Educator winter 2014 by Australian Education Union

Educator WINTER 2014

ISSUE 82 $5. 50

Australian

Agenda

The attack on public education

Talkback

Young teachers on their career hopes

Technology Girls and the geek factor

Research

How emotions affect learning

Adamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got talent PRINT POST APPROVED 1 000 08182

But does the Abbott Government give a Gonski?

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CONTENTS

Australian

Our cover: Adam Dickson, 14, a student with a disability at Fitzroy High School, Victoria, with teachers Miranda Jenkin and Tom Hoyle. See story page 10.

The government is blind to the facts on school funding.

Education issues making news locally and internationally.

Research into the role of emotions is being used to tailor classroom practice.

FYI

Ending uncertainty Students with disabilities need the Gonski funding model to ensure access and equity.

Mixed messages

A WA-based charity is bringing wellness programs to Indigenous children.

The federal government’s attack on public education has long-term consequences for the nation.

‘Red Dirt’ thinking It takes more than lifting attendance to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students in remote schools.

A political distraction

Teachers deliver ‘one million stories’ to the UN.

After years of development and consultation, the Australian Curriculum faces an uncertain future.

Mind over matter

Giving kids a chance Wiping out child labour and ensuring every child gets a quality education are two goals of a nationwide campaign in India.

Girls and the geek factor Helping girls see information and communications technology as an attractive career.

Free, compulsory and secular The birth of public education in Australia involved a lengthy clash between colonial governors and religious organisations.

Regulars 07 From the President

32 My best app

Vocational education has a future if governments invest in innovative institutions that meet the needs of students and business.

38 Recess

Trading places

36 Books

Staying in school Young teachers talk about the profession and their hopes for a long future in the classroom. www.aeufederal.org.au AU STRAL IA N ED U CATO R 82 WI N T ER 2 01 4 3

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NEWS

Education issues making news locally and globally

fyi Safety on track

program to teach primary school students about train and track safety is being trialled across Australia and there are plans to roll it out to high schools later this year. The ‘Be on the Safe Side’ program provides teachers with learning resources that are intended to be used within various Australian Curriculum learning areas with a train and track safety theme. Rather than highlighting unsafe behaviour or action, the learning resources emphasise students’ strengths by allowing them to discover and solve train and track safety problems relevant to their local community. Be on the Safe Side has been launched by the TrackSAFE Foundation after 18 months of research, development and collaboration with experts in the rail, road safety and education sectors. It is based on evidence that students learn and retain safety information better when the messages are positive and integrated as part of their usual curriculum. Australia has the sixth largest rail network in the world with 44,000 km of track, 23,500 level crossings and an estimated 250,000 school students using the rail network to commute

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NEWS

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So serious and widespread is age discrimination, it often violates the basic human rights of those who are the targets of it.

to school, largely unsupervised, each day, according to TrackSAFE. Students regularly take risks near platform edges and on level crossings, not demonstrating the behaviours necessary to keep themselves safe around trains and tracks.

Susan Ryan The age discrimination commissioner

Be on the Safe Side learning resources are available online and free of charge. Teachers and parents can visit www.tracksafeeducation.com.au, and there’s information for students at www.beonthesafeside.com.au.

A big tick “I am the proud product of a public school education and I had extraordinary teachers. I had a native-speaking French teacher, wonderful maths and English teachers, very good science teachers and absolutely inspiring Latin and history teachers.” Sheryl van Nunen, interviewed by Margaret Throsby on ABC Classic FM. Dr Sheryl van Nunen is Senior Staff Specialist in the Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney and Clinical Associate Professor at the Sydney Medical School – Northern, University of Sydney. She was interviewed on the program about tick-induced allergies and the work of TiARA (Tick-induced Allergies Research and Awareness) founded at Royal North Shore Hospital. Ticks, she says, are an increasing problem for teachers and students in tick-endemic areas. Sheryl van Nunen

The battle of the ages Australia has begun to make some headway in the fight against age discrimination but the biggest battle is still ahead, according to Susan Ryan, the age discrimination commissioner. “We need to change the way that age and ageing itself is seen; not as a burden, or a terrible inevitability, but simply as another stage in life, rich with its own opportunities for businesses, for communities, for education and for older Australians themselves,” she has told a New South Wales Teachers Federation Council meeting. The high numbers of mature age workers in the teaching profession, says Ryan, provides valuable benefits for the teachers as well as students, and the economy. But, she says, prejudice and myths about older teachers remain and lead to unfair treatment of both younger and older teachers.

“As new teachers are recruited, many are led to believe in a generational gulf separating younger recruits and older teachers,” says Ryan. “Too often they are encouraged, by media stereotypes and skewed reporting, to think that there are strict dividing lines between the young and the old, as if we are in some sort of proxy war between the generations. A priority for Ryan this year is to work on increasing intergenerational co-operation. “As teachers, you are one of the most important forces in bridging the generational divide.

Overcoming apathy One of the greatest opportunities we have in combatting age discrimination is to shape and mould the understandings of future generations to overcome widespread apathy, and the feeling that such issues just don’t matter,” says Ryan. The battle is a crucial one because age discrimination is “as pernicious and damaging as sexism or racism or disability discrimination”. It has serious negative effects on older people, the workforce, the economy, civil society and on the quality of community interactions, she says. “So serious and widespread is age discrimination, it often violates the basic human rights of those who are the targets of it,” Ryan says.

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NEWS

Education issues making news locally and globally

fyi Fast track funding There’s a case for advancing progress in the final stages and ensuring that education is at the heart of the global agenda after 2015, writes UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova in a forward to the report. “Fifty-seven million children are still failing to learn, simply because they are not in school. Access is not the only crisis – poor quality is holding back learning even for those who make it to school. One third of primary school age children aren’t learning the basics, whether they have been to school or not,” she says. The report calls on governments to redouble efforts to provide learning to all who face disadvantages – whether from poverty, gender, where they live or other factors.

Unlocking potential

Shortfall of 1.6m teachers

n extra 1.6 million teachers would be needed to achieve universal primary education by 2015, according to a UNESCO report. In 2000, governments around the world adopted the Education for All (EFA) goals as well as the Millenium Development goals that, among other pressing needs, aim to increase access to and improve the quality of education, but as the 2015 deadline approaches for their completion, it’s expected that not one of the goals will be met, the report has found. Central to the EFA plan is the provision of free and compulsory primary education for all children and the expansion of early childhood care and education, along with a goal to improve the quality of education. UNESCO’s annual EFA Global Monitoring Report notes that advances have been made over the past decade but people in the most marginalised groups have continued to be denied opportunities.

“An education system is only as good as its teachers,” says Bokova. “Unlocking their potential is essential to enhancing the quality of learning. Evidence shows that education quality improves when teachers are supported – it deteriorates if they are not.” A dramatic shift in funding is needed now to help bring about policy changes, says Bokova. “Basic education is currently underfunded by US$26 billion a year, while aid is continuing to decline. At this stage, governments simply cannot afford to reduce investment in education – nor should donors step back from their funding promises. This calls for exploring new ways to fund urgent needs.” Bokova says the evidence shows that education provides sustainability to progress against all development goals. “Educate mothers, and you empower women and save children’s lives. Educate communities, and you transform societies and grow economies. This is the message of this EFA Global Monitoring Report,” Bokova says. You can read the full report at www.efareport.unesco.org

“Alarming” drop in education aid Former prime minister Julia Gillard is leading a global campaign to raise US$3.5 billion by 2018 to support basic schooling in developing nations. She’s chairing the Global Partnership for Education, a Washington-based organisation that aims to improve global access and quality of education. A recent sharp decline in global aid for education is “alarming”, she says, and threatens the progress achieved over the past decade. “The global community must respond generously to the upcoming call for a renewal of multilateral, bilateral and national financing for basic education,” says Gillard. If it can achieve its funding target, the Global Partnership will be able to support 16 million children of primary and lower secondary school age.

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A recent sharp decline in global aid for education is “alarming”... and threatens the progress achieved...

Teaching diversity: At a school in La Pán Tan Commune, Muong Khuong country, Vietnam, students from 10 ethnic communities are taught in groups.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

The Federal Budget will be a critical test for the Abbott government’s education priorities.

History will judge

ust weeks from the Abbott government’s first budget, Australia’s students still have no guarantee of a properly funded school system. This is despite all the evidence of the need for funding reform and the unprecedented levels of public support for the full six-year Gonski school funding deal. It shouldn’t need restating, but in the face of the government’s refusal to commit to ‘the full Gonski’ it seems a reminder is necessary. The independent Gonski review was conducted by a panel of eminent people, and informed by countless pieces of research and analysis, as well as more than 7,000 submissions from across the nation. It found that school funding arrangements have failed our children and the nation as a whole, and it established the urgency for change by warning of serious social and economic consequences if the current arrangements are perpetuated. Now, for the first time, we have a funding model that provides funds to tackle disadvantage and delivers schools the necessary funding to address all their students’ learning needs. That funding comes in the form of the Student Resource Standard (SRS), which includes loadings that grow as the concentration of disadvantage in each school grows. Loadings that recognise all the research demonstrating not only the level of disadvantage, but also that concentrations of disadvantage drive the gaps between student and school achievement.

Lost opportunity Failing to honour the Gonski commitments would be a shameful lost opportunity. We would be failing generations of students who rely on the public school system. The Abbott government has a clear choice between properly funding public schools and perpetuating their under-resourcing. The latter would further widen the achievement gaps that are a blight on our nation, and this is an unacceptable outcome for students, families, communities and Australia’s future. Just how unacceptable this is has most recently been demonstrated by the response to the Gonski van’s national tour, and by the thousands of submissions to the senate inquiry into school funding from parents, teachers, principals and schools. The message from across the country is clear. Public schools are already seeing the benefits of increased Gonski funding as it provides extra support for students and teachers where it is most needed – in schools in rural and remote areas, and those serving students from low socioeconomic-status backgrounds.

Commitment is vital The May budget is a critical test of whether the Abbott government is prepared to make a longer-term commitment to the full six years of the Gonski funding agreements.

