As the return to school begins for students in Victoria and New South Wales’ locked down regions, the uncertainty for all students around classroom learning in Term 4 remains a concern.
   While many welcome the positive promise of a return to the classroom, there will undoubtedly be many students, teachers and families who will struggle with the upcoming phases of change.
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It is exciting to see so many STEAM concepts embedded into everyday curriculum across Australia. However, the emphasis on the content of STEAM subjects has led to an increased use of didactic methods and more focus on quantifiable academic achievements. By focusing exclusively on what is quantifiable, educators have less time to promote the development of 21st century skills in students.
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A hormonal, sullen teenager isn’t the easiest person to communicate with and getting one to open up is difficult, but it can be done. The answer lies in how conversations are started.
   Asking questions that are designed to lead to other questions so the conversational ball starts rolling is one way to get teenagers to talk according to Michael Parker the Headmaster of Newington College in Sydney. Read more

Teaching students, like working teachers, have been forced to pivot between face-to-face, online and now virtual teaching.
   Swinburne University of Technology and Swinburne Online supported more than 1,200 remote pre-service teacher placements with schools in the last 18 months in addition to over 1,200 early childhood on-site placements.
   Foremost, the students were given a grounding in flexibility. Read more

The 2021 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prizes for a short (2-minute) film have been awarded.
   The films were based on the 2021 theme, 'big' and communicated a scientific concept in an accessible and engaging way.
   Communication is an essential part of delivering science findings to the wider public and the three winners have shown early promise in their ability to do that.
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Remote schooling, due to COVID-19 lockdowns, has pulled the curtain away from the ‘babysitting’ myth that many attributed to the teaching profession. Parents and caregivers have truly started to see the spectrum of skills that teachers possess in order to nurture and challenge all the children that they encounter in the space of a school year. There is a day for everyone to commemorate the incredible job all educators do. Read more