Australia Association for Research in Education
The problem with using scientific evidence in education (why teachers should stop trying to be more like doctors)
For teachers to be like doctors, and base practice on more “scientific” research, might seem like a good idea. But medical doctors are already questioning the narrow reliance in medicine on randomised controlled trials that Australia seems intent on implementing in education. In randomised controlled trials of new drugs, researchers get two groups of comparable …
What’s good ‘evidence-based’ practice for classrooms? We asked the teachers, here’s what they said
Calls for Australian schools and teachers to engage in ‘evidence-based practice’ have become increasingly loud over the past decade. Like ‘quality’, it’s hard to argue against evidence or the use of evidence in education, but also like ‘quality’, the devil’s in the detail: much depends on what we mean by ‘evidence’, what counts as ‘evidence’, …
Are we designing and building the right schools for future Australia? (We could be getting it so wrong)
The next few decades require some radical thinking about how to build a new generation of Australia’s schools. …
Why do we educate our children? Is why being lost in the how (all the testing and measurement) in Australia?
How do we measure success in education? At the moment, and for a fair while, we have measured …
Out-of-field teaching is out of control in Australian schools. Here’s what’s happening
Assigning teachers to teach in positions outside their field of qualifications or expertise creates complex and multi-layered challenges, yet it is happening in many Australian schools. I believe out-of-field teaching can affect the quality of teaching we provide in our schools, and the wellbeing of the students, teachers, parents and school leaders involved. So it …
No child should be sacrificed for the ‘greater good’ of a school or ‘best interests’ of majority. This is what child rights is about
Everyone has the right to safe working conditions and environments including children. This right is not negated by …
Vast amounts of data about our children are being harvested and stored via apps used by schools
Electronic data is increasingly being collected in our schools without people being fully aware of what is happening. We should be concerned about the amount of data being collected via apps and commercial software used by schools and teachers for varying reasons. We need to ask questions such as: How is that data being stored …
Teacher As Practitioner (TAP) program helps keep teachers in the profession
Australia loses approximately 30 per cent of teachers in their first five years of teaching. Vast amounts of …
Four things teachers can do to help young people critically navigate social media
Social media is an important element of nearly every young person’s life. Many use platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook every day. But these platforms are not neutral. Platform operators are shaping the way young people use social media. In this post I look at what is happening and how teachers can help …