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The Abbott government has a clear choice between properly funding public schools and perpetuating their under-resourcing.

Angelo Gavrielatos

Without the vital fifth and sixth years, up to 20 per cent of public schools across the country will be operating below the SRS. It needs to be remembered that the SRS is the minimum requirement to provide all schools with the additional resources needed to ensure that all their students receive the quality education they deserve and the opportunity to achieve their full potential. The budget will also be a test of whether the Abbott government is willing to fund the loading for students with disabilities. The most conservative estimates suggest that more than 100,000 of these students aren’t receiving the funding they clearly need. It is a $2 billion funding shortfall. History will judge very poorly those who oppose and obstruct the full implementation of the Gonski funding reforms. What will be denied is the implementation of a funding system that provides schools with the resources necessary to give every child a better opportunity to succeed. Angelo Gavrielatos AEU FEDERAL PRESIDENT AU STRAL IA N ED U CATO R 8 2 WI N T ER 2 01 4 7

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C A M PA I G N

The government is blind to the facts when it comes to school funding, risking Australia’s social and economic growth. BY TR AC E Y E VANS

The high cost of ignorance

roviding more support to disadvantaged students provides an economic benefit that outweighs the cost, an OECD report has found. According to one estimate, if all 15-year-olds in the OECD area attained at least Level 2 in the PISA mathematics assessment, they would contribute more than US $200 trillion in additional economic output over their working lives, writes Andreas Schleicher in the report, Equity, Excellence and Inclusiveness in Education: Policy Lessons from Around the World. “While such estimates are never wholly certain, they do suggest that the benefits of improving individuals’ cognitive skills dwarf any conceivable cost of improvement,” says Schleicher. The findings support the theories behind Australia’s Gonski funding model, which is yet to be confirmed by the Abbott government. But Schleicher argues that there is no time to waste. “As the benefits – both social and economic – for the highly skilled keep rising, the economic and social penalties for individuals without adequate skills are becoming more severe,” he writes. “Providing all individuals with the knowledge and skills to participate fully in our economies and societies, and to collaborate, compete and connect, is now a policy imperative.” He says the key is to allocate resources to where they can make the most difference.

BRIEFLY

Global research shows that education systems don’t benefit from more private schools or competition. Blaming teachers or the curriculum for poor performance fails to address the critical issue of social disadvantage. Unless the government commits to full Gonski funding, generations of children will suffer.

It’s important to note that, after socioeconomic status is accounted for, private schools do not perform better than public schools; and schools that compete with other schools for students do not perform better than schools that don’t compete, according to the report. “Thus, the cross-country analysis suggests that systems, as a whole, do not benefit from a greater prevalence of private schools or school competition,” writes Schleicher.

Minding the gap In Australia, the gap between the top 20 per cent and the bottom 20 per cent of year 9 students in reading performance is equivalent to five years of schooling, according to Dr Ken Boston, former head of the NSW education department and a member of the Gonski review panel. “That is not the result of insufficient independence for government schools; it’s not

the result of poor teaching; it’s not the result of a cultural left curriculum; it’s not the result of not teaching enough about Gallipoli. “It’s the direct result of sectorbased needs-aligned school funding,” Boston told delegates at the AEU annual federal conference earlier this year. “If we do fail to reduce that gap, we will continue to have knowledge and skills never created, we will have human capital never realised. It will be as if some rich vein of precious metal, which if extracted would generate far more wealth for the country than the cost of its extraction, is nevertheless left undisturbed in the ground.” It’s important to understand, says Boston, that Gonski is a “fundamental reimagining” of what Australian education could and must be.

Individual care If the schools at the lower end of both the scale of aggregated

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C A M PA I G N

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Spread the word

Keep up with the campaign for school funding and share your experiences. @igiveagonski www.facebook.com/igiveagonski www.igiveagonski.com.au

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If we lose Gonski we will lose public education.

social disadvantage and the scale of education performance were hospital emergency wards, he says there would be a battery of medical specialists and intervention techniques targeted at each person’s recovery. “A school I know well in the poorer suburbs of Sydney, with more than 90 per cent of its intake being children with a language background other than English, from families from 35 different language groups, less than three years in the country and unlikely to stay more than three years in the school, is an emergency ward in the same real sense,” he says.

Raising the capital The AEU’s fleet of Gonski vans have completed a 22,500 kilometre trip around Australia, building support for the funding model and collecting submissions for the Senate inquiry into schools funding. The inquiry received more than 2,800 submissions.

“So too is a small rural school I visit frequently, taking children from the long-term unemployed, some suffering from foetal alcohol syndrome, some of whom have never been read to or even held a book when they arrive in school.” He says children entering those schools require immediate diagnosis and “intensive care”. “They need smaller class sizes, the ready availability of Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions delivered by fully qualified personnel, speech therapists, counsellors, school-family liaison officers, interpreters and a range of other support,” says Boston. “Hospitals save lives, schools save futures. And if children don’t get that support, if they’re deprived of education as a public good instead, they’re confined to the bin of underachievers and we fail as a nation to realise our potential stock of human capital.” But that support needs money. “The implementation of Gonski over the six-year period requires $15 billion; $10 billion from the Commonwealth and $5 billion from the states. Yet, although the Abbott government says it will honour the spirit and the letter of its assurances on needs-based funding, the total it will provide in the four years to 2016/17 is only $2.8 billion,” says Boston. “Unless we get years five and six, we are $7.2 billion short. And $4 billion of that is, in fact, in the sixth year. That’s why this is so fundamentally critical. “There is simply no other way. If we lose Gonski we will lose public education.

Anger over cuts in WA In Western Australia, an estimated 20,000 teachers, school support staff, principals, parents and students marched on Parliament on April 1 to protest cuts to education funding. As teachers across the state stopped work, there were also rallies in 17 country areas with around 5,000 attending. Earlier, 400 primary school principals and deputies had signed a letter to Premier Colin Barnett calling for the cuts to be reversed.

“The purpose of public education, or the purpose of education as a whole, will simply be, in the minds of the Abbott government, to sort the wheat from the chaff. “Generations of children will continue to be lost, Australia will be diminished,” Boston says.

Tracey Evans is Australian Educator’s commissioning editor. AU ST R A L I A N E D U C ATO R 82 W I N T E R 2 01 4 9

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C A M PA I G N

Students with disabilities can only achieve their full potential with guaranteed government funding for Gonski. BY TR AC E Y E VANS

Ending uncertainty BRIEFLY

Attending a public high school that values diversity has helped Adam Dickson improve his social, emotional and learning skills. The school’s commitment to Adam’s development is dependent on funding to ensure he receives individual assistance and supervision.

Adam Dickson, 14, a student with a disability at Fitzroy High School, Victoria, with teachers Miranda Jenkin and Tom Hoyle.

t 14, Adam Dickson’s emerging sense of independence is proof that he’s growing up quickly. He’s passionate about music, school, his family and being around people. “He really enjoys learning and community involvement is important to him,” says his mother, Stephanie Gotlib. She says he’s thrived, emotionally, socially and academically, at Melbourne’s Fitzroy High School. “The school has been absolutely fantastic. They value diversity and see disability as part of that,” says Gotlib, who is executive officer of Children with Disability Australia (CDA), the peak national body for children and young people with disability.

Adam needs considerable ongoing support. “He can’t be left alone because he has very little awareness of his own personal safety.” says Gotlib. “He’s pretty smart and his education program needs a high level of adjustment and modification. He has limited verbal ability and high sensory needs and requires significant help with communication. He needs support with new learning and extensive curriculum modification.” Funding Adam’s support to remain at Fitzroy High is not straightforward. While he qualifies for PSD (Program for Students with Disabilities) funding, the allocation does not in isolation fund adequately the assistance and resources required for him to

But doubts surrounding Gonski funding for students with disability mean that children like Adam face an uncertain future.

access his education on the same basis as his peers. As a result, each year the school must approach the department for additional funds. “There is a clear expectation that Adam needs to continue to learn and have a good education program. His skills are consolidated and growing all the time in terms of literacy and numeracy. This year he’s also doing music and photography and the school has been fantastic at ensuring Adam can access these subjects, meaning he can participate at school as a valued peer. “There’s been a real willingness from the school and staff to learn. This is new territory for them and it’s okay for them to be unsure. The school team has been very committed to developing knowledge and a relationship with Adam. They have skilfully defined his educational pathways, which continually extends him academically, whilst being sensitive to his specific learning needs,” says Gotlib. But this success is contingent on proper funding, she says. “The functional impact of Adam’s disability is significant and profound – and it’s not recognised through the current funding system.” The Gonski funding model would relieve the school from having to go cap in hand every year, pleading for funds, she says. Uncertainty over the adoption of the model and the form of funding for children with disabilities is causing frustration for parents and schools. “It’s actually not fair – it’s wrong,” says Gotlib. The funding system for students with disability must be approached

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C A M PA I G N

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Resources

Children with Disability Australia, www.cda.org.au

The functional impact of Adam’s disability is significant and profound – and it’s not recognised through the current funding system. in a fundamentally different way, according to a CDA submission to the Senate inquiry on school funding. “It is not simply a political or bureaucratic problem to solve, but a central area of Australia’s education system. As such it needs to be brought to the centre of the funding model, not continue to languish at the

periphery where it has been left for more than a generation. We must prioritise the addressing of this gross disadvantage,” CDA said. It’s not as if there should be any argument. The Coalition’s election policy was clear: “Current funding arrangements for students with a disability and learning difficulty are unfair and inequitable. Students with disabilities deserve better support so they can access the schools and education programmes that best suit their needs.” But the Abbott Government appears to be going back on its word to fund, from 2015, the Gonski disability support recommendations. Education minister Christopher Pyne has made it clear that it’s all up for grabs with a review to begin in June this year. In the meantime, there’s an

interim measure in place, says AEU president Angelo Gavrielatos. “It is a nominal amount of funding based on a fraction of the actual number of students with disabilities in schools. “The introduction of a new per student disability loading in 2015, that actually involves funding students according to their needs, was always going to require an additional investment. A national data collection process has revealed the actual number of children with disabilities is at least 60 per cent higher. “Education authorities believe the total extra funding required is $2 billion or more a year.” Gavrielatos says it’s unacceptable that thousands of children are missing out on the support they need. Tracey Evans is Australian Educator’s commissioning editor.

