Education Matters Secondary May-Sept 2022 by Prime Creative Media

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PTEM M AY-S E

2 B E R 202

INSPIRING STUDENTS TO PURSUE THEIR DREAMS

Principally Speaking: Discovery Christian College Developing global citizens for a kinder world Digital school timetabling Proudly supported by the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association

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Find out how The MacKillop Institute can support you and your students. Enquire today. mackillopinstitute.org.au institute@mackillop.org.au (03) 8687 7448

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EDITOR’S NOTE

It is hard to believe this year is possibly the first time in two years students will experience a somewhat normal school year without remote learning and lockdowns. The National Cabinet agreed to a National Framework in January 2022, to promote the first statewide consistent approach to the ongoing delivery of high-quality education with a commitment to keeping schools open for this teaching year and beyond. However, the classroom experience looked a little different as students returned to a ‘new normal’ as term one commenced and local governments put in place operational measures to limit the spread of the virus and keep school communities safe. Measures included rapid antigen tests, masks, social distancing, limited mixing between classes and year groups and improved ventilation. It is clear the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted almost every element of our lives, and the education of children has been no exception. The importance of face-to-face learning has now become fully understood with research now clearly indicating a negative impact on the mental wellbeing of students who have experienced long periods of at home learning. Despite there being a new sense of normality in the classroom, students, teachers and parents are now prepared and ready to tackle the year ahead. Education Matters spoke with Professor Catherine Bennett, Deakin University Chair in Epidemiology, and Kate Korber, St Thomas More Primary School Head of Learning and Teaching, for this edition’s ‘Hot Topic’ where we investigate what the ‘new normal’ in schools may look like across classrooms as the year progresses. Change and uncertainty continue to test our schools, families and communities, with severe flooding hitting both New South Wales and Queensland, causing damage to several schools and resulting in a return to home learning for many. Thankfully schools damaged by the floods in NSW have already returned to face-to-face learning and QLD is working towards a return at the beginning of term two. Children born in 2020 will experience a two to sevenfold increase in extreme events, compared to their grandparents, says The MacKillop Institute who provide an evidence-based, psycho-social education program to support children and young people in learning about and adapting to change and loss in their lives. This is a free online resource for all middle and secondary schools in Australia. It’s a pleasure to join you for this edition of Education Matters – Secondary. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please feel free to email me at janet.stone@primecreative.com.au. You can also sign up to our fortnightly email newsletter, The Whiteboard, by visiting our website educationmattersmag.com.au.

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Publisher: Christine Clancy christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Chief Operating Officer: Zelda Tupicoff zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au Managing Editor: Myles Hume myles.hume@primecreative.com.au Editor: Janet Stone janet.stone@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager: Michelle Weston Art Director: Blake Storey Designers: Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Advertising: Kylie Norhrop kylie.nothrop@primecreative.com.au 0422 046 299 Client Success Manager: Glenn Delaney Education Matters is a division of Prime Creative Media Pty. Ltd. 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne 3205 Ph: (+61 3) 9690 8766 Fax: (+61 3) 9682 0044 Subscriptions Education Matters is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher. Ph: (+61 3) 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format. Cover Image Discovery Christian College Copyright Education Matters is owned by Prime Creative Media Pty. Ltd. and published by John Murphy. All material in Education Matters is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequenses arising from information published. The opinions of the magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated. All photographs of schools (including students) depicted in feature articles and advertisements throughout this magazine have been supplied to the publisher (and approved) by the contributing school. All material supplied by schools is done so with the understanding that such images will be published in Education Matters and may also appear on the our website: www.edumatters.com.au.

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contents

SECONDARY MAY - SEPTEMBER

REGULARS Editor’s note 4 News

ASPA column

A snapshot of some of the latest news and developments in the education sector. President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association, Andrew Pierpoint reflects on how the last two years have impacted students’ learning.

Principally Speaking

Josh Counsel, Principal of Discovery Christian College, Queensland, discusses how strong relationships, community and belonging allows students to push their boundaries.

Hot Topic: The new normal

Education Matters takes a look at what the new normal might look like in classrooms as the 2022 academic year unfolds.

The Last Word

Opinion pieces featuring CEO of ACARA David de Carvalho; CEO of Education Services Australia Andrew Smith; eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant; and University of South Australia’s Dr David Caldwell.

Events

A calendar of upcoming education events happening around Australia.

FEATURES 24 Inspiring the next generation of female scientists and engineers

Misha Schubert, CEO of Science & Technology Australia, discusses how the pandemic has highlighted the essential role science plays to respond to some of our biggest challenges.

A tech-enabled future for students

Digital school timetabling

The Rise of the DJ in the school classroom

Education specialists

Developing global citizens for a kinder world

Creating a positive school culture

Peter Moyes Anglican Community School worked with its IT Partner, Stott Hoare, leveraging Lenovo ANZ Intelligent Solutions to solve several IT challenges. Tes Timetable, powered by Edval, has highlighted the importance of timetabling for whole-school wellbeing and its power to either help or hinder teaching and learning. Embracing technological advances and bringing modern day music to the classroom could be key to engagement and enjoyment for students. Winc have schools’ needs covered, from the science lab to the oval and from the first aid room to the staff room. The 40K Foundation has improved the English language learning outcomes and acquisition of over 16,000 children across rural Asia. It is now on a mission to bring rural Asia to classrooms across Australia. Education leaders have become key drivers of positive cultural organisational change, now considered a vital focus to enable better organisations.

48 Supporting children and young people in times of transition

Adaption in the face of changing conditions.

50 Building digital intelligence in the middle years A ground-breaking program for Australian students to build digital skills and competencies has been launched by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.

education matters secondary

A more focused Start experience

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NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

New ‘in-principle’ agreement to reduce teacher workloads and boost support staff pay in Victoria The Victorian Teachers Union, AEU has negotiated a new in-principle enterprise agreement, with the Department of Education, aimed at reducing excessive teacher workloads. The agreement, which was endorsed on 4 February, will see 2000 more teachers join the Victorian state school system, cutting face-to-face teaching hours and giving teachers more time to prepare lessons within their paid hours. The agreement includes a salary increase for the lowest paid education support staff and an investment of $12 million a year to reduce the administrative burden faced by principals. The 1.5 hour a week reduction is planned to be phased in during 2023 and 2024, and aims to give teachers more time for preparation and planning for student learning within their paid hours. “Our new agreement, endorsed by the AEU Joint Primary and Secondary Sector Council, makes important and significant inroads to address the excessive workloads faced by teachers.” says AEU Victorian Branch president, Meredith Peace. “When we launched our campaign in April 2021, teachers wanted excessive workloads addressed, additional teachers employed, and salaries that reflect the value of the work of all school staff, particularly education support staff.’’ The draft Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA 2021) also features significantly expanded time-in-lieu arrangements, enabling Victorian

teachers, for the first time, to access time in lieu for time spent working outside paid hours for activities such as excursions, after hours sport and camps. Similarly, for education support (ES) staff, there will be much clearer requirements that any work required of ES outside of normal hours must be recorded and attract time-in-lieu. The new agreement provisions sees superannuation being paid to employees on Parental Leave for 12 months, with paid Maternity Leave to increase to 16 weeks. Partner Leave has been increased from one week to four weeks, and other paid Parental Leave increasing from eight weeks to 16 weeks. Education Minister James Merlino told 7 News that after a challenging two years, the government was proud to support the state’s teachers; “This proposed deal will cement our state as the best place in the nation to work as a teacher and the best place to send a child to school,” he said. New provisions will give teachers dedicated time within working hours to undertake essential work in relation to their classes and provide improved professional autonomy. A pupil-free day dedicated to assessment and reporting, and the re-introduction of professional practice days, will also assist teachers to better manage their workload. Principals will benefit from more consultation about their workload when there are significant school operational changes, and a funded commitment to reduce their administrative burdens. EM

A new in-principle enterprise agreement with the Department of Education is aimed at reducing excessive teacher workloads.

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Our suite of professional learning programs combines the best of our evidence-based, applied leadership with a focus on the challenges and opportunities speciﬁc to the K-12 education sector.

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NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

AHISA calls for a strengths-based approach to education policymaking to support Australian schools The Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) launched a policy manifesto for school education on 24 March, as a contribution to public debate in the lead up to the federal election. The manifesto calls for a strengths-based approach over deficit-model thinking to improve education policy making. “Australia’s recent experience of whole-scale remote learning due to COVID-19 has created curiosity and expectation around the possibilities for re-shaping the way we deliver school education,” said AHISA’s CEO, Ms Beth Blackwood. “The disruption of COVID-19 may have given us the opportunity to hit the reset button on schooling, but we also need to review and reset approaches to national policymaking in education to ensure support for the successful transformation of school education in Australia.” continued Blackwood. “AHISA has been advocating since 2015 for policymakers to drop deficit-model thinking about schools and adopt a strengths-based model of policymaking,” said Ms Blackwood. “Over the last two-and-a-half years, our schools and teachers have conclusively demonstrated their amazing strengths. Now is the time to build on those strengths and accelerate the great work that schools are

initiating for the benefit of their students.” Ms Blackwood said that in recent years the federal government had made significant and welcome investment in resources to support teachers’ work with students and to assist their professional development. AHISA’s policy manifesto offers six priority areas where the federal government can help to rapidly strengthen Australia’s school system using a strengths-based policy approach, which includes, supporting the digital transformation of Australian education, upskilling the teaching profession, re-establishing and strengthening students’ learning journeys, supporting student wellbeing and strengthening all levels of school leadership and engaging parents in their children’s education. “We call on policymakers to seek ways to support and accelerate the progress schools have made in the face of extraordinarily difficult and uncertain conditions,” said Ms Blackwood. “By working with the profession, and building on the strengths of educators and schools, governments can support schools to rebuild and reshape learning pathways to help all students achieve their best possible futures,” said Ms Blackwood. “A strengths-based approach to policymaking is the best way of bringing together the expertise of educators and the resources of governments to realise a new vision for Australia’s school system.” EM

“AHISA has been advocating since 2015 for policymakers to drop deficitmodel thinking about schools and adopt a strengthsbased model of policymaking.” Ms Beth Blackwood, CEO AHISA

AHISA’s policy manifesto offers six priority areas where the government can help rapidly strengthen Australia’s school system.

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NATIONAL EDUCATION NEWS

Schools across QLD and NSW recover from floods Schools damaged by floods in NSW have returned to face-to-face learning while schools in QLD are preparing for a return at the start of term two Queensland Education Minister Grace confirmed all six impacted schools in QLD, including Milpera State High School, Aviation High, Rocklea State School, Milton State School, One Mile State School, and St Helens State School were hoping to reopen on site in time for the start of term two. “The work being put into cleaning up these schools is phenomenal: I want to thank the staff, principals, and the entire school communities, as well as organisations like QBuild that are making a huge difference on the ground,” Ms Grace said. Creative solutions such as using a cinema as a classroom have helped facilitate a quick return to face-to-face learning for flood-affected students

in NSW. Children in the Northern Rivers impacted by recent floods are back learning face to face in school and early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, with a range of plans in place depending on students’ needs and the extent of damage to individual schools and services. Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the NSW Government’s priority was the health and wellbeing of staff and students, which included access to face-to-face learning and care. “The department is working closely with education communities to support students’ specific needs, including quickly mobilising existing partnerships with leading mental health organisations to provide wellbeing support to students, staff and families during the recovery period.’’ Ms Mitchel said. EM

New standards for senior secondary students in literacy and numeracy As part of the Victorian Government’s reform of the VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) and VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) system, Victorian senior secondary students will have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed General Achievement Test (GAT). As part of the reform of the VCE and VCAL system, Victorian senior secondary students will this year have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed GAT. The 2022 GAT will be held on Wednesday 7 September. The slightly later test date provides

the time required to ensure the revised GAT is valid and reliable, and for teachers and students to understand the changes – with the test expected to return to its traditional June date from 2023. The reformed GAT follows a comprehensive review conducted by the VCAA (Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority). It will see Victoria join other jurisdictions who already incorporate literacy and numeracy standards as part of their senior secondary reporting. The GAT will provide specific information on each student’s key skills for life beyond school. EM

Victorian senior secondary students will have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed General Achievement Test.

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ASPA COLUMN //

What lessons about education have we learnt from COVID? COVID-19 TAUGHT THE EDUCATION SECTOR SEVERAL KEY LESSONS AND HIGHLIGHTED MANY OF THE CHALLENGES STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES FACE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESSING TECHNOLOGY. IT ALSO CONFIRMED THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOLS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES, AS ANDREW PIERPOINT EXPLAINS.

Andrew Pierpoint is the President of the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association – the peak body for School Leaders across Australia. He previously was President of the Queensland Secondary Principals’ Association for four years. He has had extensive experience, over 37 years, in High Schools as a science teacher, Head of Department (Science), Deputy Principal and Principal as well as having several system positions in the support of Principals. Throughout his career, Andrew has worked in complex rural and remote communities through to large regional and metropolitan schools. He has led communities and reference groups at district, regional, state and national levels. Andrew’s special interests are the provision of high-quality professional learning for school leaders, school leader wellbeing and is personally highly active in school sport.

For a brief moment in 2021 there was a feeling that maybe we had seen off COVID. Lockdowns and restrictions had played havoc with education for two years, and students and staff were looking forward to an undisrupted school year in 2022. Delta and then Omicron put paid to that, and we now face a third year of uncertainty. With students back at school it is timely to ask what we have learnt from the past two years? STUDENTS EXPERIENCING DISADVANTAGE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED COVID has affected students in different ways. Some students achieved well during remote learning. Some simply marked time. But many, particularly those students already experiencing disadvantage, slipped back as a result of lost learning. I’ve heard from a number of principals that some of these students have ‘disappeared’ – they’ve lost touch with their learning or community activities. This could be for a number of reasons: they may have moved school because a parent changed job or they had to move house due to the rising cost of rent. Or they may have just disengaged through lack of contact or support. We know that when families are struggling, it can have a significant impact on their child’s education – but the evidence also shows that

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with the right support, children can overcome the obstacles they face and get back on track with their learning. It has been heartening to see the results of The Smith Family’s Catch-Up Learning pilot program, which showed remarkable progress for many students who received one-on-one online tutoring at home. A number of state governments are also implementing tutoring programs to help students make up for lost learning.

