

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Key methods to consistent high progress in NAPLAN Explicit teaching, collaborating on the analysis of formative assessment data, and focused professional learning – these are some of the practices that are prevalent in schools that consistently deliver high progress in NAPLAN. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has recently updated the profiles of schools that consistently deliver high progress in reading, writing and numeracy.

ACARA chief executive officer David de Carvalho highlighted that looking for approaches that are prevalent in these schools can bring to light practices that have potential for wider application.

“It’s a contribution to the evidence on what works to improve literacy and numeracy achievement,” de Carvalho said.

The 24 schools profiled are, however, not necessarily those that achieve high average results, which are often strongly correlated with socio-educational advantage.

“Instead, what we’ve done is approach schools that, taking into account where their students were two years previously as well as the school’s level of socioeducational advantage, have achieved progress that is above what you’d expect.

And they are doing it consistently, year after year,” he said.

“So, the focus is on schools that are doing something intentional and systematic to achieve progress for their students.”

The schools profiled – nine for numeracy, eight for reading, and seven for writing – are from across Australia and are from government, Catholic and independent sectors. de Carvalho added that no two schools follow the same regime and there is a great diversity of practices and approaches adopted, but there are also key lessons to be learnt.

“The information provided by the schools indicates that some of them do use similar methods,” he said.

In addition, a number of the schools profiled also made it clear that they do not do any special preparation for NAPLAN. “To this end, schools that adopt evidence-based teaching practices, are informed by data and have sustained and focused professional development are giving their students the best chance to progress in their learning,” de Carvalho concluded. EM

ACARA reveals strategies to unlocking outstanding NAPLAN results.

ASPA COLUMN //

Principal attraction and retention in hard-to-staff schools DR AMANDA HEFFERNAN FROM MONASH UNIVERSITY AND PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY PRINCIPALS’ ASSOCIATION ANDREW PIERPOINT EXPLORE WHY ATTENTION IS INCREASINGLY BEING PAID TO THE CHALLENGES OF ATTRACTING AND RETAINING SCHOOL LEADERS IN ‘HARD-TO-STAFF’ SCHOOLS IN AUSTRALIA.

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Andrew Pierpoint is President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association – the peak body for School Leaders across Australia. He previously was President of the Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association for four (4) years.

Andrew has had extensive experience, over 37 years, 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, Andrew 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.

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Dr Amanda Heffernan is an expert in educational leadership in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Her research focuses on the contemporary challenges of principals’ work, and what that means for how we can better attract, support, and keep school leaders within the profession. She has a particular interest in leadership in complex school settings, including those in rural and remote areas, and the skills and knowledges that are needed to successfully lead those schools.

Amanda is a former public-school principal who now works with future and current leaders, policymakers, and international researchers to highlight the important and complex work of educational leadership today. She is an award-winning researcher and public speaker.

education matters secondary

Hard-to-staff schools tend to be those in rural or remote areas, and those in communities that are historically disadvantaged.

These schools – which could represent vastly different context and communities - are often grouped together in policy and research but in reality, we know that the challenges, opportunities, and experiences involved for leaders in these different contexts are vastly different.

What influences someone to come to, stay in, or leave one school will be very different than the influences on those decisions in a different context.

For example, we both have experience in leading rural and city schools.

The choices and motivations that initially led us to those positions were very different, as well as the challenges we faced, and the reasons we eventually moved on.

To develop sustainable and effective policy and practice in this area, we need to have more nuanced understandings of the importance and influence of these contextual issues on principals’ career decisions.

Policy and practice can then be built around the realities of what makes people become principals and why they stay or leave their schools.

PRINCIPAL WORKLOAD, STRESS, AND BURNOUT Our recent research into the work of Australia’s secondary school principals raised a number of critical concerns for us about principal wellbeing, and for leaders’ ability to remain happy and healthy in their roles in the current climate of schooling.

We have seen increasing complexity of leadership roles in schools, alongside the intensification and extension of principals’ work.

The intensification of work (increased intensity, complexity, and pace) and extension of work (into

personal time) have serious implications for principal attraction and retention.

First of all, we heard from a large number of participants in our study that the role is allencompassing and overwhelming.

We heard that principals felt they would be physically unable to continue in the role for more than a few more years.

They described the physical and mental health ramifications of the type of work they were doing, as well as the emotional intensity of that work.

Participants also spoke at length about the implications of these issues for their own personal relationships – and, consequently, how their relationships and families influenced their career planning and trajectory as principals.

Alongside the issues our research findings raise for the potential retention of principals, they hold significant implications for the attraction of future principals.

The principals in our study consistently raised concerns about the ‘pipeline’ into the Principalship.

Many of them described conversations with their

own deputy principals or middle leaders – those who would normally be part of the next cohort of principals – who are observing the intensification and extension of the Principalship and are opting out, choosing instead to remain in their current positions where they feel they can balance life and work more effectively.

They note that they are still able to shape the strategic direction of the school and engage in meaningful leadership work, without having to take on the responsibility and pressure of the principalship.

OUR NEXT STEPS IN EXPLORING THIS ISSUE These issues raise a number of next steps for us. We want to identify key issues that influence principals’ career decisions and which have implications for the attraction and retention of leaders in hard-to-staff schools.

We want to find areas where the intensification and extension of leaders’ work can be reduced, so that the job is manageable within reasonable working hours and so that leaders’ health and wellbeing is not compromised by the important work they do.

We believe that these are vital issues to address

for many reasons.

We have evidence that higher rates of principal turnover are linked to student outcomes, higher rates of teacher turnover, and lower community engagement and cohesion.

We also place great importance on what principal turnover tells us about principal health and wellbeing.

Our work is driven by trying to find ways to make principals feel supported, capable, and able to thrive in their jobs.

Our next project will commence early this year, building upon the research findings we described above.

We are focusing on developing an evidence base to address these issues within the Australian context.

We will speak to current, aspiring, and former leaders to better understand the influences on their career decisions – why they want to be principals, why they stay in the job, and why they have left.

These insights will enable us to more clearly identify areas where policy and practice need to be improved in relation to supporting and developing principals, and addressing the particularities of issues facing leaders in different contexts. EM

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // ST MARGARET’S ANGLICAN SCHOOL

Creating the the right environment for staff and students to thrive ROS CURTIS, PRINCIPAL OF ST MARGARET’S ANGLICAN SCHOOL IN BRISBANE, SPEAKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT HOW THE SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY HELPS ENSURE ITS PRACTICES BEST PREPARE ITS STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURES.

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WHAT IS THE SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY AND HOW DOES IT GUIDE YOU AND YOUR STAFF? The School’s philosophy is steeped in that of its founders – the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent.

The Sisters’ educational philosophy, based on religious principles and never narrowly academic, also actively sought to educate the whole personality, physical, mental and spiritual that the girls may live to their fullest capacity.

One of the key pillars of our strategic plan is to enrich the student experience across all these areas.

Our staff are very involved in delivering not just academic learning, but a broad range of sports, clubs and activities to benefit the education of the whole child.

The school is also guided by its six core values of passion, integrity, respect, courage, spirit and faith.

The students understand how these values are enacted and are very much embedded in all we do and the way we interact with one another.

Another key element of the school’s philosophy is called the St Margaret’s way.

There’s a way in which we strive to do things at St Margaret’s; a way in which we seek to treat people throughout our community; and a way in which we aim to serve others.

Principal Ros Curtis takes pride in the school’s emphasis on the personalisation of its student experience.

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HOW DOES THE SCHOOL DIFFER FROM OTHER SCHOOLS? First, it’s a single-sex school for girls from Pre-Prep to Year 12 (with boys welcome in Pre-Prep and Prep). As a medium-sized independent girls’ school we place an emphasis on the personalisation of the student experience. Every teacher will know every child well; every student will know the names of all their cohort.

In secondary school our Heads of Year travel with the same cohort from Year 7 to Year 12 and this adds to this personalised learning journey.

We are one of the largest full-time girls’ boarding schools in Queensland. This contrasts with some schools who offer weekly boarding. While our boarders have generous weekend leave, the full-time aspect of it means there are always many boarders in the house of a weekend with plenty of structured and unstructured activities on offer.

The school has a number of unique programs.

One is our global exchange program which, when international travel allows, offers Year 10 girls to experience an exchange for one term in one of 11 schools in six countries. Being a boarding school also opens up unique experiences to our day students to experience a different way of life both in Australia (often in regional and remote parts of the country) and overseas. This is why we call ourselves a local school with a global outlook. We are a smaller sized school

in the beautiful, safe and leafy suburb of Ascot, but our outlook prepares our students to view life and its possibilities through an expansive global lens.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL? The work of the Sisters of the Sacred Advent (SSA) who founded St Margaret’s in 1895, began in Brisbane in 1892 with the arrival of its founder, Sister Caroline Amy Balguy, who had been professed in the Anglican community of John the Baptist, Clewer, England. She came to Brisbane to do welfare work for the young women and girls, and soon realised there was also a need for schooling for girls, noting that in order to have a progressive and tolerant community, educated women are a pre-requisite.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE SCHOOL EVOLVED SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED? St Margaret’s remains very aligned to its traditions and the Sisters’ philosophy but has always evolved, seeking to respond to societal changes and ensuring its practices best prepare its students for their futures.

The school has always welcomed boarders - its first three enrolments in 1895 were boarders. It has remained true to its service of generations of daughters of rural and regional Australia since its inception and has been always recognised as a leading boarding school. Recently, in 2019 and 2020,

it was named the nation’s top boarding school (in the Australian Education Awards). The school now accepts boarders from across Australia and the world.

The school laid a strong foundation for sport in its early history. It was one of three foundation members of the Queensland Girls Secondary Schools Sports Association established in 1908 and helped found the Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Association (BSRA) in 1990 but had been rowing since the early part of the century. The school recently transformed one third of its campus to build a state-of-the-art sports precinct which caters for the curriculum and sporting offerings at the school as well as facilitating positive wellbeing through promoting an active lifestyle.

Innovation is critical in today’s educational landscape and the school is always looking to adopt or create best practice in all it offers.

The school recently has surpassed 1000 enrolments – the highest in its history.

HOW DO YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO YOUR STAFF? My job as a Principal is to focus on the quality of the student experience and within that the teaching and learning program. Therefore, I focus on the quality of staff, right from recruitment to ensuring access to growth and inspiring professional learning activities while working at St Margaret’s. Highly effective staff

St Margaret’s Anglican School is one of the largest boarding schools in Queensland.

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // ST MARGARET’S ANGLICAN SCHOOL

St Margaret’s was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of the Sacred Advent.

connection across the many areas of the school and a sense of belonging. We hold weekly staff morning teas as a common place to gather for all staff and have rituals such as random acts of kindness which again promote a culture of wellbeing.

Students have a comprehensive wellbeing program which helps foster their personal development.

A pastoral care team meet regularly to discuss student issues and every child is known, so any pastoral issues are visible to the teachers closest to that child.

WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF YOUR STUDENTS? I try to connect daily with students, whether formally n school assemblies, or most often informally – standing in line at the school café waiting for a coffee for example. The students know I am approachable and happy to engage. I try to demonstrate this though participating in activities like staff/student cricket matches, being on the sporting sidelines of a weekend, and attending music performances etc.

will ensure a strong teaching and learning program in the school. I have a very broad job description with many facets, so in many ways it’s a CEO role and my job is to be across all the areas of the school – whether that be facilities, the academic program, finance, staffing. I am constantly focused on facilitating the work of all staff in all areas and helping them achieve and celebrate the best possible outcomes.

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HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE WELLBEING AMONG YOUR STAFF AND STUDENTS? First, it’s by providing the right environment for staff and students in which to work and learn. The behaviours which encourage this are set out in the St Margaret’s way, which asks questions like, how do I want to feel when I come to school each day and how can I ensure others feel that way? Staff have a wellbeing committee which help promote

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WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACED BY TEACHERS IN THE SECONDARY SECTOR? One of the biggest challenges for teachers today is handling the anxiety of young people. Even some parents have difficulty in knowing how to deal with their child’s anxiety and look to the school for guidance and it can be very challenging. I believe there is too much systemic and societal pressure on young people to perform at a very high level; but it also can come from parental expectations as well, and it’s having a huge effect on young people.

The other is building resilience in the students (which has a close relationship to anxiety). We teach our students about it – they know all the theory, but they need to be able to build that resilience through practice. It’s the same with resilience. You need to endure some discomfort and demonstrate resilience to build it.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT EITHER AS A TEACHER OR SPECIFICALLY IN THE ROLE OF PRINCIPAL? Generally, some of my most memorable moments as an educator have been realised many years after a student has left the school. You never know when the seeds you plant come to fruition. I often

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Schools and early learning services

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think we are educating the 28-year-olds – they’ve studied, learned more about themselves and then you see that St Margaret’s influence kicking in.

Specifically, in recent years at St Margaret’s I have been very proud that we have received innovation awards for three consecutive years.

Many of these ideas have been the result of my overseas sabbatical trips and bringing back ideas based on some of the most successful educational institutions from across the globe.

Also, we were one of the leading schools with continuous reporting, which everyone is now doing; in fact, many schools looked to us for advice and guidance.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT NAPLAN AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS? I think a solid foundation in literacy and numeracy is fundamental to the educational outcomes of students, so at St Margaret’s we work hard right from Pre-Prep to ensure our students are building age-appropriate skills. The school performs well in NAPLAN – not because we teach to the test – but because we are already embedding literacy and numeracy as essential learning building blocks throughout the school’s programs.

WHAT TRAITS MAKE FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL LEADER IN EDUCATION TODAY? A principal is first and foremost the educational leader of the school. Everything the principal should focus on is the quality of the student experience and within that the teaching and learning program. However, many things feed into that, which make it a very complex operation, so a principal also needs to have oversight of everything from the quality of facilities, staff and food in the boarding house through to the effectiveness of programs. So, in many ways it’s more like a CEO role. One of the keys to that is surrounding yourself with a good senior leadership team and excellent staff across all facets of the operations and steering them to the focused goal of the student experience. EM

Applications close 30 April 2021 narragunnawali.org.au/awards

HOT TOPIC // IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON THE CLASSROOM

Macarthur Anglican School endeavour to make students feel safe, secure and happy at school.

Staying connected at school

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FEW SCHOOLS EXPECTED A YEAR LIKE 2020. EDUCATION MATTERS LOOKS AT HOW TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIPS HELPED EDUCATORS GET THROUGH THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME OF CRISIS.

Kylie Elling, the Dean of Studies at Macarthur Anglican School in Sydney New South Wales, has long known about the importance of relationships between students and teachers.

But when March 2020 brought about a lockdown in the state, meaning the school had a matter of weeks to adapt to remote learning, she says the importance of these good relationships was truly brought to the fore.

“Students need to feel safe, secure and happy before they can succeed at school,” says Elling.

“COVID-19 made us sit back and realise how much impact it really did have. It has shown us how important student wellbeing is to learning.”

COVID-19 required almost every teacher, parent and student across Australia to rapidly adjust to remote learning in 2020.

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In a matter of weeks, schools like Macarthur had to find and implement viable alternatives to the traditional modes of teaching in a physical classroom.

Australian schools were not alone. According to UNESCO, by the end of March 2020 over 1.5 billion pupils, or 87 per cent of the world’s student population, across 165 countries had been affected by school closures caused by COVID-19.

In Australia, K-12 schools experienced interruptions in every state and territory, although the extent and period of closures varied significantly across jurisdictions.

In early May, only 3 percent of children in Victorian government schools were in attendance, whereas the Northern Territory had returned to normal levels of 79 per cent.

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However, Term 3 for students and teachers in Victoria took a drastic turn when Premier Daniel Andrews announced a state of emergency, enforcing remote learning for six weeks of the term.

As a result of the rapid onset of the pandemic, many teachers found their key focus shifted from teaching all the content online, to working to connect and establish relationships with their students with increased contact.

A survey, conducted by researchers at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne, explored the challenges and opportunities experienced by teachers as classrooms moved to remote and online learning.

The survey highlighted that the rapid transition to remote learning did not leave teachers and students with much time to prepare

A survey found that three out of four of the primary and secondary school teachers said that remote learning would negatively affect students’ emotional wellbeing.

for this mode of teaching and learning, but that they nevertheless managed the task successfully.

More than half of respondent teachers from primary and secondary school – 57.85 per cent – said that n that they either somewhat or strongly agreed that students were prepared to engage in learning online in the home, while 34 per cent of teachers somewhat disagreed, or strongly disagreed that students were truly prepared..

In terms of social development and emotional wellbeing, the survey found that three out of four of the primary and secondary school teachers surveyed said that remote learning would negatively affect students’ emotional wellbeing to some degree.

The survey reported that: “This would manifest

As a result of the rapid onset of the pandemic, many teachers found their key focus shifted from teaching all the content online, to working to connect and establish relationships with their students with increased contact. in forms such as anxiety (including obsessivecompulsive disorder related to personal cleanliness), feelings of disconnection, withdrawal from interacting with others, and missing friends.”

The survey did note, however, that a positive home environment would be a primary variable in how the lockdown affected students’ welfare.

“As with social development, students’ families

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are seen by teachers as an important factor in determining the extent to which individual students will be affected, and how they will be affected,” the survey noted.

When children were learning from home, Beyond Blue – a charity that provides resources relating to mental health – released support tools to help parents and teachers cope with remote learning.

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HOT TOPIC // IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON THE CLASSROOM

A University of Melbourne survey revealed the challenges and opportunities experienced by teachers as classrooms moved to remote and online learning.

“Develop a plan with your child about their schooling over the coming weeks. This will need to be

done in collaboration with their schools, but it will be reassuring for them to know that there is a plan, even

Macarthur Anglican School in NSW learnt the importance of relationships between students and teachers during 2020.

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if it needs to be adapted later,” Beyond Blue outlined.

The platform encouraged students to communicate with technology when face-to-face wasn’t an option.

Back at Macarthur school, Elling says their work in using technology to encourage ongoing communication between students and teachers paid off. However, it was a historical investment in the relationship that was the true source of their success.

“As Dean of Studies, my role at Macarthur is focused on academics, and my colleague Tim Cartwright in his role as the Dean of Students, focuses on the wellbeing side of student life. We work very closely together, allowing us to guide and support each student holistically, rather than in isolation,” says Elling.

Elling says that using technology to communicate with parents as well was a key element of successful online learning. She notes it continues to this day, with parents having limited access to school grounds due to ongoing COVID restrictions.

“The pandemic has meant that we are not seeing parents at the school as we normally would,” Elling says. “However, we’ve worked to keep

communication lines open and speak to parents regularly by phone when there is a pastoral concern with their child. It is about connecting with students and families and promoting that trust which leads to engagement. If a student isn’t feeling happy, safe and secure in their environment, they are not going to engage in their learning and not going to be able to give their best.”

Elling notes that the biggest lesson learnt from remote learning in 2020 was that learning was about quality rather than quantity. So while it was a challenging year, she sees a lot of positive outcomes for students in the future.

“At the end of the day students are our main priority. It not only strengthened our relationships with them, but as a school community.”

The Australian Education survey supported that Elling wasn’t alone in seeing some positive outcomes for the school, and for individual students.

“Where students may have disrupted the class, some teachers commented that the shift to working from home has put a stop to this,” the survey outlines.

“It has been observed that student engagement

“As with social development, students’ families are seen by teachers as an important factor in determining the extent to which individual students will be affected, and how they will be affected.” has improved in some instances for students who would normally be disruptive and for those students who would be affected by disruptions in class.

Improvement in student work was also observed, although teachers noted that this could be due to parents having significant input and editing student work. Teachers also reported that some students’ organisational and time management skills improved.”

“It was also beneficial for students who struggled in class being able to work through the content at their own pace and review it multiple times,” Elling adds.

“From a teacher’s perspective we had a lot of teachers who had to learn new technology really quickly,” says Elling. “This has had a positive effect moving forward and they are now comfortable with that technology, which is something they probably wouldn’t have learnt.

While our teachers and students were exhausted, I really do think we adapted things that we had to change. We are asking ourselves why didn’t we do this before, because it’s actually better for the students”. aIn addition to having some improved systems, perhaps the biggest benefit for students, says Elling, is that they appreciate being able to come to school every day.

“We had students come back into the classroom after remote learning and say I am so grateful for my teachers,” she says. “We realised they took it for granted as well.” EM

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What are the defects?

If the projectors are ceiling or wall mounted in a location that can result in their exposure to smoke, steam or vapours containing oils and solvents, the plastic casing can be weakened near where the projector is attached to the ceiling mount and the plastic may crack. If this occurs, the projector may fall from its mounting. Locations where these exposures are most likely to occur include near kitchens or near exhaust extraction fans.

What are the hazards?

If a projector falls from its ceiling or wall mounting, it may cause an injury to a user or a bystander.

What should consumers do?

Consumers who have a projector installed in an environment such as near a kitchen or an exhaust extraction fan should contact Epson on 1300 655 723 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) to seek advice and, if necessary, arrange for a site inspection. Consumers with affected projectors will be given a free inspection service and the installation of a safety wire to secure the projector to the ceiling mount.

Supplier Epson Australia Pty Ltd

See productsafety.gov.au for Australian product recall information

Examples of affected models

TECHNOLOGY // PIXEVETY

The year of privacy - helping keep your children’s identity safe online PIXEVETY CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER COLIN ANSON FIRST STARTED THE PHOTO CONSENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE 10 YEARS AGO WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED THE PAIN OF TRYING TO GET BACK CONTROL OF HIS DAUGHTER’S PHOTOS AT SCHOOL.

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Pixevety was born to help schools and parents have greater control over who takes, sees and distributes a child’s photo online.

“Schools capture tens of thousands of photos and videos of children each year with a rough estimate of 10 per cent being shared online via their website, e-newsletter, Youtube and social media pages. When I share these statistics with schools, they are understandably shocked and concerned,” says Anson.