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AG E N DA

Government rhetoric disguises an attack on public education with longterm consequences for the nation. BY C A R O LY N R A N C E

Mixed messages

ommonwealth education policy will exacerbate inequality in Australian society and risks driving the country toward “an educational stone age”, Alan Reid, Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of South Australia has warned. In the keynote speech at this year’s AEU conference, Reid said mixed messages about funding and the reiteration of seemingly benign goals of teacher quality, rigorous curriculum, parental engagement and school autonomy are part of an agenda that could see the ethic of the common good in public education policy and practice replaced by a highly individualistic and self-interested approach. “If education is the key to individual happiness, economic productivity, community harmony and a healthy democracy, then this is a trend that must be resisted,” he says. Reid argues that public education is an asset that should be used to benefit society as a whole as well as its individual members. When government policy is based on a neo-liberal view of society, parents and students are seen as consumers making choices in an education market, and their actions are believed to drive educational quality by promoting competition between schools. In fact, says Reid, the approach works the other way, resulting in huge disparities of resources between schools and tending to

BRIEFLY

Australia is at risk of returning to an “educational stone age” as a result of new government policies. The consumerdriven approach to public education threatens to destroy the notion of the ‘common good’. A commitment to school autonomy could result in too much time and money spent on publicity and marketing at the expense of educational outcomes.

residualise public education and destroy sense of community. “[Policies] … entrench a distorted view of the public and the public good by privileging individual self-interest. This runs the danger of producing self-interested, competitive and culturally bound individuals who are more interested in their own self-advancement than they are in making a contribution to the common good. This is not the kind of education we need in a multicultural and democratic society. There is a lot at stake in defending the ‘public’ part of public education.”

Flawed policy influences One of Reid’s concerns is that government policy appears overly influenced by PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) rankings that provide no information on many critical parts of curriculum or how students are faring in such critical domains as problem solving, inquiry, creativity, intercultural understanding and interpersonal relationships. He hit out at claims from education minister Christopher Pyne and others that there is no equity problem in Australian education, arguing that ignoring evidence of such a problem relieves the government of the burden of having to shape policy, which shifts resources from the most to the least advantaged. “This of course is the reason for minister Pyne’s many policy positions on the Gonski formula. If there is no equity problem,

then he can justify a hands-off approach to the distribution of funds on a needs basis, or not require that states and territories co-contribute by topping up federal money,” he says. Reid questions the timing of a review of the new national curriculum prior to its full implementation and the choice of Professor Ken Wiltshire and Dr Kevin Donnelly to undertake it. “Both … have written many articles critical of the current version of the national curriculum [and] … the fact that their views overlap in so many ways suggests that the review will hardly be balanced,” he says.

Old-fashioned ideas A proposed review of teacher education is likely to reflect the Government’s desire to shorten the time taken for pre-service teacher education. Such an approach, along with the Government’s stated preference for direct (transmission) approaches to teaching, “is based on a narrow view of curriculum, an old-fashioned understanding of teaching, and a de-professionalised construction of teachers’ work. It is light years away from the kind of approach needed to promote the public purposes of education, and can only drive Australia back to an educational stone-age.” Commonwealth commitment to greater principal autonomy and parental engagement in schools also threatens the longterm quality of public education when they are promoted as part of an individualistic agenda.

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AG E N DA

Schools are viewed as businesses that compete against one another. The most successful are rewarded, and the least successful ... go to the wall. Alan Reid Professor Emeritus of Education at the University of SA

When viewed through the lens of the public good, says Reid, school autonomy can be interpreted to mean providing schools with the flexibility to develop approaches that suit the context of the school and the young people in the school’s care. Parental engagement means encouraging parents to be involved in the life, activities and governance of the school their children attend. By contrast, when they are activated within an individualistic framework, both are motivated by self-interest rather than the interests of all. “Schools are viewed as businesses that compete against one another. The most successful are rewarded, and the least successful – invariably those with the least cultural and financial resources – go to the wall.”

In this system, says Reid, a lot of time and money is spent on publicity and marketing at the expense of educational outcomes and principals become employers, marketers and business managers, rather than educational leaders. “The term ‘independent public school’ is an oxymoron. True public schools aren’t independent, they are networked and they cooperate to build a quality public system overall, [they do] not compete to create a system where there are shining beacons of success sitting alongside schools which are struggling or failing. True public schools are fuelled by a sense of mutual obligation, not self-interest,” Reid says. l Carolyn Rance is a freelance writer.

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Photo > Harjono Djoyobisono

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SEE IF YOUR SKILLS ARE NEEDED or RSVP to a free information session at: www.australianvolunteers.com or tollfree: 1800 331 292. Australian Volunteers for International Development is an Australian Government aid initiative.

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INDIGENOUS

Improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students in remote schools is about more than lifting school attendance. BY K R I STA M O G E N S E N

‘Red Dirt’ thinking

he federal government’s $28m decision to fund 400 truancy officers in remote schools to improve student attendance is proving controversial in the face of Northern Territory government cuts to teacher numbers, with a new study warning against ‘simplistic’ solutions. AEU Northern Territory branch secretary Peter Clisby says that, while the union supports additional funding on truancy, the territory government’s cutbacks in other parts of the school system will undermine any progress made in raising attendance rates. “Class sizes stand to be increased while teacher and teacher aide numbers continue to be reduced, with an impact on Indigenous schools in particular,” he says. New research from the University of South Australia points to the inadequacy of focusing on attendance as a strategy to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students. “We know that attendance rates are poor in very remote Indigenous schools, and everyone is keen to see remote student attendance and learning outcomes improve,” research fellow Sam Osborne told delegates at the AEU federal conference in February. “The evidence suggests, however, that heavily attendance-focused strategies do not necessarily improve very remote student attendance.”

BRIEFLY

Truancy measures alone will not lift attendance in remote schools. New research points to community engagement and relevant curriculum as key to improving attendance and educational outcomes. This five-year project aims to identify strategies and models to improve outcomes for remote Indigenous students and their families.

“Where attendance is improved, we also see very little improvement in measures such as NAPLAN scores,” says Osborne. Osborne is a member of a UniSA research team based at the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP), that is investigating how remote education systems can best respond to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community expectations, aspirations and needs (see box).

NAPLAN a ‘crude’ instrument Very remote schools have performed relatively poorly in NAPLAN tests, with little or no improvement from 2008–2012 in relation to attendance and NAPLAN scores, says Osborne. “In 2013, the data showed small signs of improvement in very remote school results … which have come on the back of decreased attendance rates.” Across mainstream schools, data suggests there is a strong relationship between attendance and performance, says Osborne. “But in very remote schools where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enrolment is above 80 per cent, the data shows a relationship between attendance rates and NAPLAN scores is so small that attendance explains around 10 per cent of the variance in NAPLAN.” “The logic that improved attendance will see a significant increase in performance – in

NAPLAN scores – in very remote schools is not supported by the data.” “We know that NAPLAN is a crude instrument in terms of measuring student performance in very remote schools,” says Osborne. “[Yet] these are the measures that establish very remote schools as being behind, or failing, and this influences the priorities that remote education systems adopt.” “We need to rethink our assumptions about what improved attendance means for very remote schools and students,” he says. And, if NAPLAN is a poor measure of success in remote schooling, what constitutes a good remote education and how can we tell it is working? (See box).

Anchor points Now half-way through the fiveyear project, researchers are exploring what they describe as pragmatic, place-based ‘Red Dirt thinking’, as compared to ‘Blue Sky’, or Utopian, externally imagined thinking. The project recognises that Indigenous knowledge and Western concepts of education are fundamentally different. Attending school and learning to read and write in English is important, and current efforts must be improved, says Osborne. But it is more than simply aiming to improve school attendance and economic development. A broader understanding is needed about what constitutes ‘a good

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Engaging the community Early research findings suggest that effective remote educational programs make room for family and community engagement in the teaching and learning process, says project team member Sam Osborne. “In the Mutitjulu Community, the year has begun with three Sorry camps and funerals – which are cited as barriers to school attendance – [yet] Nyangatjatjara College has put on extra vehicles to collect students for school in recent weeks.” Schools that engage students, families and the broader community in the school culture more broadly tend to enjoy much higher attendance rates, compared to those which are overly focussed on mainstream standards, “working from deficit language and paradigms”.

... heavily attendance focussed strategies do not necessarily improve very remote student attendance. Sam Osborne UniSA research team member

education’, which acknowledges the significantly different ways ‘of knowing, being and doing’ of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. “If very remote students are to find their element in education and economic participation, we need to see the essential elements of relationship to the land, family, language and reaffirming the value of the students’ identity,” says Osborne. “These are critical anchor points for hooking students into the otherwise unfamiliar social and academic norms of Western schooling.” The project team is working with Aboriginal communities to identify strategies and models to improve outcomes for students and their families. “Externally imagined, simplistic solutions don’t work in remote community policy,” says Osborne. “The next policy phase for remote education must be about identity and belonging as the foundation of school culture and curriculum.” “We need to prepare classrooms to be dynamic learning spaces that remote students and their families choose to be in.” l Krista Mogensen is a freelance writer.

“Many deeply valued community activities are absolutely part of the national curriculum and can constitute the development of a good remote education,” says Osborne. “Language, the arts, digital media, local histories, corporation governance, land rights, land tenure and the economic relationship between the two, intercultural exchanges, sport, ecological knowledge and its relationship to environmental science: these are just some of the things that happen with a voracious appetite outside school hours and outside the school gates that can be brought within the school’s curriculum and community engagement practices to make the local school the best place to be in the minds of young people.”

