IE Magazine #3 2015 November

issue 3|Vol 45|2015

Schools to teach children about family and domestic violence p8 Bubble wrap kids P12 Mindfulness meditation P22 the professional voice of the Independent Education Union

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Contents Executive Editors John Quessy Deb James Terry Burke Managing Editor Bronwyn Ridgway Editorial Committee Cathy Hickey Alexander Leggett Gloria Taylor Sue Osborne Journalists Sue Osborne Alexander Leggett Design Chris Ruddle About us IE is a tri-annual journal published by the NSW/ACT, VicTas and Qld/NT Independent Education Unions for members and subscribers. It has a circulation of more than 65,000. IE’s contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the IEU or the editors nor imply endorsement by them.

Email NSW: ieu@ieu.asn.au VIC/TAS: info@ieuvictas.org.au QLD/NT: enquiries@qieu.asn.au IE online www.ieu.asn.au/publications/ Contributions Contributions and letters from members are welcome. Printing does not reflect endorsement and contributions may be edited at the editor’s discretion.

Email iemagazine@ieu.asn.au Advertising Chris Ruddle (02) 8202 8900 Advertising is carried in IE in order to minimise costs.

Advertising does not in any way reflect endorsement of the products or services.

Subscriptions IE is available free to members of the IEU, or by subscription.

Kayla Skorupan: (02) 8202 8900 Print Post Number 100007506

Indigenous equals success

What began as a small mentoring program 11 years ago with...

4

Kaleidoscope Tanya Plibersek

6

Australia wide

News and views from around Australia

8

Schools to teach children about violence

There has been a push from psychologists, educators and those affected by family...

12

A recent study into students’ perceptions of playground safety...

Part of our everyday

14

What’s in a name?

17

Associate Professor Debra Bateman is the Deputy Dean...

Recently retired principal Karen Forbes makes a heartfelt plea...

What did you do well today?

18

Why would a union run a conference about mental health, wellness and mindfulness?

Developing globally competent learners

20

Marilyn Snider was an education officer with the Global Education Project...

Living in the now: Mindfulness meditation

24

The Federal Government’s new Border Force Act Section 42...

Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs...

Bubble wrap kids: Do we have a safety surplus?

IEU takes a stand against sinister Act

10

22

Supervision, yard duty and fights – your rights

26

Denis Matson looks at the legal responsibilities of school staff when supervising students...

Talking point...

A specialist science teacher in every primary school – a good idea?

Helping a young nation grow

28 30

Australians often take receiving an education or having a school close by for granted...

Recent research: Targeted teaching

31

The huge spread of student achievement in the same year levels is one of the biggest...

Could a canine companion help your students learn?

32

While there are only a handful of schools in Australia currently using an educational support dog...

Film review

Oscar winning Australians

Inspiring your students with apps and games

34 35

I want to inspire the students in my class to reach beyond the boundaries...

In recent years, mindfulness meditation has found its way from... independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|3

Editorial

For too long our governments, and we as a community, have paid little attention to the scourge of family violence. The statistics are shocking, with thousands of Australian families affected by violence that happens in the family home – a place where every person should feel respected, loved and safe.

Finally our state and federal governments have begun to act. In Victoria, the Andrews Government has announced the introduction of a Respectful Relationships program in our schools. Similar initiatives have been announced or are in place in other states, but these measures can only be effective with strong leadership and a continued focus on education and awareness.

In this edition of IE, Dr Phil Lambert, General Manager of Curriculum at ACARA discusses how education can develop positive behaviours and attitudes amongst our students from an early age. He writes that children begin to develop their values of respect and personal responsibility at school, and within the school curriculum there is a great opportunity for individual teachers and schools to make a difference around a number of social issues, including family violence.

In her interview, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Tanya Plibersek MP, talks about her time at school. She credits teachers with bringing out the best in her own children by identifying their strengths and passions. Tanya says teachers play a vital role in encouraging students to become critical thinkers, to ask questions and help communicate and build a healthy democracy.

And it is with communication, awareness and support, we can aim to highlight the scourge of family violence. With education, we can work together to eradicate it all together.

Deb James iemagazine@ieu.asn.au

Have your say…

A survey will be emailed to readers about IE. The editorial committee would invite you to complete this short online survey when it appears in your inbox.

We look forward to your feedback.

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Kaleidoscope Tanya Plibersek Sydney born, daughter of migrants from Slovenia, Plibersek was dux of her school in Year 12. She graduated from University of Technology Sydney, with a BA in Communications (Hons) then completed a Master in Public Policy and Politics at Macquarie University.

After working at the Office for the Status and Advancement of Women in NSW, then in the office of Senator Bruce Childs, Plibersek was elected to the House of Representatives for Sydney in 1998 and re-elected five times.

Plibersek has had an outstanding political career and held significant federal ministerial appointments: Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development, Minister for Health, Minister for Medical Research, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for Human Services, Minister for the Status of Women and Minister for Housing.

A regular columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, Plibersek makes frequent appearances on ABC TV talk shows and Q&A. Tanya Plibersek lives in Sydney with her husband Michael and her three children, Anna, Joseph and Louis.

The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Development, Federal Member for Sydney talks with IE Journalist Bronwyn Ridgway.

I was brought up in the southern suburbs of Sydney and went to Oyster Bay Infants and Primary School in Oyster Bay, after that I attended Jannali Girls’ High School in Jannali NSW. I have great memories of my school years, especially of primary school.

We had a fantastic principal and deputy, I always felt quite strongly that I was part of a warm and caring school community. I had great teachers who sparked a genuine love of learning. I liked high school years as well, mainly.

I think I was a strange and awkward child so it wasn’t always fun; I spent a lot of time talking with teachers, rather then other students. I’m still friends with a number of my teachers and enjoy seeing them and hearing from them from time to time. I contact them too.

Great teachers pass on their enthusiasm I had so many incredible teachers, it’s hard to pick out just a few but there was one particular teacher that I had in Year 6, who had a great sense of humour, a sense of the absurd, which I appreciated. In high school I was taught so well, I still have a passion for ancient history because I had a great

Teachers play an incredible role in teaching students to be critical participants in democracy; by doing this they’re doing their students and the nation a favour.

history teacher. I’m really interested in art because I had a terrific art teacher, and Jane Austen is my favourite author because I had an English teacher who taught Jane Austen so well.

Teachers who are passionate about their subject matter pass that on to their students; students become the rich recipients of their knowledge and enthusiasm, it’s not just about passing exams. Now at 40 years of age, I really appreciate those ‘gifts’.

A few years ago I was at a Fred Williams exhibition; I sent a text to my art teacher and thanked her for giving me a love of art and an appreciation of Fred Williams.

Teaching not a nine to five job The teachers I really connected with were the ones who were really excited about what they were doing. Teaching is clearly not a nine to five job. For example I can remember teachers spending a Saturday driving students from Sydney to Canberra to see an art exhibition. I remember being given extra reading lists that teachers made up to extend our understanding about what we were studying.

I really valued being able to talk with my teachers about what was really

important to me, such as what I was going to study at university and where I might go for this. My brother and I were the first generation in our family to be able to go to university.

Having teachers to talk with about the courses I could do at university was so important to me. My parents were very supportive and encouraged me, but it was the teachers who could tell me about what I could expect and how I could prepare for university life and a career.

No plan for life in politics I didn’t plan a life in politics or a career in federal parliament. I did have a political science teacher who suggested that I study political science at university because I enjoyed arguing the issues. I suppose I was interested in politics and was prepared to take on responsibility at school and one thing led to another.

As a parent I can see schools are even better now than when I was a kid – and I really liked and enjoyed school!

I see teachers go to an extraordinary amount of effort to help children expand their knowledge, discover their talents and round out their personalities. For example teachers

identified that my daughter was very clever in languages and my son so talented at shot put. How would I have discovered that without teachers helping to identify their talents? It’s marvelous, it’s very exciting and it’s the teachers who identify and help bring out those talents.

Critical participants in democracy I believe it’s so important that teachers encourage children to think for themselves - to challenge them to take an interest and have a view about the world around them and to do the research to back up their thinking.

Teaching students to watch the news, to read newspapers and inform themselves about current affairs is so important. To know what’s happening in the world around them is so important and to ask questions about what they read and see in the news.

Teachers play an incredible role in teaching students to be critical participants in democracy; by doing this they’re doing their students and the nation a favour.

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Australia wide NSW Proposed National Working with Children Check (WWCC) On 17 August, the Royal Commission (RC) into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released its Working With Children Checks Report.

The Report recommended that a national WWCC model be implemented within 12 months of the publication of the report. The RC argued that a standardised approach would allow WWCC’s to be portable across jurisdictions, deal with key aspects of screening in the same way and eliminate the opportunity for persons to work in locations with less rigorous checks.

While the Union is not unsympathetic to the call for a

national approach to child protection matters, we are not convinced that it requires a uniform system of employment screening. There are problems with some of the current systems and we would not like to see the worst feature of each regime merged into one federal regime. Not all elements of current systems are necessary to achieve child protection objectives.

An overly zealous approach could compromise employees’ rights without gaining improvements in child protection.

The Union is responding to the Report.

ACT ACT Teacher Registration and the Code of Conduct The Union met recently with Joy Burch, the ACT Minister for Education and Training to raise matters affecting our members in the ACT including issues around teacher registration.

As a condition of teacher registration or permit to teach in the ACT, teachers are required to comply with a Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct, approved by the ACT Government, includes principles that teachers must, at all times, demonstrate in their professional practice. “Respect for others” is an example of one of the broad principles.

The Union advised the Minister that we were concerned about the breadth and vagueness of Code requirements, given that a breach of the Code was a breach of a registration requirement and could lead to revocation by the

ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) of a teacher’s right to teach in any school in the ACT, with a flow on to other jurisdictions.

The Union is seeking that in considering an alleged breach, TQI should take into account the nature and seriousness of the conduct concerned, the frequency of the conduct and how recent the conduct was. This is to ensure that trivial one-off matters do not destroy a teacher’s career. We are also seeking that matters not relating to a teacher’s professional work (that is their private behaviour outside of the school context) should not be considered.

The Minister listened to our concerns and we have agreed to outline specific proposals in writing.

Victoria Tackling Occupational Violence

– Guidelines to be implemented in all Catholic schools

Does your school have both a clear parental code of conduct and a policy on the expected behaviour of students which clearly outline unacceptable behaviours? Do you have an effective system for monitoring students with known behavioural problems? Is your staff trained in prevention and intervention strategies for managing aggressive/potentially violent behaviour of a student or parent? Do staff know how to undertake a risk assessment and draw up a management plan for a student with violent behaviour?

