It’s not just pencils and exercise books in the school bag this year – a growing number of schools are continuing to introduce ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) in the classroom, with many even making this compulsory. From 2009 to 2013, the Federal Government supplied a laptop to Year 9 students in Australian public high schools,.. Read more
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – Choosing and managing devices for high school
February 3, 2014 8 Comments
Ask an Expert: Do I let my partying teenager fail at school and be responsible for her own mistakes?
November 27, 2013 2 Comments
My daughter is very bright, but is disinterested in doing anything but partying and having a good time. She is in year 10 and is in danger of failing (we’ll find out soon). I cannot get through to her how important school is. Sometimes I think I should just let her learn the hard way,.. Read more
The heavy responsibility of choosing the right school
January 30, 2013 26 Comments
By Emma Toomey. As the first day of the school year looms large there is the usual nervous buzz of anticipation – stationery is bought, haircuts are had, uniforms are sorted and old pencil cases are salvaged. But this year at our house there is a palpable anxiety … at least for me. Our three.. Read more
Avoiding the back-to-school shopping extravaganza
January 25, 2013 25 Comments
By Rachel Hynes. The “back-to-school” season is sandwiched between Christmas and Easter and is fast becoming as big a retail event and wallet drain. This year, I have two kids doing the back-to-school shop. We are lucky enough to live very near an Officeworks. And I do mean lucky – I dash up there for.. Read more
Selective school of hard knocks
October 9, 2012 13 Comments
It’s the time of year when many kids in year 6 are starting to hear if they have been accepted into selective schools for next year. Choosing a high school is not the simple process it once was. In the 1980s, in my town, you went to the local high school or the Catholic high.. Read more
Anxious kids not learning: the real effects of NAPLAN
September 17, 2012 2 Comments
By Greg Thompson, Murdoch University Australian teachers are not convinced that NAPLAN improves the reading and maths skills of students. Over the next week, NAPLAN results will be arriving at students’ homes around Australia. But new research released today shows some worrying effects from NAPLAN testing. Seven out of 10 teachers did not see that.. Read more
School suspension counterproductive
June 28, 2012 Leave a Comment
A Professor of Psychology wants schools to stop using suspension as a disciplinary tactic, saying it is counterproductive. “Schools might need to rethink the way they discipline children, because commonly used practices such as detention and suspension may do more harm than good,” says Professor Sheryl Hemphill from Australian Catholic University. Studies have found that.. Read more
The Mastery Club – an interview with author Liliane Grace
June 8, 2012 1 Comment
Natalie has long been fascinated by witches, wizards and the world of fantasy, but she wants to be able to do real magic. When green-haired, unpredictable Nina bursts into her life with a plan to form a ‘Mastery Club’, Natalie’s mind and world are opened up to some startling possibilities and a colorful, creative family… Read more
Rebellious teenager gets a dose of tough love
May 14, 2012 10 Comments
This is a personal account by The Kids Are All Right reader Janine about the difficult time she has had with her rebellious teenage son, and how they’ve turned things around. A couple of months ago I wrote to ‘The Kids are Alright’ out of sheer desperation. My then 15-year-old son had run away after.. Read more
Don’t boycott NAPLAN! Turning our back skews good data
May 14, 2012 Leave a Comment
By Barry McGaw, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education at University of Melbourne. A small but vocal group is calling on parents to withdraw their children from the National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. But if this call is successful and enough children are pulled, parents will not obtain the information that.. Read more