On the ground Based in Alice Springs, the Remote Education Systems project is part of the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation (CRC-REP), investigating how education systems can best respond to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community expectations and needs. Now three years into its five-year term, the project aims to identify strategies and models to improve outcomes for students and their families. The project team is working with remote education stakeholders in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. More information: www.crc-rep.com

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After years of development and consultation, the Australian Curriculum faces an uncertain future. BY TR AC E Y E VANS

A politcal distraction

he Abbott government is expected to shortly release the results of a review of the new Australian Curriculum. Slammed as “ideologically driven” and “designed to divert public attention from [the government’s] failure to commit to the full six years of Gonski funding” by the AEU federal conference in February, the review was carried out by two critics of the curriculum. Public policy academic Ken Wiltshire and conservative education commentator Kevin Donnelly began work in January examining hundreds of submissions. The AEU conference re-affirmed the union’s long-standing commitment to evidence-based best practice in curriculum

development, delivery and pedagogy, and rejected the politically motivated attack on the teaching profession. “The Australian Curriculum is enriched through perspectives that acknowledge our Aboriginal history and peoples. The diversity of the teaching service and the students and communities within public education provides a rich tapestry for the engagement of students in learning experiences which are inclusive and reflected within the curriculum,” the AEU conference statement said. Education minister Christopher Pyne has been panning aspects of the curriculum since the federal election campaign, when he flagged the review but promised not to throw out the curriculum “holus bolus”. He

BRIEFLY

The Australian Curriculum review is due to be released soon. Government claims that the curriculum is partisan have been widely rejected. Teachers will be disheartened by hasty changes to the curriculum.

has been critical of including the cross-curriculum priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures; Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia; and sustainability and claims the curriculum as it stands is politically biased. He also argues that insufficient emphasis is placed on the history of Western civilisation and ANZAC Day. His concerns come despite years of development work and consultation to produce the curriculum to its current stage. There have been thousands of submissions and hundreds of forums with contributions from teachers, parents, educators and community members, and consequent redrafts and revisions. Meanwhile, comments from Pyne and prime minister Tony Abbott that the curriculum is partisan have been widely rejected. In fact, from 2008 when it was first conceptualised, the development of the curriculum has been consistent with the principles of how curriculum should be developed in a modern liberal democracy, according to the AEU submission. “A grand coalition of forces across the full intellectual and political spectrum has been engaged at all levels in constructing this curriculum and they have done so in an unhurried and collaborative fashion,” the submission says. The development of the Australian Curriculum is overseen by the board of the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA),

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which consists of representatives of every state and territory minister and the private school sectors. Furthermore, every state and territory education minister signed off on the curriculum prior to implementation. At the time there were ministers from the Liberal, National, Labor and Green parties. .

Reform fatigue The Australian Curriculum is just a few months old. Education systems and teachers have been preparing for its implementation for years but the uncertainty caused by the review is causing consternation. Pyne has indicated he plans to introduce any changes from the start of 2015. As The Guardian Australia website reported, teachers suffering “reform fatigue” will be disheartened and demoralised by any hasty changes to the curriculum, according to a submission by the University of Queensland’s school of education. Meanwhile, Jane Hunter, a

specialist in curriculum and pedagogy at the University of Western Sydney’s School of Education, warned the government against tinkering with the curriculum, saying it would “come at the expense of the ever-diminishing bucket of teacher morale”, according to The Guardian report. The reality for school communities is that there have been years of preparation and anticipation for the introduction and gradual implementation of the curriculum, says the AEU submission. “The first phase of the Australian Curriculum rollout reflected the diverse parentage of its development and the variegated and federal nature of education authorities in Australia. The ACT was prepared to introduce the four core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and History) in 2011 whilst other jurisdictions joined in more gradually over 2012 and 2013

with NSW commencing some partial implantation in 2014.” “To have the initial achievement of this Australian Curriculum derailed by those acting contrary to what fact and objective analysis would teach them would be a grand disservice to the students of Australia and the future of the nation,” the AEU submission said. “Australia deserves better than an education show trial.” Tracey Evans is Australian Educator’s commissioning editor.

Extract from the AEU submission to the Review of the Australian Curriculum

Just a sideshow “The Donnelly-Wiltshire Review might sadly become merely a sideshow in Australia’s history and the regrettable tenor of its launch suggests perhaps a lack of forethought in the manner and timing of its launch. “At least 50 per cent of the reviewing panel appears to have animus towards public education, an insufficient grasp of the implications of academic method and a complete disrespect for the enormity of what has been achieved thus far in building a consensus around the Australian Curriculum. The other 50 per cent of the panel has some hard choices to make if his intellectual reputation is not to be sullied by association, permanently.”

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Vocational education is at a turning point, but there are opportunities for the sector if governments invest in innovative institutions that meet the needs students and business. BY C Y N D I T E B B E L

Trading places

rofessor John Buchanan is not a pessimist by nature. The director of the Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney made a point of reassuring delegates at the AEU Federal Conference that most people regard him as a “glass-half-full kind of guy”. The emphasis on optimism was important because Buchanan was about to present the results of seven years’ research undertaken by himself and his colleagues on the state of vocational education in Australia. “In a nutshell, TAFE is in crisis,” he said. “We’ve got to recognise that there’s been a huge defeat, not a marginal setback.” The sector has been under pressure for decades, a casualty of free market reforms that have forced TAFE into competition with private providers, and corresponding cuts in funding by all levels of government that have seen hundreds of teachers retrenched, courses axed and campuses closed. Buchanan sees these setbacks to public vocational education as a base for renewal. It’s a vision shared by AEU Federal TAFE Secretary Pat Forward, who says Buchanan’s research provides a timely opportunity for the sector to engage in a rigorous debate, and take the lead in nurturing “a modern notion of vocation”. “Markets, no matter how or who designs them, can’t achieve this,” she says. “It’s up to the public sector to facilitate networking between stakeholders and broker mutually favourable outcomes.”

A question of productivity Buchanan contests claims by successive governments that the free market can deliver results better than an integrated system of vocational education. By synthesising 30 years’ of labour market economics, he proposes that the best way to understand the social foundations of productivity lies in distinguishing three related areas: organisational, industrial and economic. To illustrate his case Buchanan looks at research comparing the manufacturing process, like for like, in Germany and France. The former are considered the best manufacturers in the world, and they’re able to maintain their status with fewer workers than the French. How? Their approach to education. Buchanan says Germany’s skills-based system, with a healthy respect for crafts, means factory workers are entrusted to “exercise discretion with very low levels of supervision”. The French system favours “a generalist academic notion of knowledge”, considered inadequate for productivity. As a result, says Buchanan, workers are “dominated day in, day out by managers”. Industrial relations also plays a part. France has an enterprisebased bargaining system while Germany has a multi-employer IR system focused on skill and transferable notions of labour. Buchanan says the situation in France is comparable to Australia, where organisations and employers are abandoning

BRIEFLY

Publicly-funded vocational education is at a cross roads. The rise of a “generalist” approach to education has decimated what was once the best vocational systems in the world. There are opportunities for renewal if the sector takes the lead and engages with governments to reposition the notion of education for the public good.

notions of skill and designing internal arrangements that are “unique to their venture so they can craft what works for them”. The educational sphere has also seen “the rise of general academic approaches extended over vocational” despite Australia having established what was once considered one of the best vocational education systems in the world.

A vision of the future Employers and employer bodies have led the attacks on the public vocational system, effectively stripping workers of skills and denying them security of employment. Having done so, Buchanan says employers are “living through the wreckage of a system” that benefits private registered training organisations (RTOs) “but doesn’t believe in skills on the job”. Without urgent intervention, Buchanan believes within 10 years Australia may have only schools and higher education. There is still a critical mass of

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

Spread the word

Find out more information at the TAFE support page http://stoptafecuts.com.au and the Workplace Research Centre http://sydney.edu.au/business/ workplaceresearch.

expertise in the TAFE sector, but survival doesn’t mean “simply defending what we’ve got”. “It means thinking deeply about what we do with school education, how we see VET and its relationship to higher education,” says Buchanan. It’s a relationship that needs to move beyond rivalry to one of complementary entities offering solutions that work for different parts of the labour market. Making that happen requires a different way of thinking about the relationship between work and education. Elements of that are already evident in the NSW TAFE pilots, and in South Australia, where they’re looking at “the broader notion of occupation as a transferable good”, says Buchanan.

Custodians for public good Pat Forward believes the sector “can and must play a role as custodians of the knowledge and

practice” to nurture vocational education for the public good. Governments, too, play an important role and should be encouraged to invest in public vocational institutions, “encouraging them as incubators of vocational skills for the present and for the future – not just for the public sector, but for the private sector; not just for industry, but for society”, she says. Buchanan says the first step is recognising that this represents “the dying days of a regime that has no chance of survival”. Getting the sector back on track or, indeed, on an entirely different track won’t happen with an ad hoc approach. “We need a serious reposition. Taking a leading role in rethinking the relationship between education and work is good for the sector and important for the labour market at large,” Buchanan says. l Cyndi Tebbel is a freelance writer.

Embedding success

John Buchanan Director of the Workplace Research Centre at the University of Sydney

Source: Based on data from Future Focus: 2013 National Workforce Development Strategy, Australian Workforce Productivity Agency.

The lowdown on VET funding The breathtaking cuts in government funding for VET, compared with other education sectors, are clearly shown here. 140

Primary Government Schools Secondary Government Schools

120

Higher Education 100

Vocational Education and Training

80 2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

One of John Buchanan’s most moving experiences as a researcher on vocational education occurred during a visit to the US state of New Jersey. A labour market researcher took him to a technical college that, five years prior, had been a failing high school with only 70 students. Today, thanks to a group of teachers with a vision for vocational education, the school has turned around. According to Buchanan, it has a reputation equal to “some of Australia’s best public schools”. As a result, “parents are queuing up to get in”. “It’s no longer designated as a technical college, it’s just a bloody good high school embedded in the community.” What changed? Teachers integrated practices of the economy and everyday life to enrich the curriculum. To wit, the maths department is linked to local engineering firms of the district; the science department is actively engaged with hospitals and science departments in universities; and the economics department is linked to Wall Street. Of the latter, Buchanan says “that’s not necessarily a good thing, but you’ve got to work with what you’ve got!”