As part of the negotiations of the previous 2008 Catholic Agreement, the IEU and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria signed a Memorandum of Understanding to examine the incidence of occupational violence in Catholic schools with a view to identifying effective practices in dealing with violent and aggressive students and parents/Guardians.

The new guidelines released by the CECV earlier this year are a result of this consultation with IEU. The guidelines are holistic, involving preventative, interventionary and post incident practices. The aim is to assess risk, take measures to mitigate and remove the risks, manage incidents of violence and aggression effectively and enact postincident procedures and support in the aftermath of a violent incident.

These guidelines have had a long gestation but the Safe and Sound Practice Guidelines (Occupational Violence) provide schools with an important set of principles and practical tools for dealing with the violent and aggressive behaviour of students and parents/guardians.

Western Australia Fixing some bad connections Teachers in WA Catholic and independent schools continue to have significant concerns about the level of meaningful connection between the Teacher Registration Board of WA (TRBwa) and the profession.

The object of the Teacher Registration Act 2012 is “to give paramount consideration to the best interests of school children in Western Australia”.

Supposedly on that basis the TRB has consistently declined to consult effectively with the IEU in regard

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to their implementation of a raft of practices and interpretations of the Act and regulations.

On a positive note at a recent meeting between the IEU and TRB the TRB committed to regular substantive meetings and to respond to concerns the IEU has raised about the 64% increase in renewal of registration fees.

The IEU will also be meeting with the Director of the Investigations and Compliance Branch to gain an insight into the decision making process for disciplinary matters.

Queensland Ready for registration renewal The Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) is preparing to conduct audits of around 70,000 practising teachers across the state as part of the registration renewal process that occurs each five years.

The audit will focus on the continuing professional development logs of randomly selected teachers regardless of whether they are teaching full time, part time, supply teaching or not teaching at all.

The renewal of registration ensures fully registered teachers are committed to maintaining high standards of professional practice and conduct.

To meet the requirements of the audit, IEU members need to provide evidence of participation in suitable CPD activities such as certificates of attendance.

Forms of evidence may vary and the QCT recommends keeping a log of your CPD online.

To find out when you need to renew, you can log on to the QCT website and search the register, or alternatively, check the details on your Registration Card and Certificate.

To prepare for such an audit it is your responsibility to record the CPD you undertake in a format that meets QCT requirements, keep records and evidence for 12 months following renewal of registration and make the evidence available as required by QCT for auditing purposes.

For more information on renewal and recording CPD, visit www.qct.edu.au/renewal

Northern Territory Prepare for audits Northern Territory members need to be prepared for auditing by the Teacher Registration Board (TRB).

The audits happen every five years and are due to commence in early 2016 in the Northern Territory to ensure teachers conform to AITSL’s Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and criteria. Director of the NT Teacher Registration Board, Maree Garrigan, said any teacher who has been granted renewal of full registration can be subject to an audit.

“Teachers who are selected for audit will be notified in the first school term immediately following the completion of the renewal process. Those selected will be asked to present their evidence to support having met the requirements by the end of the first term.”

Required evidence includes: • Currency of practice of a minimum of 180 days • A minimum of 100 hours of professional learning over the five year period prior to the application for registration renewal, as measured against the standards • Fit and proper person (results of a National Criminal History Check no more than 2.5 years prior to expiry of their category of Full Registration).

Teachers who have been subject to the audit will be advised of the results in writing via email.

A full list of renewal requirements can be found at www.trb.nt.gov.au/registration/fullyregisteredteachers

South Australia Balance needed for trade trainers For some time, it has been possible for people without teacher registration to gain a special authority to teach in SA schools under a range of conditions and restrictions.

Some require the undertaking of study towards a teaching qualification and some are subject or site specific.

Currently the following categories may apply for a Special Authority: unable to fill an advertised position; religious/spiritual leaders; instrumental music teachers; Anangu education (Indigenous); exchange teachers (for one year) and early childhood teachers.

Arguably, trade trainers delivering VET in schools are not employed as teachers ‘delivering secondary education’ under the Act. But under the current SA Certificate of Education (SACE) up to 150 credits toward a total of 200 can be earned through VET subjects.

Tasmania Review of the Education Act Since the latter part of last year, the IEU along with other key education stakeholders has been involved in the Tasmanian Government’s process of reviewing the Education Act. A discussion paper was released late last year outlining themes and possible options for reform. The consultation document posed a number of questions around the functions and scope of the Act.

The IEU has readily accepted an invitation to participate in a Teacher Registration Board (TRB) working party to provide advice as to the conditions which should be imposed on those delivering VET in schools.

To totally deregulate the area would not be acceptable as there would be no quality assurance to the person’s trade skills, teaching skills or propriety. Similarly it would be impractical to expect that a trade trainer would have both current industry skills and full teaching qualifications.

There will need to be a balance achieved as it is impractical to upskill existing teachers to be experienced qualified tradespersons just as it is impractical to expect that a qualified tradesperson would leave their trade to spend four years training to be a teacher.

The Government received 230 submissions in response to the discussion paper. A Stakeholder Reference Group was set up, along with four Working Groups who have been discussing issues associated with the major themes.

The Government will consider a number of changes and the IEU expects, along with other stakeholders, that there will be further extensive consultation before any legislative changes are made. independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|7

Schools to teach children about family and domestic violence There has been a push from psychologists, educators and those affected by family and domestic violence for schools to start educating children about it from an early age. IE Journalist Alex Leggett takes a look at how teachers and principals are able to deal with the challenge of teaching respectful relationships from school age and why there is a renewed push for its inclusion in the Australian Curriculum.

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Education may be the key to breaking the cycle of domestic and family violence from an early age. Experts from a range of backgrounds are warning that children in the playground who appear fearful or withdrawn could be victims of domestic abuse, resulting in poor behaviour and performance at school.

Dr Phil Lambert, General Manager of Curriculum at the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), believes while health and physical education content covers teaching respectful relationships, more can be done to develop positive behaviours and attitudes from an early age.

“The content allows for domestic violence issues to be taught as appropriate. We also have the general capability of personal and social responsibility which allows for teaching of domestic violence matters,” Dr Lambert said.

“Various agencies and non government organisations that work in the area of bullying and domestic violence have told us the content and the general capability focus provides a strong basis for addressing these matters in schools in addition to their resources and support services.”

Dr Lambert said the important thing for people to understand is that within the curriculum there are opportunities to address a number of social issues such as family violence.

“I was delighted to have had this opportunity to speak to the Prime Minister, the Premiers and Chief Ministers, all of whom agree with me that family violence is at the very top of the list of challenges facing this country,” she said.

“I was able to give them the message that ending family violence is not just a crusade being carried out by a few of us, but it is supported by thousands more.

“The issue of family violence is complex and needs many different responses, but I talked about the need to start at the very beginning, where attitudes and behaviours are first formed and shaped.”

I’ve seen some tremendous programs implemented to really make young boys and men understand their responsibilities and their own behaviours as a friend, colleague, a member of a group, and as an onlooker as much as a participant.

Dr Phil Lambert “Schools are very important places because it’s where we actually have society at its earliest stage, so primary prevention is very important.”

“When we know there’s a major issue in society, the way to resolve it early is to educate and develop understanding and skills around changing behaviour and attitudes, particularly those of young boys and men.”

The existing curriculum Dr Lambert believes the current curriculum enables teachers and principals to address the issues of family and domestic violence as there are high level influential programs and initiatives already in place at schools.

“We are on a real trajectory of change and schools play a very important part in teaching these behaviours and attitudes.”

As reported in The Australian, NSW schools have committed to tackling the issue in their lessons from early 2016 following a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting with Australian of the Year and domestic violence against women campaigner, Rosie Batty, the Prime Minister and NSW Premier.

The meeting resulted in a positive announcement of a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to domestic violence and it will be a compulsory part of the NSW curriculum.

Other states and territories have said they will look at making the changes suggested

by Ms Batty by including respectful relationship lessons in schools to stop violence against women.

White Ribbon initiatives Since 2008, Dr Lambert has been contributing to the work of White Ribbon as an ambassador campaigning for an end to men’s violence against women.

“I’ve represented White Ribbon in different ways and helped co design the Breaking the Silence in Schools program, which has been highly successful,” he said.

“We started in a group of schools in the Sydney region, and that has grown quite dramatically to Victoria, Tasmania and other states.”

To date, Breaking the Silence has reached over 200 schools and more than 110,000 students nationally.

Dr Lambert agrees that in terms of respectful relationships between boys and girls, or men and women, there are many circumstances related to partners that are also likely to be followed later in life with future partners.

“There are some young people who come into school with pre established beliefs about their own power and authority and that of others – and in this case we are talking about gender,” he said.

“The role you play as a teacher or as principal of a school is about equity. You not only seek that from young people but you also model that yourself by the way you run the school.

“I’ve seen it in various ways over the years, and I’ve seen some tremendous programs implemented to really make young boys and men understand their responsibilities and their own behaviours.

These responsibilities mean as a friend, colleague, a member of a group, and as an onlooker as much as a participant.”

Further reading www.whiteribbon.org.au http://www.neveralone.com.au Reference http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ national-affairs/education/coag-schoolsstep-up-on-domestic-abuse/storyfn59nlz9-1227454542139

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Indigenous equals success – the AIME approach What began as a small mentoring program 11 years ago with zero funding has now become one of the most cost effective and reliable solutions to closing the gap in Indigenous educational outcomes.

IE Journalist Alex Leggett spoke to Jack Manning Bancroft, CEO and Founder of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), about the organisation’s plans to reach 10,000 kids across the country by 2018.

AIME is a dynamic education program set up in 2005 when Jack was a 19 year old university student. It all began in Sydney’s suburb of Redfern with just 25 Indigenous high school students and 25 mentors from the neighbouring University of Sydney. It was a pivotal moment for the organisation that now works with around 4500 mentees and mentors nationwide.

Since those early days, AIME has stood by one mantra: Indigenous equals success.

“Indigenous kids are born superheroes, we just show them how to fly,” Jack said.

“We believed in a day where Indigenous kids could march proudly alongside their peers as equals and we wanted to make that a reality.”

With that belief, AIME students are smashing stereotypes. Students completing the program are proven to finish school and transition to university, training and employment at the same rate as every Australian child – effectively closing the gap in educational outcomes.

From 2014 to 2015, 76% of AIME Year 12 students transitioned into positive post school pathways, surpassing the national non Indigenous rate of 75% and well above the national Indigenous rate of 40%.