Remote learning revealed the extent of the digital divide in Australia.

DIGITAL INEQUITY IS AN ISSUE While lack of home access to a computer was a problem for many students before COVID, remote learning revealed the extent of the digital divide in our country. Many households found themselves sharing one device, often just a mobile phone, among multiple students and their parents. Lack of reliable internet access was also an issue. There are still places in Australia, sometimes just an hour from a capital city, where there is no consistent internet service. This affected teachers and other school staff as well as students. With the uncertainty surrounding COVID, remote learning could be part of educational life for some time to come. And what we’ve learned over the past two years is that, in some cases, it can work. In the future, years 11 and 12 may not need to be on campus five days per week – the remote learning component has taught educators that other ways of learning are possible.

ed by Inform s of r 30 yea h c a e res r

DIGITAL ACCESS AND HARDWARE ARE THE PEN AND PAPER OF THE 21ST CENTURY. But for it to work for everyone, more must be done to ensure all students have the necessary tools to participate. A laptop or similar device, reliable internet and access to technical support are essential for every student, not just for those whose family can afford it. COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT COVID has also revealed what many school leaders have known for some time: schools are about more than just education. They are also community hubs, particularly in rural and regional schools. Many school leaders actually reported increased engagement with their community during COVID – they acted as sources of information based on government advice. School principals often found themselves standing at the school gate in the morning interpreting the latest rule changes/guidelines for students and parents.

Organisations working in the community also performed a vital connecting role. For example, Learning for Life co-ordinators at The Smith Family helped to link students and families experiencing disadvantage with local services and keep them connected to their school. However, students missed out on important interactions with their peers and other adults, as well as extracurricular activities, all of which play an important role in mental health and wellbeing. Staff and the broader community also benefit from these activities. Perhaps the most positive lesson we’ve learned is that none of these issues are insurmountable. Students and families, along with teachers/principals and schools, have shown time and again they are resilient and resourceful. It’s up to us all, as a community, to support each other through the challenges that lie ahead, particularly those students who need extra support to make the most of their education. EM

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // DISCOVERY COLLEGE Discovery College is committed to ensuring that students can access and engage with the same opportunities that students in metropolitan centres have.

Providing inspiration for students to pursue their dreams JOSH COUNSEL, PRINCIPAL OF DISCOVERY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE IN AGNES WATER, QUEENSLAND SPEAKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT HOW STRONG RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNITY AND BELONGING PROVIDE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT ALLOWS STUDENTS TO PUSH THEIR BOUNDARIES. 16

WHAT IS THE SCHOOL’S PHILOSOPHY AND HOW DOES IT GUIDE YOU AND YOUR STAFF? We talk a lot about being in the business of growing people and this guides all that we do at the college. This philosophy is nestled within the context of strong relationships, and we are continually striving to make our community a place where students know that they belong. Our view is that from this strong sense of belonging students are able to take more risks and push their own boundaries, enabling them to reimagine what their journey ahead may look like. As educators, we want our students to love learning, to develop their passions and to find that deep intrinsic sense that they are capable of more than they think. For us, school should be a place where our students and staff walk away each day a little more inspired to pursue their dreams.

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HOW DOES THE SCHOOL DIFFER FROM OTHER SCHOOLS? Although research would say that schools are more similar than they are different, there are some unique aspects to our college community. Firstly, we are located in a small town in Central Queensland, about 90 minutes’ drive from the next major regional centre. This geographical distance creates a very strong sense of community identity, something which we feel permeates our college. Students are known by staff, but so are their families and there is strong essence that we are walking together to support the learning journey of each child. One practical way that we build our community identity is through our weekly pancake breakfast. This is an open invitation event where we encourage parents to come along and connect with each other and with staff. We also run a number of clubs and activities that span the spectrum of P-12 which enables our students to connect with others outside of their immediate friendship and year level groups. We have a surf academy that runs three times a week and a growing connection

with our local skateboarding academy who run workshops at school every fortnight. AS ONE OF QUEENSLAND’S MOST IMPROVED SCHOOLS IN WRITING FOR YEARS 7 AND 9 IN RECENT NAPLAN RESULTS, WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE TO YOUR SUCCESS? The gains in NAPLAN scores have been a great affirmation of the work of our staff and the broader direction of our school over the last three years. The key drivers of success have been the depth of collaboration and trust that exist across the teaching team. It is our belief that teachers are the best placed people in any school to make decisions that affect student learning. Building their capacity, allowing them time and trusting them to make these decisions has had tremendous benefit on the learning of our young people and underpins our improved results. As a teaching team we are deeply committed to improving our practice. Our staff meetings are underpinned by Andy Hargreaves and Michael O’Connor’s work on collaborative professionalism. We utilise the collective wisdom of our staff and

intentionally build in opportunities for professional conversations and reflection into our professional learning sessions. In all aspects of our work, we are striving to create stronger professional practice together. Practically we haven’t focused specifically on improving NAPLAN results but rather trying to focus on getting to know each of our students and customising their learning programs to meet their individualised learning goals. We strongly believe that our enhanced writing results go hand-in-hand with a love of reading. We have sought to develop this through focused reading groups and allowing students opportunities to read for pleasure. Our primary team do an exceptional job at fostering this enjoyment and we are certainly reaping the rewards in secondary. WHAT DO THE RESULTS MEAN TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND STUDENTS? To say that our journey as a college over the last few years has been challenging would be an understatement. To receive the news of our improved results has been a real encouragement

Discovery Christian College wants students to love learning, develop their passions and find a deep intrinsic sense they are capable of more than they think.

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PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING // DISCOVERY COLLEGE

Students are known by staff, but so are their families. There is strong essence that the school is working together to support the learning journey of each child.

to the work of our team. We are incredibly proud of the work of our staff and this external recognition should encourage them that what they are doing works, but it should also buoy them on to continue to strive for excellence in their classrooms. We will often talk to students about how school does not reward their intelligence, but it does reward their effort. To see such great improvement across almost all areas of NAPLAN speaks volumes about the commitment of our students and their effort and dedication to improve should be commended. IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE SCHOOL EVOLVED SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED? The college commenced in 2015, making this our eighth year of operation. Whilst our history is somewhat brief it certainly hasn’t been without its challenges. The college commenced as a response to the growing need for a high school in Agnes Water. Opening its doors as a year 3-10 school, the college expanded from 90 students in 2015 to 160 students at the end of 2017 across Prep – Year 12. Following a period of instability, enrolments dropped to 88 students at the end of 2019 and the college faced the very real prospect of closing our doors. Today, we have just over 250 students, with waitlists on several classes across the college, we have established external partnerships to enhance our subject offerings and are excited about several planned constructions over the next few years. Our history speaks to the importance of knowing your community, of building connection, exploring ways to innovate practice and the need to continually evolve learning programs. We are deeply committed to ensuring that our students can access and engage with the same opportunities that students in metropolitan centres have. In 2021 we launched our new strategic plan which encapsulates a reimagined future for our learning community. As part of this reimagination, we have recently completed the development of our Teaching & Learning Framework. Developed in conjunction with teachers and learning support staff, this document captures the essential pedagogical approaches which we felt would enhance our students learning. Getting our pedagogy and practice right is a critical part of

our continued pursuit of excellence and is a core element of our continued evolution as a learning community. HOW DO YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO YOUR STAFF? Relationship is critical. It is my utmost priority to ensure that we are striving to make our college a place where our staff are inspired to do great work. Being an educator is a privilege that can at times be overlooked by the tyranny of the urgent and the pressures of the job. Leadership within a school context for me is about helping staff to keep the main things as the priority. Our leadership team still regularly take classes. Firstly, this is because teaching is still our passion, but

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also because it is important to walk the journey alongside staff. On a practical level, I really value the collective wisdom and understanding of our staff and look for opportunities to include them in conversations and decision-making processes. Our teaching and learning framework for example was something that we workshopped with all teaching and support staff; this collective buy in and contribution was pivotal to ensuring that the framework met the needs of our students. HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE WELLBEING AMONG YOUR STAFF AND STUDENTS? This is certainly a joint effort and I am really thankful for the work that our leadership team

does in this space. At the heart of almost all staff working in a school is a passion to make a difference. Keeping staff connected to this purpose is a pivotal part of supporting the wellbeing of our team. Working in education can at times can feel like a bit of a rat wheel; the harder you try to keep up the faster the wheel seems to spin. We regularly remind our staff that work isn’t their main priority and encourage them to leave a little earlier when they can to take time for themselves. We advise staff that there isn’t an expectation to respond to emails between 6pm and 6am (this is a tough one). We have a personal trainer who comes in on site to run sessions free of charge for staff once a week. Two years ago, we also increased our preparation and correction time for teaching staff. At least once a term we will have some form of social activity outside of school, be it a BBQ or barefoot bowls where staff bring their families and connect outside of the work context. We feel that this adds depth to our connections and there is a greater connectivity between our staff because of it. There will often be a sheet on the staffroom table where staff are volunteering to cook meals for others who are unwell or moving house and this speaks volumes to the connection and care of our community. Our pastoral care program encapsulates our approach to student wellbeing and all staff have a responsibility in this space, irrespective of whether they have a year level class that they are responsible for. We hold regular support meetings to discuss any issues that have been noted by staff and have a College Chaplain who spends a significant amount of time chatting with and supporting students. This is an ever-changing space and something that we are continually looking to enhance. WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF YOUR STUDENTS? I love connecting with the day-to-day activities of our students. Whether that is playing basketball or handball at lunch time, joining in races at athletics carnival or getting students to show me what they are working on when visiting classes. I will often spend time wandering the grounds chatting with students and checking in on how they are going. Making a difference in the lives of students is why I got into education; for me this purpose hasn’t changed. WHAT TRAITS MAKE FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL LEADER IN EDUCATION TODAY? I love the thought presented by the early Jesuit leaders who argued that all great leadership starts with self-leadership. To that end, a successful leader in education today must be relentlessly committed to self-improvement, critiquing our biases, evaluating our practices, and ensuring that we are surrounded by people who can highlight our blind spots. I think it is important to remember that we are all leading all the time. The well documented tenets of building trust and relationship with your team, of being compassionate, being interested in your staff beyond their roles as professionals, celebrating success, ensuring that the right people are in the right positions will all continue to hold true as pillars that guide exemplary practice. EM

THE KINDSKOOLS PROJECT Developing global citizens for a kinder world ACCEPTING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR TERM 3 The 40K Foundation is calling out for Australian high schools to form an intercultural school partnership through The Kindskools Project. The project is currently linking participating schools with schools across rural Cambodia, providing opportunities for students & staff to connect, share, support & learn from each other. The aim is to foster intercultural understanding, global awareness & philanthropic leadership in a meaningful way.

More Information:

www.40kfoundation.org/kindskools

Contact:

Lisa Colquhoun, Head of Foundation lisa@40k.com.au

HOT TOPIC // THE NEW NORMAL Masks are required to be worn by school children in class rooms in various year groups dependent on state and territory COVID safe operational plans.

The new normal JANUARY 2022 MARKED THE TIME THE NATIONAL CABINET AGREED TO A NATIONAL FRAMEWORK TO PROMOTE A STATEWIDE CONSISTENT APPROACH TO THE ONGOING DELIVERY OF HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION WITH A COMMITMENT TO KEEPING SCHOOLS OPEN AS THE PANDEMIC CONTINUED INTO ITS THIRD YEAR. EDUCATION MATTERS TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT THE NEW NORMAL MIGHT LOOK LIKE ACROSS CLASSROOMS AS THE 2022 ACADEMIC YEAR UNFOLDS.

Currently, the operational plans include masks, rapid antigen testing, outside learning and restrictions on assemblies and events, with the National Framework aiming to ensure all schools and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) are able to remain open. The framework is based around six guiding principles including: ECEC services and

schools are essential and should be the first to open and the last to close wherever possible in outbreak situations, with face-to-face learning prioritised. With every state having had learning disrupted to various extents since the pandemic began, the repercussions of this are only just being fully understood and have

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been felt more strongly in some states and territories than others. Students in Melbourne have not had an uninterrupted term since 2019 and have had face-to-face schooling suspended for over 220 days since March 2020. Some children in Victoria who started prep in 2020 have never experienced a normal year of school, says Kate Korber, mother

“This year the most important thing is kids being together and the thing that we’ve noticed especially with our Grade 1, 2 and even our preps is that they don’t know how to be together. They have forgotten how to work in teams, how to share, how to take turns, how to communicate, so for us, school at the moment is re-learning how to be together.” of two and Head of Learning and Teaching, St Thomas More Primary School, Melbourne. “My son who is now in Year 2 hasn’t really had school for two years. He hasn’t really experienced what school life is like. There is a curriculum, and we can deliver that but all the other amazing experiences of being involved with each other, with other year levels, is the one thing we really craved at the end of remote learning,” Korber says. Research published in January by The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute shows that child and adolescent mental health difficulties, and physical health problems have increased across the 2020-2021 lockdown period in Victoria and that the potential impacts on health and development are likely to be long lasting. The National Framework states that keeping ECEC and schools open is important to children’s learning, social and emotional development, wellbeing,

physical and mental health. Children benefit most from face-to-face learning and further interruptions should be avoided, where possible. “This year the most important thing is kids being together and the thing that we’ve noticed especially with our Grade 1, 2 and even our preps is that they don’t know how to be together. They have forgotten how to work in teams, how to share, how to take turns, how to communicate, so for us, school at the moment is re-learning how to be together,” says Korber. “When kids come to school, we are able to supply them with a safe, supportive, familiar experience as much as we can and that is really what we are focusing on this year. It’s really about giving the kids what they should have had these last two years.” The National Framework requires all state and territory governments to outline individual operational plans in consultation with relevant

Professor Catherine Bennett says outdoor lessons and ventilation considerations are here to stay in the classroom.