“Schools must take steps to ensure that they take into account the imbalance of power when using a child’s personal information (including photos), a vulnerable group in society, and to be open and upfront about what the school intends to do with these photos and the possible consequences.”

According to statistics by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), online child abuse activities are on the rise with a 150 per cent increase in child abuse reporting during the pandemic and most abuse facilitated through the sharing of online images, with up to 60 per cent of content sourced via Facebook.

Anson says 2021 has been labelled the year of privacy, with many schools in the past year gearing up to meet new privacy regulations and the possibility of continued remote learning.

However, he urges that schools now have a duty of care to student privacy, with them to stop inadvertently disclosing images of students publicly without parent consent.

“Following best practice privacy compliance practices is critical when capturing, storing, sharing and/or publishing images of children at

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Get school media off personal devices with cutting-edge technology and a built-in online photo consent module to help protect the school and its community.

school to avoid creating opportunities for student online harm, such as cyberbullying, stalking, grooming and identity theft,” he says.

“Our real goal has always been to protect children online. Through my work experience in the digital space, I know how much data social media platforms collect, and I was never really comfortable with it.

“Our system identifies children and applies parent consent on the side so a school can use the product to know if they can use images for social media and different platforms, meaning the school won’t get in trouble because parents are able to give live consent.”

Anson explains that through using ethically designed facial recognition technology, Pixevety can identify a specific student or person and use it only with the school’s gallery or the users’ private gallery.

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The Pixevety platform improves the efficiency and effectiveness of a school’s media management practices whilst respecting the consent wishes of parents and guardians (with an average 80 per cent parent response rate using a Pixevety online consent form as recommended versus traditional paper-based formats).

Not only does the tool create a more efficient consent management system, but it also saves time, and gives staff resources and confidence needed to safely engage, share and publish those special school memories across different channels (i.e. encrypted email, school website, newsletters, social media channels).

With schools spending hours manually trying to administer photos and videos, and days trying to identify students, searching for that “one special moment”, manage consents or handling special cases (i.e. children in foster care), using

Pixevety’s unique locked-down single gallery AI technology helps to safely and intelligently recognise faces in photos that only select school staff can access, manage and control.

Following the maximum penalty for entities who mishandle consumer data under Australian Consumer Law increasing by almost 500 per cent to $10 million, Anson says he was always confident that this day would come.

In 2016 Pixevety took a huge leap of faith by pivoting its service using privacy-by-design methodology, which builds privacy into the design and architecture of the platform.

“We invested heavily in a tech privacy business as we wholeheartedly believed families wanted to protect their children online as much as they do offline. For us it was to create a safer alternative to social media channels,” Anson says.

The software also offers a VIP Area which allows parents to have their children’s photos hand-delivered to them in one simple spot.

“When working with a school the first thing we do is centralise all of the school’s content. Instead of it being on everyone’s phones and laptops, we are reducing risk by putting it in one place. The second thing we do is save time because schools don’t have to go and find specific photos in hundreds and we can then see if those people in the that photo have consent or not. It is de-risking it all for schools,” Anson says.

Pixevety is photo consent management software.

The platform has already been successfully implemented in over a hundred schools throughout Australia, NZ and parts of Asia. As part of its privacy and security partnership promise, Pixevety has chosen not to promote its school client base publicly, however, two prominent Australian schools were proud to share their Pixevety experience in this article: St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, and St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School.

“Pixevety has provided an outstanding service to our school” says Bianca Wagner, Archives Manager at St Joseph’s.

“Our content (both historical and current) was

quickly uploaded into one online space and is now readily available for anyone in our school to easily access based on permissions and roles. The new app has also provided a quick and easy way for teachers to upload images to our school’s gallery without having to store images on their personal device Wendy Johnston, Director of Marketing and Communications at St Margaret’s said the main reason her school elected to go with Pixevety was because the company “lived and breathed their dedication to protecting people’s privacy.

Implementing new systems can be challenging but Pixevety was with us every step of the way”.

The benefits of Pixevety doesn’t stop with the school, it also allows parents a greater choice and control over its child’s images taken at school. The platform enables parents and legal guardians help clearly communicate their consent wishes when it comes to how a school uses and shares those images and allows them to flag images for instant removal in real-time.

Pixevety takes pride in not being just a software company, but a full service platform.

“We are ahead of the curve and with everyone talking about privacy this year, this is a time to emphasise how we can help,” says Anson. EM

Buyer’s Guide Pixevety Ph: 1300 438 389 Email: info@pixevety.com Web: pixevety.com

The highly-secure platform allows parents to have easy access, management and protection of its family images.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // AUSTRALIAN TEACHER AIDE

Building the capability of education support staff in schools HOW PREPARED ARE EDUCATION SUPPORT STAFF FOR THEIR ROLE AT YOUR SCHOOL? AUSTRALIAN TEACHER AIDE, A NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ORGANISATION, EXAMINES THE RESEARCH ON THE PREPAREDNESS OF EDUCATION SUPPORT STAFF, AND HIGHLIGHTS HOW THREE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS ARE BUILDING THE CAPABILITY OF THEIR SUPPORT TEAMS.

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Australian Teacher Aide was established in 2015

by Mandy Bell and Stella Liliendal to help schools improve the effectiveness of support staff in schools.

“We established ATA to help teachers and teacher aides to work collaboratively for the benefit of all students. From previous work done in the training sector, we realised that there was a massive gap in opportunity for ongoing professional development for teacher aides in schools, and little guidance for teachers and support staff on how to work together effectively,” Bell says.

“From the start we planned to develop a signature program that was driven by evidencebased data on high impact teaching and learning practices that schools could use to improve

Effective Teacher Aide Practices for Schools (eTAPS) is an online professional learning program developed specifically to prepare support staff for their role.

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the effectiveness of their teacher aide teams,” Liliendal explains.

This led to the development of Effective Teacher Aide Practices for Schools (eTAPS), an online professional learning program developed specifically to prepare support staff for their role in the classroom.

The writing of eTAPS coincided with the world’s largest study on the impact of support staff on student learning, the DISS (Deployment and Impact of Support Staff) project in the UK. “We knew we were on the right track with eTAPS when the data showed that teacher aides who are prepared for their support role can make a significant and positive impact on student learning, whereas support staff who are not prepared may be hindering the progress of students!” Liliendal says.

The study recommended how school leaders can improve the effectiveness of support staff, by considering how well they are prepared for their role in the classroom, and by providing them with relevant training.

Last year, Sally Dick, Director of Learning Support at Sacred Heart College in Kyneton, Victoria, decided to deliver eTAPs to all the learning support officers (LSOs) at the college after researching the program.

The four modules were originally scheduled to be delivered to the LSOs over two semesters, however with the impact of COVID-19, the team had to shift from face-to-face delivery to selfpaced learning from home.

“Although the delivery mode changed, eTAPS

The team at Australian Teacher Aide are committed to helping improve the effectiveness of support staff in schools.

has improved the team’s understanding of pedagogy and effective teaching and learning practices,” Dick says. “The feedback showed that the team had gained a better understanding of the role of learning intentions and success criteria, and the impact of prior knowledge on learning.”

Five years down the track, ATA now has an online professional development library of more than one hundred curriculum-based resources that are used by schools across Australia.

The opportunity to access online professional learning has enabled regional schools such as Longreach State School and Oak Flats High School to provide timely training to their support staff, without the budget constraints usually associated with attending off site workshops.

This is the fifth year that Tracey Hart, Head of Curriculum at Longreach State School, located in outback Queensland, has been providing their teacher aides with ATA online professional learning.

Tracey schedules one hour a week for the teacher aides to meet, collaborate, and do their professional learning together, based on their annual performance and development planning goals.

“This values teacher aides as paraprofessionals and gives everyone the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge the teacher aides need for their diverse job roles,” Hart told ATA. At Oak Flats High School in New South Wales, Head Teacher Jo Opie actively promotes a collaborative

Australian Teacher Aide will be hosting a range of live web sessions this year.

“Although the delivery mode changed, eTAPS has improved the team’s understanding of pedagogy and effective teaching and learning practices. The feedback showed that the team had gained a better understanding of the role of learning intentions and success criteria, and the impact of prior knowledge on learning.” school culture by building the expertise of all staff and believes that although teachers and SLSOs may do different work, together they make a team!

They have been using the ATA professional learning resources to develop the knowledge and skills of the team.

“I have seen amazing growth in the support skills, communication, and research skills of the SLSOs, which has benefited the way they work with students,” Opie says.

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As well as offering an online library of video resources, ATA also works in partnership with education experts to host live monthly web events.

During 2021, school leaders will share how they are building the capability of their support teams to provide explicit reading instruction, support students with hearing loss, avoid or minimise meltdowns in students who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and how to support gifted and talented learners.

“We are also delighted to have the 2020 Australian Teacher Aide of the Year, Taryn Riles, a school learning support officer at Boorowa Central School in New South Wales, share her insights on how to empower teacher aides to take ownership and pride in their profession,” says Bell.

Julie Murray, Director of Primary and National Head of Learning Support at OneSchool Global in Western Australia highlights that the Australian Teacher Aide site has been a wonderful find for its school.

“The resources are excellent, as is having access to such high-quality webinars and speakers. It is excellent value for money and something we will continue to invest in for the future,” she says. EM

Buyer’s Guide Australian Teacher Aide Ph: 0491 765 337 Email: info@australianteacheraide.com.au Web: australianteacheraide.com.au 27

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // EDPARTNERSHIPS

Partnering to learn, building capacity for excellence FOUNDED ON PRINCIPLES OF PARTNERING, CO-LEARNING AND CAPACITY BUILDING, THE EDPARTNERSHIPS INTERNATIONAL TEAM IS COMMITTED TO WORKING AND LEARNING ALONGSIDE EDUCATORS IN WAYS THAT RESPECT LEARNERS AND LOCAL CONTEXTS. EACH PARTNERSHIP INVESTIGATES AND RESEARCHES HOW BEST TO STRENGTHEN LEARNING RELATIONSHIPS AND APPROACHES IN THE QUEST FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE.

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The EdPartnerships (EdP) approach is centred on seeking first to understand learners and their contexts. The team then embarks on iterative, co-design processes to strengthen internal learning and leadership capacity to address local needs, aspirations and challenges.

Established by Dr Maureen O’Rourke, who has recruited a group of committed and passionate educators, the team’s ultimate goal is to co-design programs that result in inspired, courageous learners and leaders at every level of the system,

The team at EdPartnerships work with leaders at every level of the education system and maintain a line of sight to students by continuing to work in schools.

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capable of addressing the diversity and challenges of ever changing contexts.

“The EdP approach attends to leading self, leading others, leading learning and leading change. Underpinning this is building understanding of partnering, culture and the importance of establishing an effective learning architecture that enables people to come together to learn,” she says.

This translates to a connected approach to professional learning that acknowledges the roles of leaders and learners at different levels within the system and creates opportunities for them to learn from and with each other.