By 2018, the organisation hopes to engage 10,000 Indigenous high school students across Australia every year, and have each student finishing school and transitioning to university, training or employment at the same rate as their non

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Indigenous peers, because as Jack said, “these kids deserve no less”.

Driving the pipeline of Indigenous talent Over the past five years, AIME has run a special session where mentees write and deliver a speech as the first Indigenous Prime Minister of Australia. AIME watched hundreds of students step up to share their vision, as they were compelled to share it with the nation.

In 2013 as the federal election was heating up, AIME launched its own campaign – The Other Election. It showcased 646 Indigenous students in Years 10 to 12 delivering what would be their inaugural speech as Australia’s first Indigenous Prime Minister. Over 70,000 votes were cast, with three finalists travelling to Canberra to meet with the Prime Minister and deliver their speeches to a Senate Committee Room packed with journalists, camera crews, politicians and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion.

Jack’s optimism and sheer faith in the potential of Indigenous youth is unwavering.

“There’s an amazing amount of talent out there and we see our job as getting in alongside teachers and schools to try and help light that spark of imagination in kids and unlock the magic of learning for them,” he said.

“For the next three years, our focus is on doubling the amount of kids we are

There’s an amazing amount of talent out there and we see our job as getting in alongside teachers and schools to try and help light that spark of imagination in kids and unlock the magic of learning for them.

working with and to reach out to 10,000 kids per year.”

It is an achievable goal. Today AIME is connecting approximately 4500 mentees with 1600 mentors across 37 locations and in partnership with 18 Australian universities and 350 schools.

Both mentee and mentor benefit from the pairing, working through modules that offer launch pads for real life opportunities for the mentees to extend themselves through internships for artists, performance opportunities for musicians, ambassador programs and more.

“We have close to 1500 university students lining up alongside us who are mainly non Indigenous and want to connect with the next generation of Indigenous kids coming through,” he said.

“This will help support their transition to university, employment and further education at the same rate as every Australian child to effectively get them walking past the gap, not just closing the gap.”

AIME has already proven its ability to achieve their goals of increasing Year 10 and 12 completion rates, as well as university admission rates for all Indigenous students in the program. Last year, 93% of AIME’s Year 12 kids completed school, which is 6% above Australia’s nonIndigenous rate of 86%.

The entire AIME program equates to a six year course known at the AIME Institute, comprising 49 modules designed for all year levels. Since 2005, each module has been developed and delivered by Indigenous young people and they are improved each year with input from AIME’s mentees and mentors. When a student engages in the AIME program throughout their schooling career, they

get the opportunity to access more than 150 hours of mentoring and academic support.

Alongside the AIME Institute are two other arms of the organisation: Tutor Squads, which are deployed into schools, and one-to-one coaching, with career and post school transition support.

“Although it’s time intensive, we pride ourselves on tracking every single student’s journey through the AIME program as well as continuing to work with students after they graduate from Year 12, with the goal of landing them in a positive post school pathway,” Jack said.

How can you get involved?

There are three simple ways your school community can get involved: Jump on the AIME website www.aimementoring.com and check out where AIME operates. If you have Indigenous students at your school, AIME may be able to support them.

Head to AIME’s online shop www.shop.aimementoring.com where you can grab some gear designed by Indigenous kids, wear it with pride and help AIME reach 10,000 Indigenous students by 2018.

Launching in September 2015 the Ambassadors of Indigenous Success (AIS) program is a chance for your school to make a statement that you are willing to work alongside the next generation of Indigenous kids and help create a wave of Indigenous success across the country.

The AIS program offers a toolkit for primary or secondary teachers, which draws on AIME’s world-class educational resources proven to light up kids’ imaginations. Keep an eye on www.aimementoring.com for your chance to be part of the program. independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|11

Bubble wrap kids:

Do we have a safety surplus?

A recent study into students’ perceptions of playground safety adds an interesting but complicating layer to the mire that is legal liability and education, IEU Victoria Tasmania Assistant Secretary Cathy Hickey writes. The research conducted by academics Brendon Hyndman and Amanda Telford looks at the “growing culture of surplus safety” and in particular examines the way students experience this culture in the playground.

Dilemma, as described by Wikipedia, is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. Such is the problem facing schools in respect to the ‘old school yard’. The promotion of physical activity during school breaks, and healthy and appropriate risk taking is well known to promote ongoing health and important lifestyle habits. It is also a mandated part of the curriculum, as well as part of the knowledge and skills required of teachers articulated in the Australian teaching professional standards. Active play has clearly been associated with improvements in students’ physical, cognitive and social development.

On the other hand, schools and teachers have become acutely aware of the heightened expectations around mitigating and indeed attempting to eradicate all risk of injury to students. This is no mere overreaction or paranoia.

Hyndman and Telford’s article published this year on the study in the Australian Journal of Teacher Education outlines some of the recent research on student injury. They point to growing adult concerns about the danger of school playgrounds, possibly stemming from playground equipment being the leading cause of all child fall-related hospitalisation in Australia (Berry, Jamieson and Harrison, 2010). The authors quote Chancellor’s (2013) statistic that the majority of primary school facilities within the state of Victoria are more than 50 years old. Schools are developing elaborate playground policies and there are a growing number of schools now taking out student accident insurance policies in a strategy to reduce the costs of students’ injuries for parents and the need to enter into litigation.

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Impact on activity Hyndman and Telford give the readers of their article an excellent outline of current research in this area.

They detail how physical activity in Australian school grounds has changed considerably over recent decades, reducing students’ opportunities for active, creative and diverse play. They list a number of significant school playground changes in Victorian primary schools which have included the reduction of school break time (lunch and recess); removal of playground equipment; merging of school facilities which can result in crowded play spaces and restrictive rules relating to students’ use of school grounds that can lead teachers undertaking playground policing-type roles.

They cite researchers such as Tranter and Sharpe (2007) and Wyver et al; (2010) who show a growing societal trend in Australia of adults wanting to ‘cotton wool’ students, including through the controlling of playground activities, which have become much more organised, supervised and directed by adults.

Students’ views The Hyndman and Telford study involved collecting data from seven focus groups (four primary schools and three secondary schools) conducted across four schools (two primary and two secondary). The aim of the research was to examine student’s perceptions of playground safety influences on physical activity from the perspective of the ‘users’ of school playgrounds.

The study obviously throws up interesting and useful information to assist in both the development of schools’ policy and

The students reported that the responsibilities of teachers to ensure there is a minimum safety risk within the school playground could be stifling.

practices, and also for teacher training programs, both preservice and ongoing.

Students regularly highlighted the importance they placed on the benefits of being able to overcome an element of danger or potential for injury in the playground. The prevention of boredom within the school playground was perceived to be important to reduce misbehaviour that could cause injury and to enhance the students’ mental wellbeing.

However, this particular reader also found that the comments and suggested solutions from students in reality complicated the existing dilemmas – there seem to always be trade-offs, a having to choosing between two conflicting or at least uncomfortable options.

The students reported that the responsibilities of teachers to ensure there is a minimum safety risk within the school playground could be stifling to the student’s enjoyment of physical activities. However, they also stated that the prevalence of bullying/territorial issues and taking risks, the interpersonal influences of peer support and teacher support (gaining assistance from teachers) were seen as important to be physically active within the school playground. Some students perceived that extra supervision would ensure they would feel safer within the playground to be physically active, and a range of rules enforced were suggested to influence students’ participation in safe physical activity within the school playground.

Peer and teacher support were perceived by students to be important for both protection from bullying and to ensure that if an injury occurred that it would be appropriately dealt with.

The students highlighted the importance of ‘playground space’ (playground area freely available and unoccupied for activities. However, a common theme of secondary students was also the importance of ‘school security’ (being free from danger of threat to feel safe to use the physical playground for physical activity), as well as student suggestions for ‘designated playground areas’ such as a ‘prep only’ school playground area would be important to ensure collisions and clashes across age groupings are avoided.

Fallout for schools?

So for teachers, this study does add new information, from new perspectives.

However, it also reinforces that while we need to definitely look at school policies that increase opportunities for students to be physically active, the need for adults to mitigate and remove risks still looms large, even in the eyes of students.

Reference Hyndman BP, and Telford A (2015) Should Educators be ‘Wrapping School Playgrounds in Cotton Wool’ to Encourage Physical activity? Exploring Primary and Secondary Students’ Voices from the School Playground Australian Journal of Teacher Education Vol 40 Issue 6.

Acknowledgement The data collection for their study was conducted while Brendon Hyndman and Amanda Telford were based at the University of Ballarat. Hyndman is now at Charles Darwin University and Telford at RMIT University.

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Part of our everyday Associate Professor Debra Bateman is the Deputy Dean, Learning and Teaching of Global, Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University. She is a passionate writer and thinker in the area of Futures Thinking and has extensive experience in curriculum development in schools and Universities. Debra argues that the inclusion of sustainability in curriculum is a no brainer.

It is easy to get caught up in the arguments of how to teach sustainability in schools, and where it sits within a volatile and unstable educational policy context.

Amidst a landscape that demands greater focus on the basics of learning, described as literacy and numeracy, and more checking of compliance through the application of simplistic and flawed benchmarking and testing, it is increasingly difficult for teachers to feel the appropriate level of autonomy to decide what is most relevant for their students’ learning. The purpose of this piece then is to provide a through line, and enable teachers to reclaim the pedagogical space to develop strong sustainable (among other) perspectives in their day to day curriculum of the classroom.

Sustainability is about continuance.

In a world where so many things are disposable, and change is part of the dominant discourse of western culture, a great start for thinking about the meaning of continuities is to identify things around us that have not changed over time. For example, the natural rhythms of sunrise and sunsets continue without change.

Bickering over land and resources has continued throughout the ages. Within cultures, there are many traditions and rituals which have continued without change. Yet, in a world of change how are some things sustained and others not? What are the choices, values and commitments that embody the types of action and acceptance that enable things to remain the same? How can those same reflections and principles be applied more broadly?

Who we are and where we are When I first began teaching, we were inducted into thinking that environmental education or learning about principles of sustainability were things that needed to be learned in other places. I remember our annual pilgrimage in the middle and senior primary school levels to the Gould League, where children measured their household rubbish, and learned about changing cities and rural places.

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While I still have the wonderful publications from that organisation on my bookshelf, and many of the principles remain important, as I’ve researched more in the area, taught across different settings, and the Gould League closed its premises, I feel more committed to the idea that sustainability needs to be part of who we are and where we are.

I don’t think it matters how it is taught, but that it is taught. And, like Indigenous perspectives, sustainability is not something ‘other’. It is part of both our history and our futures. It is soulful and practical and part of a shared commitment that each of us have a role to play in being responsible and ethical in our sharing of resources. It is part of every activity that we do, and every curriculum design, thinking about how we use time and people, and how our energies are put towards shaping powerful, preferable and purposeful futures.