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Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair in Epidemiology, Deakin University.

stakeholders, schools and ECEC sectors. New South Wales and Victoria collaborated on their plans which included twice weekly rapid antigen tests for staff and students for the first four weeks of term one. Face masks, that have become a part of everyday life for older Australians, were introduced across various year groups. Measures to reduce mixing, congregating for events and assemblies, improving ventilation and prioritising outside learning where possible have been included across state and territory plans. What COVID-19 safe measures will stay and what will go as we move through the 2022 school year are likely to be dependent on a number of factors including the community transmission rates, explains Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair in Epidemiology, Deakin University. “While I’m a supporter of masks, they can make a difference, requiring them on an ongoing and inconsistent basis is problematic if you can’t justify why one group of kids has it and others don’t, in particularly state to state and across age groups. I think class or state-specific rules will disappear and probably not come back as vaccinations slowly creep up in numbers across all the childhood age groups. And we don’t have to reach incredibly high vaccination levels to still be in a safe environment in the current situation, with Omicron being dominant and those infection numbers decreasing in the community,” Bennett says. Korber adds: ‘’In schools we are happy to do

HOT TOPIC // THE NEW NORMAL

The National Framework aims to ensure all schools and Early Childhood Education and Care are able to remain open, with as little disruption from COVID-19 as possible during term one of 2022 and beyond.

what we need to do to keep our children and our staff safe but at the same time, we would love not to have to wear a mask. “A huge part of expressive and receptive language is being able to read facial expressions, lip reading, that is a huge part of learning for us that really impacts on children’s ability to communicate with each other.” Bennett predicts that as rapid antigen tests work best in high infection environments, we may expect to see active surveillance being reintroduced as part of localised plans later in the year if there is an outbreak. “In terms of rapid antigen tests, active surveillance is only recommended in critical outbreak settings, and that is where we were with Omicron. Even though we were past the peak of omicron in the eastern states, it was still important as we still had quite high rates in the community,” she says. “We have to recognise that things will change as the year goes on and stabilise for a while. So, I do think the active

“It’s trying to keep education happening but it’s also thinking creatively about how we can do it so it’s not a virus heaven. There are a lot of things that have come out of this that not only help reduce or contain the risk of spread but also reduce that transmission of colds and flu and other pathogens that also spread through the same sorts of mixing, such as thinking about ventilation and how schools are put together and how we use that space.” testing will stop in most areas and then we will see local responses that might include testing if the situation changes.’’ Bennett says that some measures are here to stay, such as outdoor lessons, ventilation and how children come together. “It’s trying to keep education happening but it’s also thinking creatively about how we can do it so it’s not a virus heaven,’’ she says. “There are a lot of things that have come out of this that not only help reduce or contain the risk of spread but

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also reduce that transmission of colds and flu and other pathogens that also spread through the same sorts of mixing, such as thinking about ventilation and how schools are put together and how we use that space. I think a shift in the way we think about schooling will happen. Hopefully it will be something that is engineered in the future to school design and school refurbishments.” It’s clear that Australia wide continuity in operational approaches is hoped for during the year and that a sense of normality for children

Keeping ECEC and schools open is important to children’s learning, social and emotional development, wellbeing, physical and mental health.

returns along with a full year of face-to-face teaching. Bennett says 2022 brings a greater understanding of our level of protection from serious illness and this uncoupling of infection rates and serious illness. She believes it would be good to see all the states come into alignment. “We’ve gone through the Omicron wave at different times, and we’re at different points in our vaccine rollouts, but that is going to level out as the year goes on. So, the first thing would be, hopefully, there would be agreements across states to be a standard, evidence based approach to what measures would be required and under what circumstances,” she says. Korber says Victorian schools are pushing

towards trying to get back towards some normal school life, but there are still lots of little aspects of life that they can’t do because it’s not a 100 per cent safe yet. “We would love to be able to hold whole school events like art shows or fetes, our canteen has only just opened, we have a buddy programme with grade 6 and prep who still can’t be together as we can’t mix year groups. It’s little things that we are hoping will come back this year, as we get a little bit more comfortable with knowing how to run things safely,” says Korber. “We just want to get back to being educators. I feel that what we are looking forward to is just teaching again, doing the fun things that make being a kid in school such an amazing place to be.” EM

TECHNOLOGY // EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

Superstars of STEM is a program that has fast-tracked the profile and leadership careers of 150 brilliant Australian female scientists and inspired tens of thousands of school children.

Inspiring the next generation of female scientists and engineers THE WORLD HAS CHANGED A LOT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE ESSENTIAL ROLE THAT SCIENCE PLAYS TO RESPOND TO SOME OF OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES.

But while this has been happening, another seismic shift has been taking place in the media, on television news, and in Australia’s schools. Quietly but steadily. Scientists have become a lot more visible. And those scientists aren’t stereotypes of stuffy old men in lab coats - they’re a diverse range of brilliant women from across the country, the breadth of the science community, and with wide-ranging expertise. They are Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM. If you’ve been in an Australian school over the last few years, you’ll probably have heard of the Superstars of STEM. But in case you haven’t, here’s a quick recap. Since 2017, this world-leading program has fast-tracked the profile and leadership careers of 150 brilliant Australian female

“It’s hard to be what you can’t see. By nurturing these diverse visible role models of women in STEM - in the media, in public leadership and in our schools - this program powerfully shows girls and young women that STEM is for them.” scientists, smashed gender stereotypes about what a scientist looks like, and inspired tens of thousands of school children to consider studying science, technology, engineering or maths. In the last two years alone, more than 21,000 Australian school students have been inspired by school visits and talks by the Superstars of STEM. The work the Superstars are doing is essential, and it’s making a difference.

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Research shows that scientists visiting schools inspires kids to choose STEM studies. In a recent study, 94 per cent of teachers surveyed said a visit from the Superstars of STEM had influenced their students’ choice of subjects. The program has also stratospherically elevated the profile and fast-tracked the careers of Superstars. These amazing women scientists are everywhere you look in the media, reaching a staggering cumulative media audience of

83 million people through more than 4000 media appearances from July 2020 to June 2021. It’s hard to be what you can’t see. By nurturing these diverse visible role models of women in STEM - in the media, in public leadership and in our schools - this program powerfully shows girls and young women that STEM is for them. And that is work that is crucial. In Australia, only one in four workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are women. In many STEM fields, the percentage is even lower. When young women and girls look for role models to inspire their education and career choices, mostly they see men speaking about STEM. In 2016, only 26 per cent of media coverage about STEM in Australia featured women experts. So, we were delighted that the Australian Government recently announced a further $2 million investment to advance women in STEM through the Superstars of STEM program. This powerful investment in Australia’s STEM leadership talent will enable 120 more brilliant and diverse women in STEM to turbo-charge their media profiles and career success over the next four years, helping to inspire the next generations of girls and young women into these crucial fields. It’s a crucial investment from the Australian Government in Australia’s science, technology,

Misha Schubert is the CEO of Science & Technology Australia – the nation’s peak body for science and technology representing more than 90,000 members.

engineering and maths talent. At its heart, the Superstars of STEM program is about brilliant women scientists lifting each other up to be visible public role models and inspire our next generations into these crucial careers. It powerfully ‘shifts the dial’ on women’s

under-representation in STEM and will deliver more equity and diversity of scientists in public life. And having more diverse and brilliant women STEM role models this ground-breaking program importantly highlights to young people that a career in science and technology is rewarding, exciting, and waiting for them. EM In the last two years alone, more than 21,000 Australian school students have been inspired by school visits and talks by the Superstars of STEM.

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TECHNOLOGY // LENOVO

Schools often operate in complex IT environments, with end users ranging from kindergarteners through to young adults.

A tech-enabled future for students involves many solutions: One Lenovo PETER MOYES ANGLICAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL WORKED WITH ITS I.T. PARTNER, STOTT HOARE, LEVERAGING LENOVO ANZ INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE SEVERAL I.T. CHALLENGES. FROM DEVICES TO SERVERS AND SERVICES, IT IS SEEING THE BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH ONE LENOVO.

More than 1,300 students attend Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, from prekindergarten through to year 12. Each year, students in grades 4, 7 and 10 are provided with new devices to assist in their everyday learning. In the most recent rollout, Lenovo was chosen as its preferred hardware vendor, with the ThinkPad L13 Yoga chosen as the right solution for both students and teachers. The latest partnership is an extension of the school’s existing relationship with Lenovo’s Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG), who have been providing the school with servers for some time. The extended partnership is an example of how working with one partner across several IT challenges can reap multiple benefits, simplify complex issues, and allow for a fruitful IT environment that supports long term business outcomes.

THE CHALLENGE: A COMPLEX IT ENVIRONMENT Schools often operate in complex IT environments, with end users ranging from kindergarteners through to young adults, and many nuances and challenges as experienced by any large enterprise. Stott Hoare have been working with Peter Moyes for nearly five years. Initially employed to provide support on devices, the close nature of the partnership ultimately geared both parties towards management of devices, as well as improvement of the entire IT infrastructure procurement process. By understanding the school’s needs on a deep level, Stott Hoare have helped the school find the right solutions for its complex needs year-in-year-out. “Lots of schools are facing a real challenge navigating their move towards

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a learn from anywhere model, and I think technology has moved away from being just about a device, to how can we manage that device and how we make sure students and teachers have got access from anywhere,” Mr Brian Hawkins, Sales Manager of Stott Hoare, says. Lenovo was already the chosen provider for server infrastructure at the school, so in 2019, when looking to commence a device refresh for students in years 4, 7 and 10, Peter Moyes and Stott Hoare approached Lenovo about extending their partnership. The new partnership was to include solutions spanning existing servers, devices, and services; all of which would help ensure a smooth rollout of devices, easy ongoing management of the IT environment, and better cost containment through bundled financial services.

With an existing relationship and knowledge of the school’s IT needs, Stott Hoare and Lenovo were able to arrange a solution to meet their needs by tapping into the power of Lenovo’s endto-end capabilities in infrastructure solutions, intelligent devices, financial services, and service solutions. THE PARTNERSHIP: TAPPING INTO THE BENEFITS OF ONE LENOVO. As the long-term trusted IT partner of Peter Moyes, Stott Hoare are called upon to make decisions about which technology providers to work with to best deliver on the school’s objectives through technology. Its decision to work with Lenovo to help solve the school’s IT challenges is testament to the end-to-end nature of Lenovo’s offering. Lenovo is said to be a global technology powerhouse that, unlike many competitors, can offer customers their full requirements, from the pocket to the cloud. It says this is due to having the biggest device business in the world, a

fast-growing infrastructure business, and a new, innovative solutions and services business. “As One Lenovo, we make buying a solution as easy as buying a PC, making life easier for our customers all through a single company, and a single team,” says Ms Julia Sinton, Account Executive of Large Enterprise, Lenovo. “It’s our goal to help our customers and partners deliver on their business goals. We’re united in our vision to equip more people around the globe with smarter technology, to help build a better future.” THE SOLUTION: DEVICES TO HELP STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE To foster a future in which students become positive and active global citizens, Peter Moyes believes its needs to ensure students are well equipped for the future by being trained to use technology effectively in their schooling journey. The college’s philosophy is: “I belong, everyone matters, together we achieve our goal.”

Lenovo is a global technology powerhouse offering customers their full requirements, from the pocket to the cloud.

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“At Peter Moyes we are partnered with Lenovo to provide options for our students to utilise technology and develop their skills so that they may be successful in whatever pathway they are looking to pursue,” says Mr Benjamin Lomas, Principal of Peter Moyes Anglican Community School. To help students get to where they need to get to, Peter Moyes uses the latest technologies in its classrooms – from creative arts rooms and media labs, to computer facilities. The Lenovo ThinkPad L13 Yoga is designed to take student productivity to new heights. The second generation of the “13.3”, L13 Yoga delivers powerful 11th Gen Intel performance and graphics. With a 360-degree hinge, the device is ideal for adapting to a variety of classroom environments, capable of shifting from typing to digital art in seconds. It features an integrated, rechargeable pen, and enables users to take notes or sketch when they prefer not to type – which Peter Moyes has found as a useful feature for teachers when marking work. Because the L13 Yoga is a Windows device, students can now benefit from the new features of Windows 11 – which is better suited to education, including a new layout that is designed to give students a more focused Start experience. Furthermore, due to Windows Remote Deployment and Compliance, schools and their partners, can deploy, secure, and manage remote devices through the cloud, in compliance with school policies. Windows 11 has expanded support for Group Policy administrative templates (ADMX-backed policies) in mobile device management (MDM) with solutions like Microsoft Endpoint Manager, enabling IT professionals like Stott Hoare to easily apply the same security policies to all devices, whether they are remote or on-site. This makes managing remote learning a much simpler process, enabling students and educators to work securely inside and outside of the school environment – a critical component of a post-COVID world. EM Learn more: techtoday.lenovo.com/au/en/ solutions/education

TECHNOLOGY // TES TIMETABLE

Timetabling for whole school wellbeing TES TIMETABLE, POWERED BY EDVAL, HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF TIMETABLING FOR WHOLE-SCHOOL WELLBEING AND ITS POWER TO EITHER HELP OR HINDER TEACHING AND LEARNING.

Outcomes from using Tes Timetable software show that getting it right boosts student outcomes, student satisfaction and staff wellbeing. As well as lightening teacher workloads and creating cost efficiencies showing that effective timetabling is the backbone of an efficient and productive school. Using algorithms, the software aims to provide schools with the flexibility to efficiently model different structures to support curriculum decisions, allowing schools to balance class sizes and optimise flexible working patterns for teachers. The timetabling software aims to create greater staff consistency during the school cycle and the

flexibility to explore more creative curriculum plans which in turn drive up student wellbeing. “In my current school we wanted to introduce the software to use our resources more sustainably and efficiently,’’ says Jo Matherson, Deputy Principal at Somerville House in Queensland. “When doing student choices, it really helped to be able to look at those lines we were running above each of the year levels, to make sure we had staff available to teach the classes, as well as maximise the efficiency in student choice. This year was really successful thanks to the software; all students in Years 11, 9 and 8 were able to get their

The software allows schools to balance class sizes and optimise flexible working patterns for teachers.