When designing a program of professional learning, the EdP team ensures that their partnerships and programs: • Offer multiple opportunities for understanding local experiences and contexts by engaging with learners – adults and young people – to undertake collaborative analysis processes; • Identify and are responsive to learner needs; • Engage learners in an active process of codesign that create the conditions for co-agency; • Use provocations to challenge current thinking and engage with multiple perspectives.

Co-Director Dr Jayne-Louise Collins says this means that EdP approaches create the conditions for deep learning, professional insights and understanding as well as the capacity to act mindfully and skilfully to serve diverse learners.

“One of our roles is to enable educators to understand themselves on a deeper level,

EdPartnerships brings a strong partnering approach to its co-design and leadership of research, professional learning, evaluations and in-school capacity building.

uncovering what may not be able to be seen when you are so immersed in your settings,” she says.

“What we do is listen and learn, ask questions, engage in rigorous and challenging dialogue that offers a stretch. We strive to support and enable our school colleagues to ensure all students progress and reach their potential.”

According to a teacher leader, who participated in an EdPartnerships’ course, it completely changed the way they lead the learning of colleagues.

“My understanding of what it means to lead has changed. My confidence in leading has increased dramatically. My thought process and the way I interact with staff and students has become more considered. I have developed my understanding of the importance of taking slow and considered steps.”

A principal mentor of a teacher leader explains that an EdPartnerships capacity building course resulted in transformational learning, with their colleague demonstrating growth and change in their confidence, beliefs and values as well as their identity as a leader.

“I was expecting some impact, but she has grown enormously and added value to our school, students and staff. She has bigger picture conversations and embraces the challenges of change. The conversations she has are not technical

“What we do is listen and learn, ask questions, engage in rigorous and challenging dialogue that offers a stretch. We strive to support and enable our school colleagues to ensure all students progress and reach their potential.”

in nature but there is a philosophical feel – they are impacting our learning culture.”

The EdP team partners with a diverse range of the colleagues from across the education spectrum - at the broader system layer, with regions, and with leaders, teachers and young people in school communities.

“We are in many places across the educational landscape which gives us a great insight into the emerging needs of educators,” Collins adds.

A feature of many EdP programs is a learning architecture that invites connected teams to attend

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together - school leaders, teacher leaders and classroom teachers.

The EdP team carves out this time for connected teams to learn, investigate and gather evidence before crafting new actions and ways of working and learning in their schools.

In this way leaders model a partnering to learn approach with their colleagues and students, which then cascades to impact and shift the existing culture and relationships within the school, with young people the ultimate beneficiaries.

The EdP team are also accomplished and highly regarded researchers, regularly engaged by systems of education while also conducting independent research to better illuminate new educational priorities.

“This year we have a new program launching as a result of our recent and a research circle with schools Learner Agency a journey of being and becoming, that we are really excited about,” says Collins. EM

Buyer’s Guide EdPartnerships Ph: 03 9329 1150 Email: mor@edpartnerships.edu.au Web: edpartnerships.edu.au

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

Selecting words for teaching print?

Consider productive oral language vocabulary VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST PREDICTORS OF LITERACY OUTCOMES ACROSS THE SCHOOL YEARS, ACCORDING TO DR CLARANCE GREEN.

E Dr Clarence Green currently lectures in the School of Education at the Berwick campus of Federation University Australia. Dr Green has published and taught in areas of the cognitive psychology of language, literacy instruction, language development, corpus linguistics, disciplinary literacy, stylistics and English grammar.

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Research has shown that a student’s vocabulary size and the depth of knowledge they have about these words correlates with performance across not only in English class but across subject areas and year levels.

Developing a student’s vocabulary is a crucial part of the literacy teacher’s day, given how essential it is for a child’s success in school.

Children at school entry display very wide diversity in vocabulary knowledge and this gap is difficult to close and thereby contributes to social inequality.

Of course, readers of this magazine and literacy teachers generally are well aware of the importance of vocabulary and do not need to be convinced.

The issues more pertinent and discussed in this contribution are how do we help grow a child’s vocabulary? What words do we teach and how do we teach them? What words should we start with when teaching the printed word during the transition to literacy?

These are not easy questions to answer and teachers and researchers have been investigating how we might design optimal vocabulary instruction for at least the past 100 years.

We do not have the complete picture yet but have been able to draw some good guidance from the research literature.

One piece of the puzzle is to consider the

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frequency of the vocabulary item in the language and in particular texts that children read at school.

A word that is often encountered is clearly one that will be useful for a range of communicative tasks compared to a word that is rarely spoken, heard or read. Researchers have been able to generate wordlists based on frequency for the English language and other languages to be a professional resources for teachers, a good example being the sight-word lists commonly used in primary and ECE. Another pedagogy is the Three Tiers model, developed in the US and increasingly popular in Australia, in which teachers reflect on a text that students are using for some literacy outcome and, in the context of this text and lesson and at the point of need for their students, target the Tier 2 words in that text.

These are those words that are essential for comprehension of the text, those which the students do not know, and those that will be useful across the curriculum generally (in this model, Tier 1 words are high frequency and already known, and tier 3 words subject area vocabulary that can be targeted in the subject area).

Another model of vocabulary selection based in the research is to teach the vocabulary known by the majority of students in a particular agecohort to those at the grade below and/or those with smaller vocabularies in the same grade.

Researchers have been able to generate wordlists based on frequency for the English language and other languages to be a professional resources for teachers, a good example being the sight-word lists commonly used in primary and ECE. This pool of words are good candidates for vocabulary within or close to the Zone of Proximal Development for the target learners.

For the initial words teachers may want to choose for early orthographic development, i.e. teaching the printed word, it is recommended to draw on the children’s oral language ability.

But, we have limited information about the words children know coming into school and that are productive in their oral language communicative repertoire. Nor do we have good information on the diversity in this vocabulary knowledge amongst children.

My current research at Federation University, School of Education, has been investigating what this vocabulary knowledge might look like and how we might profile for teachers the words that we might expect most children to know at approximately school entry (approximately aged five), and what words are unknown or likely to not to be known by those with smaller vocabularies.

When we teach reading and writing, it is best to use the oral language resource of a child to leverage literacy development since it makes it easy for children to learn the printed representation of a word that they already use. This is because they already know the meaning and sound of the word for which they are learning to read and write, and so not having to learn all these at once.

Recently published in the Australian Journal of Education, teachers might find useful when choosing the words for initial print development, ‘The oral language productive vocabulary profile of children starting school: A resource for teachers’. This article

Developing a student’s vocabulary is a crucial part of the literacy teacher’s day, given how essential it is for a child’s success in school.

and accompanying resource profiles the words used by children in their oral language communication, based on a sample of approximately 3.6 million words produced by children five years-old or under.

The resource lists 2767 words containing highly productive vocabulary known by most children, as well as words in more advanced vocabularies and useful targets for those with smaller vocabularies.

Words not only the list are very unlikely to be known by children coming to school, and bets avoided as exemplars when teaching initial reading and writing.

The list contains words that can form the target for print activities ranging from the very productive stuff, mess, hair, show, tell, farm, moon, to the more complex airborne, delicate, mighty, curious, nouns such as manager, theatre, alien, nonsense.

Having such a profile of potential already productive oral language vocabulary helps us understand children’s oral language, knowing what

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they are likely and less likely to know when choosing pedagogical targets for print literacy.

Of course, this list is not a vocabulary curriculum- it is a professional resource that can assist word selection as it shows us which words like have semantic (meaning) and phonological (sound) representation that we might want to use to map the printed word to.

The words children need to succeed in school are not only those in their oral language vocabulary, however.

Their vocabulary development needs to be supported from rich and extensive literacy experiences on a daily basis. EM Green, C. The oral language productive vocabulary profile of children starting school: A resource for teachers.

Australian Journal of Education, https://doi.org10.1177/0004944120982771

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

The important role of supervising teachers to improve Indigenous educational outcomes DR TRACY WOODROFFE EXPLAINS THE POWER OF EQUIPPING PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS WITH SUFFICIENT EXPERIENCE IN INDIGENOUS CONTEXT.

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Pre-service teachers look to their supervising teachers for guidance and see them as examples of good practitioners.

This is the accountability that supervising teachers carry in return for their supervision payment. Some might argue that they supervise purely for the love of it, and their dedication to the profession.

Whatever the case, the responsibility of

Dr Tracy Woodroffe is a Warumungu Luritja woman with years of experience in the field of education - Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.

The majority of that time has been spent in the classroom teaching and in associated leadership roles.

She is a lecturer at Charles Darwin University who coordinates, develops and delivers teacher education units about teaching Indigenous learners and the importance of Indigenous knowledge in education.

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Dr Woodroffe reveals that pre-service teachers look to their supervising teachers for guidance.

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demonstrating professional practice is not to be underestimated.

This becomes even more relevant considering the 2018 Network of Academic Directors of Professional Experience (NADPE) Report findings about Indigenous-specific Australian professional standards for teachers 1.4 and 2.4 regarding knowing Indigenous content and how to teach it and knowing Indigenous students and how they learn.

There is a need for more Indigenous-specific specialised aspects of Initial Teacher Education.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND THE POTENTIAL OF SUPERVISING TEACHERS The NADPE Report, commissioned by the Australia Council of Deans of Education, investigated pre-service teacher practicum experience, and determined that pre-service teachers were not being given sufficient experience in Indigenous contexts, that pre-service teachers were still reporting to feel unconfident or underprepared to teach Indigenous learners, and that it was highly unlikely for supervising teachers to even mention standards 1.4 and 2.4 to their pre-service teacher.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE TEACHING PROFESSION? It means that there is untapped potential for supervising teachers to change the current situation and help lead the charge in improving pre-service teacher capacity, and ultimately impacting on Indigenous educational outcomes.

This cannot happen without initial teacher education providers sharpening their focus on Indigenous outcomes, in line with Federal Government annual NAPLAN reporting and Closing the Gap 2020 revised targets.

I would also argue that it cannot happen without Indigenous educators’ input and mentoring.

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND PERSPECTIVE Indigenous educators are in the unique position of being able to see the Australian education system through two world views.

They know what is expected by western standards and can also see the areas of need pertaining to improving educational outcomes for

Indigenous students.

This knowledge is a cultural understanding that is important to Indigenous people but perhaps invisible to someone else.

While this is the case, Indigenous educators should not be expected to shoulder the responsibility for educational change.

Without a consensus and action, the current system will continue unchecked and be a mediocre version of something that could be truly inspiring.

As recommended in the NADPE Report, more research is required into the Indigenous-specific specialised aspects of Initial Teacher Education and opportunities to improve the communication and professional development between pre-service teachers and supervising teachers.

The Australian Indigenous Lecturers in Initial Teacher Education Association (AILiTEA) was set up to advise the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) about this specialised aspect of Initial Teacher Education.

AILiTEA was developed as one of the key professional mechanisms required for success of the More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiatives (MATSITI), which ended in 2016, citing the need for many more Australian Indigenous Lecturers in Initial Teacher Education to be identified, and the necessity for an association of expert Indigenous educators to advise on such matters.