Practical sustainable curriculum In my own classrooms and in my role as a teacher, I’ve used various strategies to develop strong sustainable perspectives in my classroom. Through a curriculum leadership role, in one school, we developed our whole school concert around the Wonder of Water Through Time. The concert became an expression of the key learnings throughout the school, journeying from our preps exploring how their local environment had changed along the Merri Creek and the

I don’t think it matters how it is taught, but that it is taught. And, like Indigenous perspectives, sustainability is not something ‘other’. It is part of both our history and our futures.

impacts for Indigenous communities, to our Grade Ones and Twos understanding the introduction of industrial times along the same landscape. Our Grade Threes and Fours inquired into how local communities grew and were planned and designed, and where resources were positioned to give everyone access to what they needed without compromising the needs of others. Our Grade Fives and Sixes explored the increasing need for power as Australian lifestyles have changed over time, and the impacts of immigration through a series of moments in time such as the Snowy River Hydroelectricity Scheme.

I’ve designed curriculum which is quite explicit as well, exploring and increasing children’s awareness of different environments and why they can be found on different parts of the earth from where they are. I’ve asked students to imagine that they were a learner in another part of the world and how they understand how we live, in relation to our natural world. How do people access the food that they need, and what

would happen if the supermarkets closed down? Often, the challenge in this type of approach is ensuring that children do not feel hopeless or helpless and that we equip them to understand differences in their worlds.

Connection to our planet A mantra of environmental education has always been that it should be in the world, about the world and for the world.

I think of my favourite experience ever, both with young children and later with preservice teachers, going on a journey to a friend and colleague’s (Dr Caroline Smith) permaculture farm. Apart from helping students understand themselves in relationship to the sun and its movements, and the variance of seasons, these trips put many kids in touch with the land that they had never experienced. We laughed as students picked fresh produce, as they walked the zones, delighting in foods that they would not ordinarily have eaten.

We feigned horror as kids put their fingers through worm castings. Ultimately, we rejoiced in our humanity and our connection to our planet. Such experience must be part of our everyday.

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Support staff – tell us your story In IE we’d like to run a section focusing on the fascinating and diverse work that is done by support and operational staff in our schools.

Please tell us what matters to you and what you’d like to read about in IE. Archivists Aboriginal Education Workers Bursars and accounts staff Teachers aides Clerical and administrative staff Journalists and communication staff Foundation and event Management staff Maintenance staff Operational staff Gardeners

Tradespeople Canteen staff Uniform shop staff Nurses Counsellors Information technology staff Boarding house staff Bus drivers Caretakers and security staff Lab technicians

We want to hear your story, so contact us at iemagazine@ieu.asn.au and tell us what matters to you

Most see a daydreamer.

Some see a philosopher.

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As a mutual bank our profits mean real benefits directly back to you. So no matter what your dreams for the future, you can bank on us to be there.

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What’s in a name? In praise of visiting (not casual) teachers NSW ACT IEU Organiser and recently retired principal Karen Forbes makes a heartfelt plea:

For a number of years now, I have slowly tried to make what I always thought of as a simple change in the schools I worked in: to stop calling casual teachers by the term ‘casual’ and rather refer to them as ‘visiting teachers’. What’s in a name you ask? As Juliet says to Romeo: “A rose by any other name, would smell as sweet” because she loves him for himself, not his name. And I think it’s high time we showed a little more respect to our casual teachers by changing the name from casual to visiting.

By definition, casual teachers are employed, well, casually; that is on a day by day basis. I understand this is a term that needs to be used industrially as part of our enterprise agreements, however, why can’t we keep that terminology in the industrial side of things, but make a slight change at school level? It seems to be, in some cases, that this idea of being called a casual has led to the connotation of being not quite a real teacher – you don’t have a full-time or permanent job, that you might not be up to date on the latest ideas in education, your accreditation may be taking longer to achieve or even may not have happened yet or even (an oldie but a goodie), the students ‘muck up’ more on a casual teacher – you know the stuff!

Well, I’d like to propose a change in name for our hard working and often undervalued casual teaching staff – let’s call them visiting teachers instead. I firmly believe that a rose by any other name makes a difference here, let’s have a look how.

When we have a visitor to our homes we are welcoming: we use the visitor’s name, we make them feel as if they belong

and that we are happy for them to be there. Why can’t it be the same for visiting teachers, the ones who come along and slog out the day when someone is away? If we apply the same attitude to our casual teachers, what a difference it could potentially make.

‘The casual’s here’, ‘Can someone take the casual to the staffroom/classroom’?

‘What’s the casual’s name again’?

We’ve all possibly said or at least heard these phrases more than once in our lives if we work in schools. But what if we changed that to: ‘The visiting teacher is here’ acknowledging both that the person is a qualified teacher and that they are visiting so let’s welcome them and make them feel valued as a member of the community. When we speak with the students about visiting teachers we suddenly set a different tone – visiting, visitor – most students are aware of being polite and courteous to a visitor, so why not to a visiting teacher?

And when we change that part of our attitude, we also change our thinking about how the visiting teacher needs support (just like all teachers) with things like accreditation and registration; with being made to feel a welcome part of the school community; with being valued as someone who has expertise in their area and is happy to visit your school and teach on a day to day or temporary basis.

I encourage you to have a change in your thinking and start remembering that those ‘casuals’ are qualified visiting teachers in our schools, so let’s treat them that way. independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|17

What did you do well today?

Why would a union run a conference about mental health, wellness and mindfulness, IE Journalist Sue Osborne asks.

Many mental health issues arise out of stress in the workplace aggravated by issues such as bullying, overwork and lack of recognition. One in six workers will take time off due to mental health issues.

Common issues like depression and anxiety impact on the workplace as well as the individual and their family, costing the economy an estimated $12 billion a year.

The IEU’s Support Staff Conference Work Well held on 21 August in Sydney took a big picture look at what support staff can do to keep themselves well in the workplace.

NSW ACT IEU General Secretary John Quessy said the IEU plays a key role in promoting and supporting the industrial needs and interests on non teaching staff.

Better working conditions contribute to a healthy workplace. The IEU’s Support Staff Advisory Committee, acting on feedback from support staff, decided to extend the Union’s support through this conference.

Keeping positive Keynote speaker Dan Haesler is an educator, writer and presenter who specialises in talking to people about positive psychology.

He entertained the audience with his humorous and enthusiastic look at some of the theory behind what makes us happy, not just in the workplace but in life as a whole.

Dan explored Martin Seligman’s work on positive psychology and his PERMA model. Seligman outlined positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment (PERMA) as the things we need in our life to achieve a healthy mindset.

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Martin Seligman is an American psychologist, educator, and author of selfhelp books. Since the late 90s, Seligman has been an avid promoter within the scientific community for the field of positive psychology.

His theory of ‘learned helplessness’ is popular among scientific and clinical psychologists. He is Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Psychology.

Seligman has written about positive psychology topics in books such as The Optimistic Child, Child’s Play, Learned Optimism, and Authentic Happiness. His most recent book, Flourish, was published in 2011.

“The whole essence of positive psychology is to recognise what’s going well and build upon that,” Dan said.

“It’s not about being happy all the time, it’s about taking a more positive mindset and being able to address our own wellbeing at home and in the workplace.”

Giving meaning Dan said some innovative schools were looking at providing more meaning to their support staff by including them more in the results of their work.

“If you’ve spent days processing the paperwork for the excursion, perhaps you’d like to go on the excursion and see the results of that in the kids’ faces.

“It’s great that the IEU is addressing something as important as mental wellbeing, given we know workplace mental health can be something of an issue in the education sector.

“The Union is being proactive, rather than just focusing on wages, although that all plays into mental wellbeing as well.

“I think it is really powerful to spend a day just addressing positive psychology and understanding ways to address depression. I highly commend the IEU for taking on this initiative.”

Workshops at the conference addressed a number of issues around the topic.

For instance NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association Professional Officer Marc Hopkins discussed depression and mental illness in the workplace and gave participants some important tips on how to approach a colleague suspected of being unwell.

If you are not healthy in your mind you can’t do your work so you need to regenerate, and the Union is streaks ahead of anybody else by recognising that need.

Better to ask Marc said it was better to be embarrassed by asking the question than not ask and a serious event ensues.

If someone says they are feeling suicidal or thinking about harming themselves in some way, there are a number of responses a colleague can take, including calling a family member, calling an ambulance, encouraging the person to go to a hospital or health centre or make an appointment with a counsellor or GP or ring a crisis telephone helpline. Marc said many employers are now installing mental health First Aid officers in the workplace as well as the traditional First Aid officer. There are a number of courses available for this.

On the other side of the coin, Mandy Lamkin’s workshop talked about meditation as a tool for building up resilience and preventing mental health issues arising. Meditation doesn’t have to be in an evening class, it can be done anywhere. Having a room in schools with no computers or phones (not the staffroom) set aside for quiet time is a start, she said. For more details go to mandy@mindfulness.com.au.

Vincent Cooper, the Aboriginal Education Worker at St Joseph’s High School in Aberdeen, presented the acknowledgment of traditional owners at the start of the conference.

As well as being the Aboriginal Education Worker, Vincent teaches Aboriginal Studies to Years 9 and 10.

“Support staff need to take time out to feel they are important. Professional development for support staff is lacking so to get a sense of worth, support staff need a day like this,” Vincent said.

“I got some good food for thought today.

I really liked Dan’s idea of not saying to people ‘how are you?’ but saying ‘what did you do well today?’ I’m going to try that.

Healthy mind “If you are not healthy in your mind you can’t do your work, so you need to regenerate and the Union is streaks ahead of anybody else by recognising that need.”

NSW ACT IEU Vice President Support Staff

Dan Haesler Carolyn Collins said support staff tend to be self-effacing and find it difficult to accept gratitude or to acknowledge their own worth.

“We don’t expect anything; we’re givers, so a conference like this about our well being is fantastic.”

Seven members of the support staff team from St Dominic’s Centre for Hearing Impaired Students at Mayfield near Newcastle, including teachers aides, secretarial staff, pastoral care staff and library assistants were able to attend the conference. Two signers were present during the conference for one member of their staff.

They said the day was special for them because there is no professional development for support staff offered by their diocese, and it was a great opportunity for them to spend time together.

“Working in a special needs school is very draining and we understand and use positive psychology ourselves.

“It’s a challenge dealing with our students, parents and school community, and if we couldn’t call on positive psychology we wouldn’t survive.