2010

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Young teachers talk about their expectations of the profession and why they’re looking forward to a long future in the classroom. BY A M A N DA WO O DA R D

Staying in school Suki Dorras-Walker Teacher English, French and SOSE (Studies of Society and Environment)

Brooke Collins Transition Coordinator and English Teacher Years 7-12 Port Hacking High School, NSW Teaching for five years

“The longer I teach the more I appreciate it and the greater rapport I have with the kids, which all plays a big part in my satisfaction. Every year I can’t believe how well my kids do and it makes you want to give more of yourself and more of your knowledge. I had an inspiring teacher who made a big impression on me and, I think to begin with, I had an idealistic view of teaching. The reality is completely different and sometimes I call it the battlefield but if you can be that great teacher for a student, then it makes it all worthwhile. To be a quality teacher, you need to be on the ball and keep reflecting on what you’ve done but the fact is there simply isn’t enough time to do that. I think today’s generation of teachers needs to understand more about the politics and our rights as teachers. I’ve only been teaching for five years but our workload has increased dramatically in that time yet our working conditions are hardly talked about. I don’t believe that public school teachers are seen as authority figures or are valued by parents and the community. That’s sad and frustrating because, of course, I’d like recognition and better pay and more respect. If it weren’t for us young and enthusiastic teachers then public education would be worse off. All our more experienced teachers are exhausted because teaching is exhausting! I don’t have aspirations to become a head teacher or a deputy. I really

Years 7-10 Campbell High School, Canberra Teaching for 18 months

I think today’s generation of teachers needs to understand more about the politics and our rights as teachers. Brooke Collins

enjoy my job as it is and I’m learning new things and developing every year. I do see teachers who move into admin positions and lose touch with the classroom and what’s actually happening and I think the fear of becoming that is what puts me off as well. Whether you’re in teaching for five years or 55 years, the excitement of getting through to a student and becoming a better teacher is a great reward.”

“Every time anyone asks me what I do, I’m very proud to say that I’m a teacher. My job spills into my identity. Each day you have to stand up and be an authentic person. I certainly feel that teaching is a vocation. I had no idea what I was going to do following my BA but once a friend recommended teaching, I got excited about it. Now I can’t see myself doing anything else. In a school you become part of a community. I’m interacting with all different kinds of people – people who are younger and older than me, people from very different backgrounds – and I enjoy the variety of experiences this creates. I also feel that I’ve become someone who has a role in society. Going to work every day and being able to play a role in a student’s life is magical and keeps you very grounded in terms of what your values are, not just in public education but the wider community. I’ve been lucky in that I had a supervisor and mentor who were great at supporting me through my first year. I’m not sure every school is so organised, but having teachers around you who can do that is so valuable. There’s this media idea of the charismatic teacher, the saviour, like Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds, but one thing I’ve learnt is that teaching is more complicated than that. Winning over students is not as simple as trying to be a nice person. On my first placement it totally surprised me at first that some kids didn’t want to be

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Carly-Jo Stewart Early Childhood Teacher Swanbourne Primary School, WA Teaching for three and a half years

Going to work every day and being able to play a role in a student’s life is magical and keeps you very grounded in terms of what your values are. Suki Dorras-Walker

in a classroom, as I had such a positive experience of school. I do struggle with my imperfections as a teacher; there are more experienced teachers at my school who are incredible and I think there are so many steps before I get to that point. But I’m learning all the time, I’m still excited about teaching and I want to get there.”

“Growing up I was one of those kids who used to play schools – I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. What keeps you engaged is watching little people grow and learn, and to be that person who can create those moments. In a school environment, it’s also great to see how children develop and what happens to them after they leave my class. Teaching fulfils me in the way I expected but what I never imagined, even when I was training, was how much work it entails, not just managing the academic learning but the children’s emotional needs, referrals, keeping parents on board, communications, IT, the list is endless. That’s all acceptable if you are appreciated. Previously I’ve worked in a school environment where teachers were working long hours, doing extra programs for the kids and being taken for granted. Not being able to get funding for activities and the red tape around fundraising was a huge frustration. I was allocated $100 for the whole year and the process of reimbursing teachers was so ridiculous I gave up and used my own money, otherwise you make the job harder for yourself. It made me realise that schools need really competent admin teams who have training and experience otherwise the problems filter down to the kids, with poor NAPLAN results and frustrated teachers. In turn, I’d like to see schools get more support from the state education department and the federal government. I used to picture myself as a deputy or principal but it is so much work and the financial remuneration is not

It would be nice to have more respect and appreciation from parents as well. Carly-Jo Stewart

enough to make it worthwhile. Now I just see myself in the classroom improving my skills and working to the best of my ability. Perhaps one day I would like to help other early childhood teachers. It would be nice to have more respect and appreciation from parents as well. Other professions such as doctors or lawyers get this straight away but as a teacher I’ve found that I have to earn it and get parents on board. It’s difficult and I used to be more nervous if I had to meet with parents but I’ve learnt to speak up for myself now. l Amanda Woodard is a freelance writer. AU ST R A L I A N E D U C ATO R 82 W I N T E R 2 01 4 2 1

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INDIGENOUS

An innovative WA-based charity is bringing health and wellness programs to Indigenous children. BY C H R I ST I N E LO N G

A fair go at fitness

erth health and education teacher Ricki Cocliff is the recipient of the 2014 Arthur Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education for his work with the unique charity Fair Game WA. The Bullsbrook College teacher, who grew up in Newman, in regional Western Australia, has turned his passion for health, fitness and education to developing programs aimed at ensuring that all children, no matter where they live, have equal access to a healthy lifestyle. The award recognises the hundreds of volunteer hours he has put in over evenings, weekends and school holidays in remote Indigenous communities and among culturally and linguistically diverse groups in metropolitan Perth. In 2010 Cocliff was instrumental in developing Fair Game WA, which gathers and donates recycled sports equipment and uses it to deliver fitness, health and wellness programs to Aboriginal communities. The charity was the brainchild of its chairman, doctor and fitness instructor John van Bockxmeer. Cocliff, his wife Natalie Swan, and Fiona Stretch and Matt Scanlon became its founding committee members, helping to give the idea wings. “In the remote Indigenous communities in the north-west, sport is a big outlet for children,” says Cocliff. Involving them in

BRIEFLY

A Perth teacher has been recognised for his work in developing fitness, health and wellness programs for Indigenous children. Working with the charity Fair Game WA, Ricki Cocliff helps to collect and donate sporting equipment to communities throughout the state. Cocliff has produced a health promotion manual with lesson plans suitable for educators, lay people and volunteers.

‘‘

active movement games and health education activities is an effective way of building their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as nurturing their culture. To date, Fair Game WA has delivered more than 8,000 items of recycled sports equipment while travelling more than 20,000km to deliver programs in 41 remote, regional and metropolitan communities. The charity targets underresourced communities such as Wiluna in the Central Goldfields; Mowanjum, Kupungarri and Imintji along the Gibb River Road; and in Fitzroy Crossing and Derby. In remote communities, teachers go home during the holidays, so Fair Game fills the gap in services with unique holiday programs.

Aboriginal yoga Key to Fair Game’s impact has been Cocliff’s work, in conjunction with Scanlon, an Ashdale Secondary College teacher, in developing the Game On! program.

Cocliff has produced a 100-page manual with lesson plans that can be delivered by lay people, volunteers and Fair Gamers to children aged 5-15 years. It has lessons in movement and active challenge games, plus a picture flipbook drawing on local Aboriginal languages to create Australia’s first Aboriginal yoga program. “It’s called Wellness Walkabout and it’s tailored around the story of an Indigenous boy who goes walkabout,” says Cocliff. “On each page there are yoga poses tailored around specific animals, landscapes and objects from the different regions of the northwest Kimberley. “When you talk to a lot of Aboriginal elders, they want to instil pride back into their kids. By linking that into our programs, it helps with that sense of Aboriginal culture and passing it on to the younger children so it doesn’t get lost,” says Cocliff. The manual’s health promotion lessons include Healthy Hands, Healthy Feet and Healthy Smile.

… kids were coming to school without appropriate footwear for certain activities...

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INDIGENOUS

“The lessons teach kids about hand and foot hygiene through sports and fitness activities. It helps tackle the effects of lifestylerelated illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, and it’s about educating the kids so they can pass that on and up-skill the community as a whole,” says Cocliff. To support the process, Fair Game has distributed 900 ‘healthy community’ backpacks containing soap, stickers and hand hygiene information. Another of its early initiatives was to form shoe libraries. “A lot of the Indigenous kids were coming to school without appropriate footwear for certain activities, or they might not have had shoes for an excursion to the city and travelling on a plane,” says Cocliff. “We came up with

To date, Fair Game WA has delivered more than 8,000 items of recycled sports equipment while travelling more than 20,000km to deliver programs in 41 remote, regional and metropolitan communities.

the concept of creating shoe libraries in the schools and we donated runners and football boots for the kids to borrow.”

Training volunteers As Fair Game has evolved, it has recognised the importance of training others to deliver its programs. Cocliff has helped train about 60 volunteers so far, including one of three Bullsbrook High students who accompanied the team on a trip to Wiluna last year as part of a cultural immersion exercise. He is also passionate about training youth leaders within Fair Game’s target communities. “That’s our biggest focus and our mission going forward,” he says. The charity, which expects to extend its reach this year by

launching its first program in Victoria, promotes a collaborative approach where like-minded not-for-profit organisations pool resources and see collective benefits from their work. “There are lots of people out there who have the same intentions, but unfortunately there’s an element of fragmentation within the sector in Australia,” says Cocliff. While the charity has plenty of achievements to celebrate, it’s the interactions with kids in the communities he finds most satisfying. “Going back into a community and seeing familiar faces is just so rewarding for anyone who is passionate about Aboriginal education,” says Cocliff. l Christine Long is a freelance writer. AU ST R A L I A N E D U C ATO R 82 W I N T E R 2 01 4 2 3

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RESEARCH

New research is capturing data on the effect of emotion, motivation and beliefs on learning, and transforming it into tailored classroom practice. BY H E L E N V I N E S

Mind over matter

ery little research exists on the important role of emotions in school learning, says associate professor Dr Annemaree Carroll, of the University of Queensland’s School of Education. Her current research, funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), has demonstrated that social connectedness and a feeling of ‘belonging’ are key protective factors that promote school success, interpersonal relationships and social inclusion. She says emerging research also suggests a link between the social and emotional wellbeing of students and their educational achievements, with links to brain functioning, especially during adolescence. Carroll joins 25 Australian researchers from the fields of education, psychology and neuroscience who have been brought together under the banner of the ARC-initiated Science of Learning Research Centre (SLRC) to examine how people learn and the factors that influence learning from early childhood to older adulthood. The research looks set to offer a unique cross-disciplinary perspective. Carroll and her team have a national and international profile in the field of measuring self-regulation and motivational processes.