CONDITIONS FOR CHANGE Indigenous educator voice and mentoring, working in conjunction with supervising teachers and pre-service teachers focusing on Australian professional standards for teachers 1.4 and 2.4, while departments and initial

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teacher education providers sharpen their focus on improved Indigenous educational outcomes should create ideally optimal conditions for positive change.

As usual there are limitations to consider and prepare for.

The first limitation could be the small numbers represented in this workforce of Indigenous educators to provide comment, support or mentoring.

Added to this is the fact that not all Indigenous educators may wish to participate or take on the extra load.

Secondly, to make impact and effect change, you must be participating in the system in question.

Therefore, Indigenous voice and mentoring would need to be translated across into system processes already in place.

There is not always a direct translation. For example, it may be difficult to transpose Indigenous voice to fit within the standards, or for the importance of this to be understood.

Indigenous educator mentoring may have cultural elements that are not necessarily recognised in current leadership pathways.

A third limitation could be a lack of knowledge about what is already in place or under development in various state education departments and initial teacher education providers to improve Indigenous educational outcomes. A differentiated approach would be required to achieve the best results.

Reiterating the NADPE Report findings, more research is essential into practicum experience and the impact on teacher confidence and capacity in demonstrating professional standards 1.4 and 2.4.

These two professional standards are not the only ones that are relevant to the success of Indigenous students, but they are the two recognised Indigenousspecific standards that reinforce the importance of Indigenous culture in education.

They are a baseline, or a benchmark of professional practice and it is not unreasonable that they should be a starting point for transformation.

Australia has a bright future and Indigenous students should feel that they are a part of that.

It begins with education and the opportunities that arise from educational success. Supervising teachers (non-Indigenous and Indigenous) in collaboration with Indigenous colleagues, are important players in the development of a culturally responsive teaching workforce.

The examples that they set for pre-service teachers are crucial. EM

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HEALTH & WELLBEING // MACKILLOP INSTITUTE

Through the MacKillop Institute’s program, teachers and students become more trauma aware and best positioned to meet the diverse needs of its community.

Why we should take care of our teachers WITH TEACHERS SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND WITH GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES BEING PLACED ON SCHOOLS’ TO ENSURE THE WELLBEING OF ITS STUDENTS, THE MACKILLOP INSTITUTE HAS CREATED A TRAUMAINFORMED MODEL TO SUPPORT SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS TO IMPROVE LEARNING AND WELLBEING OUTCOMES.

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Identified in the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system interim report, the impact of mental health on young people results in adverse life outcomes, impacting their ability to learn.

National Lead of Program Development & Implementation at the MacKillop Institute, Ben Sacco, says teachers are trying to run a classroom while being cognisant of their student’s mental health and wellbeing.

“What we recognise is that these are real issues for teachers,” Sacco says. “They are being asked to respond to matters relating to student mental health and wellbeing in their teaching and learning programs, but what kind of resources and support are we putting in place as a society or at education institutions to support teachers?”

“Being informed in trauma-aware education means our education professionals have a deeper understanding of the impact trauma can have on a child or young person’s life and as an outcome are better equipped to respond to the challenges that their students are facing.”

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Sacco says the research suggests that school staff are frequently reporting challenges to their own wellbeing when managing the mental health needs of their students.

“By offering assistance to meet staff members own wellbeing needs, it can actually enhance their ability to look after the wellbeing needs of their students,” he says.

The Mackillop Institute has combined educational research, social science, behavioural theory and neuroscience to bring practical strategies to schools to embed in their daily practice.

The ReLATE model – which stands for reframing, learning and teaching environments – positions schools to create safe, supportive and predictable environments. It enhances teachers’ understanding and responses to behaviour and improves student learning and wellbeing outcomes.

“Our skilled ReLATE consultants work directly with schools , to provide bespoke implementation based on the individual schools’ needs. ReLATE follows a three-year implementation cycle, with

“Our skilled ReLATE consultants work directly with schools, to provide bespoke implementation based on the individual schools’ needs.” annual professional learning to deepen and embed staffs’ understanding of trauma-informed practice,” Sacco says.

“Our team provide school level reports, baseline assessments and ongoing impact assessments, so that efforts are translated into real outcomes.

ReLATE promotes personal growth and builds staffs’ resilience, strengthening their understanding of how to drive change in their behaviours and responses, enhancing their wellbeing and interactions and relationships with others.”

Sacco says since implementing the program in schools, students have made progress in literacy and numeracy, there has been a decrease in staff self-reported stress and fatigue, and teachers have adopted the model’s key concepts in their daily work.

“We are seeing a decrease in critical incidents and staff absenteeism whilst at the same time seeing an increase in student attendance, which suggests staffs’ attitude to school, their motivation to be at school every day and their workplace being a safe environment to do their job has improved,” he says.

“Students are also reporting that they are feeling heard and that there is a strong sense of student agency,” he says. “They feel the schools are listening to how they feel about matters that concern them and are being included in the decision-making process for solving their problems, reframing their goals to achieve in education.”

Adding to the benefits of the ReLATE program, teachers also have access to four days of professional learning, which equips staff with tools to implement in the classroom.

These include self-regulation plans to deescalate challenging behaviours for both students and staff, traffic light systems to discuss critical incidents proactively and with a degree of urgency, debriefing and communication strategies, which give staff a process to mitigate abusive behaviours or mistreatment.

“Within ReLATE, wellbeing is understood as

Trauma-aware education means education professionals have a deeper understanding of the impact trauma can have on a child.

The Mackillop Institute has combined educational research, social science, behavioural theory and neuroscience to bring practical strategies to schools to embed in their daily practice.

an essential pre-condition for quality teaching and learning. Safe, predictable and supportive learning environments are created and maintained in classrooms where students are not just known, but deeply understood,” Sacco says.

“Schools and systems can expect a shift in their culture and attitudes and strengthened responses from teachers to student behaviour- all of which create the pre-conditions for improved learning and wellbeing outcomes.”

Through the MacKillop Institute’s program, teachers and students become more trauma aware and best positioned to meet the diverse needs of its community, improving not only student’s wellbeing, but their teachers too.

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“When we think about what intrinsically motivates a teacher, we cannot look past their honest desire to make a difference in the lives of children and young people. Teachers invest in our children’s future every day knowing they will be challenged mentally, physically and emotionally,” says Sacco. “We want teachers to know that we see them, we have got them, and we want to walk alongside them.” EM

Buyer’s Guide MacKillop Institute Ph: 03 8687 7448 Email: institute@mackillop.org.au Web: mackillop.org.au 35

CURRICULUM // MUSICEDU

Enhancing the skills of tomorrow’s musicians MUSIC. AUGMENTED REALITY. CRYPTOLOGY. WHALES. GAMING. WHAT’S THE COMMONALITY BETWEEN THESE THEMES? A USUAL RESPONSE TO KATE HARGREAVES AFTER SHE EXPLAINS HOW THESE TOPICS ARE UTILISED IN THE MUSICEDU SUITE FOR CLASSROOM MUSIC IS, “I WISH I HAD THIS IN HIGH SCHOOL”.

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MusicEDU aims to create tomorrow’s musicians, today by implementing its programs in secondary classroom music.

Sydney-based Founder and CEO, Kate Hargreaves has seen high schools use these programs for nine years.

She now works with a team that develop the resources to ensure they continue to cater to differentiation, equip students with real-life skills and are relevant to ever-changing industries.

Most recently, MusicEDU has launched the

program Augmented Reality Classroom.

For tech-heads, augmented reality (AR) may be a familiar term; however, it’s yet to become a household-known word as it’s such a modern development.

AR uses devices to enter interactive experiences that overlay digital components onto the user’s real-world environment.

“It’s been amazing visiting some of the school’s who will now use AR Classroom. The kids who aren’t your stereotypical music students are

“Our mission is to give every student the opportunity to enjoy music in the classroom. There doesn’t seem to be another compulsory subject that has such broad differentiation as music.

We prioritise shaping the resources to cater for all abilities.”

Students have the opportunity to learn the skills of being a DJ.

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MusicEDU includes the programs GameComposer, Trackformers, Studio Sessions, Keyboard Evolution, and Augmented Reality Classroom.

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Augmented Reality Classroom allows students of all skill levels to learn about music.

“The programs are incorporating game composition, DJ’ing, remixing, recording and now AR, so they’re bringing technology into the classroom which is proving to be the great equaliser.” buzzing to use the programs, and as a result, are learning traditional music concepts. It’s like hiding the veggies in the pasta sauce,” Hargreaves says.

It’s clear to see Hargreaves’ passion for the five programs in The MusicEDU Suite, and for good reason.

“Our mission is to give every student the opportunity to enjoy music in the classroom. There doesn’t seem to be another compulsory subject that has such broad differentiation as music. We prioritise shaping the resources to cater for all abilities,” explains Hargreaves.

Research has shown that broad differentiation in the classroom leads to rapid student disengagement.

It’s common to see that students who don’t have a musical background rule themselves out from achieving in the subject.

Similarly, students that have extensive musical experience are often not challenged within the

classroom, leading to disengagement.

“The programs are incorporating game composition, DJ’ing, remixing, recording and now AR, so they’re bringing technology into the classroom which is proving to be the great equaliser”, says Hargreaves.

MusicEDU includes the programs GameComposer, Trackformers, Studio Sessions, Keyboard Evolution, and Augmented Reality Classroom.

“We look at the skills currently used in the music industry, and it doesn’t often reflect what’s taught in the classroom. That’s where we wanted to find some middle ground,” Hargreaves says.

Each program combines traditional music concepts with the learning of industry-leading topics.

Within Augmented Reality Classroom, students learn instruments of the orchestra, song structure via whales and their songs, and encryption through cryptology in music.

Hargreaves makes a point to emphasise that

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MusicEDU’s Augmented Reality Classroom program brings instruments to life.

MusicEDU doesn’t aim to replace schools’ entire music curriculum.

“We have a personalised service so we can understand each school’s strategic direction, goals, and what they want to keep in their current program,” she says. “We work with teachers to design a custom program to work alongside what the music department wants to do with their students. We understand that every school has its differences and does not measure success in the same way.”

MusicEDU aims to reduce the administrative workload of teachers and assists with classroom planning. All the programs are mapped to the Australian Curriculum and accessible on every device. EM

Buyer’s Guide MusicEDU Ph: 9541 8440 Email: kate@musicedu.com.au Web: musicedu.com.au 37

CURRICULUM // VIC ROADS As part of the Road Smart initiative, students who have their learners license get a free in-car session with a qualified instructor.

Road safety begins with the next generation

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ACCORDING TO STATISTICS FROM TRANSPORT ACCIDENT COMMISSION (TAC), ROAD CRASHES CONTINUE TO BE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 25 IN VICTORIA. In 2018 the TAC reported that more than 300 young drivers aged 18 and 25 had lost their lives in Victoria in the last 10 years, representing just less than one in four of drivers lives lost in Victoria in this period.

As a result of these numbers, the Department of Transport (formally VicRoads) created the initiative, Road Smart, a road safety education and training program for Victorian Year 10 students, aimed at reducing the amount of deaths and serious injuries on the road.