“We’re great supporters of the Union and really pleased the IEU has given us this day.

“Wellbeing is really at the heart of education.”

References http://danhaesler.com/ieu/ http://positivepsychologyprogram.com/ broaden-build-theory/ https://www.authentichappiness.sas. upenn.edu/ independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|19

Developing globally competent learners Marilyn Snider was an education officer with the Global Education Project and is now Director of Bethink Global, advising schools and organisations on learning in a globalised world. She writes that global change is dynamic and the underlying conceptual and moral issues are often complex.

Awareness of the economic, social and political interdependence that affects all aspects of our lives continues to grow. The global nature of our environment is generating new understandings and concerns.

The future holds many challenges for young learners. Global education is responding to those challenges.

‘Global education’ is ascribed with a variety of understandings, explanations and approaches around the world. The broad concept itself has been given a number of names. My particular preference is global learning.

Whatever the perspective to global education, there are shared aims that exist among all forms of the theme.

These commonalties appear to be particularly in the areas of their shared global orientation, pursuit of personal and/or societal transformation of thinking, active and inquiry based teaching and learning methodologies, and overlapping content. To a greater or lesser extent their practitioners tend to see these educations as contributing to or aligned with Global Citizenship education.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians of 2008 states: “All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens who are responsible global and local citizens”.

A global citizen contributes to and acts for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Enabling young people to participate in a better shared future for all is at the heart of this education. With a deep synthesis of theory and practice, global education is a response to engage learners in issues critical to understanding their communities, their world and their future.

How do our learners become global citizens?

Simply, they need to be globally competent.

Global competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance; issues

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such as interdependence, globalisation, cultural diversity, human rights, social justice, environmental, social and economic sustainability, food security, population distribution, biodiversity, the poverty cycle, wellbeing and peaceful conflict resolution.

The globally competent learner investigates the world, including their immediate environment and beyond, recognises perspectives, both their own and others’, communicates ideas and collaborates with diverse audiences and takes creative action on issues of global significance to improve conditions both locally and globally.

The Australian Curriculum sets out the core knowledge, understanding, skills and general capabilities important as a foundation for future learning, growth and active participation in the Australian community. After 15 years of bipartisan support for a national Global Education Project, the importance of delivering global education in Australia seems distracted with current competing political discourse and agendas.

With the implementation of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the significant impact of UNESCO’s decade for Education for Sustainable Development, we will likely see an emerging name change to Education for Sustainable Development. It has, as its focus, the goal of every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future for all.

(UNESCO Education sector) In terms of active participation and uptake of global learning, here are some guidelines for your school to consider.

What does global learning mean for the school and community?

Global learning principles are incorporated into the mission statements and curriculum documents of the school.

The school actively supports and resources the inclusion of global perspectives in the curriculum and wider school programs.

A global citizen contributes to and acts for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world.

What does this look like in the curriculum?

The curriculum has strong relevance for all students and challenges and counters stereotypes of other cultures and countries and reflects concern about local and global poverty, injustice, conflict and sustainable development.

Global perspectives influence teaching and learning across all the learning areas and at every stage of learning.

What does this look like in the classroom?

The classroom set-up and environment promotes cooperative interaction and effective communication.

Teaching and learning activities are designed to foster learners’ sense of their own value and encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning, take part in decision making and to learn processes of negotiation and consensus building.

Learners are encouraged to use critical thinking skills and to apply these skills effectively to a broad range of problems using a diversity of media and other resource materials. Teachers and learners have positive values – they believe in the potential of others, have compassionate concern for the rights of others, and care for the environment.

Teachers and learners are actively learning skills of intercultural communication, peaceful conflict resolution, visioning and contributing to a fairer and more just world. Teachers and learners are committed to taking action to build a better world for all and providing a sense of hope for the future.

Some activities for the classroom Peace Haven for Bears (Years F-2) A bear had escaped from his forest where all the other bears have been fighting. Discuss how you think this bear is feeling. If the bear came to you for help, how would you care for it?

Thinking Globally: Global Perspectives in the Early Years Classroom (2008) Disaster Preparedness (Years 5, 6) Various disasters are investigated to develop an understanding of causes, effects and the types of assistance communities such as in Laos, Philippines and Indonesia need to recover.

Learners also explore how disaster preparedness can mitigate their impact and build hope and resilience.

Global education website Migration (Year 10) The Globalising World investigates how migration from 1945 to the present

day has shaped Australian society. This unit focuses on changing migration policies and the development of human rights and anti-racism movements in Australia.

Australian Human Rights Commission Building a systematic and cohesive program requires a whole school approach and focussed leadership.

Support for teachers to strengthen global perspectives within the curriculum is not only timely but imperative if our future citizens are to be prepared as stewards of our planet.

References Contesting and Constructing International Perspectives in Global Education, Reynolds R, Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, 2015 Websites referred to below were accessed one or more times in the period July to August 2015 http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/ verve/_resources/GPS_web.pdf Global Perspectives: A framework for global education in Australian schools http://www.tidegloballearning.net/ primary-early-years/quality-globallearning-meeting-needs-learners http://deeep.org/wp-content/ uploads/2015/01/DEEEP4_ QualityImpact_Report_2014_web2. pdf Monitoring Education for Global Citizenship: A Contribution to Debate http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_ resources/National_Declaration_on_ the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_ Australians.pdf http://asiasociety.org/files/Literacy%20 Quick%20Sheet.pdf http://asiasociety.org/files/bookglobalcompetence.pdf http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0014/001416/141629e.pdf http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/ publications/food-for-all.html http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/ global-issues/gi-disasters.html https://www.humanrights.gov.au/ourwork/education/publications/rightsedglobalising-world http://asiasociety.org/ globalcompetence

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Living in the now: Mindfulness meditation a growing trend

In recent years, mindfulness meditation has found its way from international workplaces into schools. IE Journalist Alex Leggett investigates how mindfulness is being perceived by teachers and how the outcomes are improving mental health and wellbeing for students.

The growing trend of teachers adapting their teaching strategies to include mindfulness comes after results show students are improving because of it. The practice of mindfulness meditation teaches students to be aware and focused on the ‘now’, teaching the mind not to wander, a concept that originated in Buddhism.

Mindfulness is the secularised form of this meditation and has been incorporated into workplaces around the world including government organisations, hospitals, universities and schools.

History and evidence In terms of the classroom, mindfulness has been on the rise in Australia, following its introduction to schools in the UK, Europe and US. It’s been implemented in Oxford, Harvard and now in Melbourne universities like Monash. A study from Oxford even found mindfulness meditation exercises can reduce relapses into depression by 44% with some researchers saying it is as effective as taking antidepressants.

Monash has overwhelmingly embraced the concept with its implementation stretching back to its medical students in 1989. Now they have expanded the model into a wide range of faculties including Business, IT, Engineering, Law, Psychology and Sport.

Mindfulness and technology Clinical psychologist Richard Chambers and Monash colleague Craig Hassed, specialise in mindfulness-based therapies and have written a book called Mindful Learning. Their goal is to embed mindfulness into the Australian curriculum by 2020 to build emotional resilience where it matters most – during a child’s schooling.

“It’s becoming more and more obvious that children’s most important life skill is to develop attention, and if they can’t

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keep focused then there’s no learning. It’s crucial for people to learn to communicate and empathise with each other from an early age,” Dr Hassed said.

“Mindfulness affects memory, brain development and physical health and a lot of research has been done to show that it can influence and improve DNA repair, which slows down the rate of ageing.”

Dr Hassed said there are many fields of research on social and emotional training and there is a myriad of reasons why it is also good for students’ physical health.

“One of the main reasons it is so important right now is the overuse of technology and excessive screen time that impairs students’ ability to engage. So this is a type of antidote in some respects.”

Mindfulness as a practice can be divided into two aspects – the meditation sessions where a young student may meditate for around 10 minutes and the informal practice, that is, students’ ability to be mindful as they go about their dayto-day life.

“During the past 10 years, we’ve been running programs in schools and one of the first was with the Methodist Ladies’ College in Melbourne. We ran a program for Year 12s and had 20 students who went through it.

“We measured their wellbeing and found those who underwent mindfulness training had their mental and emotional health improve in contrast to the rest of the Year 12 cohort,” he said.

In terms of scepticism over the practice, Dr Hassed said if there are initial doubts about the program, he refers people to the evidence to show it works.

“I talk a lot about the science behind it in a simple, practical way. Generally their arguments are not based on anything substantial – it’s about looking at the bigger issue of how to engage attention.”

Monash has been involved in the development of an app called Smiling Mind, described as modern meditation for young people in an increasingly fastpaced world.

“I am an ambassador for the app and my colleague Richard was very active in its development,” Dr Hassed said.

“Smiling Mind is a free smartphone and web app developed by a team of psychologists with expertise in youth and adolescent therapy.”

The app’s website describes it as a simple tool that gives a sense of calm, clarity and contentment.

“Children today need it now more than any other generation,” Dr Hassed said.

“A lot of schools use the app as a supplement to their mindfulness programs in order to engage students and help combat stress.”

Dr Chambers believes it is important to make mindfulness more accessible to young people in a digital age where they are constantly being distracted.

“That’s what we have done with Smiling Mind – we adapted some of the more complex language for school age kids, but adults can still use it.”

It’s becoming more and more obvious that children’s most important life skill is to develop attention, and if they can’t keep focused then there’s no learning.”

Mindfulness in the future The World Health Organisation (WHO) has predicted mental health issues are likely to be one of the biggest burdens to the health care system by 2030. So, is there a way to tie mindfulness in to pre existing bodies combatting depression such as MindMatters and Beyond Blue?

Dr Chambers hopes the government can look at funding a mindfulness program to ensure wellbeing is a priority in curriculum.

“It’s more than just wellbeing.

Mindfulness also enhances academic and work performance, and has other benefits like developing communication and better relationships.

“This combination – less stress, better performance – is why it belongs in education.”

References and additional information http://mindfulnessinschools.org/ http://smilingmind.com.au/ www.monash.edu/counselling/mindfulness.html http://www.oxfordmindfulness.org/wpcontent/uploads/jccp-paper-021213.pdf

Balanced space Brisbane Girls Grammar School has their own wellbeing program that looks at helping students cope with the stress and anxieties of adolescent life.

School psychologist Jody Forbes said it is about being in the moment, not thinking too far ahead and not worrying too much about the future.

She said Wellness Wednesday is part of a new program she coordinates called Balance@BGGS. “It’s a type of holistic program available to all of our students,” she said.

“The idea is to provide information, skills and activities that enhance emotional, social, cognitive and physical health.”