Teacher strategies Results from bringing together the fields of education and neuroscience have started to add weight to what is known about emotions and the importance of

quality learning environments, particularly during adolescence, says Carroll. “The collaborative research will seek to translate specific experimental laboratory-based findings into evidence-based educational strategies and outcomes that will make a difference for teachers and learners,” she says. This year, for example, Carroll and three fellow SLRC chief investigators – professors Robyn Gillies, Ross Cunnington and Russ Tytler – will examine the role of emotions in the learning of science. The researchers will investigate how students perceive themselves as scientists; the beliefs they have in their ability to undertake science, their learning mindsets and their motivational states

A learner’s emotional state has a very important role in decisionmaking, memory and attention. These are all key factors in effective learning. Dr Annemaree Carroll University of Queensland’s School of Education.

RESOURCES

@ The Mindfields program is aimed at 12 to 18-yearolds. Its focus is to assist students evaluate life goals and challenge ways of thinking about problems and situations to improve self-regulatory skills. Visit www. mindfields.com. au The KoolKIDS program is a selfregulatory life skills program for children aged 8-11 who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. Visit www.kool-kids. com.au

Find out more The Science of Learning Research Centre is eager to work with schools, teachers and students. Information about the centre and descriptions of overarching research projects can be found at www.slrc.org.au

in engaging in science lessons. Attention and arousal states will undergo sensitive neurological measurement, and teacher dialogue will also be examined. A learner’s emotional state has a very important role in decisionmaking, memory and attention. These are all key factors in effective learning, says Carroll. She is also investigating the classroom environments teachers create, paying particular attention to student feedback, attention and self-regulation, and the influence of these factors on students’ emotional wellbeing and learning outcomes. “We know that learning is much more effective when teachers show students that they care and respect them, and change their strategies if they find students are struggling with their learning.”

Belief structures Over the past 15 years Carroll’s research has focused on understanding why entrenched disadvantage from early childhood results in poorer educational, social and health outcomes, and working out “how to engage with these young people to enhance their emotional self-regulatory capacities”. She says understanding the underlying motivations and belief structures children grow up with can shed new light on how to improve the ways young people “see themselves as learners”. The current SLRC project falls under the first of three major themes the centre is exploring: understanding learning, measuring learning and promoting learning. ● Helen Vines is a freelance writer. AU ST R A L I A N E D U C ATO R 82 W I N T E R 2 01 4 2 5

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reasons for quality education

Photo courtesy United Nations News & Media

Teachers from around the world will deliver ‘one million stories’ to the United Nations in October as part of Education International’s Unite for Quality Education campaign.

Join the campaign!

What does quality education mean to you? It’s easy for you and your colleagues to get involved. Shoot : Capture your feelings in a short video (under one minute) and use a file-sharing site such as www.wetransfer.com to email it to Educational International. You can see some examples here www.unite4education.org/videos. Snap: Send photographs of individual teachers or groups combined with short statements to Education International. Tell: Education International wants to know what your school is doing to promote quality education. Send: Videos, photos and stories to unite@ei-ie.org For more information, visit: www.unite4education.org

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Survey : "Education For All" Yo ur vo ic e co un ts ! Education International, the world’s largest federation of trade unions, representing thirty million teachers and education sector workers across the globe, is conducting an online survey to assess teaching and learning conditions worldwide.

A survey? Why? Right now, your country’s representatives to the United Nations are deciding the future of education. Regrettably, they are doing so without any serious effort to understand what is happening in our schools, colleges and universities.

For example: • Do you have the support required to teach a quality lesson? • Does the school provide students with an environment that favours learning? • What is needed to improve the education system?

Your participation is fundamental to us. By sharing your views and ideas, you will enable Education International to make sure that the global debate on education reflects the reality of the classroom and that the voice of education professionals is heard.

Take the survey now! http://efa-ept.ei-ie.org

You will help world leaders get it right this time around! You may even be selected to hand in person the results of the survey to the UN’s Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, in New York, at EI’s Unite for Quality Education Action Day.

Take the survey now! Distribute it to your colleagues! g SEND

If you have any question contact efa-ept@ei-ie.org

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Wiping out child labour and ensuring every child gets a quality education are two of the goals of a nationwide campaign in India.

Giving kids a chance

n India, more than 15,000 primary school teachers held a massive protest in February to demand a bigger share of the budget for education. They walked across the country in three marches, holding almost 2,000 meetings in communities along the way, and culminating in a day of protest in New Delhi. They were calling for at least six per cent of GDP to be spent on improving the quality of education as well as providing access to education for all children. The protest was organised by the All India Primary Teachers Federation (AIPTF) and launched at a conference late last year when president Ram Pal Singh called for politicians, educators, community leaders and the media to work together to achieve primary education for all. The aim is to bring home the message to government decision makers that communities are concerned that quality education is vital to their children’s future. He said child labourers were common in many industries because of illiteracy and poverty – more than 30 per cent of India’s population lives below the poverty line. Therefore, India’s priority must be to wipe out poverty and illiteracy, said Singh, adding that governments alone could not achieve the goals. All sections of society must be involved to ensure every child receives an education and that child labour is eradicated, he said. Singh called for a united focus on girls’ education, HIV/AIDS, the

BRIEFLY

Primary school teachers in India are mobilising in a new campaign to fight for children’s right to education. More than 15,000 teachers walked across the country to gather community support. The teachers have also demanded an end to child labour and more money to be spent on education.

welfare of the under-privileged sections of society, and the eradication of child labour.

Struggling primary system “… the already struggling primary education system has not yet been accorded the status it deserves by the central and state governments,” said Singh. As a result, India was still unable to provide universal access to elementary education. He said uniform curricula and systems were also important to eliminate divisions in society such as those between rich and poor, and urban and rural. The AIPTF’s campaign builds on the success of an earlier battle that saw the government of India amend the constitution to include the right to education

as a fundamental right. That was bolstered by legislation adopted in 2009, the Right to Education Act. The campaign, begun this year to bring that process on track, aims to achieve other demands such as the abolition of the commercialisation of education through public-private partnerships. The AIPTF is concerned that parts of the Act have not been implemented and that it is being used as a vehicle for the privatisation of public education.

Aiming for equity Educational International (EI) general secretary Fred van Leeuwen has commended the AIPTF for its ongoing efforts to achieve quality teachers, and quality learning and teaching tools and environments. “We strongly agree with our Indian colleagues that quality public education provision for all at all levels is one of the fundamental pillars of a just, equitable and sustainable society.” EI also believes that public authorities, in India and globally, have the key responsibility for ensuring that free, universally accessible education is wellresourced and constantly updated and developed. By raising funds through progressive taxation, they can and must invest a substantial proportion of the state budget in education, amounting to at least six per cent of their GDP. l This is an edited extract of an article that first appeared on www.unite4education.org

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Exciting new online courses in 2014. If you’re looking to increase your knowledge in teaching, the University of Tasmania is now offering new Graduate Certificate courses in 2014, these include: • Early Childhood (complying with new requirements in this field) • Applied Learning • Teaching Digital Technologies Each Graduate Certificate comprises 4 units and can be completed in as little as 6 months. All Graduate Certificates provide credit towards the Master of Education. Mid-year applications open soon. A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is available if enrolment occurs through the Professional Honours Degree with HECS Scholarships available to those employed in the Tasmania Education Sector. The University of Tasmania offers a variety of flexible course in addition to those listed above. To find out more visit www.utas.edu.au/education/study-with-us

UFBU12347rj CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B Academic Ranking of World Universities 2013.

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TO O L K I T

Efforts are being made on several fronts to get more girl students to see information and communications technology as an attractive career path. BY C Y N T H I A K A R E N A

Girls and the geek factor

espite the diversity of interesting job opportunities in information and communications technology, less than 30 per cent of the sector’s workforce is female, and representation at senior levels is even lower. In 2013, women comprised 28.3 per cent of the ICT workforce across all employment sectors, according to the Australian Computer Society’s annual ICT Statistical Compendium. The gender balance has been improving, but progress is slow – about 5 per cent since 2010. There is clearly a need to convince more girl students that ICT can provide them with a stimulating career with plenty of scope for advancement. “Teenage girls need to be exposed to the career paths they can expect to see in technology. This provides an antidote to the geeky image of a solo person working through the night who isn’t very social,” says Kaylene O’Brien, senior technology partner at the professional services firm Deloitte and a member of the Victorian ICT for Women network’s board. As an example of the everincreasing range of jobs in ICT, O’Brien cites the role of customer experience designers at Deloitte, who need an understanding of social media and empathy with customers. Victorian ICT for Women runs a free career showcase for secondary school girls, called Go Girl, Go for IT. The next one is at

Deakin University in Melbourne on June 3 and 4. Past speakers have included representatives of Google and the Victoria Police forensic unit, and female technology graduates. “Girls identify with technology roles that are collaborative and use social skills,” says O’Brien. “But it’s not just about getting that first job, but also about setting ambitious career goals. “When there are technologybased projects in class, encourage girls to take leadership roles. It needs to be seen as normal for girls to be in charge.”

