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COVID-19 has widened Australia's educational digital divide

13 Aug, 2021

Sourced from: ABC News As mum Vanessa helps her 11-year-old daughter Talyah with her homework, the technology is at least familiar: a pen and paper. Key points: COVID-19 lockdowns have exposed the digital divide in education A Smith Family program is trying to bridge the divide by offering one-on-one teaching Some educators believe it is the future of learning But for...

Education leaders express concerns over school return

13 Aug, 2021

Article from TheEducatorAustralia Education leaders across NSW have expressed serious concerns about the safety of staff and senior students , who are expected to return to school for face-to-face learning next week. On Wednesday, it was announced that the local government areas (LGAs) of Walgett, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, and Warren will go into lockdown for a week after the Delta strain...

Masks in the classroom: best practice for school teachers

09 Aug, 2021

Article from TheEducatorAustralia With more infectious variants of the COVID-19 virus emerging , teachers and students have been required to wear masks in high school classrooms. Indeed, this was mandatory in Greater Sydney and all of Victoria before the recent switch to remote learning under lockdowns. But what constitutes best practice when it comes to masks in the classroom ? It’s one thing to ask students to wear...

NSW students in COVID hot spots to be provided with 'flexible school model'

06 Aug, 2021

Article from TheEducatorAustralia Year 12 students will be provided with a ‘flexible school model’ which gives HSC students the chance to access their schools for essential lessons and wellbeing check-ins. Under the plan, school assessments and trial exams will be completed at home across all schools in Greater Sydney, and only small groups of students will be allowed at school at any one time from 16...

2020 reflections can help current remote learning

05 Aug, 2021

Article from TheEducatorAustralia The recent extension of remote learning in NSW was met with anxiety by some parents, students and teachers across Sydney, with memories of months of at-home learning in 2020. One principal who has been reflecting on the similarities of last year’s situation as the state battles its second wave of COVID-19 is Lisa Gerrard, who heads up St Bernadette’s...

Victoria goes into sixth lockdown, remote learning to resume

05 Aug, 2021

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews has announced a seven-day lockdown after 8 additional cases of the Delta strain were detected. The decision means that students across the state will learn from home until 12 August. “There is no alternative but for us to listen to our public health experts and take their advice, and that advice is to lockdown for seven days from 8pm tonight,” Premier Andrews said. “Only three of...

How to get media ready after COVID+ case

03 Aug, 2021

Article by SchoolNews COVID-19 has become the latest issue where school leaders can be thrust into the national media spotlight without warning. Few are ready for this and the stress of reporters swarming around the school and demanding interviews significantly adds to an already serious situation. What’s the answer? There are two things every school needs in place as an insurance policy against this happening....

Urgent meeting of principals, teachers called over Premier’s HSC decision

03 Aug, 2021

An urgent meeting of all principals and NSW Teachers Federation representatives at high schools in the greater Sydney area has been called for tomorrow after Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Year 12 students would return to school on 16 August, despite the state’s escalating COVID-19 situation . This morning, NSW Health confirmed there were 262 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night and five deaths, marking the...

How to build a culture of wellbeing…from the ground up

02 Aug, 2021

In June, a sector-first research paper found that a “COVID hangover” continues to affect student and staff motivation, anxiety and engagement . According to the paper, the majority of the 74 independent school leaders and teachers who took part in the COVID-19 survey between March and April 2021, “felt that the remote learning period had a neutral or negative impact on students” with student wellbeing and...

How to make the most of whole-class reading

23 Jul, 2021

By Mark Richards, After going out of fashion for a while at the expense of guided reading, whole-class reading seems to be back in favour again. Research points to a variety of benefits of whole-class reading. So, how do you make the most of whole-class reading sessions? Whole-class reading enables you to focus on more challenging texts. It also allows for better opportunities to engage pupils in class discussion....

Revealed: Parents’ view of home-schooling

23 Jul, 2021

By Mark Richards, As it looks like we are tentatively moving out of lockdown restrictions for good, many have begun to reflect on the effectiveness (or not) of some of the things that became ‘the new normal’ during the three main lockdown periods. For many, that included home-working. For many more, it included home-schooling. Now, a survey by Ipsos MORI has shown that around two-thirds of parents believe...

Lack of support for longer school days and shorter holidays

21 Jul, 2021

By Mark Richards, Although few would argue that many students need extra support and catch-up programmes to make up for the education lost during to the pandemic, there seems to be little support from parents for some of the ideas that have been floated about as possible solutions. These include extended school days and reduced holidays. A poll, conducted by Ipsos Mori, shows that only one in five parents would prefer to...

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