Minnis Journals

For Education Leaders

The Matthew Effect: School boundaries, school funding and resources, and school staff
If we were to submit to the idea that belief drives behaviour, and this is indeed the case in relation to the Matthew Effect within school communities, then it is possible to create learning and teaching communities that stop this phenomenon in its tracks through the deliberate actions of their leaders. Read more

Technology drives Hale School’s integrity
The boys at Perth’s Hale School are accustomed to graduating on into university so while at high school they get an early introduction to how things are done at a tertiary level. Read more

Covid-19 and home learning: Metro students more likely to get live teaching
Australian school students are some of the luckiest in the world, with access to a range of education options, both free and paid. However educational inequity is still an entrenched part of our system, and this divide has been starkly obvious during this time of Covid-19 and home learning.
So much of our public discourse is understandably devoted to the health and economic impacts of Covid-19, however for many families, the biggest day to day transformation has been home learning. the experience of doing school from home looks very different across Australia. Read more

How do you know they’ve learnt?
In the spirit of ‘no hiding’, teachers are encouraged to be honest in their professional self-appraisal. Head Teacher Wellbeing, Liz Saunders said she regrets that her students of the past 30 years didn’t have the benefit of her newfound knowledge. Read more

Bell Shakespeare archive open to schools
National theatre company Bell Shakespeare will open its archives for a special limited release of production recordings from its recent history, exclusively for schools.
From 25 May, its productions of Macbeth (2012), Henry 4 (2013), The Tempest (2015), Romeo and Juliet (2016), Othello (2016) and The Merchant of Venice (2017) will be broadcast to registered schools, free.
With all-star casts including John Bell, Kate Mulvany, Dan Spielman, Mitchell Butel, Jessica Tovey, Brian Lipson and more, teachers and students can watch these archived recordings from the comfort of home or school. Read more

Collaboration while distancing
Classrooms will need to navigate social distancing guidelines and screens between students might be a solution.
Read more

Music teacher to get the spotlight
Entries for the fourth Telstra ARIA Music Teacher of the Year Award are now open.
The award recognises music teachers for their hard work,?creativity and dedication to their students and the wider community. This year, being a teacher has never been so demanding and The Song Room and ARIA shine a light on?the importance of music education to connect students to learning.
Last year, Antonio Chiappetta, from St Andrews College, in Western Sydney had his very own rockstar experience when he shared the red carpet with Australian music legends and was celebrated as the 2019 award winner. Read more

New hands-free door opener aids back to school hygiene
Touching an unsanitary door handle after washing his hands irritated XUNO school management software CEO Kiki Tanousis ... so he did something about it.

Tanousis and Col Brumley, his long-time adventure travel companion, didn’t expect to walk out of the Coppersmith Hotel in South Melbourne with an invention that would spread round the world. But like the virus they are helping to defeat, that’s exactly what’s happened when they created SafeOpen – a foot operated device that allows people to open doors hands-free.