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According to a recent global survey, Australian students were ranked amongst ‘worst in the world’ for classroom discipline. Discipline levels in Australian schools are in fact below the OECD average, based on responses from students who took part in international tests. The OECD’s 2018 Program for International Student Assessment revealed that Australian students ranked 70thRead more

Australia is well above the global average when it comes to the number of 1:1 digital technologies that are available and used among its school students. Children as young as 4 years are using computers, laptops and hand held devices whilst in their classroom as a tool for learning. Yet while our digital tech usageRead more

In an article written by Jordan Baker in the SMH, August 4 2019, the topic of increasing the frequency of children’s play time at school was discussed. Two Sydney primary schools have followed Finland’s footsteps in increasing the frequency of free outdoor play time in an attempt to increase concentration and engagement, and the resultsRead more

The PISA results have come in, and for Australian schools, the outcome isn’t great. In fact, it may surprise you to learn that it’s the OECD countries, some of the wealthiest in the world, that are seeing a decline in results from previous years. New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Finland are some of the countries toRead more

Education Minister Dan Tehan admitted being very disappointed at last year’s poor student test results, and said that ‘alarm bells should be ringing’. Australian students have registered record low results in reading, maths, and science. These results were released on Tuesday by the PISA report, the Program for International Student Assessment, which evaluates educational systemsRead more

Italy will become the first country to make study of global heating and human influence on natural resources compulsory in state schools. Lorenzo Fioramonti, Italy’s Education Minister, announced that starting from September 2020, one hour a week will be dedicated to themes including global heating and humans’ influence on the planet. That could put ItalyRead more

Whether to allow student use of mobile phones in school is a controversial topic in education. Both teachers and parents are concerned about distractibility, as well as other issues, like cyberbullying. However, using mobile phones in classrooms also has benefits, such as learning opportunities, and easy contact with parents. What do experts think about thisRead more

Imagination is tapping into the subconscious in a form of open play. That is why art or music therapy, which encourages a person to take up brushes and paint or an instrument, and just express themselves, is so powerful. ― Phil ‘Philosofree’ Cheney Music Therapy is growing in our schools and educational institutions, and withRead more

A recurrent struggle for teachers is how to deal with students who lack motivation. All classes seem to have at least one student who seems unreachable, no matter what we try, and even the best students have days when they are not motivated for classroom learning. Although most teachers would blame technology for students’ distractionRead more

Whether to allow student use of mobile phones in school is a controversial topic in education. Both teachers and parents are concerned about distractibility, as well as other issues, like cyberbullying. However, using mobile phones in classrooms also has benefits, such as learning opportunities, and easy contact with parents. What do experts think about thisRead more