Road Smart Coordinator Joe Seddon says the program teaches students about the importance of taking a staged approach to learning to drive due to young and inexperienced drivers running the biggest risk on the roads.

“They are overrepresented in crashes. Learner drives are the safest of all road users, because while learning and gaining more driving experience they have a supervising driver in the car with them as their guide,” says Seddon.

“As soon students are on their P-plates driving solo they can become over-confident and are more likely to take risks. Road Smart complements Victoria’s Graduated Licensing System which since it’s

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implementation has reduced youth road trauma, however there’s still more work to do in this space.”

Road Smart launched in March 2018 and has recently gone through a series of enhancements, following feedback from the school community, including parents and students.

The program is a foundation which sets students out to be safe road users, whether that is as drivers, pedestrians, cyclists or passengers in cars.

The Road Smart program’s focus is around thee ‘Safe System’: • Safer Speeds - students learn the importance of traveling at safe and appropriate speeds; • Safer Roads - they gain and understanding of what makes a road safe, for example safety barriers or roundabouts; • Safe Vehicles buying a first car is an exciting time for students, it is vital they have the tools to help them choose the safest car available to them, within their budget; • And Safer People: students learn that every choice they make on the road increases or decreases their risk of death or serious injury,

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Road Smart was launched in March 2018 and is an education and training program for Victorian Year 10 students.

for example not using your phone while driving or getting into a car with someone who has been drink driving.

Consisting of four components, the program includes an interactive classroom session with a Road Smart facilitator, eLearning for learners and their supervising drivers, a free in-car session with a qualified instructor, and a resource toolkit for teachers that is linked to the Victorian Curriculum.

“The sessions generally run for about 6070 minutes however we can adapt to suit most timetables. We present to up to 30 students at a times, so for larger schools we send out multiple facilitators to run the sessions concurrently or can run a number of sessions over one or several days,”

Seddon says.

“The reason to the limit being 30 is to increase engagement and we encourage students to be involved with the presentation.”

Following schools being surveyed, the Department of Transport found that most Year 10 coordinators and school staff, particularly PE teachers agreed the program had positively contributed to the decision making and behaviours of their students, with almost all schools choosing to re-book the following year.

Road Smart also tailors its program to suit its audience, depending on the experience level of the group of students.

“If they’re at the start of their learning to drive

journeye we will talk more about the fundamentals of driving. However, if we are at a regional or rural school where the students have more experience driving, because they have access to it, we will tailor it to be more progressive,” Seddon says.

With COVID-19 creating a number of challenges for schools, Road aSmart was also impacted by the pandemic.

Due to having to cancel all of its in-class sessions, an online offering was introduced in 2020.

“We worked with a design agency who converted our presentation to online delivery, which allows for a Facilitator to still run the session via the schools preferred online platform such as teams or google meet. In 2021 schools have the option of booking a session in-class or online, depending on COVID-19 restrictions in place.” Seddon says.

With an overall aim of helping students become safe and independent road and transport users, Seddon emphasises that the program is not about teaching them to drive, but about the Safe System and the importance of taking a staged approach to learning to drive.

“We continue to work to achieve the vision of no deaths or serious injuries on our road, and it starts with the next generation,” Seddon says. EM

Buyer’s Guide Road Safety Victoria Ph: 03 9091 1704 Email: roadsmart@roads.vic.gov.au Web: transport.vic.gov.au

The program is aimed at reducing the amount of deaths and serious injuries on the road.

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STEAM // MODERN TEACHING AIDS

Robotics: physical and virtual – how do they work together?

MANY FACTORS COME INTO PLAY FOR SCHOOLS WHEN IMPLEMENTING ROBOTICS PROGRAMS, FROM TIGHT BUDGETS TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SCHOOL CLOSURES AND REMOTE LEARNING, AND VIRTUAL ROBOTICS ARE PLAYING AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN MANY SCHOOLS’ ROBOTICS CURRICULUM.

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Modern Teaching Aids’ (MTA) Blended Learning and Development Manager Claire Seldon, also a high school science and technology teacher, knows the value of both physical and virtual robotics.

Seldon says the biggest reason for schools to implement any type of robotics program is because it is a great way of building future STEAM skills.

“When students engage in a robotics program or project, they’re not only developing STEAM skills though those essential creative, critical and problem-solving skills, they are also building their communication and collaboration skills through group work,” Seldon says.

“As a teacher, when you run a robotics program with your students, you are wanting to tick off all these key learning areas and STEAM skills.”

However, Seldon acknowledges that physical robotics kits can be expensive, they also may

Virtual robotics allows students to further develop their STEAM skills.

require maintenance and, of course, pieces can get lost. Furthermore, there are also social challenges to consider when working with physical resources of any kind.

Virtual robotics allows students to further develop their STEAM skills.

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“Not all students can work well in a group, which can be a challenge when running physical robotics programs,’ she says.

“This is because collaboration is a skill that many students still need to develop, and what we find when working in small groups with a physical robotics kit is that the strong, confident student will usually take over, leaving the other students in the group disadvantaged.”

This is where virtual robotics education technology company Robotify can eliminate the learning problem and create a solution.

Robotify has built a technical robotics simulation platform that enables its product, RobotifyEDU to make robotics accessible to everyone and to change the way people learn and access robotics forever.

RobotifyEDU has 100 hours of educational curriculum content that enables students to code virtual robots and prepares them for the automation-driven workplace of the future,

MTA and Robotify recognise and celebrate the benefits of the synergy between physical and virtual robotics and would encourage schools to use both.

“If the student is working one-on-one in a virtual environment where they are getting instant feedback, they are going to get the best out of this experience and their confidence is going to build, so when they are working with physical robots in collaborative small-group work, they are now equipped with that confidence to use their knowledge to suggest solutions.” with courses developed to the highest educational standards globally.

“What you get with a virtual robotics program is increased equity of access because it costs a lot less, so schools and teachers can provide individual access to the Robotify platform. As long as you have internet access and a device, you are ready to go,” Seldon says.

In terms of the student who is challenged in a small group, Seldon says that Robotify also helps out here.

“If the student is working one-on-one in a virtual environment where they are getting instant feedback, they are going to get the best out of this experience and their confidence is going to build, so when they are working with physical robots in collaborative small-group work, they are now equipped with that confidence to use their knowledge to suggest solutions,” she says.

Physical and virtual robotics are also both offering global opportunities, including international robotics competitions.

Sometimes these competitions can be out of reach for schools due to budgetary restrictions for physical robots, so virtual robotics competitions can be a fantastic entry point, Seldon suggests.

“A virtual robotics program enables all of a school’s students, in small groups, to enter robotics competitions for a much smaller cost,” she says.

“At the moment, due to COVID-19, there are great international virtual competitions which students in Australia and New Zealand could take part in and have that opportunity to compete with others all around the world. The competitions also allow students who are gifted in robotics to accelerate and grow.”

MTA and Robotify recognise and celebrate the benefits of the synergy between physical and virtual

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robotics and would encourage schools who already utilise their physical robotics program and who may not have yet considered virtual robotics to explore the possibilities through an introductory offer for Robotify.

Schools who spend $1000 on physical robotics resources will be offered free class access - 12 weeks free for one teacher and up to 30 students to experience the virtual robotics program.

With technology continuing to advance in the classroom, Seldon sees the combination of physical and virtual robotics programs as key to building students’ STEAM skills and equipping them for the jobs of the future.

“What we find is most teachers are concerned about the move from physical to virtual. They worry the students won’t get enough hands-on experience.

However, Robotify is still very hands-on and by combining the two types of programs, students have the very best opportunity to develop their robotics skills,” says Seldon. EM

Buyer’s Guide Modern Teaching Aids Ph: 1800 251 497 Email: onlinelearning@teaching.com.au Web: teaching.com.au/onlinelearning

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AWARDS // RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA

Sharon Davis is a judge for this year’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education Awards.

Paving the way for educational justice through reconciliation

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SHARON DAVIS IS A PROUD ABORIGINAL WOMAN FROM BOTH BARDI AND KIJA PEOPLES OF THE KIMBERLEY WHO IS COMMITTED TO ENHANCING EDUCATION EXPERIENCES FOR ABORIGINAL STUDENTS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES.

As a judge for the Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali Awards, Davis says she loves how education has the power to shape future generations.

“With many of today’s youth growing up to be tomorrow’s health workers, politicians, law makers, educators and policy architects, a racially literate and culturally responsive education is crucial for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous children,” says Davis.

The Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education Awards is the only national awards program in Australia that recognises

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and celebrates educational environments implementing outstanding reconciliation initiatives.

Reconciliation Australia, in partnership with the BHP Foundation, holds the awards every two years.

Having worked in Indigenous education for several years, Davis has spent a large portion of this developing ways to influence systemic change across education systems, schools, and with individual educators.

“When done the right way, reconciliation in education is hard yakka, so it’s really important to celebrate the successes. As a nationally recognised accolade achieved through an

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evaluation process, the Narragunnawali Awards go hand in hand with my work in educational change. As soon as I heard about the awards, I was super keen to get involved,” Davis explains.

Davis says that since she has been involved in the awards, she has approached each application with an open mind, as she believes all school communities are on their own journey with reconciliation.

Important factors Davis looks into, beyond the application include the background of an educational facility, the Country they are on, the makeup of the local population, staffing and what

“Reconciliation in education is about truth-telling across the school year and throughout the curriculum. It is about embedding equity measures in school enrolment, staff employment and school improvement policy and practices.” levels Indigenous staff are employed at in the school “Reconciliation in education is about truth-telling across the school year and throughout the curriculum.

It is about embedding equity measures in school enrolment, staff employment and school improvement policy and practices,” she says.

“Reconciliation in education involves nonIndigenous educators addressing racism in their practice and enacting anti-racism with students. It is about amplifying the voice of Indigenous children and young people, and empowering all youth to proudly practice activism.”

Davis says she gets the greatest buzz seeing nominees stand up against racism in schools and with their communities, which is one of the the reasons she continues to work in this space.

The 2019 Narragunnawali Awards schools category winner, Maclean High School, located in northern New South Wales, was commended for developing strong, longstanding and ongoing relationships with their local community.

Over the years, the school has enabled respectful consultation and collaboration with local Elders and the Aboriginal community to implement strong cross-curricula learning projects with a focus on local perspectives.

“The River of Learning project was a special highlight for me. An initiative developed by Yaegl Elders, Maclean teachers and Macquarie University’s National Indigenous Science Education Program, students and staff travel together to local sites and learn through Indigenous Knowledges about both culture and science – taught two-ways by Elders and science teachers,” Davis says.

“The program has been going for over 10 years, and it was highlighted that nearly every student and staff member at Maclean had participated in the program.”

The Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education Awards is the only national awards program recognises outstanding reconciliation initiatives in education.

Davis believes education has the power to shape future generations.

Since winning the award, and as a result of response to COVID-19, the school developed digital resources for staff and students. National Reconciliation Week was celebrated through a series of podcasts. Part of the prize money went to purchasing a GoPro that students used to record their own Acknowledgements of Country or Welcome to Country. These are shown every Monday morning to the school, at staff meetings and before P&C meetings.