She said more programs will be on offer in 2016 and one of their teachers, Donald Pincott, has been trained in accredited mindfulness program ‘.b’, and coordinates the relaxation sessions.

“They come in at lunch time, take off their shoes, lie down and relax.

Numbers vary so sometimes we have 20, sometimes there are just two students,” Ms Forbes said.

She said the sessions go through lunch and run for about 20 to 30 minutes.

“The sessions start at 12.50pm and then the doors close. Girls are encouraged to eat their lunch first and then they can come along.

“Our new addition of Year 7 students to Girls Grammar has sparked more interest from younger grades in balance activities.”

Girls at the school were recently given the opportunity to attend a three week mindfulness course held on Monday afternoons – a day that is perceived by many as the most stressful of the week.

“We have many courses involving stress management, study skills, getting balance and developing confidence, and we are looking to get more alumni involved in activities.”

“We have a dedicated Balance Space with bean bags where students can just drop in on Tuesdays and Fridays at lunch. It’s a social place where there are games such as Uno and mindfulness colouring to help them stop, release stress and be in the moment.

“We also have a Friday lunchtime knitting club where two alumni ladies come in and teach students how to knit. It’s also a break from technology and electronic devices.

“The school has a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy and it’s important to have some down time away from laptops and tablets.”

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IEU takes a stand against sinister Act

The Federal Government’s new Border Force Act Section 42 forbids teachers who work in Australia’s immigration detention centres at Nauru, Manus Island and Villawood to speak up about any information they come across in the course of their work. The IEU strongly opposes this Act. The IEU’s position is outlined in a policy from the Federal Council, IEU Organiser Dave Towson writes.

Former Integrity Commissioner Phillip Moss headed up an inquiry that found evidence of sexual and physical assault against children and women in Nauru. The inquiry had passed their findings to the relevant ministers. The Minister had been aware of these sexual abuse allegations against children for 17 months before any action was taken.

The Moss Enquiry noted Nauru had no compulsory Working with Children Checks for staff and no mandatory requirement for reporting abuse. Still the Australian Government sends children to Nauru without the proper regulatory safeguards.

In fact, instead of addressing this legal deficiency new Australian legislation takes us in another direction.

The Australian Border Force Act 2015 came into force on 1 July. Under the Act (Section 42) entitled Secrecy, it is a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment of up to two years, for any person working directly or indirectly for the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to reveal to the media

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or any other person or organisation anything that happens in detention centres like Nauru and Manus Island.

Teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers and other professionals could face prosecution and up to two years imprisonment for speaking up for people in their care.

NSW ACT IEU General Secretary John Quessy said: “The sinister Border Force Act Section 42 makes it an offence for an ‘entrusted person’ to ‘make a record of, or disclose’ protected information’”.

“Would the Prime Minister be happy to accept that those caring for his children were fearful of speaking out about suspected abuse? A consequence of these laws, perhaps unintended, is that abusers will be protected and not exposed,” Mr Quessy said.

“Basically what the Federal Government is doing with the introduction of this law is punishing teachers for standing up for their students, whose classrooms happen to be in a detention centres.”

Detaining a single asylum seeker on Manus Island or Nauru costs $400,000 per year. Allowing asylum seekers to live in the community costs the taxpayer $12,000 per year.

Culture of secrecy This law came into effect while the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is giving voice to victims whose assailants were protected by a culture of secrecy and cover up.

The IEU condemns the Border Force Act along with the continuing practice of keeping children in detention centres, the denial of rights to asylum as provided for under international covenants and attempts to silence the Human Rights Commission.

Those people not moved by humanitarian arguments might consider the economic cost of mandatory detention and offshore processing.

Detaining a single asylum seeker on Manus Island or Nauru costs $400,000 per year. Detention in Australia costs $239,000 per asylum seeker per year.

Allowing asylum seekers to live in the community while their claims are being processed costs the taxpayer $12,000 per year and even less if they are allowed the right to work.

For the privilege of sending people to Cambodia, we are paying the Cambodian government $40,000,000. The first four refugees to be sent to Cambodia from Nauru have been transferred to Darwin awaiting transportation to Cambodia. One Iranian couple, one single Iranian man and another single Roghinga refugee from Burma out of a population of nearly 700 detainees on Nauru are the only people so far to have accepted an offer of $15,000 to uproot their lives again and move to Cambodia.

Kids in detention There are about 220 children in detention centres in Australia and Nauru today. There are another 863 children in community detention and a further 3,257 children on bridging visas which means their parents often have no work rights and limited access to government support.

The following statement was endorsed by the Federal Council of the IEUA on 29 April this year: That the IEU deplores the current treatment of asylum-seekers by the Australian Government and condemns the Federal Government and the Opposition for failing to deal with the asylum seeker boat issue in open, fair and honest manner.

The IEU believes that the Government’s decision and legislation to resort to punishment for those fleeing persecution is wrong and misguided.

The IEU urges all political parties and members of parliament to stop using policies regarding asylum seekers to foster misunderstanding, social division and distrust, and instead use it as an opportunity to get on with the job of fulfilling Australia’s commitment under

the Refugee Convention to treat people humanely, process applications for asylum onshore, and promote the better treatment of asylum seekers and refugees in our region.

The IEU calls on the Australian Government to abandon third country (off-shore processing) altogether and to reform Australia’s stance on asylum seekers in line with our international obligations.

The IEU condemns the placement of children in detention centres.

The IEU calls for: All political parties to respect and acknowledge that neither indefinite detention nor sending asylum seekers to uncertainty in other countries can be presented as a just or credible response to the needs of people seeking refuge and protection in Australia.

All parliamentarians to exercise leadership and reframe the national debate about refugees and asylum seekers, explaining that the majority of people who have entered Australia by boat seeking asylum have been found to need protection from persecution, and therefore that the vulnerability of asylum seekers must be a primary consideration in any government response to people movement.

The Australian Government to immediately move to process all asylum seekers onshore. Following initial detention for preliminary health and security checks, a detention that should be capped at one month, after that, while their refugee status is being determined, they should be released into the community on conditions that will ensure that they remain available for processing and (if necessary) removal. They should be allowed to work and live in dignity.

Detention beyond the initial processing should only occur in exceptional circumstances.

The Australian Government to enable Australia’s community sector to support and resettle people humanely and effectively, as an appropriate, sensitive and least expensive solution to Australia’s humanitarian responsibilities, instead of spending substantial funds deporting people overseas and building facilities offshore.

The Australian Government to immediately comply with the Convention of the Rights of the Child, where children as asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors are entitled to have their welfare and human rights protected and their right to an education upheld.

The rejection of the Temporary Protection Visa (TPV)/ Safe Have Enterprise Visa (SHEV) system and provide all refugees immediate access to a permanent Protection Visa (PV).

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The Victorian Experience

Supervision, yard duty and fights – your rights and obligations IEU Victoria Tasmania Senior Industrial Officer Denis Matson looks at the legal responsibilities of school staff when supervising students.

Teachers and support staff The ‘duty of care’ requires teachers to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety of students under their care. Support staff are generally not professionally trained for the management of groups of students, but are expected to act ‘reasonably’ to protect those they are supervising.

How these obligations translate into appropriate steps to take in particular circumstances is horribly vague.

The legal obligation: What is reasonable?

Courts, in finding teachers and schools negligent, have repeatedly used words like ‘A teacher must take such measures as are reasonable in the circumstances to protect a student from risk of harm that the teacher should have reasonably foreseen’, so ask yourself:

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• what would a ‘reasonable person’ (being a teacher) do in the circumstances, and • what harm is ‘reasonably foreseeable’?

Courts have also declared that: • a higher standard of care is required for younger students and those with disabilities • the principal is responsible for making arrangements for adequate playground supervision • teachers must carry out their supervisory duties in such a way that students are reasonably protected from harm, and • it is not just the teachers who are rostered on who have a duty of care. If a teacher notices something that endangers students but does nothing about it, they will ordinarily have failed in their duty of care.

For a non teacher, the test will be what a reasonable person in his/her position would do. Unlike teachers, support staff are not exposed to losing their registration. But they could face prosecution for negligence or, more likely, termination of their employment. Proving negligence in such matters is generally difficult and, if it can be shown that you acted ‘reasonably’, there will be no grounds for termination.

Policies Schools and principals tend to believe that they can acquit their responsibilities by simply having a policy and a roster.

The policies often do no more than try to shift the onus onto staff. If the policy or roster is unreasonable, or doesn’t work properly, staff should document this (emails will do) and insist on improvements. If the school fails to act appropriately, the staff will carry less risk.

The school’s policies definitely should include the times of supervision (including weekends) so that staff, students and parents are in no doubt as to when supervisions is provided and when no responsibility is being taken by the school.

Fights There is a general duty of care to prevent injuries, but you may not be required to physically intervene. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found that a failure to intervene did not constitute “serious incompetence” and reinstated a teacher’s registration. Again, it will depend on what is ‘reasonable’ in the circumstances, like: the age of the students, their physical size, your size, whether the student(s) are armed, whether intervention is likely to be futile or may endanger you.

Incidentally, an intervention which would endanger you is probably a breach of your duty under section 25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) to take reasonable care for your own safety.

When relief doesn’t show up?

Schools tend to say that that staff must stay out on duty. Imagine a court hearing – would they think your lunch break or the prevention of harm to kids was a greater priority? There are systems in place at some schools that help staff remember when they are on duty, and provide the steps to get a reliever when someone forgets. If the problem is more than occasional, you should document it and insist the school sets up a system to ensure that relief is available. You

have a legal right to a lunch break and, while you might accept a shorter break on the odd occasion, a systematic failure to ensure you get your break exposes the school to penalties.

Off campus supervision Some schools have instituted supervision at train/tram stations away from the school. By doing this, the school exposes itself to extended liability (as it then has some authority and control over events well outside the school grounds). The obligations of school staff remain the same as if they were in the school grounds.

Other schools have introduced policies requiring staff to report misconduct occurring off the school grounds (students smoking or wearing uniform incorrectly in public). As a guide you can only report what you are absolutely certain of. If you are not on duty, you have no authority to investigate. The measure of the right response is what is ‘reasonable in all the circumstances’.

Being sued It’s extremely rare for school staff to be sued over supervision, let alone found negligent. Normally an aggrieved parent will sue the school, not least because, if found negligent, they are more likely to have the resources to pay damages. If sued, staff will normally be indemnified by their school. In NSW, employees acting in the course of duty must by law, be indemnified by their employer in almost all circumstances. In other states if you are sued, you should check whether your IEU membership includes professional indemnity insurance.