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top six elective choices and we only had 10 students across the senior school who had to fall into their reserve preference.” Matherson continues: “We’re also doing a major renovation in our school, which is knocking out eight classrooms in the senior school, making it difficult to have a classroom for every class and still be able to run programs at the maximum class size of 25. By using the software, I was able to easily collapse classes so we were better able to use our existing classrooms. If we weren’t able to that, we would have had to bring in six demountables that would cover our school oval.’’ The Tes Timetable software allows schools to specify the exact, complex requirements of their school timetable and provide optimal solutions based on a school’s needs and resources. The timetabling software offers a variety of tools to facilitate an equitable distribution of school day duties by considering staff busy days, teaching

Through its unique and innovative algorithms, Tes Timetable can consider up to 30,000 timetables per second.

“When doing student choices, it really helped to be able to look at those lines we were running above each of the year levels, to make sure we had staff available to teach the classes, as well as maximise the efficiency in student choice.”

commitments before or after duty slots, and timetables across the full timetable cycle, which in turn aims to reduce stress on teachers. “Teacher wellbeing has certainly been enhanced by the software,” says Mr David Fisher, Head of Administration at Leibler Yavneh College in Victoria who recently implemented the Tes Timetable software in his school. “In our old program we weren’t able to timetable so that all the classes would be in the same room in the upper years. Previously, upper-level students would have to move from different rooms on different days for the same classes,” he says. “One of the features that’s helped us is that it automatically does the rooming if you give it the right information. I’ve already had teachers who would not generally come and share feedback come to me and say – we can’t believe our classes are uniformly distributed in the timetable.’’ With the previous timetable software we were using, Fisher says he would have to do a lot of fiddling to try to balance classes.

“Now, the algorithms in the Tes Timetable software have really created very balanced timetables, without a lot of manual intervention,” he adds. Through its unique and innovative algorithms, Tes Timetable can consider up to 30,000 timetables per second, allowing schools to efficiently rework timetables to accommodate factors such as class structures, lesson spreads, teacher availability, load preferences and constraints. Enabling schools to avoid room clashes, prioritise teacher and student choices, and reduce staff workload. Schools typically model staffing budgets with a surplus to accommodate curriculum models – these will be higher where setting and banding arrangements are required. Grouping students by ability (as is usual in core subjects) requires multiple specialist teachers and rooms to be assigned at the same time. Some specialist subjects require smaller class sizes, which also increases the staff requirement. Tes Timetable software allows schools to

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ensure that the teaching workload is evenly spread across the workforce, as well as streamlining teacher movement between classes, which can reduce the need for additional staff and casual staff. Fisher continues to see the whole school benefits of the software. “On day two of the school year in 2022, I told our principal we had the best first day back that I’d seen in 20 years. It was calm, orderly, and everyone knew where they had to go. We’re early to using the software and we’re not even using it to its full capacity yet, but it was still the best first day back. We’re still building and everyone is patient because they can see that we are solving problems and fixing things, so I’m a happy chappy at the moment.” EM Learn more: tes.com/timetable, call: +61 2 8203 5455 or email: edval-sales@tes.com.

The Tes timetabling software aims to create greater staff consistency and flexibility.

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Everything for education, all in one place. Winc Education has been working together with schools for over 50 years. It’s this collective experience which gives us in-depth knowledge of what is required for all the different learning settings within a school. We also have customised Back to School options and an extensive Textbook and eBook range.

Request a call with one of our Education Specialists.

winc.com.au

CURRICULUM // JANDS

The Rise of the DJ in the school classroom EMBRACING ELECTRONIC MUSIC, MCING AND DJING AS PART OF SCHOOL MUSIC LESSONS.

Electronic Dance Music, MCing, and DJ Culture have been around for over 40 years, with every new generation falling in love with their own versions and genre of pulsating rhythms, bass drops, and strobe lighting. Most of those who partake in DJ culture get their first taste for music in childhood. Yet modern music lessons tend to ignore the subject of DJing all together in favour of more traditional applications of music theory. By ignoring this culture and avenue for creation, schools fail to embrace the latest technological advances within music and fail to bring valid modern-day musical instruments to the forefront of learning. This leads to missed opportunities to engage and inspire students.

Matt Laliotis, Pioneer DJ and KRK Ambassador.

‘Musical Futures’, a UK based not-forprofit organisation has been at work on introducing DJing to the education sector for over 18 years. The organisation focuses on delivering DJ training courses to music teachers who are interested in including DJing in their curriculum and want to develop their knowledge to better support students who enjoy using this modern instrument. As stated by Musical Futures, ‘’DJ’ing can be a great way to engage students in musical learning using technology that is synonymous with many of the styles of music that young people are listening to today.‘’ Many studies show, that playing a musical instrument can not only improve focus, but increase intelligence as well, leading to an improvement in a students’ grades. With technology evolving at an expediential rate, schools need to embrace the modern technologies and digital tools that their students will be excited to pick up in the classroom. Jands, the leading audio distributor for Australia, has recognised this educational opportunity, working with Pioneer DJ to develop its own ‘Learn to DJ’ course, to encourage young aspiring DJs to pick up the artform. This course is available for free on YouTube, just search for ‘Jands - Learn to DJ’. What is lacking is the presence of traditional learning resources and the lag in technology adoption within traditional educational institutions. Pioneer DJ are a global market leader of DJ equipment with the world’s best range of DJ controllers and equipment pieces. Pioneer DJ offers some of the best, high quality DJ

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The Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 controller is an excellent choice for a beginner DJ that would appeal to younger musicians.

‘’DJ’ing can be a great way to engage students in musical learning using technology that is synonymous with many of the styles of music that young people are listening to today.‘’ controllers on the market.‘’The Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 controller is an excellent choice for a beginner DJ that would appeal to younger musicians, who may not be overly interested in traditional instruments, said Mr Matt Laliotis, Pioneer DJ and KRK Ambassador.

“Lightweight and compact with a pro-style layout, the DDJ 200 is perfect for teaching students how to mix and develop their understanding of music. The DDJ-200’s compatibility with WeDJ app means students can show off their mixes from their phones to their friends.’’ Laliotis continued: ‘’Lightweight and compact with a pro-style layout, it’ll help you learn to mix and, if you want to, develop DJing from a hobby into something more. Put your own twist on the music as you mix for friends at parties. Quickly develop your mixing skills with the help of the Tutorial and Pop-Hint features in WeDJ for iPhone. These functions will teach you about the hardware and help you understand DJ terms. ‘’The Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 controller is best complimented with KRK Monitor Speakers to bring your work to life. the new KRK CLASSIC

5 powered studio monitors incorporate over 30 years of innovation from the world’s leading studio monitor manufacturer.’’ EM

Learn more: www.jands.com.au or call: (02) 9582 0909.

The DDJ 200 is perfect for teaching students how to mix and develop their understanding of music.

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CURRICULUM // WINC

A one-stop-shop for school supplies WINC ARE EDUCATION SPECIALISTS AND HAVE SCHOOLS’ NEEDS COVERED, FROM THE SCIENCE LAB TO THE OVAL AND FROM THE FIRST AID ROOM TO THE STAFF ROOM.

As the pandemic progresses into its third year, the goal posts shift once again for the education sector. Many remain hopeful that a year of faceto-face learning lies ahead, understanding that there will still be individual students and staff isolating from time-to-time, as per the current requirement for positive COVID-19 cases. As Ms Katie Mystakidis, the Winc Education Sales Director notes, “Winc has the resources to help support and celebrate the school dynamic of happy and busy classrooms, as well as supporting flexible learning options for those that need to stay home, with both textbooks and eBooks available. If the last few years have taught us anything, it is the need to be

prepared, flexible and resilient.” Mystakidis outlines five key areas of the Winc Education service that readers may not know about. 1. WINC ARE EDUCATION SPECIALISTS Winc has dedicated Education Specialists with expert knowledge of the company’s extensive education range, who can help tailor requirements to individual school needs. Being a leading business supplies provider means schools can easily source teaching products such as technology, classroom furniture and writing essentials as well as kitchen, safety and cleaning supplies.

Winc’s team of dedicated Education Specialists have expert knowledge of its extensive education range.

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Katie Mystakidis, Education Sales Director, Winc.

Ms Pauline Kypreos has worked in the Education Team at Winc for over 15 years, moving into this role after initially studying and practicing as a Secondary School teacher. ‘’Our team enjoys working directly with individual schools. We love solving problems and finding better ways of doing things,” she says. “Our extensive range of products and services means we can suggest the right mix of products to solve a current bugbear in the school or suggest creative and new ways to set up classrooms, given the need for both collaborative learning and quieter break out spaces.’’ 2. AUDITS FOR HYGIENE, HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS One of the areas that Winc can assist with is a complete audit of the school’s current approach to personal hygiene and cleaning solutions. Working with its various supply partners, it has a team of Health, Hygiene and Safety (HH&S) Specialists who can recommend solutions for both improved hygiene outcomes and help drive cost-in-use reductions across areas of the school including, washrooms, high-touch office areas and communal spaces, such as libraries and shared specialist subject areas. Mr Mathew Doab, HH&S Specialist, has provided health and safety advice to customers, helping select face masks, cleaning products, safety signage and more for work sites across the country, including a large customer base of Australian schools. “In 2021, due to upgraded safety requirements, we’ve seen an increasing need for

first-aid kits at workplaces to ensure employee safety and wellness which has impacted the growth of the first-aid industry,” Doab says. “The introduction of numerous first-aid training programs at schools, workplaces and industrial sites has created consumer awareness about the importance of first-aid, which has further bolstered product demand.” Winc Health, Hygiene & Safety Specialists can visit schools to conduct first-aid site surveys to provide feedback on what type of first-aid they will need. The team can also conduct a first-aid count and help provide advice on product selections. 3. A LARGE RANGE OF STEM PRODUCTS AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES Winc’s hand-picked range of STEM products and learning activities are designed to make it easy to incorporate STEM learning into schools. Its product range has real-world applicability and encourages student-led learning, preparing students for the challenges they are likely to face outside of school. A sample of the products within its range include: • 25184539 - Keva Contraptions 200 Piece Plank Set • 25177407 - Osmo Genius Classroom Kit • 25112525 - Makeblock Ultimate 2.0 10-in-1 Robot Kit • 25105129 - Circuit Scribe Basic Kit • 25177431 - Sphero Indi - Robotic Car - Class Pack. 4. WINC COVERS BOTH PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES The future of learning is more creative with a wide range of stationery, learning materials and art supplies. But the need for both physical and digital text resources will always remain. “What many of our customers don’t realise is that Winc has an extensive publisher network,” says Emma Lambert, Account Manager, Winc Education. “Winc supplies schools with all their primarylevel textbook requirements, as well as secondarylevel textbooks, novels, plays and poetry, in both print and digital formats. We can supply books from all the major and small educational publishers in all states, combining our local expert knowledge and our national infrastructure for the

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“Our extensive range of products and services means we can suggest the right mix of products to solve a current bugbear in the school or suggest creative and new ways to set up classrooms, given the need for both collaborative learning and quieter break out spaces.’’ best possible service.” Lambert says the Winc education team has many years of experience working with schools and students, which helps them understand the specific needs and requirements of their customers. The company’s Product Manager for textbooks has worked for both large and small educational publishers for over 10 years, as well as many years of experience working with booksellers. 5. INDIVIDUALISED SERVICE DELIVERY The role of creative, productive and playful learning materials is growing and Winc offers thousands of inspiring products and classroom essentials all in one place on winc.com.au. Order before 5pm to receive next business day delivery of local in-stock items in metro areas. Or plan ahead and arrange and schedule deliveries in advance. Deliveries are made by their own Winc driver to the desktop or doorstop. EM Learn more: www.winc.com.au or call: 13 26 44.

Mathew Doab, HH&S Specialist, Winc.

CURRICULUM // EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR 40K Foundation empowers teenagers across rural Asia to engage with the world through English.

Developing global citizens for a kinder world REGISTERED AUSTRALIAN CHARITY, THE 40K FOUNDATION, HAS IMPROVED THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ACQUISITION OF OVER 16,000 CHILDREN ACROSS RURAL ASIA. IT IS NOW ON A MISSION TO BRING RURAL ASIA TO CLASSROOMS ACROSS AUSTRALIA. The Covid-19 pandemic and prolonged border closures may have seen Australians retreat from the world for a while, but it remains important for young Australians to develop a global outlook and a better understanding of their region, said 40K’s Head of Foundation, Lisa Colquhoun. “Global mindedness, and particularly what might be called ‘Asian mindedness’, not only prepares Australian students for the new global economy, but it also helps to combat the inward-looking instincts and self-versusothers mentality that has unfortunately come out of the pandemic,” said Colquhoun. With the support of the Australian government and the Atlassian Foundation, the Sydney-based organisation has for the past 12 years empowered teenagers across rural

Asia to engage with the world through English as the de facto global language. Recognising the growing need to (re) globalise the outlook of young people in its own backyard, the 40K Foundation saw an opportunity to connect Australian students with the students it supports in Asia which led to the creation of The Kindskools’ Project. The Kindskools’ Project links participating Australian schools with schools across rural Asia (currently focusing on Cambodia), providing a range of opportunities for the partnered schools to interact, share and learn from each other. The program is open to high schools anywhere in Australia. At the start of the program, participating schools are tasked with creating a presentation about their school, locality and culture to share

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with their partnered school. Following this, students work on small collaborative projects each quarter, designed to build knowledge of their partner school’s culture and way of life. The schedule of quarterly projects spans multiple learning areas and is developed in consultation with teachers to align with the learning outcomes for each grade. Joint school assemblies are conducted multiple times each year via videoconferencing. These assemblies provide opportunities for students to interact and show-case their culture through creative performances, as well as present and discuss the projects they have worked on during the quarter. Throughout the year, teachers and students interact with their partner school

Lisa Colquhoun, Head of Foundation, 40K.