Covering schools across the Government, Catholic and independent sectors, finalists are acknowledged for the way they strengthen relationships, build respect, and provide meaningful opportunities in the classroom, around the school, and within the community.

The winners of each category will receive $10,000 in prize money, the opportunity to be part of a short

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film, a feature article in the Narragunnawali newsletter, and a commemorative trophy, all in recognition and support of the school’s reconciliation measures.

Authentic, positive relationships are foundational to learning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

“Our kids want to know that they are important to the teacher, and that the teacher sees them and their identity,” Davis says. “Our communities need teachers and schools to show that they care for us, not just about us. Acts of educational justice, like employing Indigenous tutors, targeted resource allocation, remunerating community members to share knowledges in the classroom, and setting targets for Indigenous participation on school boards and other advisory groups pave to way for quality relationship building.” EM

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // JANDS

Clarity key to a collaborative classroom WITH MORE THAN 50 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN AUDIO, LIGHTING AND STAGING, JANDS WAS AMONG THE EARLY AUSTRALIAN PIONEERS OF THE MODERN STAGING AND ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY.

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Jands’ stage lighting, staging and venue engineering solutions can turn a multipurpose, traditional school hall into an advanced performance space.

Founded in 1970, the company distributes some of the world’s leading audio, lighting and staging brands for the installation, production and retail industries throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Jands Business Development Manager Christopher Ling says classrooms and educational facilities have evolved into a collaborative audio visual (AV) environments, where students connect, learn and communicate through technology.

The company believes great learning environments start with seamless audio visual in the classroom with students and educators interacting with content on site and remotely.

Audio quality and media connectivity can be the difference between understanding and confusion for the learner.

When the classroom turns to entertainment and larger gatherings, Jands’ stage lighting, staging and venue engineering solutions can turn a multipurpose, traditional school hall into an advanced performance space with moving lights, wireless microphones and custom stage machinery.

“Trust is a big thing when we are dealing with schools and we understand that in a school environment, children are its biggest asset.”

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“Anything that now interacts with the schools’ IT network now needs to be managed by the IT team. We are able to help facilitate that conversation by being aware of what elements of this solution needs to be on that network that we need to manage. It has become a vital part of the AV industry and it is something that Jands wants to be at the forefront of.”

Ling sees hybrid classrooms as an initiative that is on the rise in secondary and primary education.

“We have done many school auditoriums who use top of the line, A-level brand PA systems, but it is also looking at schools who might have a multi-purpose auditorium where you don’t need that big expensive designed/specific solution,” he says.

Outside of the classroom and the Auditorium, necessary audio solutions for bells, paging and alerts is also an area Jands is trusted in.

“Trust is a big thing when we are dealing with schools and we understand that in a school environment, children are its biggest asset,” Ling says. “Something as simple as hearing the bell ring or hearing announcements if they are out on the oval if something happens is essential to ensuring students are looked after.”

Schools require technology that enables learning at a distance and facilitates an immersive collaborative classroom experience.

Whether users bring their own devices and services or benefit from dedicated sound equipment, Jands now delivers classrooms the same high-quality communications experience as high-end theatres and lecture rooms.

Ling says Jands prides itself on being able to provide technical support, knowledge and working with all stakeholders involved with a school.

“As more schools have enterprise level IT infrastructures behind them, which many schools are moving into, there is now more AV equipment that will have some element of network application,” Ling says.

“Anything that now interacts with the schools’ IT network now needs to be managed by the IT team.

We are able to help facilitate that conversation by being aware of what elements of this solution needs to be on that network that we need to manage. It has become a vital part of the AV industry and it is something that Jands wants to be at the forefront of.”

Following a year of disrupted learning and remote classrooms, Ling sees hybrid classrooms as an initiative that is on the rise in secondary and primary education.

In the classroom, the blend of traditional and new teaching methods, and the mix of online and face-to-face learning – known as the hybrid classroom – is posing profound questions about the lessons of the future.

“There are instances where some schools might have a sister school in another country and they want to collaborate on a particular project, that’s a necessary use-case for a hybrid classroom,” Ling says.

“With the latest COVID-19 implications on schools and restrictions on numbers, schools might want to do a larger lesson across different year groups, which you are able to do with a hybrid classroom.”

Ling says two of the key components to a hybrid classroom is making it as natural as possible and having clear audio.

“If you can’t hear or understand what the other person is saying and they can’t hear you, you can’t communicate. Once the audio quality is down, then

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you really are struggling to maintain a classroom or experience,” he says. “Smart intelligent processors are the heartbeat of a great audio solution and investing in the right products there will ensure a more natural experience for everyone.”

Jands focuses on solutions that are fit for purpose and is something that the customer needs to achieve their goals.

Ling says that by looking at every option and not offering solutions that appear past the realm of possibility for the client, it gives the company a unique position to provide the best solution for the right space and application.

“We want schools to know that AV is not a dark art or an evil necessity, but the earlier it is considered for a classroom or school, the easier it will be to have the right conversation,” he says.

Over the past three years Jands has built its portfolio up to consist of number one or number two brands across lighting, pro audio, retail, audio visual, ICT and theatre hardware.

Ling hopes that in the next 50 years the company can continue supporting the right applications for all its clients. EM

Buyer’s Guide Jands Ph: 02 9582 0909 Email: CLing@jands.com.au Web: jands.com.au

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THE LAST WORD // Australian Curriculum

Are we taking our democracy for granted?

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DAVID DE CARVALHO, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM, SHEDS LIGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY.

Each year there is hand-wringing over NAPLAN results, and every three years the angst rises when the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results are announced.

But we don’t seem to have similar concerns over results showing students’ languishing skills, knowledge and understandings of our rights, legal obligations and shared values. Given what we’ve recently witnessed in the United States, we should be asking ourselves, “Why not?”

The results of the 2019 assessments in the National Assessment Program – Civics and Citizenship (NAP–CC) are out. A sample of around 5,600 students in Year 6 and 4,500 students in Year 10 from 627 Australian schools answered questions based on the Civics and Citizenship content in the Australian Curriculum and completed a survey.

The results provide valuable insight into students’ understanding and appreciation of democracy, civic processes and institutions, and how these are perceived. They are both encouraging and concerning.

On one hand, survey results show a promising evolution of Year 6 and Year 10 students who are engaged citizens: they are concerned about our environment, they embrace the diverse values immigrants bring to our shores, and approximately 90 per cent of them expressed positive attitudes towards Indigenous cultures.

They also paint a picture of a generation of students who are concerned about their planet and increasingly get involved in raising money for a charity or social cause.

However, just 38 per cent of Year 10 students reached the national proficient

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standard for knowledge in civics and citizenship.

This figure has hovered around this mark consistently for many years and compares with a little over 50 per cent for Year 6 students.

There appears to be a worryingly low level of understanding about, and appreciation for, our democratic institutions and why they are important. These are the institutions that underpin our society’s values around justice, fairness and equality of opportunity, and give our future generations the opportunity to shape their world.

While literacy and numeracy are clearly important foundations, what are they the foundations for if not for what the Alice Springs Education Declaration (signed by all education ministers in December 2019) refers to as one of the goals of schooling: active and informed members of our community?

Schooling should help students develop curiosity about public affairs. We know teachers play a crucial role in supporting students’ understanding and interest in civics and citizenship. The report includes a dedicated chapter for teachers, which assists in how the Civics and Citizenship curriculum and the History curriculum can be used in teaching and learning of the skills and capabilities required to become “active and informed members of the community”. The chapter also includes exemplar questions and answers to help teachers.

The tweens and teenagers surveyed are living through a momentous era in history. These are the digital natives who are being educated in a rapidly evolving world. We know they are engaged when it matters to them but there is no question, we want to lift these results.

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Some have suggested that this knowledge deficit is because issues of sustainability, such as the impact of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere (a scientific issue), are taking up too much space in terms of what is taught in the classroom.

But that is a false dichotomy. It is like saying we want you to learn about the rules of tennis but not play the game. Learning about democratic processes and about issues that need to be discussed and decided on through those processes go hand in hand and are the basis of being a citizen in a democracy.

We need to ensure all aspects of our values are understood and we cannot allow the quality of our public conversation on important matters of public policy to slip into slanging matches.

It’s as if we’ve forgotten how to have respectful debate or are afraid to do so because it means engaging rationally with others with whom we disagree.

We don’t have to look too far to see what the future might hold if our cultural resilience in the defence of civics and citizenship fails. A slippery slope of complacency can lead to the steps of the Capitol. It’s not too late. We can start by asking why the results are so poor and seeing if we can lift the proportion of our 15and 16-year-olds who know about and value our Australian democracy. EM

Education Services // THE LAST WORD

Technology key to classroom success during COVID-19

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THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC TRIGGERED AN UNPRECEDENTED DISRUPTION TO AUSTRALIA’S SYSTEM OF CLASSROOM-BASED LEARNING, FORCING TEACHERS TO ADAPT, SAYS ANDREW SMITH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF EDUCATION SERVICES AUSTRALIA. It is important to understand how the legacy of COVID-19 will continue to affect education in this country and to identify opportunities to build a more resilient education system, and one that is prepared to meet the challenges the future.

Education Services Australia’s Voice of Education Research Report 2020 illuminates some of the unique challenges experienced by systems, sectors and classroom teachers as they were forced to adapt to new ways of teaching and learning.

CONFIDENCE AND CAPABILITIES VARY One of the most significant findings was the wide variation in the capability and digital literacy of teachers and their confidence in deploying digital technologies to complement their teaching. Many teachers transitioned smoothly while others continued to apply “analogue thinking in a digital world”.

Keeping the skills of the workforce “current” emerged as a key priority for stakeholders, with 68% declaring it “extremely important” to build workforce capability and confidence around effectively selecting and integrating education technology into their teaching practice.

Even in jurisdictions where there was only a short disruption to classroom learning, the experience of COVID-19 helped some teachers overcome their reluctance to embrace new technologies, and there is now “a growing appetite and willingness to use technology in the delivery of education”.

There is a growing demand for targeted professional learning that enhances teacher’s ability to integrate education technology into their teaching to support student engagement and learning.

REMOTE LEARNING HIGHLIGHTS EQUITY GAPS Systemic inequity in access to technology, fast broadband and digital literacy skills meant the experience of COVID-19 differed considerably across age-cohorts and socio-economic bands.

The transition to online and remote learning further exacerbated inequities for many students in remote areas and those from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Maintaining continuity and consistency in their learning environment was particularly challenging for these students.

Stakeholders voiced concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 causing a “tail-effect” that could be seen for some time, as the COVID-19 learning gap continues to reveal itself. This will likely be more pronounced in jurisdictions which experienced longer periods of online learning.

BUT IT CAN ALSO HELP TO BRIDGE THOSE GAPS One of the valuable lessons emerging from COVID-19, was confirmation that online and remote learning had advantages for students who do not work at pace within the traditional classroom environment.