Role models When women in high-level ICT roles visit schools, it helps create conversations about ICT and demonstrate what is possible, says Suzanne Campbell, CEO of the Australian Information Industry Association.

It’s a good idea for girls to study technology as well as their area of interest because it will help them achieve their passion.

BRIEFLY

Less than a third of jobs in ICT are filled by women. More girl students need to perceive ICT as a desirable career option. Arranging contact with strong female role models is one way to achieve this.

“These role models help create the expectation that girls can succeed in ICT and reach high-level positions.” It’s important to also include parents in the conversation because they have a major influence on their children, she says. “Once the parents are more informed, they can have conversations with girls to create expectations [that aiming high] is reasonable in a career.” Keysborough College, in Melbourne, has been inviting women in IT to talk, sometimes through video link-up, about how they network and solve problems with new technologies. “The girls are inspired by their stories,” says eLearning leader and senior IT teacher Roland Gesthuizen. “By talking to these programmers and industry professionals, many of my female students have gone on to study IT subjects at university.” Working in technology is more than just understanding software and hardware, says Gesthuizen. “You also need to be good at problem-solving and interpersonal team skills. Girls are often good at these skills, but they may need some inspiration or encouragement. I often try to group them together so they can support each other. “When girls are supported to take leadership roles at school – for example, becoming school captains – it encourages them to take up leadership roles in their careers.”

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TO O L K I T

Resources Go Girl, Go for IT: gogirl.org.au l Google: girlsinict.org/program/google-women-technology-gwit l techgirlsarechic.org l csdigitaltech.appspot.com/preview l ecms.adelaide.edu.au/future-students/schools/experiences/women-in-tech l Deloitte Women in ICT report: bit.ly/Lfz6R7 l

Artistic computing The number of girls electing to study IT at senior levels is increasing at Mansfield State High School, in Brisbane, says IT teacher and former IT professional Kylie Docherty. The ratio of boys to girls is equal in multimedia subjects. “Most girls will generally engage with the artistic areas of computing, such as website design, video editing and animation, but some girls love the challenge of programming as well. Many girls like to develop educational programs or games for young children,” says Docherty. “Girls in particular are interested in IT projects that involve real-world

applications and partnerships with local community groups. In the past I’ve worked with a neighbourhood watch group to act as the client for a website development project. Girls in particular were highly engaged in this project.” This year a Rotary club approached the school to work with its students. Docherty is working with Queensland University of Technology to engage more girls with the programming and engineering side of IT. “We would like to develop some resources that combine art and fashion with electronics and programming to create wearable technology projects,” says Docherty.

Social impact and making a difference is what motivates girls, says Sally-ann Williams, senior program manager at Google in Sydney. “It’s a good idea for girls to study technology as well as their area of interest because it will help them achieve their passion,” says Williams. “For example, if they are passionate about finding a cure for cancer, this requires collaboration with computer people, looking at big data, statistics and predictive analytics.” Women don’t put themselves forward for leadership positions in the same way men do, she says. “The ‘impostor syndrome’ – feeling that you are not qualified – is prevalent among women in the industry. Girls and women need mentors who can challenge their thinking and behaviour. It’s not about getting career perfect. It’s about starting.” If female teachers are supported in technology training, the statistics of low numbers of women in ICT will change, says Williams. “Having strong female role models is needed to encourage girls to study technology and think of that as normal.” Google is collaborating with the University of Adelaide to provide training. One of the main goals is for primary school teachers, and female teachers in particular, to be confident in using technology, says associate professor Katrina Falkner, head of the School of Computer Science. “I think it’s important that teachers make sure they don’t separate [technology] activities into girls and boys,” says Falkner. “Otherwise the girls might think they require special treatment because they are not as good as the boys.” l Cynthia Karena is a freelance writer. AU ST R A L I A N E D U C ATO R 82 W I N T E R 2 01 4 3 1

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TO O L K I T

DANIEL FARRANT

Leading teacher and year 7 coordinator, Traralgon College, Victoria

My best app Layar

(Android, Blackberry, iOS, free) Static images are enhanced with videos and music when viewed through this app. “Layar makes posters jump off the wall,” says Farrant, who asks students to create their posters through the Layar website. “But when viewed through the Layar app these posters come alive. What appeared to be static images or text can suddenly turn into slide shows, videos, audio or links to webpages; whatever students set it up to be. It’s a great way for students to bring together a range of different bits of work on a topic and to display it in an unusual way. It’s also a great surprise for anyone who doesn’t know what to expect when they first view students’ posters using the app.”

ClassDojo (Android, iOS, free) ClassDojo rewards specific student behaviours and engagement by awarding and recording real-time feedback. It is another way of giving praise in class, says Farrant. “You can quickly

award positive or negative marks to each student based on either pre-set behaviours or ones you have created yourself. When using this app students have even asked for it to be projected so they can immediately see how many positives they are getting for showing correct learning behaviours. This can also be shared with parents so they can monitor how students are performing in class each day.”

Explain Everything (Android, iOS, $2.99) Farrant uses Explain Everything to create presentations that students are able to watch many times. “It’s great if you’re going to be away and students have internet access, or if you are using a flipped classroom model. As well as creating slides you can insert videos and webpages while recording your voice over the presentation. The app is very easy to use and your presentations can be saved as videos for sharing with students or other staff.”

WORTH A LOOK

Sun Surveyor (Android $7.25, iOS $7.49) DANIEL’S TIP “[Layar is] a great way for students to bring together a range of different bits of work on a topic and display it in an unusual way.” SHARE YOUR SECRETS Which apps do you find useful in the classroom? Let us know at educator@ hardiegrant. com.au

Students can easily see the path of the sun and the moon with a three-dimensional compass over a map view or directly through their phone’s camera. Students can see how light and shade changes over time at a specific location.

BookLeveler (iOS, free) Educators, parents, and librarians can quickly and easily find age-appropriate content for students at primary or early secondary school level by scanning the ISBN barcode of a book or searching for content by title and/or author.

Bunurong Marine National Park Field Guide (Android, iOS, free) This Museum Victoria app has images, maps and information on more than 300 kinds of marine and coastal animals and plants that can commonly be seen in the park and nearby waters.

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The best price is more convenient than you think. Whenever you need to stock up on supplies for your school, you can. With Officeworks, you can pick something up before or after school with extended trading hours in every store, order anytime online or just give us a call and we’ll deliver it. Plus, we’ve already done the hard work and shopping around for you, so you know we have the biggest range at the lowest price. Start seeing the benefits for your school with: • Free delivery with no minimum spend* • Everything in one place – including kitchen, bathroom, furniture and print & copy solutions • Tailored back to school and booklist services • A dedicated Account Manager. Call 1300 OFFICE (633 423) or visit officeworks.com.au to open your Officeworks Education Account today. Officeworks works for you. *Excludes Big and Bulk. See officeworks.com.au/delivery for details.

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M I L E STO N E S

to promote secular national schools. He assisted local communities in their applications to government for teacher funding and ongoing support, which was dependent on them supplying their own school buildings. Despite public support for secular schools, Rusden, Parkes and Wilkins faced hostility, first from the Anglican, but more continuously from the Roman Catholic Church, which became “extremely antagonistic” towards public education, given that their own schools were deprived of government assistance from the 1870s, says Campbell.

Patchy attendance

Free, compulsory and secular Public education was born in Australia only after a long battle between colonial governors and religious organisations. BY CYNDI TEBBEL

hat does the theft of bed curtains in England in 1787 have to do with public education in Australia? Well, the thief was one Isabella Rosson, whose crime saw her sentenced to seven years transportation to the convict settlement of Sydney. Within a year of her arrival on the First Fleet’s Lady Penrhyn, Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of NSW, had given her permission to establish the colony’s first public school at her bedsit in The Rocks. The consensus among the governing elites for several decades was that schools were for “ordering the lives of potentially unruly children and families,” says Craig Campbell, honorary associate professor, history of education, at the University of Sydney. Campbell, co-author with Helen Proctor of the new book A History of Australian Schooling, says that, in the very early colonial period, public

education was typically supervised by Church of England colonial chaplains. It would take until the 1870s before a public school was defined as “mainly a secular government school, with strictly limited input from the churches”. The catalyst was the frustration of colonial governments that the churches were unable to deliver “equitable or efficient” schools, either in remote communities or the towns.

Horseback hero Rosson is recognised as Australia’s first teacher and prominent men such as Henry Parkes and William Wilkins figure in the emergence of public schooling in Australia. But the real hero, says Campbell, is the lesser-known George Rusden. Appointed an agent for the National Schools Board in 1849, Rusden rode on horseback from Sydney to Brisbane, then to Yass, Melbourne and Portland

While the Education Acts that began in the 1870s made schooling compulsory, governments were often timid in their approach. “In lots of cases there were so many ‘let-out’ clauses that some children could spend up to a third of the year out of school, or didn’t go at all,” says Campbell. One NSW parent offered these grounds for keeping a child at home: “I have... insuperable objection to my children, who have noble blood in their veins, mixing with the common throng. I was never teached at a public school, and I will not allow my children to be so, if I can help it.” Despite such protestations, most working and middle class families did want their children to go to public schools and do well there – an outlook often shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. But Campbell says the state education departments were equivocal in their approach to Aboriginal enrolments for far too long. Churches were trusted by governments with providing missionary-style education for Indigenous children long after they had ceased funding denominational schools. “As far as Indigenous peoples were concerned, public education was not very public at all for a very long time,” he says. And when it was, in New South Wales early in the 20th century, “all it took was an objection by one or two white parents for an Indigenous child to be banned from a school,” says Campbell. l A History of Australian Schooling by Craig Campbell and Helen Proctor is published by Allen & Unwin.

A T

Cyndi Tebbel is a freelance writer.

