Minnis Journals

ET News Digest

Your Weekly Education Newsletter

Survey reveals excessive workload stressing teachers
The consequence of overworking teachers is their teaching suffers with nearly 92% of teachers expressing concern that they do not have enough time outside of classes for lesson planning, marking, report writing and administrative tasks.
A survey of more than 18,000 teachers in NSW found that the average full time teacher works 55 hours per week during term time, with 43 hours per week at school on average and a further 11 hours per week at home. Read more

Autism in girls under-recognised
When you think of autism the image that flashes up is usually of a boy but the condition is common in girls and a much more balanced male-to-female ratio in autism has been identified.
The perception that autism is something that effects boys for the greater part has led to the under diagnosis of the condition in girls and some new strategies need to be set in place to overcome that. Girls and Autism: Educational, Family and Personal Perspectives is a timely book. Read more

New strategy to rebuild TAFE trade training numbers
There seems to be a disconnect: skilled vacancies in the trades are rising but youth unemployment levels seem to be stuck at unacceptably high levels.
It has to do with a lack of pathways into trades with many students going straight to university from secondary school and emerging to face too long on the sidelines before they find full-time work. Read more

How to assess students like astronauts
When NASA wants to uncover how their astronauts learn best so they can tailor and optimise their learning they turn to Mindprint.
The online learning assessment and platform identifies how a student learns and provides recommendations about how to deliver content and instruct in a format that is best for each student.
Mindprint says it has the first computerised cognitive test that can be completed in the comfort of a child’s home where they are most relaxed. The assessment’s reliability has documented in NIH-sponsored studies and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Read more

Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2019
Now in its 15th year, the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge continues to help instill a love of reading for life.
Students in Years 3–10 must read at least 15 books in the six months from February to September in order to complete the challenge. For prep–Year 2 students, the challenge is to read or experience 30 books.
More than 12,000 books feature on the list, 200 of them new. Children can read picture books, short stories, poems or non-fiction books in any language as part of the Challenge. Read More

Central Coast Primary School students managing personal PR
Social media is a powerful thing and while students are posting and sharing they’re also, perhaps unwittingly, creating a personal brand. That needs some managing and a public relations course which ran at a Central Coast Holy Cross Catholic Primary School Kincumber showed students how to optimise their online profile. The world-first pilot programme was launched on 4 March.
With as many as 95% of eight- to eleven-year-olds accessing the internet and close to one in two accessing social media, children are building and promoting their online persona Read More

Add play equipment so kids stay outdoors
The great thing about young children is that they’re easily entertained and while putting them in the backyard to play is a good way to get them out of your hair it’s also critical for their development.
Adding a piece of fixed play equipment helps to keep them outdoors for longer and meet the guidelines for the recommended amount of activity. Read more

Verbal judo defuses conflict
When someone talks harshly to you it’s easy to snap back and there it starts; conflict. It’s all about language you use and the tone and most snarkiness can be defused with the right strategy, one is Verbal judo.
Verbal judo training is based on constructive conversations and using words to prevent, de-escalate or end an attempted verbal assault and involves managing emotions and using skills to ensure that the conversation progresses towards peace.
Read more

Adrian Farrer new Trinity Headmaster
Trinity Grammar School, Kew (Vic) has announced that Adrian Farrer will be the school’s 12th Headmaster from January 2020.
Currently Principal at Cathedral College Wangaratta, Mr Farrer has held senior roles at Camberwell Grammar School and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar. He said, "What I know of Trinity boys is that they are grounded, humble and respectful, as well as articulate and confident. What’s exciting is that these attributes remain fundamental to thriving in any age." Read more