Further Information For further information and advice contact your IEU office.

Yard duty hints • Keep a roving eye and move around systematically.

• Report every incident.

• Don’t participate in schoolyard activities when you should be supervising.

• Raise every instance where relief doesn’t arrive in writing.

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Talking point...

A specialist science teacher in every primary school – a good idea?

Rosa Wilkinson Principal St Joseph’s School West Brunswick, Victoria Last year the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group made a number of recommendations regarding teacher training in Australia. Recommendation 18 of the document Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers stated that “providers equip all primary preservice teachers with at least one subject specialisation, prioritising science, mathematics or a language”.

I agree that primary teachers need to improve their knowledge in the areas of science, maths and language and one effective way would be for them to specialise in a subject when training. However if the aim of this reform is to improve overall student performance in these areas, this strategy alone will not achieve this outcome. Alongside this initiative we need a variety of effective professional learning models in the workplace; this two pronged strategy will build teacher capacity and therefore improve student engagement and outcomes. Extensive professional learning programs conducted in the school, which include regular input from a specialist, an opportunity to trial 28|independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015

strategies and peer coaching which includes effective feedback, will produce teachers with greater expertise and confidence in science, mathematics and language.

It is also important to note that the very reason the primary school teacher’s role is a generalist one is because we know that it is crucial for a young child’s learning to develop the skills needed to access, understand and engage with the content of a subject area. While it is important for students to develop strong content knowledge, developing skills is equally, if not at times, more important in the learning process. Therefore in order to fill the knowledge gap which primary teachers may have in particular subject areas, many primary schools already employ specialists to work with both students and teachers. This strategy engages students, but more importantly builds teacher capacity; a strategy which will have greater impact in schools and on students on a long term basis.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki Science communicator and author Catering for natural scientists Primary teachers tell me that once they get something going with kids it works well but they don’t know what to start with.

Kids are natural scientists. Science is not a bunch of facts like how high Mt Everest is or how deep is the deepest ocean. Science is a dynamic process of trying to understand the universe, which is always changing.

I go to primary schools and the kids are open and will ask anything. Not so at high schools. We need a dedicated science teacher in schools so they know what pathways to take primary kids down, in the same way you need someone who knows how to teach music. Science is about demonstration and you need someone like the Surfing Scientist http://www.abc.net.au/science/ surfingscientist/ in every school.

If you can’t achieve that, his website is a good resource. Here’s one to try. Get a flat bowl and fill it with water. Put four different coloured M&Ms in at separate ‘corners’ from each other. As they dissolve watch what happens with the coloured dye. He showed this one to me and I was blown away. Demonstration is best.

In Australia, we are in a phase where education is regarded as an unnecessary and intolerable burden on society rather than as an investment in our future. Until that changes we are not likely to see dedicated science teachers in schools, unless the music teacher goes or the sports program is cut. In Germany degrees are free and in Asia teachers are treated with great respect. Until there is a change in Australia we are not going to do much about getting a dedicated science teacher in primary schools.

Debra Guthrie Head of Faculty Sciences St Rita’s College Clayfield, Queensland After working in education, in both the private and state systems, I believe that it is important for all students to have the knowledge and skills gained from the study of Science and Mathematics, and it must start at the primary school level. It is important, not just to the individual, but to the nation. A nation that encourages an understanding of scientific issues is a nation that is looking into the future.

It is important for the individual to have an understanding of the world around them and as a civilization, we need to make informed choices in how we care for our world and efficiently utilise its limited resources. As a nation, it is important that we are planning to handle issues of a growing population, coupled with the need for increased productivity and employment opportunities. Hence, we need to ensure that we have the people with the knowledge, creativity and foresight to teach our children, drive research and lead innovation.

Scientific understanding and technological know-how must start in the primary schools and be further encouraged in secondary, guided by teachers who are specifically qualified in the area. Staff being well trained and having a ‘passion’ for science is essential in motivating students.

Sufficient time also needs to be allocated to the science curriculum. However, I do not believe that it should be mandatory to study science subjects past Year 10. Forcing students to study science in the senior years will not increase the numbers of the sort of people needed in science-based positions or continuing into research. We need to support those who want to progress into Science areas by driving funds into programs like STEM and teaching training, and offering better financial assistance to those undertaking research.

Thanks Mrs Appleby Look where I am today because of your class.

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independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|29

Helping a young nation grow Prep teachers (back from left) Judy Scott, Terri Lucas, and Esther Bond made East Timorese student teachers Jovita Freitas Ximenes (left) and Sonia da Silva Belo feel welcome at St Agnes Primary School. (Courtesy of BCE) Australians often take receiving an education or having a school close by for granted, IE Journalist Alex Leggett writes.

There are mixed influences from different education systems such as Portuguese and Indonesian systems, which focus on the teacher talking for most of the time with students listening.

For developing countries such as our close neighbour, Timor Leste (East Timor), its residents are still coming to terms with rebuilding their education system and schools after violent conflict razed much of the country’s infrastructure during its fight for independence in 1999. Earlier this year, two graduate teachers from Timor Leste visited staff and students at St Agnes Catholic Primary School in Brisbane’s south, where they learnt new practices and training so they could open their first school with a prep class in the remote town of Gari-uai in the country’s north-east.

After graduating from the Catholic Teachers College in Baucau, Jovita Freitas Ximenes and Sonia da Silva Belo arrived at St Agnes in April to observe and learn from Australian teachers and receive training to teach about 45 students at the new school.

Loreto Sister Diaan Stuart, who accompanied the pair during their visit, has travelled to Timor to help open the school – Loreto Gari-uai School. She says the project aims to help improve the education standards in the country and allow more opportunities for people to have a quality education.

St Agnes Principal Rick Sheehan said the project was such a success they would look to do it again in the near future.

“It was such a great experience we are now in the process of organising for a young male teacher from the same area to come out later in the year,” he said.

Enrolments are growing and the new school at Gari-uai will soon expand to include Years 1 and 2. As a result, there will be a need for more teachers who understand a child centred approach to teaching and learning.

Mr Sheehan said the key is training Timor Leste’s new teachers to equip them with the tools to develop basic school systems and improve national

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literacy rates for future generations.

During their stay at St Agnes, Jovita and Sonia found one of the main differences in the teaching methods was less talking from the teacher and more class participation, allowing students to share their thoughts and learning through engagement and interaction.

“There are mixed influences from different education systems such as Portuguese and Indonesian systems, which focus on the teacher talking for most of the time with students listening,” he said.

“Sister Stuart has been working in Timor Leste for over 10 years and has already established a crèche there.

Some years ago we had another young Timorese teacher who spent a term with us to see how we operated in prep, and then she went back to establish the crèche.”

For this new project in Gari-uai, St Agnes and the Loreto Sisters entered a partnership with Brisbane Catholic Education and received approval and support from its Executive Director Pam Betts.

“Sister Stuart wanted the young teachers to experience Australian contemporary childhood centres and see more creative ways of teaching and learning. She asked us if we would have the young teachers here for a period of time, so they could observe good child-centred teaching practice,” Mr Sheehan said.

As for the school’s construction, it has begun its life as a shed - donated and refurbished by local villagers under the direction of the Loreto Sisters. It is in the process of being upgraded with more sections to be added in 2016. By building schools for remote communities in need, the Loreto Sisters, St Agnes’ and Brisbane Catholic Education have committed to furthering the education of many East Timorese people into the future.

Recent research

Targeted teaching The huge spread of student achievement in the same year levels is one of the biggest challenges facing teachers and the school system. The Grattan Institute’s new report, Targeted Teaching: How Better Use of Data Can Improve Student Learning, explores what can be done about it: http://grattan.edu.au/report/targeted-teaching-how-betteruse-of-data-can-improve-student-learning/ Outcomes improve if Commonwealth leaves schools to the states The most efficient way to run, fund and regulate primary and secondary schools in Australia is for the State and Territory Governments to have sole responsibility, a report published today by the Melbourne School of Government has found.

The report, Schooling Federalism: Evaluating the Options for Reform, assessed the four reform options proposed by the Reform of the Federation Taskforce in the Prime Minister’s department for their effectiveness, feasibility, equity and more.

It found that the current system of mixed and overlapping responsibilities is one of the most complex and inconsistent in the developed world and contributes to the widening gap in outcomes between disadvantaged and advantaged students, and weakens funding and program effectiveness.

Report author, Research Fellow and PhD candidate Bronwyn Hinz from the University of Melbourne, said that if the current system continues without substantial reform it poses dire consequences for individual students and the nation.

“Stagnant or falling results in the national literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN) tests indicate new approaches are needed if we are to lift educational results.” http://apo.org.au/files/resources/melbourne_school_of_ government/56641-schooling_federalism_evaluating_the_ options_for_reform.pdf Analysis and research into coeducation in Australia and the UK The question of whether single sex or coeducational schools provide the ‘best’ environment for students has been researched extensively across the English-speaking world. The abundant academic research has considered the question in terms of academic achievement, a raft of social outcomes whilst at and after school and the

experience of schools that make the transition from single sex to coeducation. Whilst the research provides important lessons for schools, particularly in making the transition to coeducation, it cannot be reasonably concluded that either structure is superior on any significant criteria.

This paper seeks to provide comprehensive background information pertinent to the question of whether The Armidale School should move toward coeducation in some form. http://www.as.edu.au/content/uploads/2015/02/FinalCoeducation_Research_Paper_Feb_2015.pdf The shared work of learning: Lifting educational achievement through collaboration In The shared work of learning, authors Tom Bentley and Ciannon Cazaly argue that leaving the momentum of educational improvement to the status quo will result in widening inequality and stagnation in Australia.

Through a detailed analysis of three school systems, the authors demonstrate why collaboration is poised to deliver the next big wave of gains in education. http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/the-sharedwork-of-learning/ The teacher workforce in Australia: Supply, demand and data issues This paper provides a brief overview of the current teacher workforce situation in Australia. It highlights workforce trends and projected growth, and areas where the collection and analysis of additional data may assist in the targeting of effective policy.

Demand for teachers is on the rise. The population of primary students is set to increase dramatically over the next 10 years. Secondary schools will start to see the increase flow through from 2018. Part-time employment of teachers is becoming more prevalent and the proportion of male teachers in secondary school continues to decline.

Teacher supply varies across Australian states and territories. Most states have a current, and in some cases considerable, oversupply of generalist primary teachers.

The secondary workforce is more variable in terms of the availability of teachers by subject areas as well as across states. Regional and remote areas tend to experience greater difficulty attracting and retaining teachers at all levels than do their metropolitan counterparts. http://research.acer.edu.au/policyinsights/2/ independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|31

Could a canine companion help your students learn?