peers through online discussion forums. Gradebased student forums provide opportunities for students to participate in threaded discussions about a range of topics, with the goal of growing and sharing knowledge about each other’s lives and issues that are important to them. Teacheronly forums provide opportunities for teachers from each school to share ideas, expertise and resources. Other activities include a cultural gift exchange and essay writing competition, through which students reflect on their experience of the program and what they learned from their partner school over the course of the year. To develop students’ philanthropic mindset and leadership, students are encouraged to actively fundraise for their participation in the program each year. The money raised helps to support the English language education of students in the partner school and other schools across rural Asia. Medallions are awarded annually to the highest fundraiser and most creative fundraiser in each school. “The purpose of getting students actively involved in fundraising is to emphasise their responsibility as global citizens to make the world a better place, rather than constantly taking from it. It also gives students a sense of purpose and satisfaction knowing they are making a positive difference in the lives of their new international friends,” says Colquhoun. Research suggests that intercultural school partnerships have a profoundly positive impact not only on students, but also on teachers and the school community at large. By brokering and sustaining effective, mutually-beneficial school

partnerships, The Kindskools’ Project ensures that participating schools get the most out of the experience. For students, benefits include: • development of intercultural understanding, global citizenship and an appreciation of different perspectives • development of 21st century skills to enable critical thinking, cross-cultural communication and collaboration, empathy and philanthropy, and a positive attitude to diversity • development of international friendships and networks. For teachers, benefits include: • opportunities to benchmark practice against other school systems • increased awareness of different education systems and of the challenges facing educators in low-resource settings • development of leadership and cross-cultural communications skills. For the wider school community, benefits include: • development of global networks and perspectives, internationalising the outlook of the entire school community

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enhanced school image and reputation. Participation is perhaps most transformative for the students in low resource, rural Asian contexts who would otherwise remain on the periphery of globalisation. For these students, the pace of global change, accelerated even more so by the Covid-19 pandemic, has increased the vulnerability of their families already precarious livelihoods and their own inherently precarious futures. “Their lives will be completely transformed by this program. For many, it will be the first time they have been able to practise English with a native speaker, the first time they’ve encountered a foreigner and a foreign culture. What that can do for a young person whose world had previously been limited to within the boundaries of their rural or remote village cannot be underestimated,” says Colquhoun. The 40K Foundation is currently accepting expressions of interest from Australian high schools for a Term 3 commencement. EM To learn more, contact Lisa Colquhoun, Head of Foundation, at lisa@40k.com.au or visit www.40kfoundation.org/kindskools

Intercultural school partnerships have a positive impact on students, teachers and the school community at large.

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CURRICULUM // EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

Invisible language learners MANY FIRST NATIONS CHILDREN DO NOT SPEAK STANDARD AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH AS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE. EDUCATION SYSTEMS AND EDUCATORS NEED TO RECOGNISE AND RESPOND TO STUDENTS’ LANGUAGE BACKGROUNDS.

Of the original 250 plus languages and over 750 dialects spoken by First Nations peoples before 1788, only 12 are being learned by children today (Dixon, 2019). Instead, widely spoken contact languages – creoles and dialects – have emerged (NILS 3, 2020). However, these languages are often not recognised as the full languages they are by some educators and society generally. WHAT ARE CONTACT LANGUAGES? Contact languages form when two or more languages come together in a context where communication is essential. In Australia this occurred between traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and English after 1788. A variety of contact languages developed which are both similar and different from each other: some more closely related to English, others with more features of the traditional languages. Some examples are Aboriginal English (Rodriguez Louro & Collard, 2020) and Kriol (Dickson, 2016). Many are not officially named. These factors contribute to their lack of recognition in Australian society, including school systems. Dr Carly Steele is a Lecturer and Early Career Researcher in the School of Education at Curtin University, Perth. She completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2021 which explored the role of language awareness and the use of constrastive analysis for teaching Standard Australian English as an additional language to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in primary school.

INVISIBLE LANGUAGE LEARNERS Little is known about these languages, but children come to school speaking these languages as their first language. Often, the children’s languages are “invisible” (Sellwood & Angelo, 2013) to educators and not recognised as different languages. Consequently, the students may not be treated as second language learners of Standard Australian English (SAE) and their language learning needs not considered. To improve educational outcomes for

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who do not speak SAE as their first language, their language backgrounds must be recognised and valued. OUR STUDY In our research (Steele & Wigglesworth, 2021), we sought to quantitatively show some of the language differences to help make the SAE language learning needs of many First Nations children “visible” to educators. First, we compared the short-term memory capacities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who speak Indigenous contact languages with native monolingual SAE speakers. The short-term memory capacities of the two groups were the same showing that both groups are equally able to process language. Next, students orally produced a range of simple sentences in SAE to gauge their proficiency. The SAE speaking ability of the two groups differed significantly. We also examined students’ knowledge of four SAE grammatical features: • the prepositions at-in-on • plural ‘s’ on nouns e.g. cats • simple present tense with 3rd person singular ‘s’ e.g. she runs • simple irregular past tense e.g. they ate. The two groups differed significantly in all aspects but the prepositions at-in-on. This finding highlights the close relationship that can exist between Indigenous contact languages and SAE. It demonstrates how speakers of Indigenous contact languages may be proficient in some aspects of SAE, but not others. These similarities can mask students’ status as language learners.

Dr Carly Steele is calling for education systems to recognise and response to students’ language backgrounds.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? Our findings showed the SAE speaking ability of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students improved over the primary school years but did not reach the levels of their monolingual SAE speaking peers. As children progress through school, the SAE language and literacy demands increase at such a rate that the language gains made are unlikely to be identified in many classroom-based or standardised assessments (e.g. NAPLAN). Consequently, students’ achievement may not be visible and go unrecognised in the classroom. The impact can be seen in the deficit positioning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners in educational and national public discourse (Patrick & Moodie, 2016). The educational and social implications are considerable and the outcomes for First Nations children who speak contact languages a national disgrace.

valued in the classroom. Students’ first language/s play an important role in learning (Oliver et al., 2021). Contact languages need to be treated with respect and understanding, and not viewed as incorrect forms of SAE. All teachers need to understand how language is learned and how it works to effectively teach SAE alongside curriculum content. Language skills are the cornerstone of literacy and educational development. Teachers should explicitly teach of SAE and provide students with the opportunity to practice their language skills (Angelo & Hudson, 2021). Targeted training needs to be delivered in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degrees and in professional development for teachers already teaching. In the current climate of heavy responsibilities on time-poor teachers, sufficient funding and time must be given for teachers to gain the skills required. EM

WHAT CAN BE DONE? To meet the SAE learning needs of students who speak Indigenous contact languages, their language backgrounds must be recognised and

References Angelo, D. & Hudson, C. (2021). From the periphery to the centre: Securing the place at the heart of the TESOL field for First Nations learners of English as an Additional Language/ Dialect. TESOL in Context, 29(1): 5–35. https://doi.org/10.21153/ tesol2020vol29no1art1421

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Dickson, G. (26th April 2016). Explainer: the largest language spoken exclusively in Australia – Kriol. The Conversation. https:// theconversation.com/explainer-the-largest-language-spokenexclusively-in-australia-kriol-56286 Dixon, R. M. 2019. Australia’s Original Languages: An Introduction. NSW: Allen and Unwin. National Indigenous Language Survey (NILS) 3. (2020). National Indigenous Languages Report. Canberra: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. The Australian Government. https://apo.org.au/ sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-08/apo-nid307493.pdf Oliver, R., Wigglesworth, G., Angelo, D., & Steele, C. (2021). Translating translanguaging into our classrooms: Possibilities and challenges. Language Teaching Research, 25(1): 134–150. https:// doi.org/10.1177/1362168820938822 Patrick, R. & Moodie, N. (2016). Indigenous Education Policy Discourses in Australia: Rethinking the “Problem”. In T. Barkatsas & A. Bertram (Eds.), Global Learning in the 21st Century, 165–184. Sense Publishers. https://link.springer.com/ chapter/10.1007/978-94-6300-761-0_10 Rodriguez Louro, C. & Collard, G. D. (16th June 2020). 10 ways Aboriginal Australians made English their own. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/10-ways-aboriginal-australiansmade-english-their-own-128219 Sellwood, J., & Angelo, D. (2013). “Everywhere and Nowhere: Invisibility of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Contact Languages in Education and Indigenous Language Contexts.” Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 34(3): 250–266. https:// doi.org/10.1075/aral.36.3.02sel Steele, C. & Wigglesworth, G. (2021). Recognising the SAE language learning needs of Indigenous primary school students who speak contact languages, Language and Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2021.2020811 *This article is an abridged version of the article which appeared in The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/invisiblelanguage-learners-what-educators-need-to-know-about-manyfirst-nations-children-175917) and is based on a recently published article by Steele & Wigglesworth, 2021 (https://www.tandfonline. com/doi/full/10.1080/09500782.2021.2020811?src=)

CURRICULUM // EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

Teaching Australia’s painful shared history DR TRACY WOODROFFE DISCUSSES HOW THE TEACHING OF AUSTRALIA’S SHARED HISTORY IN SCHOOLS REQUIRES THE TEACHING OF ANALYSIS AND THE INCLUSION AND UNDERSTANDING OF INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES.

There is no denying that Australia’s history includes tragic incidents that are very uncomfortable for some people to acknowledge let alone speak about or teach. These incidents are part of Australia’s shared history beginning with colonisation. Feelings of teachers new to the classroom are important to understand when discussing the teaching of Australian history lessons. ‘History is recorded by the victor’ is a common Dr Woodroffe says Australia’s history taught in schools requires a more rounded understanding of what has occurred in Australia’s past.

Dr Tracy Woodroffe is a Warumungu Luritja woman with years of experience in the field of education - early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary. The majority of that time has been spent in the classroom teaching and in associated leadership roles. She is a lecturer at Charles Darwin University who coordinates, develops and delivers teacher education units about teaching Indigenous learners and the importance of Indigenous knowledge in education.

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phrase and explains the attributions given to the many milestones throughout the world’s history. Whether consciously or not, we form polarized ideas about the heroes being the victors in their triumph over the enemy. The recording of history is crafted in a way to present the dominance of the victor and raises the questions about fact and truth. Colonisation has created this scenario in Australia. The language used to teach

Australia’s shared history using words such as British discovery and settlement, and then terms such as natives and uncivilized describing Aboriginal people, are only teaching students from one perspective. History requires, and students deserve, a more rigorous investigation than that. The teaching of Australia’s shared history requires the teaching of analysis and the inclusion and understanding of Indigenous perspectives. It requires a more rounded understanding of what has occurred in Australia’s past, to move forward as a nation and to teach for reconciliation. So how do we best teach for reconciliation in a way that represents different perspectives, that includes uncomfortable and painful incidents and concepts, and addresses the contention between fact and truth? Australian history has included massacres, dispossession, segregation, racism, exclusion, and abuse. How do we make sure that all Australian citizens know this as part of our shared history and recognise these painful aspects as tools for reconciliation? The process should be a part of schooling, but past curriculum has been limited to approved priority topics which have been lacking in Indigenous perspectives and not inclusive of the inhumane treatment of Aboriginal people. The teaching of limited facts from only a nonAboriginal perspective does not allow for the truth of Aboriginal experience, and results in a partial knowledge of Australian history. There are several resources that teachers can utilise to make sure that their students know the comprehensive history of Australia. Teachers can use these resources to ensure a more realistic understanding of Aboriginal people and culture, creating opportunities for reconciliation. The following statement in the Sydney Morning Herald strikes at the heart of the matter. “Most students will leave history lessons knowing about the Stolen Generations and campaigns for Indigenous rights, such as the freedom rides and 1967 referendum. Their understanding of frontier wars, forced labour or blackbirding, however, might be less robust” (Chrysanthos, 2020, para. 1). (https://www.smh. com.au/national/nsw/how-indigenous-history-istaught-in-nsw-schools-20200616-p5534w.html). The resulting difficulty is in teachers finding

Dr Woodroffe has outlined resources teachers can use to ensure a more realistic understanding of Aboriginal people and culture, creating opportunities for reconciliation.

out how to bridge this gap in knowledge and be able to move forward. Danielle Hradsky outlined outcomes of several curriculum reviews and political toing and froing, in her July 2021 article ‘Invasion of Reconciliation: What matters in the Australian curriculum?’ (available at https://lens.monash. edu/@education/2021/07/09/1383496/invasionor-reconciliation-what-matters-in-the-australiancurriculum). The article demonstrated that the portrayal of Australia’s shared history has been an issue debated by many for a long time with relatively limited progress towards a truly comprehensive version with uncomfortable concepts inclusive of Indigenous perspectives. This needs to be remedied. Historical Acceptance is one of the five dimensions of reconciliation recommended by Reconciliation Australia and can be accessed

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on their website at https://www.reconciliation. org.au/what-is-reconciliation/ . On the website, Historical Acceptance is described as: All Australians understand and accept the wrongs of the past and their impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Australia makes amends for past policies and practices ensures these wrongs are never repeated’ and requires ‘widespread acceptance of our nation’s history and agreement that the wrongs of the past will never be repeated— there is truth, justice, healing and historical acceptance. However, none of this will be achieved though unless people act. The classroom is the perfect place to lay the foundations. In conclusion, teachers have a massive impact on their students and in the shaping of society in general. This responsibility includes truth telling about our shared history with the purpose of healing and moving forward together. EM

CURRICULUM // RECONCILIATION AUSTRALIA National Reconciliation Week is held every year between 27 May to 3 June.

Be Brave. Make Change – a call to action for school leaders NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK IS HELD ANNUALLY BETWEEN 27 MAY TO 3 JUNE. IT’S A TIME FOR ALL AUSTRALIANS TO LEARN ABOUT OUR SHARED HISTORIES, CULTURES, AND ACHIEVEMENTS, AND TO EXPLORE HOW EACH OF US CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ACHIEVING RECONCILIATION IN AUSTRALIA.