For some students, the experience of COVID-19 proved successful in facilitating a learning environment more tailored to their needs. Positive feedback from this cohort of students indicates there are opportunities to explore how digital pedagogy might provide education solutions tailored to closing equity gaps.

SAFETY AND SECURITY ARE PARAMOUNT The experience of COVID-19 has placed a heightened focus on online safety and security

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for students. When asked about the post-COVID classroom over the next three to five years, stakeholders cited ‘online safety and security for students’ as the most important issue the sector would have to manage. Three quarters of those surveyed rated it as “extremely important”, placing it on a par with quality professional learning for teachers, quality curriculum resources, and accessible technology solutions.

There is strong demand for information and awareness resources from students, teachers and parents to assist them in selecting education technology products.

DISRUPTION IS A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION While issues around access and equity were front of mind for many stakeholders, the research has also shown many in the educator sector believe COVID-19 played a role as a catalyst to drive broader acceptance of the need for more flexible methods of teaching and learning.

Ensuring Australia’s education system is wellplaced to weather the next challenge to businessas-usual will require an upskilling of the workforce, so all classroom teachers have the confidence to migrate to effective online learning when necessary.

Issues of equity and access, teacher capabilities and the importance of online security and data governance – already fundamentally important concepts for the sector – took on new significance. EM

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THE LAST WORD // eSafety

School support for online safety

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WE HAVE ALL HEARD THE FAMILIAR CATCH-CRY: ‘WHY DON’T THEY TEACH THAT AT SCHOOL?’ FROM SUSTAINABILITY TO SWIMMING, HAND-WASHING TO HEALTHY EATING, EDUCATORS ARE TASKED WITH SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE. AND WHILE STAYING SAFE ONLINE HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT PART OF EDUCATION FOR SOME TIME, THE EMPHASIS SINCE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 ADDS A NEW DIMENSION, WRITES JULIE INMAN GRANT, AUSTRALIA’S ESAFETY COMMISSIONER.

STEPPING UP SKILLS When the world locked down last year, educators stepped up and proved just how flexible and talented they are: meeting the need of changing from classroom teaching to remote learning in a matter of weeks. In moving education online, schools across the country faced significant challenges – including how to transition daily classroom activities while protecting not only students, but also staff and the school community, from online dangers.

Difficult as it is, COVID-19 clarified just how important it is for schools to have defined strategies to prevent and respond to online harms.

Understanding the skills young people need to protect themselves online is now an everyday consideration for Australian educators. Emerging from these uncertain times what’s clear is that educators need comprehensive support to make informed, and positive, decisions for students and the broader school community.

ESAFETY SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION eSafety is the world’s first government agency committed to keeping its citizens safer online, and we recognise the importance of understanding what works in online safety education.

To help meet educators’ online safety needs, eSafety was able to provide input to the Australian Curriculum connection on online safety last year. This resource is a guide for educators to

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identify content in the Australian Curriculum that supports the teaching and learning of online safety. We have also developed a range of classroom resources that support the curriculum.

We know that teaching schedules can be hard.

That’s why we offer webinars to specifically meet the needs of education staff. These explore the latest online safety research, examine case studies and provide the tools and strategies to help integrate online safety into existing programs and student wellbeing planning.

In 2020 our professional learning webinar for teachers – Online risks and protective factors – was popular, covering some of the most challenging issues in schools such as cyberbullying, inappropriate content and unwanted contact. To ensure more educators can access this valuable content, we expanded availability, offering more dates in 2021.

A new 2021 webinar, Online harmful sexual behaviours, misinformation and emerging technology, will commence in April with dates soon to be published on the eSafety website. eSafety’s Toolkit for Schools offers educators further support. Launched last year, the toolkit helps schools create safer online environments with 35 resources on topics such as guidelines for social media use and tips for responding to incidents that happen outside school hours. The toolkit also includes activities for students to take the lead in online safety and tips for parent-carer education

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and engagement. In addition, there are tips for supporting staff wellbeing online and for staff using social media. This comprehensive Toolkit was developed with input from teachers and education stakeholders across the country about the online safety challenges to student safety.

Student voice surveys are a new addition to the Toolkit in 2021. These surveys provide educators with students’ perspective when evaluating online safety programs, policies and practices. The three surveys cover students from lower primary (F-Year 3) to secondary (Years 7-12). They can be adapted to suit the needs of students and school communities.

ONLINE SAFETY VIRTUAL CLASSROOM At eSafety we know that by teaching students about risks and benefits online, we can better prepare them to be safer, interact respectfully with others and consider online safety when using digital devices.

This month, eSafety will host a new live virtual classroom to support the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. Designed for students in Years 3-6 this virtual classroom will look at positive up-stander behaviour, supporting friends online and recognising the harm that can be caused by cyberbullying. Registrations are now open.

The eSafety website offers a range of content and welcomes new subscribers to regular updates. EM

University of South Australia // THE LAST WORD

Kicking education goals for Indigenous kids

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DOT DUMUID, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA, EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND WELLBEING, ESPECIALLY WHEN JUGGLING WORK, SCHOOL, AND GENERAL LIFE. SHE ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE BEING UNDERSTATED, AND PARENTS ALWAYS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR WAYS TO ENCOURAGE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

Organised or community sport is a great way for kids to become active more regularly, especially as research shows that children’s participation in organised sports not only improves health and wellbeing but also educational outcomes.

Importantly, sports could be a way to boost educational outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and this is the focus of new research conducted by the University of South Australia, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the University of Sydney.

Education is pivotal to improving opportunities for all Australians, but despite current initiatives to improve participation and achievement in education, Indigenous Australians continue to face educational disadvantage. And although research shows that sport can have positive impacts on academic achievement, little research exists in this space for indigenous communities.

Recently, I’ve been working with UTS indigenous researcher, Professor John Evans, to explore how sport can impact the academic performance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-aged children.

Using data from Australia’s Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, we followed the progress of 303 year five students to assess their cumulative sports participation against their academic performance. We found that continued participation in organised sports was positively associated with better numeracy skills.

Children who participated in sports achieved a seven per cent higher score in their PAT Maths assessment, and a five per cent higher score in their NAPLAN test. Incredibly, children who participated in sport across multiple years achieved numeracy skills were about 2-7 months more advanced than children who did less sport.

Recent findings from Prof Evans’ work show that Indigenous children who participate in sport can boost school attendance and self-esteem.

But why would sports participation improve numeracy?

Firstly, playing sport is very likely to involve exercise at moderate and vigorous intensities, which, as research shows, can increase brain circulation, and improve neuroplasticity. Trials in this space also show that very short bursts of vigorous physical activity can positively impact executive function and attention in children.

Secondly, playing sport requires cognitive effort. Children learn how to respond to feedback, to master skills, to work within rules, to devise strategies for success, and how to focus their attention. Essentially, sport is training their thinking, and in this way may translate into improved learning and better academic performance.

Another possible explanation for increased academic performance is the emotional and social skills that children develop during organised sport. Sport involves teamwork, discipline, and negotiation, which can be translated into academic performance. Playing a

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sport builds a child’s self-esteem and resilience and provides them with a sense of belonging to community.

Additionally, when playing sports, children are less likely to be doing things that are less productive, in favour of things that are more beneficial and structured. One study on this topic found that children who were involved with a sports club once or twice a week, watched 28 minutes less television, than they normally have watched in a week.

Sport can provide additional social interactions, which is significant because such opportunities are often limited in rural and remote communities.

Curiously, despite improved numeracy scores, these same benefits did not translate to literacy skills. Some evidence suggests that exercise selectively activates regions of the brain that are also involved in mathematical operations, which makes sense when you consider that children practice simple calculations in while playing sport, for example, ‘how much time is left?’, or ‘how many points do we need to win?’.

Of course, there is still much to learn. While our findings link continued sports participation across junior primary years with better numeracy skills, understanding the role of sports in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and learning from the communities themselves, is critical if to reducing educational disadvantage. EM

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EVENTS

ASIA PACIFIC SUMMIT ON GIRLS’ EDUCATION 11 - 12 May 2021 Virtual Web: https://www.agsa.org.au/event/2021-summiton-girls-education/ The virtual event features an impressive international speaker lineup specifically chosen for their expertise in areas relevant to the education of girls.

Participate in the two-day summit from the comfort of your home or office or view on-demand recordings of all sessions anytime anywhere.

NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT - BRISBANE 4 - 5 June 2021 Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Web: https://nationaleducationsummit.com.au/ Join principals, school leaders and educators from K-12 at the National Education Summit.

Held over two days educators can experience innovative conferences and interactive seminars delivered by experts and thought leaders. Educators can also engage with exhibitors showcasing the latest in resources at the The Education Show, an education focused free trade expo.

NATIONAL EDUCATION SUMMIT - MELBOURNE 23 - 24 July 2021 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Web: https://nationaleducationsummit.com.au/ Join principals, school leaders and educators from K-12 at the National Education Summit.

Held over two days educators can experience innovative conferences and interactive seminars delivered by experts and thought leaders. Educators can also engage with exhibitors showcasing the latest in resources at the The Education Show, an education focused free trade expo.

NATIONAL FUTURESCHOOLS FESTIVAL 17 – 18 August 2021

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Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Web: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/ national-future-schools/index.stm Australia’s largest K-12 educations showcase, FutureSchools is a schools-only festival of ideas.

Featuring over 220 speakers, the two-day event is designed to upskill, inspire and motivate educators as they deal with disruption within the education landscape.

EDUTECH 17-18 August 2021 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Web: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/ edutech-australia/index.stm EduTECH is the LARGEST International Education event, bringing together every member of the education life cycle together under one roof over two day. This year, EduTECH celebrates its 10-year anniversary at a new location. Join us for EduTECH 2021 to share ideas, learn better practice, develop the latest strategies learn, network with 1000’s of educators and explore the latest innovations in global education technology.

EDUBUILD 17-18 August 2021 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Web: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/ edutech-australia/edubuild-2021.stm EduBUILD is Australia’s largest education buildings, infrastructure and facilities management 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.

LEARN@WORK 2021 17-18 August 2021 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

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Web: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/ edutech-australia/learnwork-2021.stm The Learn@Work expo is Australia’s key annual workplace learning, training and development event, bringing together hundreds of L&D professionals across Australia.

PESA AUSTRALASIAN WELLBEING IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE 19 - 21 August 2021 Sydney, NSW Web: https://www.pesa.edu.au/ The Positive Education Schools Association’s annual conference will focus on the theme ‘Bridging Theory, Research and Applications’ and look at current developments in wellbeing and educational research.

CONASTA SCIENCE EDUCATION CONFERENCE 26 - 29 September, 2021 Canberra, ACT Web: https://asta.edu.au/conasta The annual science education conference of the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).

In 2021 CONASTA will be hosted by the Science Educators Association. As the major science education event in Australia, CONASTA has a strong reputation for offering high quality and stimulating professional learning experiences for science teachers, school laboratory technicians/managers and others with an interest in science education.

AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2021 5 - 8 October 2021 Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre Web: https://aiec.idp.com/ The Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) is the major opportunity each year for international education professionals to meet, learn about major industry trends and to network with Australian and international colleagues.

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