Articles

Deep Work: Sunk on the treacherous shoals of time control in tough schools Cal Newport’s concept of Deep Work was a best seller, and it developed a big following in the business world. As a result, the authors of this action research project focused on whether this concept would fit our schools, and if the perceptions and actions that school leaders, including teacher leaders developed while engaging in activities would promote deep learning, and consequentially influence their leadership effectiveness.   The findings indicated that while the concept itself is noble, and certainly worthy of emulating within a school’s context. In tough school communities however, participants reported that their ability to engage in Deep Work was very much influenced by the dynamics of the school day, and, not surprisingly, the place and time at which the Deep Work activities were undertaken. All participants believed that developing a culture that promoted Deep Work should be the top priority of every leadership group in their efforts to improve a school’s teaching and learning community. However, the day-to-day survival mode activities that all school leaders experienced prevented a full implementation of Newport’s Deep Work model. The impact of these findings should be further explored because they shine a light on the traditional structures and cultures of Australian schools.

Learning how to learn Metaskills are higher-order skills that lay the foundations for learning and succeeding at almost anything in life. Essentially, skills that help us to acquire skills.

A spotlight on sick schools A classroom with poor lighting or inadequate heating rarely goes unnoticed. But until recently, good air quality wasn’t on the radar of most Australian educators.

$2,500 in prize money in First Pitch For Kids 2020 comp Young entrepreneurs pitch their ideas for the chance to win a generous cash prize.

Dystech screens for dyslexia with machine learning Australian startup Dystech has created Dyscreen, a simple to use but tech heavy screening app for dyslexia.

Frenemies can do the most harm Bullying by close friends can be dismissed as horseplay, but when it becomes exclusion or rumour spreading the hurt is amplified.

How teachers can engage students learning from home Teachers are very familiar with the challenge of keeping students engaged in the classroom, however keeping them interested and on task when they are learning remotely takes this challenge to a whole new level.

The state of cybersecurity in Australia’s education sector Cybercriminals only grow smarter as time goes on, and it seems that no one – no individual, company, or government – is ever prepared for the latest attack. Unfortunately, Australia is no different.

Wesley College names new head of junior school Mrs Jo Edinger is the new Head of Junior School at Wesley College in Perth, the school chose to promote a long term staff member.

Catering for diversity of students’ learning abilities in today’s learning environment  Schools have blended  learning and created programs to maximise student engagement and learning outcomes.

Clever algorithms take the guesswork out of timetabling By utilising student preferences and building elective lines around them, Hunter Sport High School satisfied more students and better utilised resources.

Why schools should be teaching kids – and themselves – to be e-Smart According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, one in five children have experienced some form of cyberbullying.