The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme, Be Brave. Make Change. is a challenge to everyone to ‘Be Brave’ and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so society can ‘Make Change’ for the benefit of all Australians. For school leaders, it is a call to make reconciliation a priority in their learning communities, not just during NRW, but every week of the year. LEADING RECONCILIATION IN YOUR SCHOOL The education system, and school leaders in particular play a vital role in giving young

Australians the skills and insight to make an informed contribution to the reconciliation process; and to encourage and support teachers and educators to engage in their own learning, ‘un-learning’ and ‘re-learning’ to build a better future together. In fact, Reconciliation Australia’s landmark 2021 State of Reconciliation in Australia Report consistently asserts education as a driving force in the reconciliation movement. Historically, the formal education system in Australia has served as a tool of colonisation. ‘’Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, pedagogies and perspectives have

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been systematically excluded from mainstream education institutions, policies and frameworks,” says Reconciliation Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Ms Karen Mundine. “As a result, generations of Australians have grown up with an inadequate understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and very limited awareness of the true histories of Australia. Education institutions have contributed to a lack of historical acceptance, deepening inequalities and inequities, and disrupting pathways towards reconciliation.” There have been some recent and important shifts in education regarding the inclusion and

understanding of First Nations cultures and of reconciliation in Australian schools. In 2008, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians articulated the need for students to understand and acknowledge the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to learn how to contribute to reconciliation. This was agreed to by all Australian Education Ministers. The Declaration led to the establishment of an Australian Curriculum which included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures as one of three cross-curriculum priorities. It also resulted in the inclusion of reconciliation in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and Principals. In 2020, Australian Governments recommitted to the importance of reconciliation in education as part of the Mparntwe Education Declaration. They specifically committed to working in collaboration with the education community to support all young Australians to become “active and informed members of the community who possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to, and beneﬁt from, reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.” These kinds of commitments are backed by the findings in Reconciliation Australia’s 2021 State of Reconciliation Report which show that for reconciliation to be effective, in education or otherwise, it must involve truth-telling, and actively

NRW for school leaders is a call to make reconciliation a priority in their learning communities.

address issues of inequality, systemic racism and instances where the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are ignored, denied or reduced. Despite growing support, national commitments, and an increasing expectation within the profession, many school leaders and teachers are still uncertain and lack confidence about what they can do in practice to advance reconciliation. Indeed, the gaps and silences of the colonial education system have contributed to this uncertainty. NARRAGUNNAWALI: RECONCILIATION IN EDUCATION Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali program is designed to foster knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions in Australian education settings.

The Narragunnawali platform helps schools create a Reconciliation Action Plan.

The Narragunnawali program is available to all government, Catholic and Independent schools and early learning services across Australia. It has curriculum resources and professional learning materials for teachers, created by teachers, along with webinars, a regular newsletter, and an awards program with prizes to further support schools and early learning services to be brave and make change. Narragunnawali is an entry point to launch a whole-school approach to reconciliation. It contains the resources you need to bring reconciliation into your schools in a safe, structured and respectful way. Narragunnawali is a Ngunnawal word meaning ‘alive’, ‘wellbeing’, ‘coming together’ and ‘peace’. The word narragunnawali is used with the permission of the United Ngunnawal Elders Council. RECONCILIATION ACTION PLANS The Narragunnawali platform will also step through the process of creating a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for schools. A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation and can be developed by any school regardless of where it is on its reconciliation journey. You may be thinking, you are just one school or one individual, but properly equipped, you are more influential than you know. Finally, Mundine suggests think about what you can do within your school to be Brave. Make Change. “It could be fundamental actions such as acknowledging and understanding whose Country your school is on; to challenging colonial perspectives on history, supporting school curriculum changes, or committing to a RAP in your school or early learning service,” she says. EM Learn more: reconciliation.org.au/narragunnawali

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // THE BROWN COLLECTIVE

Leading the creation of a positive school culture NURTURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE IS A KEY ROLE FOR A SCHOOL LEADER, NOW CONSIDERED A VITAL FOCUS TO ENABLE BETTER ORGANISATIONS AND HIGH PERFORMANCE TEAMS.

Positive, toxic, poor, nurturing – these are all prefixes to the word ‘culture’ that are used on a regular basis to describe organisations ranging from political parties, international sporting teams to government departments and schools. What is organisational culture, why is it important and how do leaders nurture, stimulate and support the development of positive, productive workplace cultures? Dr Stephen Brown, Managing Director of the Brown Collective and global leader in the field of school leadership development and formation, has been fascinated by these questions. “I have been involved in supporting and

Lead Fellow Dr Stephen Brown (right) working with Schools Plus Fellowship program winners from the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards.

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contributing to the formation of school leaders for decades and such questions are at the heart of the work of any leadership role,” he says. Dr Brown says that an organisation’s culture is “the patterns or agreements that determine how the business operates” or simply, “how things work (or are done) around here” (McHale, S, 2020, p. 2). How can leaders build productive, generative, workplaces such as schools? Many school leaders struggle when they try to describe elements that create a positive culture, writes Leah Shafer for the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It’s tricky to define and parsing its components can be challenging. Amid the push for tangible outcomes like higher test scores … it can be tempting to be vague or soft to prioritise, Shafter adds. Dr Brown suggests that school leaders should be obsessive about organisational culture – it is a hard and necessary part of leadership that enables performance. In their seminal work, The work of leadership, Ronald Heifetz and Donald Laurie (2001) suggest that leaders sometimes frame their work in technical terms such as the production of policy, procedures and increased compliance measures in response to an issue rather than as adaptive or cultural work. Daniel Coyle in his 2018 book, Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, indicates that there are three specific culture builders: building psychological safety, sharing vulnerability and establishing a shared purpose. Andrew Fuller in his 2021 occasional paper entitled, Resilient Cultures, Resilient Strategies - The CPR Approach to Wellbeing & Resilience that students, teachers, parents and the community flourish when they feel Connected, Protected and Respected (CPR).

‘You build and change culture one conversation at a time’ – The Brown Collective Managing Director Dr Stephen Brown.

Furthermore, Fuller notes that when such elements of a school’s culture are developed then trust levels increase and the potential for greater collaboration also rises. Siobhan McHale in her book, The Insider’s Guide to Culture Change (2020), describes for leaders four key elements of any workplace culture in the form of the Culture MAPP-mental maps (what people think and feel); patterns (ways of relating); processes (reinforcing decisions) and actions (what people do). WHAT SKILLS, CAPABILITIES AND DISPOSITIONS DO SCHOOL LEADERS NEED IN ENHANCING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN THE NURTURING OF POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE? In working with thousands of emerging and current school leaders across Australia and globally, Dr Brown and The Brown Collective believe that the leadership of the development of positive school culture is broadly about the two Rs – Relationship and Relatedness (after Williams, D, 2005). Leaders need to facilitate, in partnership with key stakeholders’ harmonious relationships and inspire a connection with, or relatedness to, a shared purpose – a sense of belonging, engagement and opportunities to contribute. We by our very nature live in communities and to operate effectively everyone including leaders need to contribute to social cohesion (after O’keeffe, 2011). “It’s all about the people work. I say to leaders

that the best work and the hardest work you will ever do is the people work,” Dr Brown says. “Get to know your people outrageously, take time to understand their strengths, aspirations and fears. Leadership is an intensely people business. Leaders need to practise and model ostentatious listening and be confident to let silence do the heavy lifting. Simply, the more time spent modelling intense listening will show that a leader values people.” Culture is about message management, messaging about behaviours, symbols and stories. Leaders need to also display moral courage – to acknowledge and reward practices, people and activities that contribute to a positive school culture and equally challenge the ones that do not. In supporting the formation of leaders, one of the key areas of development is having difficult, necessary, tricky or professional conversations. The other areas of development leaders want support in are delegation and change leadership, again aspects of cultural leadership. “A mantra I regularly use is ‘you build and change culture one conversation at a time’,” Dr Brown says. Leaders need to enable school environments which enhance opportunities for collaboration, curiosity and ‘chit chat’ people engaging with each other to enable exchange of information, ideas and stories (after O’Keeffe). Leaders need to master

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PATHWAYS TO SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: LEADING WITH IMPACT PROGRAM The Pathways to school leadership: leading with impact program is targeted at supporting the ongoing development of current deputy school and college leaders and aspirants to these roles. Every program offering is customised to ensure contextual relevance and alignment with the strategic agenda of the sponsoring school system and schools from which participants are drawn. ‘’The program has provided the opportunity for the participants to interact with a range of exceptional thought leaders and be coached and mentored to develop a range of skills required for the complex task of school leadership,’’ says Ms Prue Horan, Assistant Director, Education Services, Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga. “Stephen’s evidence-based approach to contemporary leadership focuses on relationships as the cornerstone and a call to action through leadership challenges.” the art of storytelling, crafting a narrative that is owned and shared by others. School leaders should be ‘first class noticers’ of culture, noticing things, looking, scanning inside and outside the schools, asking questions because the establishment, nuancing and maturation of any school’s culture is an ongoing process that will never be complete but paradoxically an aspiration that continually needs to be pursued. Leadership of culture is everyone’s business. Investing in the development of leaders is a necessary ingredient to the shared ownership and sustainability of a school’s culture. Without the engagement of such groups in schools, experience indicates that any cultural change will reach a cul-de-sac. We know that through our TBC flagship programs such as Leading from the Middle, Leading from Within and Pathways to School Leadership. The individual growth and formation of leaders and the related impact on school culture, leadership density and system contribution is palpable. EM Learn more: www.thebrowncollective.com.au call: 0427 219 664 or email: admin@thebrowncollective.com.au

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // NATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

The Australian Schools Women’s Leadership Summit THE AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP SUMMIT WILL TAKE PLACE AS AN INTERACTIVE ONLINE EVENT ON FRIDAY 3 JUNE 2022, BRINGING TOGETHER INDUSTRY LEADERS WITH A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF CURRENT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN LEADERS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR. THIS SUMMIT WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE INSPIRED BY EXPERTS, CONNECT WITH OTHER SCHOOL LEADERS, RECHARGE LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES AS WELL AS PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.

The pandemic has placed extraordinary demands on school leaders, who have been on the front lines dealing with unprecedented disruption for over two years. Recent research conducted by The National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) shows that maintaining wellbeing and avoiding burnout is a critical issue for school leaders today. The pandemic has increased the pressure on many women who are already taking on extra caring roles both at work and at home. In Australia, only 40 per cent of principals are women, compared to 62 per cent of teachers. “We know that while the majority

of teaching staff are women, most senior leadership positions in schools are held by men. We believe that nurturing the leadership aspirations and capability of emerging women leaders is an important step towards longterm gender equity, and better outcomes for schools, students and their communities,” says Dr Janet Smith, Director of Programs, NESLI. Ms Suzi Finkelstein, CEO, NESLI, added: “For women in particular, underrepresentation in leadership roles continues to impede career progression. Women are less likely to identify leadership aspirations, less likely to have female mentors and role models, and less

In Australia, only 40 per cent of principals are women, compared to 62 per cent of teachers.

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likely to receive recognition and rewards that assist with them in gaining promotion. Women are also less likely to have an uninterrupted career path, which disadvantages them in gaining promotion.” Drawing together respected educators and thought-leaders, the summit aims to celebrate the role of women as leaders and custodians of their school communities, and provide an accessible, psychologically safe, and focused environment that addresses some of the key challenges faced by women leaders in Australian schools. The summit provides a platform for women to openly discuss issues around gender equity, leadership and career – an important step in increasing awareness and creating change. Increasing visibility of women leaders in education, providing networking opportunities with other women, and delivering practical leadership strategies and frameworks are all key to improving women’s pathways into leadership. “Ensuring that female teachers are aware of a pathway to leadership in a school environment, inspiring them to pursue leadership and enabling them to be effective, confident school leaders is critical to the success of Australia’s schools,” Smith says. “By partnering with Women & Leadership Australia we are able to bring together the latest in women’s leadership expertise and a deep understanding of current challenges and opportunities for leaders in the education sector,” Finkelstein adds.

LIST OF SPEAKERS Tanya Plibersek MP Shadow Minister for Education, Shadow Minister for Women, Federal Member for Sydney Jelena Dokic Former World #4 Tennis Player; Olympian; TV Commentator & Expert Analyst, Channel 9; Bestselling Author; Advocate Dr Briony Scott Principal, Wenona School

Dr Janet Smith, Director of Programs.

The full day summit which is a collaboration between the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute (NESLI) and its sister organisation, Women & Leadership Australia, features inspirational keynote presentations, expert workshops, panel discussions, participant breakout sessions and online discussion forums. Registrations are now open at nesli.org NESLI supports leadership excellence across the Australian K-12 education system. Established in 2014, NESLI offers responsive and

Suzi Finkelstein, CEO.

high-quality professional learning programs for school leaders at all levels, including targeted development opportunities for women leaders, and high-profile nation-wide leadership events. Women & Leadership Australia is a national initiative that supports and develops women leaders at every stage of their journey. They believe that advancing gender equity, especially in leadership, is central to creating a more fair and inclusive society. EM

Dr Jessa Rogers First Nations Senior Research Fellow, Queensland University of Technology; Managing Director, Baayi Consulting Kristen Douglas National Manager & Head, headspace Schools Liv Pennie CEO & Co-Founder, BECOME Education Ashley Fell Director of Communications, McCrindle; Social Researcher; Author; TEDx Speaker

Learn more: www.nesli.org Marisa Matthys Principal, St Mary’s School Greensborough Dr Cynthia Briggs Lecturer Indigenous Knowledge, Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, Southern Cross University Susan French PSM Principal in Residence, Bush Fire Strategy Relief, Office of the Deputy Secretary School Performance, NSW Department of Education Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM Aboriginal Elder; Renowned Artist; Activist; Writer; Public Speaker

For women in particular, underrepresentation in leadership roles continues to impede career progression.

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HEALTH & WELLBEING // MACKILLOP INSTITUTE

ReLATE positions schools to create safe, supportive and predictable teaching and learning environments.

Transition is change – supporting children and young people in times of transition WITH THE SCHOOL YEAR COMMENCING AND THE ADAPTION OF OUR THINKING AND BEHAVIOURS AMID THE OMIRCON VIRUS IN AUSTRALIA, CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES EVERY DAY WHEN IT COMES TO ADAPTING IN THE FACE OF CHANGING CONDITIONS.

