Relationships drive learning, change, behaviour and results

By Ken Avenell

What is essential is invisible to the eye
De Saint-Exupéry – The Little Prince

Whether it is in classrooms, schools or systems; organisations are driven by relationships – people matter! Many schools and classrooms claim to be values-driven and publish their values and make them explicit in documents, plans and various marketing messages. Sadly, this does not mean, however, that the professed values guide daily decision-making and predicate personal behaviours. Read More

Australia’s best science and maths students take on the world

Twenty-seven of Australia’s best students (pictured) have made the teams to represent Australia at the UNESCO International Science and Mathematical Olympiads.

The students will test their skills against 2,000 of the world’s best in the Olympiads taking place in England, Thailand, France, Iran, Brazil and Indonesia. Read More

Australia teaching English better than the English

England’s education curriculum for teaching English lags behind Australia’s curriculum, new research has found.

The research by Dr Paul Gardner from Curtin University’s School of Education, and published in UK based international journal, English in Education, compares the education curricula in England and Australia and has uncovered a significant difference in the way students are being taught English in the two countries. Read More

Respect for teachers a must

Ken Silburn, the Australian teacher who was a Top 10 finalist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize in 2017, thinks we must urgently raise teacher respect across Australia to attract the best candidates into the profession and “help young minds navigate a world in total flux”.

"If teachers aren’t respected, children won’t listen to them, parents won’t back them, and the most talented individuals will continue to disregard teaching as a fulfilling career." Read More

Keeping students educated during and after a chronic illness

UNSW cancer specialists and psychologists suggest Australia is lagging behind the US and Europe in providing consistent services to help childhood cancer survivors successfully reintegrate into their schools.

Fixing the problem will require government funding and better systems of communication between healthcare and education. Read More

Scholarships available for teachers to complete their Masters in SA

Applications are now being accepted for more than 50 Masters for Teachers scholarships worth up to $20,000 each.

To be eligible, applicants must be a permanent South Australian school or preschool teacher currently teaching in the public education system and must have been teaching for the last three years. Read More

More funding for NSW schools to meet enrolment surge

The NSW Government will start building or upgrading more than 120 schools and complete work on another 33 over the next four years.

A budget of $4.2 billion was announced over the next four years on capital expenditure to cater for surging enrolments. There is expected to be enrolment growth of 164,000 more students in government schools by 2031. Read More

New OECD report strengthens call for two years of preschool

Mitchell Institute at Victoria University early childhood education and care (ECEC) expert, Dr Stacey Fox said the new OECD Starting Strong report contains fresh evidence suggesting that two years of preschool are better than one.

“Australia’s education performance is lagging behind countries that support two years of preschool,” Fox explained. Read More

Kormilda College site in NT acquired by Haileybury

A Heads of Agreement has been signed between Haileybury and the Kormilda College Board to acquire the Kormilda College site and begin operations from 1 January 2018.

Kormilda College was saved from imminent closure last year after the Federal Government agreed to fund the school for 2017.

Haileybury currently has four campuses in Victoria and one in Beijing, China. Image shows Haileybury's Melbourne campus. Read More

Gonski 2.0 gets the go ahead

Education Minister Simon Birmingham and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull were relieved to announce the news of the new Gonski model being passed in the Senate after debating the Bill until late into the night.

The Gonski 2.0 plan passed with the support of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party, the Nick Xenophon Team and crossbench Senators Derryn Hinch, Jacqui Lambie and Lucy Gichuhi 34 votes to 31. Read More