C F

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BOOKS

Public education principles are being undermined by the way religion has infiltrated Australia’s schools. BY HE LE N V IN E S

Misplaced faith?

he new book Taking God to School (Allen & Unwin), by eminent theologian and Macquarie University politics professor Marion Maddox, is a forensic study of the historical relationship between education and religion in Australia. It has been widely greeted as an important contribution to a conversation previously confined mainly to the halls of government and the churches. “I don’t ever recall the Australian public having a public debate or policy conversation where we decided that, as a nation, we no longer valued or supported the principles that underlie our public education system,” says Maddox in an interview with Australian Educator. “It has happened by default, or stealth, through specific lobbying by special interests.” She says there are three main issues for the education system. First, there’s the divvying up of federal and state funding to educational institutions that allow private schools to select their students according to criteria based on religious beliefs, access to finances and often discriminatory policies.

Second, there is the federal and state funding of special religious education in government schools. This is seen at its most extreme in grants to the financially troubled evangelical company Access Ministries (see panel), an almost monopolistic provider (81 per cent) of Christian education to Victorian public primary schools. Third is the chaplaincy program whereby, across all education sectors, school counsellors have often been replaced by minimally qualified chaplains without means testing, oversight or evaluation by education departments, says Maddox. School counsellors must hold degrees in teaching and psychology, and are required to have taught in the classroom for a minimum of two years. Chaplains may have only the minimal training of less than two years and are often inexperienced delegates of various Christian denominations. “If you are part of an economic rationalist government, then you do the same thing in schools as has been achieved in the welfare and job network services, which is to outsource to a religious organisation that has an air of virtuous cover, and which provides an often below-award wages service,” says Maddox.

AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos

Australian Educator (ISSN: 0728-8387) is published for the Australian Education Union by Hardie Grant Media. The magazine is circulated to members of the AEU nationally.

AEU deputy federal president Corenna Haythorpe AEU federal secretary Susan Hopgood AEU deputy federal secretary Pat Forward

ABOUT MARION MADDOX Marion Maddox is a professor at the Centre for Research on Social Inclusion at Macquarie University and the Australian Research Council Future Fellow, ‘Religion, State and Social Inclusion’. She is a leading authority on the intersection of religion and politics in Australia and her previous books include For God and Country: Religious Dynamics in Australian Federal Politics (2001) and God Under Howard: The Rise of The Religious Right in Australian Politics (2005).

AEU and subscription enquiries to Ground Floor, 120 Clarendon Street, Southbank, Victoria 3006. Tel: (03) 9693 1800 Fax: (03) 9693 1805 Email: aeu@aeufederal.org.au www.aeufederal.org.au www.facebook.com/AEUfederal @AEUfederal

‘‘

…the founders concluded that, in fact, there was no religious instruction that didn’t violate someone’s conscience…

Editor Susan Hopgood Publisher Fiona Hardie Managing editor Sarah Lewis Commissioning editor Tracey Evans

Design Luke McManus Advertising manager Kerri Spillane Tel: (03) 8520 6444 Fax: (03) 8520 6422 Email: kerrispillane @hardiegrant.com.au

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TA L K B AC K

! Let us know what you think Have you recently read a book that has inspired your teaching or your students? Tell us about it at educator@hardiegrant.com.au, on facebook.com/AEUfederal or on Twitter @AEUfederal

“Churches are the least unionised sector of the workforce, and every time an area of welfare or labour market services or education is handed over to churches, one of the serious sideeffects is an overall impact on working conditions for that sector.”

Secular architects In Taking God to School, Maddox draws on Hansard from the 1880s to support her argument that the architects of the Australian education system were very clear in their rationale for and support of a secular school system. “Australia was set up in the 19th century with free compulsory education systems,” she says in the interview. “The founders of our school systems did that, not by chance, but by long and careful thought. Many of them were deeply religious people, but they decided that a secular education system was the best way to be fair to all people of different religious points of view. “And because they wanted schooling to be compulsory, they concluded that you had to put as few barriers as possible in the way of people going to school. Schools had to be free so that money wouldn’t be an obstacle.” Editorial office Hardie Grant Media, Ground Level, Building 1 658 Church St, Richmond 3121 Tel: (03) 8520 6444 Fax: (03) 8520 6422 Email: educator@hardiegrant.com.au

The other significant obstacle in the 19th century was the fear that children would be taught some kind of religion that was alien to their families, she says. “After thinking deeply about how to include religious instruction in schools that wouldn’t offend anybody, the founders concluded that, in fact, there was no religious instruction that didn’t violate someone’s conscience, and the only way to get around what they called ‘the religious difficulty’ was to not do religion in school at all. “The founders thought it was important to have all the children of the colonies learning side by side, because they had a clear view that they were setting up an education system for a new nation. “They strongly believed it was important to have all children – regardless of income, class or religion – learning together so that, in the future, when they were adults and working together, they wouldn’t have a sense of being different, but have a sense of belonging together, having a common background and destiny,” Maddox says. l

Helen Vines is a freelance writer.

Subscriptions Telephone enquiries (03) 9693 1800 Within Australia: $17.60 (includes GST) for four issues Overseas: $30.00 (includes postage) Printer Offset Alpine 42 Boorea Street Lidcombe NSW 2141

A thing unto itself Historically, Access Ministries is a collaborative effort by 12 different denominations, and it is still financially supported by those denominations, says Professor Marion Maddox. “However, over time it has become more and more corporate in its structure so that the participating denominations no longer have any say over the curriculum content,” she says. “Curriculum is written by people chosen by the Access executive and, although there are board members from the different denominations, they are now required by the Companies Act to act in the interest of the company Access Ministries and not their denomination. “So actually, for all intents and purposes, Access Ministries is no longer a representative body. It is a thing unto itself,” Maddox says.

Christianity and the curriculum The fastest growing segment of the private school market is the so-called ‘Christian schools’, says Professor Marion Maddox. “But I call them ‘themelic schools’ to distinguish them from the remaining 90 per cent of schools that are also Christian,” she says. “These [themelic] schools have a very conservative view of Christianity that is a foundation principle of every aspect of the curriculum – most notably science, in which creationism is taught.” With some of these schools getting funding from federal and state government sources to cover more than 90 per cent of their recurrent costs, it throws into question what can be called a public or private, government or non-government school, Maddox says.

Make cheques payable to the Australian Education Union and post to: Tom Freeman Australian Education Union Federal Office Ground Floor, 120 Clarendon Street Southbank, Victoria 3006, Australia

Audited circulation: 119,321 (September 2013) Copyright rests with the writers, the AEU and Hardie Grant Media. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright holders. The opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily the official policy of the AEU. AU ST R A L I A N E D U C ATO R 82 W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 37

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RECESS

Why do you teach?

Three teachers share stories of life and learning.

What’s your funniest or most rewarding teaching moment? Share your best tips for engaging young minds. We’d love to hear from you. Email us at educator@ hardiegrant.com.au with 150–200 words with your best teaching moments.

Teacher to teacher MEGAN TURLEY

S EAN STANEK

Senior Teacher, Darling Point Special School, Manly, QLD

Teacher, Woodville Primary School, Hoppers Crossing, VIC

Teacher, Balnarring Preschool, Balnarring, VIC

Generosity, courage and unconditional love, epitomised by my sister, Sarah, who had Down Syndrome, drives my enthusiasm and passion for all students to achieve their potential. Sarah’s memory and my joy in sharing students’ learning inspire me to give to others through a career in special education. I strive to create interesting and intellectually challenging learning opportunities that provide authentic experiences as the vehicle for crosscurricular learning. I set firm and transparent parameters enabling student success and knowledge. I place importance on developing and maintaining connections with my students’ families. I’ve had many rewarding experiences: working with dynamic students with complex, challenging disabilities and proudly observing their educational achievements over the years; developing ongoing positive connections with my students; the leadership opportunities through the school Scouts program; and witnessing the benefits that arise from professionals working in teams across professions. Teaching is a privilege, as we are entrusted with the responsibility of facilitating each student’s education. Students should be given opportunities to learn by taking risks in a safe and caring environment. My aim as an educator is to influence students’ lives, minimising the impacts of disability, providing experiences that will carry students through life and positively influencing other educators to achieve the same passion and commitment that I enjoy. ●

I’ve been working with kids since I joined the Scouts as a child and then became a leader. Although my background is in theatre, teaching is a lot like that. You’re actively sharing your knowledge and expertise, and kids are a much more receptive audience! After teaching for around 12 years I needed a break, so I worked in theatre and hospitality for a few years. But I soon realised that the hours and physical demands were quite stressful. So I returned to education and I’ve been the performance arts teacher at Woodville Primary since 2008. Last year I was asked to step up into a classroom role for grades three and four. Part of that has involved setting up a science program based on the National Curriculum. I’d never taught science before, but the hands-on approach of the program has allowed me to learn along with the kids. It was a challenge that we met together and we made it fun. Watching them become more confident is a big thrill. Another initiative I’m proud of is involving the kids in making our school grounds greener. It started a few years ago on National Planting Day, and we’ve since planted more than 400 donated trees. The kids keep an eye on their progress and that has developed their sense of pride in the school environment. ●

I initially went into teaching because I wanted to work with animals! It sounds a little bizarre but I wanted to be a vet. Circumstances led me to teaching, and it’s a career I’ve enjoyed immensely. I’ve taught at Balnarring Preschool for 30 years, and I’m still learning from the community and developing innovative programs with their support and encouragement. It has been beneficial to me and the centre to develop strong relationships with the committee of management and families, and together we have achieved amazing outcomes for the children. More recently I have been leading the development of a Learning and Living with Nature philosophy. This involves taking children outside the classroom to help them develop a connection with nature and natural resources, and it includes taking the children to the beach one day a week, every week of the school year. I highly recommend taking children outside on a regular basis, no matter what their age. It’s a great way for children (and educators) to become enthusiastic and engaged learners. Alongside this philosophy I have recognised the importance of embedding Indigenous perspectives into the program. Over the years there have only been one or two Indigenous members of our centre, but I think it’s important for all of us to understand the past, present and future of Australian culture. ●

WE A SK ...

Megan Turley

Sean Stanek

Karen Anderson

KAREN ANDERSON

Interviews by Cyndi Tebbel. 3 8 W IN TER 2 01 4 AUST RALIAN E D U CATOR 8 2

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