As teachers work hard to create safe and predictable environments for their students, external to school factors can have a positive or negative impact on students depending on how they handle adversity and the supports in place during this time. Ben Sacco, National Lead – Program Development and Implementation, talks to Education Matters about how transition times can create stress for children and discusses strategies to help reduce the overwhelming nature of change. “Whether it be walking through the school gates for the first time as a new Prep student,

starting Grade 4 at the same school as the year before, moving interstate due to family relocation or entering a school for the first time as a Year 11 student. Simply put, what comes with these scenarios is the need for the conditions around the individual to be one of psychological and physiological safety,” he says. “Feeling safe keeps us calm and minimising the possibility of a heightened stress response triggered by the absence of well thought-out and implemented transition strategies is just one of many goals of our Reframing Learning and Teaching Environments model at The MacKillop Institute.”

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Sacco says one key strategy schools could implement to reduce stress caused by change is providing clear information about the day or week ahead for students. For example, this could be done through letters to students or parents explaining the structure of the day or week or a short form school handbook that helps to identify key things one needs to know. “In times of change, not having clarity or an understanding of what is coming next can send a signal to our bodies that we feel unsafe and therefore through the activation of our stress response, we respond with fight or

flight,” Sacco says. “We want teachers and schools to have a transition structure that is well thought out and provides predictability and a consistent approach. Due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, the structure of a regular school day could change suddenly, including situations outside a school’s control, which is why we focus on how we establish the conditions that helps students learn how to regulate their emotions and respond in a constructive and calm way.” Sacco says this can be achieved through a number of resources and materials, including written and visual cues or activities that are age-appropriate and developmentally sound. The MacKillop Institute works with schools frequently providing teachers with the tools, knowledge, skills and resources that enable them to be cognisant of the impacts of adverse experiences such as transitions and its impact on engagement, learning, health and wellbeing. ReLATE positions schools to create safe, supportive and predictable teaching and learning environments. “Our skilled ReLATE consultants work directly with schools, to provide bespoke implementation based on the individual schools’ needs. ReLATE follows a three-year implementation cycle, with annual professional learning to deepen

Through the MacKillop Institute’s program, teachers and students become more trauma-informed.

and embed staffs’ understanding of adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed practice,” Sacco says. “Our team provide school level reports and baseline assessments so that efforts are translated into real outcomes. We aim to make real, measurable and lasting change in schools to better the teaching, learning and wellbeing of not only students but staff, leaders and the whole school community.”

Another strategy Sacco says great teachers already do is actively listen to students and being attuned to their needs at transition times, asking a student how they feel about school and what kind of support would they like to access. Two-way conversations are powerful, no cost strategies. Schools just need to be willing to create the time to connect and tune into what is really going on for children. He says by seeking consent to progress a conversation that centres around the child or young person’s concerns or worries, it’s possible to notice a decrease in their stress almost immediately because they feel heard, valued, validated, and seen. “A teacher can have the best approaches that they will feel will work best for students based on the latest research but let’s not forget that each student is an individual human being,” Sacco adds. “They respond differently in situations. What might generate stress for one student might not stress another at all. By promoting student voice and agency, they feel empowered and regain some degree of control which we all need in times of uncertainly.” EM Schools wanting to understand the ReLATE model are invited to attend a free online information session, or contact The MacKillop Institute directly. Dates for upcoming sessions can be found at The MacKillop Institute website.

The MacKillop Institute works with schools frequently providing teachers with the tools to help with change.

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HEALTH & WELLBEING // ALANNAH & MADELINE FOUNDATION

Building digital intelligence in the middle years with Digital Licence+ A GROUND-BREAKING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR AUSTRALIAN STUDENTS TO BUILD DIGITAL SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES HAS BEEN LAUNCHED BY NATIONAL CHILDREN’S NOT-FOR-PROFIT, THE ALANNAH & MADELINE FOUNDATION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE THINK TANK, THE DQ INSTITUTE, AND SUPPORTED BY GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LEADER, ACCENTURE AUSTRALIA.

With a modern learning approach, the Digital Licence+ supports the development of important social and emotional skills in the middle years and assists educators to cater for different learning levels.

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The eSmart Digital Licence+ offers an exciting learning experience for students aged 10-14 years to explore an interactive story world and engage with learning material, relatable scenarios and guided reflections of the students’ own experiences with technology to build digital intelligence. The rollout of the program is timely, with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) announcing

the inclusion of digital literacy to the general capabilities under the Australian curriculum. This is in addition to Reforms to NAPLAN assessments, which will see Year 6 and Year 10 students in Australia being tested on digital literacy from 2024, if the school opts in. Aligned to the Australian curriculum and the DQ Global Standards for Digital Intelligence, the Digital Licence+ is designed to build the knowledge and skills of students across the following areas: • balanced technology use • cyber risk management • cyber security • digital emotional intelligence With a modern learning approach, the Digital Licence+ supports the development of important social and emotional skills in the middle years and assists educators to cater for different learning levels. The Foundation’s CEO, Ms Sarah Davies AM, says the partnership with Accenture and the DQ Institute enables the Foundation to harness the power of the DQ Global Standards and deliver world class digital intelligence education. “The support from Accenture and DQ Institute will enable us to bridge the digital divide which contributes to inequity in education and limits future opportunities for so many children,” Davies says. “This ground-breaking partnership will ensure the next generation will be able to be part of the global economy. The Digital Licence+ addresses the digital skills gap.” A targeted rollout offering access to Digital Licence+ at no cost to select schools aims to address the digital divide in regions with low socio-economic status and low levels of digital inclusion, based on the Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII). “The eSmart Digital Licence+ program offers students the opportunity to grow. It delivers realtime data analytics and reports their results,” Davies says. “It also offers educators insight into student performance, providing a dashboard and reports for easy tracking of student progress and caters for different learning levels. Students are offered the opportunity to progress through learning

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Kalani (pictured with black hat) is a character in one of the scenarios from the DL+ modules. Students can learn from his struggles to have balanced use of technology in his life.

materials at their own pace, with access to a toolkit of recourse to support their journey and educators are supported with a suite of resources to enhance learning outcomes.” The Digital Licence+ applies best practice in achieving student learning outcomes, drawing on the strengths of students, teachers and parents to create a triad of learning. Digital Licence+ is part of the Foundation’s eSmart suite of programs that helps schools maintain a supportive and connected community to reduce online and offsline harms, including bullying, and increase wellbeing. EM To learn more about the Digital Licence+ program, or to see if your school is eligible to receive Digital Licence+ at no cost, visit digitallicenceplus.org

Sarah Davies AM, CEO of Alannah & Madeline Foundation.

HEALTH & WELLBEING // MACKILLOP INSTITUTE

Toolkits support school children through change and uncertainty WITH COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS EASING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND DEVASTATING FLOODS HITTING QUEENSLAND AND NSW, CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY HAVE BECOME A CONSTANT IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES. A RECENT STUDY SHOWS CHILDREN BORN IN 2020 WILL EXPERIENCE A TWO TO SEVENFOLD INCREASE IN EXTREME EVENTS, COMPARED TO THEIR GRANDPARENTS.

The ongoing extreme weather events continue to unfold and these successive disasters have taken a toll on the whole school community, including school teachers and leaders. The summer holidays provided little respite for families and teachers, with the promise of freedom marred by travel complexity, testing issues and the proliferation of the Omicron variant across Australian states. While many children, families and schools have continued to try make the best of the situation, the ongoing and complex nature of these events warrants specific attention in schools. It now marks two years since

The Seasons for Growth suite of programs provide small-group emotional learning support for children.

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the pandemic was declared, and in that time Australia has experienced extreme bushfire, flood, cyclone and storm events. ‘’It is not enough to teach through these events, we need to ensure attention is given to the skills and capacities children need for and beyond these disasters,’’ says Ms Fiona McCallum, Seasons for Growth General Manager. Some of these skills would be academicrelated, such as the foundational written and numerical literacy to filter and assess information. However, considerable research now attests to the impact of disruptive events on children and young people’s mental health and general social and emotional wellbeing (Commission for CYP, 2021; Lundy et al., 2021; Renshaw & Goodhue, 2021; UNICEF Australia, 2020). The impact of the events on routines, relationships and recreation means children and their families have been restricted from the sorts of relief that might usually help them cope with difficult times and stress. This highlights that children and young people need specific opportunities to learn emotional literacy and to practise the associated wellbeing skills for managing change, handling frustration and coping with uncertainty. For over a quarter of a century now, the Australian-developed Seasons for Growth suite of programs have been providing small-group emotional learning support for children in schools. Originally developed by Professor Anne Graham, AO, Director of The Centre for Children

‘The Rockhopper Toolkit: Finding your feet during times of change’ builds on the knowledge accumulated over 25 years of the Seasons for Growth programs.

Seasons for Growth toolkits provide opportunities for children to practise wellbeing skills for managing change, handling frustration and coping with uncertainty.

and Young People at Southern Cross University, to support children adapting to the change, loss and grief associated with parental separation or family bereavement, the programs have been adapted for children experiencing a wide range of change and loss events, including following natural disaster, terrorism events, for out-of-home care and suicide postvention in schools. McCallum points out that while the contexts differ, at their heart the programs are about supporting participants as they cope with, and adapt to, change and loss in their lives. Given this underlying focus, schools and Seasons for Growth facilitators across the country

and worldwide identified the potential resonance of the programs for supporting children during the current pandemic and equally with the natural disasters. They began contacting McCallum at the MacKillop Institute for advice. “We could all see there was a clear need to support children’s resilience and that the emotional literacy offered through the Seasons for Growth programs would be incredibly valuable to all children at this time. The challenge was to adapt what had always been a small group learning experience to the needs and context of a whole class,” McCallum says. “There are many additional wellbeing benefits

Students are asked to consider how rockhopper penguines navigate challenges and change, as they practise their own ‘rockhopper skills’.

derived from creating a safe space, being heard and the experience of connecting with and learning from a small group of peers who have had similar experiences. We didn’t want to lose that, but at the same time we recognised that the classroom context may not be a safe place for all children to process their experiences during this pandemic.” McCallum and her team found the answer in the seasons and rockhopper penguins. “Part of what makes the Seasons for Growth programs so gentle yet powerful is the underpinning metaphor of the shifting seasons. This theme also helps us to understand that difficult times will come and go and the program takes a gentle approach to raising challenging issues and finding new and helpful ways to adapt and respond to change,” McCallum adds. ‘’Initially, we wanted to find a similarly helpful idea for the pandemic context and in recent weeks, we have come to realise the applicability of the learnings following recent natural disaster events.” ‘Seasons Toolkit: Riding the Waves of Change’ is a free online resource available for all middle and secondary schools in Australia. It draws on key elements of the highly successful Seasons for Growth evidence-based psycho-social education programs which support children and young people to learn about and adapt to change and loss in their lives. EM Learn more: www.mackillopinstitute.org.au/ resources/seasons-toolkit/

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THE LAST WORD // eSafety

Online safety education opportunities for educators in 2022 ESAFETY COMMISSIONER JULIE INMAN GRANT HIGHLIGHTS THE UPCOMING ONLINE SAFETY EDUCATION TOOLS TO PROTECT YOUNG AUSTRALIANS. The Online Safety Act came into force at the end of January – and with it brought stronger powers to better protect Australians in the fight against online harms. And while eSafety can support Australians when something goes wrong online, we know that educators are fundamental to preventing and mitigating harms – giving individuals the knowledge to confidently navigate the online world and knowing where to turn if things go wrong. As the pandemic forced the education sector to find different pathways to continue to engage and support students and families – both online and off – the work of educators has become even more critical - with an even greater emphasis on online safety education. To support this effort, eSafety has consulted with educators, parents and students to ensure we develop resources and training that are relevant and useful. We call on you to join our eSafety Champions Network, which is comprised of teachers/staff representatives who make online safety a priority in their schools, to help us develop and pilot new material to support educators. Some other resources and ways to get involved in online safety education in 2022 include: LEADING BEST PRACTICE eSafety’s Best Practice Framework for Online Safety Education and Toolkit for Schools are being used across Australia to ensure schools deliver high quality programs, with clearly defined elements and effective practices. eSafety and the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority developed the online safety curriculum connection to support this integration.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR EDUCATORS eSafety offers a range of targeted and accredited professional learning that can support educators across the learning continuum, from early years to school leavers. It can be challenging to keep up to date with evolving tech and emerging trends among children and young people, so eSafety has a NSW Education Standards Authority and ACT Teacher Quality Institute accredited webinarbased professional learning program. This program draws on the latest online safety research, case studies and training strategies to integrate online safety into student wellbeing and curriculum planning. The program is one component of the range of tools and strategies to help integrate online safety into existing programs and student wellbeing planning. It was pleasing to see that in a recent external evaluation of one of eSafety’s webinars: ‘Online harmful sexual behaviours, misinformation and emerging technology’, after attending the webinar: • All respondents were confident embedding online safety concepts in their work; • educators’ confidence in helping young people to report online incidents increased; • all participants reported that they felt (or would feel) more confident dealing with online safety issues as a result of the webinar. This webinar will run all year, along with ‘Digital rights and responsibilities of students and educators’, which begins in April. As part of this professional learning program, eSafety will soon be launching four self-paced online learning modules for educators in lower primary to help support their learning and with links to activities to use in the classroom.