While there are only a handful of schools in Australia currently using an educational support dog, the trend is expected to spread as word gets around about the amazing benefits dogs can provide to students. IE Journalist Sue Osborne sniffed out the details.

The charity Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) has trained five dogs (three in NSW, one in Queensland and one in WA) to work in schools, with more about to be placed. It trains labrador and golden retriever puppies to provide practical assistance to people with physical disabilities (opening doors, picking up pens) or to act as assistance dogs that work with people with dementia, learning difficulties, autism and post traumatic stress disorder. It also provides ‘facility’ dogs, which work in hospital, hospices, aged care facilities, drug and alcohol clinics and prisons.

Puppies come from breeders and the ADA’s own breeding program. It takes two years to train a dog at a cost of $27,000. Puppies are assessed during the training process to decide if they are best suited to active highly trained work assisting a person with a physical disability, or to provide other skills in addition to companionship.

ADA Instructor Team Leader Katie Saran said any school that applied for an educational support dog would go through an assessment period.

The dog would live with a primary carer who worked at the school, and one other person at the school would be trained to take responsibility for the dog. No one else handles the dog so there is no additional workload for teachers, and more consistency for the animal.

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“During the application process we would get a picture of what the day to day environment of the school would be like and what skills would be beneficial for the school,” Katie said.

The first school ever to receive an educational support dog from ADA was Lake Illawarra High School in NSW. Support Unit Teacher Ryan Olender was volunteering as an educator for dogs being trained to become an assistance dog in hospitals and prisons. He teaches students with autism, a mild intellectual disability, or those with emotional problems who might live in a refuge, have been in juvenile justice or had other problems.

“It seemed like a natural progression to me to start bringing a dog into school,” Ryan said.

“As soon as we did it, it worked wonders.”

In conjunction the Support Unit Head Teacher Martin Moore, they applied for Benson, and he started at the school in 2012. Benson lives with Ryan and comes into school three or four days a week.

“When he’s not up for it or if I have sport I leave him at home.”

Ryan said Benson is particularly effective when working with students who have difficulties in forming relationships and communicating.

“Benson creates an environment where emotionally disturbed students who struggle with empathy and showing love can practice and develop those skills.

It’s given me more time to teach as I spend less time on classroom management.

The kids focus on their work more when Benson is in the room.

“It’s a lot easier for a student to give a dog a cuddle or pat and share that affection with each other.

“A lot of students don’t get a chance to do that at home. The dog gives them a sense of responsibility. They assist with his grooming or toileting and it emulates a stable home environment for them.”

Since Benson’s introduction, attendance at the school has improved. Ryan reports less ‘negative incidences’ in the classroom and a calmer atmosphere.

“Some staff thought it would be distracting having a dog in the classroom but it’s turned out to be the exact opposite.

“It’s given me more time to teach as I spend less time on classroom management. The kids focus on their work more when Benson is in the room.

“One of the best results is the kids’ improved ability to share and communicate with each other since Benson. They wouldn’t reach out to other students or help them out as much before.”

NSW ACT IEU Organiser Karen Forbes has seen positive results from the interaction of an autistic child with her dog Jess.

When she was principal of a rural Catholic primary school she lived in the convent adjacent to the school. Her golden retriever Jess would come to the fence whenever she heard the bell and get snacks from the children.

One of the school’s students, diagnosed with autism, was nonverbal and subject to occasional ‘meltdowns’.

“After a few months we realised this student was having less meltdowns when he was outside with Jess. She seemed to come up to the fence to look for him,” Karen said.

“One day I found him in my backyard sitting with her. We started taking him to see Jess whenever he was displaying challenging behaviour and he would calm down immediately.”

The student was allowed to walk Jess around the school oval, and staff noticed that he was speaking to the dog in his own language.

“His parents always believed he had the

potential to learn in his own way, we were lucky to have a dog like Jess to open this up for him.”

Karen emphasises that this connection was purely spontaneous and could probably only work in a small country school.

“I would not recommend people do this, they should go through the proper process with Assistance Dogs Australia if they would like a dog.”

As educational support dogs are relatively new there is not much research on how they work. Katie has done a literature review and found a study in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal in 2005 which reported “ individuals may experience immediate physiological consequences simply by touching an animal, particularly a dog”.

The Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy in 2014 found “incorporating a therapy dog in 14 play sessions can significantly increase speech in children aged 7-10 who have autism”.

Another study found dogs act as a transition allowing autistic children to bond with them and subsequently people and become more aware of their environment (Qualitative Health Research 2008).

If you are interested in an educational support dog for your school, the program set up requires onsite training at the Sydney national training school. Costs for travel and accommodation are not covered however the training itself is provided free. This is followed by in situ training both in the home and school environment where the dog would be.

The dog is provided free of charge however all initial costs and ongoing costs for the health of the dog are to be covered by the school/carer. This includes food, bedding, toys and veterinary health care for the life of the dog.

ADA is always looking for puppy educators too.

Contact Assistance Dogs Australia by email lmoore@assistancedogs.org.au or phone 1800 688 364. independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|33

Oscar winning Australians It may be surprising to realise that 47 Oscars have been awarded to Australians in the history of the Academy Awards to date.

It all began in 1942 when Damien Parer’s evocative documentary Kokoda Front Line was presented with the best Documentary Oscar, a film produced by Ken Hall, a major filmmaker in Australia then. The film portrayed the devastating war conditions in Papua New Guinea, and trumped some of the censored footage the Americans had been shooting during World War II. The other documentary Oscar winners were Eva Orner and Alex Gibney for their film Taxi to the Dark Side (2007). Other winners include: Catherine Martin, a four time Oscar winner for both her production design and costume design for Moulin Rouge (2001) and The Great Gatsby (2013), both for director Baz Luhrmann. The other major winner for Costume Design, is Orry-Kelly (subject of Gillian Armstrong’s fine documentary Women He’s Undressed, 2015) who won three Oscars for: An American In Paris (1951), Les Girls (1957) and Some Like It Hot (1959). Also winners in Costume Design are: John Truscott (Camelot, 1968), who also won for Production Design, and Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel for Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1995).

Cate Blanchett has received two Oscars, one for Best Actress in Blue Jasmine (2013) and the other for Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator (2004). Nicole Kidman won for Best Actress in 2002 for The Hours. The Acting awards are interesting as two of them have been awarded posthumously.

One to Peter Finch for Network (1976) and the other, as supporting actor, for Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008). Also, Geoffrey Rush won Best Actor for Shine (1996), and Russell Crowe was best actor for Gladiator (1999).

Animation has been a good category

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for Australians. George Miller won the Best Animated Feature award in 2006 for Happy Feet, while in the Short Animation category, Suzanne Baker and Bruce Petty won for Leisure (1977), Adam Elliot won for Harvie Krumpet (2003), and Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann won for The Lost Thing (2010).

There have been six Australian cinematographers who have received Oscars: Robert Krasker (The Third Man, 1950), Dean Semler (Dances With Wolves, 1990), John Seale (The English Patient, 1996), Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the Rings – Fellowship of the Ring, 2001), Russell Boyd (Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World, 2003), and Dion Beebe (Memoirs of a Geisha, 2005).

In the Editing category, Kirk Baxter won two Oscars: The Social Network (2010) and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011). For Music, Peter Allen received an Oscar for cowriting the Best Original Song for the film Arthur (1981).

For Original Screenplay, Jane Campion won for The Piano (1993), while for Adapted Screenplay, John Farrow won for Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Best Sound Design went to the team involved with The Matrix (1999), while the team for that film also won Best Visual Effects. The other Australian winner for Visual Effects was the team involved with Babe (1996).

Peter Krausz Peter is the Former Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, hosts a weekly film radio program in Melbourne: Movie Metropolis, and is a film journalist and film festival consultant. He can be contacted on: peterkrausz8@gmail.com

Inspiring your students with apps and games

I want to inspire the students in my class to reach beyond the boundaries of my experience. I want to open the world up to them and the best way that I can do that is through technology. I have included in this article some of the apps and programs that have inspired me. I have taken on the challenge of learning to code with the aim of participating in the Hour of Code held

by Code.org. Their aim is to get 10 million people globally to participate in one hour of coding in December, writes Sallyann Burtenshaw, teacher at St Bernard’s Primary Bateman’s Bay, NSW

Being a complete novice I started early in the hope that by December I will be able to complete more than five minutes of coding without tearing out my hair.

A session on http://codecademy.com/ confirmed that I haven’t started too early. I recommend this site for anyone with permanent scratch marks on their forehead. (I’m wondering if this is how Scratch got its name.)

Scratch Scratch is a great Coding App to use with the kids, who of course quickly become the teachers. I am constantly amazed at how swiftly their brains adapt to new stimulus. Using the experts in your class is by far the quickest way to learn and is a great survival strategy for those of us who are not naturals.

QRafter This is a little gem with a trillion uses.

I have used this successfully for Kinder orientation. When parents come into the school they are able to scan QR codes to see the band performing, sports sessions in motion, choir etc.

I have also used this code for reading buddies. I filmed the buddies reading then made codes which were displayed in kindergarten. During silent reading the Kinder students were able to have a number of books read to them by scanning the code with the iPad. Skype Anyone with a school band may want to look up Skype Classroom Let’s Unite The World With Music (https:// education.skype.com/projects/3242let-us-link-the-world-with-music-skylight).

The aim is to create a global concert

in which musicians will follow the sun sharing a piece of classical music for 24 hours creating a bridge of peace. There are loads of other great activities on Skype Classroom aimed at connecting classrooms all over the world.

Minecraft ‘Oh no!’ I hear you shout but the kids love it and it can be a great tool for encouraging creativity. I am using Minecraft as a reward to build collaborative learning in HSIE. Teams that are working collaboratively get to build part of the imaginary world created by the class. On this world they have to provide the building blocks of society which address the topic of needs and wants.

Minecraft also has a competition out: Build Australia’s Perfect National Park which some children are working on at home. There is also a site called Autcraft which is designed to create a safe place for children with ASD to play mincecrat. http://www.autcraft.com/ Stile I recently completed a free eight day trial of Stile. This is an Australian made collaborative platform similar to Edmodo.

It is very user friendly. I found that it put everything that I needed in one place which in a crowded curriculum is gold.

There is a cost involved but I would recommend anyone with BYOD having a look. If you are using it in your school I would love to get some feedback on its effectiveness.

I hope this has inspired you to take up the technology challenge. The following quote got me stated on my journey.

“Inspiration doesn’t happen to you. It must be generated by you.” Susan Sazza. independent education| issue 3|Vol 45|2015|35

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