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HOME - SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP We know that a holistic approach to teaching children and young people is key in ensuring online safety messaging is having an impact. Integrating eSafety learning in the classroom and having parents continue these discussions in the home reinforces the learning and creates open lines of communication between school and home. Our new resource, how our class stays safe online, can be used with students aged 5 to 8 years. The activity encourages teachers and students to continue the discussion in the home using the family tech agreement. The home activity equips parents with discussion starters and tips to help support learnings at home, and to have discussions within the family. NEW RESOURCES AND VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS Throughout the year on occasions such as Safer Internet Day, National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence and during National Child Protection Week, eSafety delivers live virtual classrooms to primary students across Australia. New resources are also released to accompany these virtual classrooms. To support Safer Internet Day we launched the Play it safe and fair online resource – featuring three Australian athletes – which encourages primary and secondary students to explore strategies for staying safe online and identify how and when to get support if something goes wrong. EM

Australian Curriculum // THE LAST WORD

The progression and evolution of NAPLAN DAVID DE CARVALHO, CEO OF THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM, ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING AUTHORITY, DISCUSSES THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE NAPLAN TESTS. NAPLAN has been in place now for thirteen years. Like many things in education, it has its supporters and detractors. Because of NAPLAN, Australia has over a decade’s worth of invaluable data that has been used by parents, schools, governments and researchers to gain insights into student progress and achievement in literacy and numeracy. The NAPLAN data have informed policy development, resource allocation, curriculum planning and intervention programs. NAPLAN results are also used by researchers to support findings and insights into achievement gaps for First Nations Australian students, and the results allow us to identify what high progress schools are doing that others could potentially benefit from implementing.But teachers, students and schools are so much more than numbers and data crunching, and parents understand that. They know a 10-minute conversation with their child’s teacher will help them gain an insight into their child’s progress that is richer than just the numbers, and they know that the interaction between a teacher and a student is a key determinant of progress. NAPLAN has evolved over the past 13 years and moving the tests online has been a significant reform. For the next NAPLAN tests in May 2022, effectively all schools will be undertaking the tests online. We have been moving online since 2018 and it is no small task to execute a large-scale, multifaceted IT project involving multiple organisations where the technology and logistics are highly complex. It is akin to climbing Mount Everest at night. It is possible only through the partnership and support of all education agencies, state and territory governments, school sectors and schools. This partnership ensured that over a million students in 2021 had a good test experience … or as good an experience as a test can be! NAPLAN continues to progress and evolve, and education ministers have agreed to important changes that will improve the usefulness of NAPLAN for teaching and learning. The biggest

change that will affect schools, students and parents is that NAPLAN is on the move and will be held in Term One from 2023, instead of the usual slot in early Term Two, in May.This is important as it means that results will be available to schools earlier in the school year, allowing teachers to use insights gained from the results to help plan their teaching and learning programs so they can support students to gain important literacy and numeracy skills. The NAPLAN tests are not assessing the skills a student has learnt in the year to date. They are collecting a snapshot of information about the student’s overall literacy and numeracy skills. For example, a Year 5 numeracy test might ask students to demonstrate their understanding of place value, that is, whether a particular digit represents units, tens, hundreds or thousands depending on its position in a number. For example, a Year 7 numeracy test might ask students to demonstrate their understanding of place value, that is, that the value a particular digit represents depends on its position within the numeral representation of a number. For example, the digit 3 in 4.563 is in the thousandths position and so represents a value of 3 thousandths. Place value is something students begin to learn about in Year 1, decimals are then introduced at Year 4 and by Year 6 students are operating with decimals, so by the time they take the Year 7 NAPLAN numeracy test, they should be able to use their understanding of place value to solve, for example, problems involving multiplication of large numbers or addition and subtraction of decimal numbers. Teachers may already know whether individual students can do this or not, but NAPLAN allows teachers and parents to see how the individual child is progressing against national standards. Importantly, the data allows learning gaps to be spotted to make school- or system-wide reform. With testing done in March, parents,

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teachers, principals, and system authorities can act earlier in the school year if required. Writing results will be returned later. While marking of multiple-choice answers in numeracy, reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation is automated, writing continues to be marked by human beings, not machines due to the nature of the assessment, so writing assessments take longer to be marked. Another important change to the National Assessment Program (NAP) is that schools will also be able to opt into tests that assess Year 6 and Year 10 students in science, civics and citizenship, and digital literacy. These assessments will be in addition to the current NAP Sample program of national assessments in Science, Civics and Citizenship, and Digital Literacy, which occurs every 3 years. Results of these opt-in assessments will not be published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), but used by schools to drive improvements in teaching and learning. The new assessments will be available from 2024, starting with Science, with Civics and Citizenship, and Digital Literacy to follow in 2025 and 2026 respectively. From 2023, the existing NAP Sample program will move from October to Term Two. This means it can be undertaken at the same time as the opt-in assessments, which will allow those results to be compared against the national scale and results from the NAP Sample program. At 13, NAPLAN is hitting its adolescence and the data has helped shape where we are today. These new measures will mean our data will become even more valuable as NAPLAN continues to grow. EM

THE LAST WORD // Education Services

Making sense of the digital education landscape THE CONSORTIUM FOR SCHOOL NETWORK HAS RELEASED ITS DRIVING K–12 INNOVATION REPORT, EDUCATION SERVICES AUSTRALIA CEO ANDREW SMITH DISCUSSES. Technology is an essential element of learning, yet its use and application in the classroom and the home is inequitable. To help solve some of these barriers, a global panel of education and technology experts has been working together to identify ways to realise the benefits of technology in ways that promote greater equity. The Consortium for School Network (CoSN) recently released its Driving K–12 Innovation report, drawing on the expertise of education and technology leaders from across 18 countries. The purpose of this annual report is to help us make sense of the digital education landscape and chart paths forward by identifying the most important topics in teaching, learning and education innovation around the globe. The report outlines Hurdles, Accelerators and Tech Enablers that influence our ability to positively impact student achievement. This is a valuable framework for educators and school leaders to consider as we emerge from two years of severely disrupted education for many students across the globe. Hurdles are the roadblocks that force schools to slow their application of digital technologies to support student learning. Accelerators are the real-world trends that drive the needs and skills expected of learners and teachers, while Tech Enablers are the tools that grease the wheels for schools as they work to overcome the Hurdles and leverage the Accelerators. The panel identified digital equity as a key Hurdle to digital innovation in the classroom. Along with equitable access to high-speed internet and contemporary devices, digital equity also means ensuring students have

the knowledge and skills to use technology effectively to support their learning, with access to content that empowers them as learners. A second Hurdle is how to effectively scale innovation and overcome the natural drift back to pre-pandemic models of education. Whether it be practices for effective teaching and learning, school administration processes or technology usage, schools and systems are challenged to engage in innovation, adapting what is working well and scaling it out across a school, system or sector. Accelerators highlighted by the panel included personalised learning, which is when the learner is empowered to direct aspects of their learning. This involves opportunities for teachers to shape the learning outcomes, and students direct their learning, in ways that recognise individual student strengths, interests and preferred learning styles. Building the capacity and confidence of teachers to seamlessly integrate technologies into their pedagogy will accelerate their impact. Strengthening the knowledge and skills of teachers will open the door to innovative practices that can enhance student experience and create a culture that recognises and fosters learning across the school community. Tech Enablers that are key to overcoming Hurdles and leveraging Accelerators are the effective use of digital collaboration environments and the safe and secure use of data analytics and adaptive technologies. Digital collaboration technologies aligned to effective pedagogy enable high levels of collaboration and support for both online and in-person learning. Digital collaboration environments include both synchronous

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and asynchronous communication tools – platforms that allow multi-user, virtual communications, whether across the room or across the globe. Another example of Tech Enablers are the digital technologies that collect and use data related to teaching and learning to inform instructional decision making. These include adaptive technologies that adapt to individual students, based on their interactions with the technology. This could be in the form of suggesting next steps, providing remediation, controlling pacing, or providing feedback based on analysis of the student’s performance. It is important to remember that any technologies that rely on student data to inform teaching and learning must also meet high standards for privacy and data security to ensure they can be used safely in and out of the classroom. Australia is well placed to make the most of these technology enablers and overcome hurdles to the effective use of technology in teaching and learning. We have a teaching workforce that reports high levels of confidence and capability in their ability to integrate technology with pedagogy, and schools with the ambition to scale and embed effective practice. We must use these assets to retain a focus on overcoming the challenge of digital equity if all students are to benefit from the impact of digital technologies in learning. EM

University of South Australia // THE LAST WORD

Teaching writing in secondary schools: a story of professional learning DR DAVID CALDWELL, PROGRAM DIRECTOR: MASTERS UNISA EDUCATION FUTURES, EXPLORES USING META-LANGUAGE ACROSS KEY LEARNING AREAS TO IMPROVE SECONDARY WRITING SKILLS. Ever since the introduction of NAPLAN, improving students’ writing has been a priority for Australian schools. As the foundation of communication, writing is an essential skill, yet with 20 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls in Year 9 still not meeting minimum standards, secondary schools are under increasing pressure to improve writing production. The challenge appears to be associated with the specialisation of subjects as students progress through secondary school. While teachers recognise that writing styles become more distinctive within each learning area – for example, writing for science is very different to writing for music – the responsibility to deliver solid writing skills sits squarely on the shoulders of specialist teachers, creating a need to support all teachers to develop a meta-language for writing within their own subjects. In 2020, I led a year-long professional learning program with Marryatville High School, a large public secondary school in metropolitan South Australia. My task was to have each learning area produce at least one model text, that is, an exemplar text from their discipline that aligned with relevant Australian Curriculum content descriptors (for a specific year level). I also worked collaboratively with the teachers to analyse and annotate their model texts, highlighting important language features to teach in the classroom, such as technical language, relating verbs and causal sentences in a science lab report. The resulting text production was outstanding. In total, the Marryatville teachers produced 19 model texts across eight learning areas. All texts were accurately analysed for genre and grammar, with

teaching staff producing a range of genres in line with their respective learning areas, including responses, explanations, reports, and arguments. So, what helped facilitate this level of teacher engagement and text production? The key was three-fold: professional learning, empowerment through production, and leadership. Firstly, it’s important to understand that this teaching intervention was one part of a three-year sequence of professional learning. In the year prior, staff had undertaken rigorous training in genre and functional grammar; they analysed texts, experienced joint construction, and had essentially been ‘taught’ explicitly about the language of their disciplines. By year two, they had a reasonably strong sense of how language works in their learning area. Then, in the third year, after producing model texts, the staff focused on classroom pedagogy – how to use the model texts in the classroom. Giving staff ownership over their own text production and analysis was especially critical. First, it forced teachers to think hard about what language constitutes the kinds of texts their students produce – scientific reports, narratives, or data-driven descriptions – each has different structure, vocabulary, and grammar preferences. Second, it made teachers experience the same linguistic demands that their students experience when writing for their discipline. Finally, teachers were empowered to write as the experts in their respective fields, and unlike traditional literacy learning, where decontextualised grammar exercises can be both frustrating and boring, the teachers tended to be engaged because it was their world they were writing about! Technology teachers bonded over the

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construction of spatulas; English teachers argued about the aesthetics of poetry; and HASS teachers related the Black Plague to COVID. Their field expertise kept them engaged in the hard language work. Finally, and most critically, the school leadership had a clear vision for this professional learning, hence the three-year time commitment. Leadership recognised the importance of a whole-school approach to language –- they were not afraid of meta-language (language about language); they readily used terms like genre, nouns, alliteration, and conjunction. They understood that to effectively teach writing in secondary school, each discipline area needed to understand how language works for the different kinds of texts they demanded from their students. In fact, staff were encouraged to display posters of meta-language in classrooms across the school. So, what did we learn overall? Well, as tempting as commercial products and shortterm professional development courses might sound, the reality is that improvement for something as complex and critical as writing, takes time. It cannot be rushed or crammed into a one-day seminar. However, with the support of leadership and commitment from teachers, it is possible to build a positive and productive culture where metalanguage for each learning area is commonplace in secondary schools. Only from good foundations will good writing flow. EM

EVENTS

LITTLE SCIENTISTS STEM COMPUTER SCIENCE WORKSHOP 3 May, 2022 Perth, WA Web: https://events.humanitix.com/littlescientists-stem-computerscience-workshopperth-westernaustralia-aiswa-may22 Immerse yourself in the world of computer science and playfully explore algorithms, sequencing and sorting without using computers. Understand the basic concepts of computational thinking and learn how to unlock the world of computers for children.

ELEVATE – DRAMA QUEENSLAND STATE CONFERENCE 6-7 May, 2022 Brisbane, QLD Web: https://www.dramaqueensland.org.au/pd/ conference/ Drama Queensland’s 2022 conference Elevate will provide a platform for teachers, academics and industries professionals to share insight, knowledge, practice and experience. It will offer a space for us to share our approaches to advocacy, curriculum and to find new opportunities in the face of adversity.

QUALITY TEACHING MASTERCLASS 4 May, 2022 Sydney, NSW Web: https://qtacademy.edu.au/eclevacrmevent/quality-teaching-masterclass-refreshersydney/ This workshop is designed to provide a refresher of the Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) process for schools who want to ensure the fidelity of implementation. Participating teachers will work individually and collaboratively throughout the workshop to strengthen their understanding of the Quality Teaching Model and QTR processes.

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK (NRW) 27 May - 3 June National Web: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/ourwork/narragunnawali/ National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is held annual. It’s a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

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WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 3 June Online Website: https://www.wla.edu.au/ highereducationsummit.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_4SBhCgARIsAAlegrXBdvhFOJHhr-yUxOZitU70BVfM hX2jcVB5Ikn3BE8kzfOlHbhR0OAaAiAyEALw_wcB The Australian Schools Women’s Leadership Summit will take place as an interactive online event on Friday 3 June 2022, bringing together industry leaders with a deep understanding of current challenges and opportunities for women leaders in the education sector. This summit will provide opportunities to be inspired by experts, connect with other school leaders, recharge leadership strategies as well as plan for the future. EDUTECH AUSTRALIA 2022 8-10 August, 2022 Melbourne, VIC Web: https://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/ edutech-australia/index.stm EduTECH brings together educators and solution providers to exchange and explore ideas, techniques, and technology, with the aim of improving teaching, training and learning and raising the education standards in Australia and the world.

Education Matters Secondary May-Sept 2022

Articles inside

Building digital intelligence in the middle years

Events

The Last Word

Supporting children and young people in times of transition

Creating a positive school culture

Inspiring the next generation of female scientists and engineers

Hot Topic: The new normal

The Rise of the DJ in the school classroom

News

ASPA column

Education specialists

Developing global citizens for a kinder world

A tech-enabled future for students