Welcome back to part two of this slow, frustrating waltz through the reasons Australian education feels like it’s running in place—polished reforms on the outside, same old problems underneath. In Part 1, we looked at the front-line issues: the illusion of standardisation, content overload, research misused as doctrine, professional development that feels more like detention,Continue reading “Why Australian Education Feels Stuck – Part 2 of 2: Digging Deeper into the Dysfunction”
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Why Australian Education Feels Stuck – A Two-Part Reality Check
Spend enough time around Australian education policy and you’ll notice a pattern: constant reform, endless reviews, shiny new acronyms—and yet, the results barely move. If anything, they’re sliding in the wrong direction. It’s like watching someone rearrange deck chairs on a ship that’s slowly turning in circles. We’ve been told the next initiative will fixContinue reading “Why Australian Education Feels Stuck – A Two-Part Reality Check”
Doomscrolling in the Classroom: Why Schools Must Reclaim Attention in the Age of Digital Distraction
I’ve written about all this before, but I was previously focussed on mobile devices in the classroom and the digital revolution – a half-century revolution in the making. The Labour Party has finally emerged from its grieving loss in the referendum (I wrote about it here) to pass a social media ban for under-16s, oneContinue reading “Doomscrolling in the Classroom: Why Schools Must Reclaim Attention in the Age of Digital Distraction”
Edtopia 2024: Hype, Hope, and the Same Old Headaches
This year has been one of upheaval, innovation, and the same old gripes in education. If you’ve been reading my blogs, you already know I’m a bit of a cynic and I sound like a broken record, but let’s face it—education is one of those fields that’s always “on the brink of change,” yet somehowContinue reading “Edtopia 2024: Hype, Hope, and the Same Old Headaches”
Inclusive Education Isn’t Broken, It’s Underfunded: A Call for Real Change
Inclusive education—everyone nods along when we say it’s important. It’s about making sure every child, no matter their background or abilities, gets the education they deserve. But let’s face it: the system is a mess, and the heavy lifting is being done by teachers who are struggling to keep up. What we need is aContinue reading “Inclusive Education Isn’t Broken, It’s Underfunded: A Call for Real Change”
The Cost of the HSC and the Relevance of the ATAR in Today’s Education Landscape
Note: This is an updated version of a post I wrote around this time of year. As students move toward their end-of-year exams, I wish them all the best and hope that one day soon, we’ll see a shift from these high-stakes exams to something with more educational value. As we move toward the endContinue reading “The Cost of the HSC and the Relevance of the ATAR in Today’s Education Landscape”
Ignore the Naysayers: Why Australia’s Education System is Stronger Than You Think
If you only read the headlines, you’d think Australia’s education system is on the brink of collapse. Recent headlines include: “Six ways Australia’s education system is failing our kids,” “One-third of Australian children can’t read properly as teaching methods cause ‘preventable tragedy’, Grattan Institute says,” and “Why Australia’s students keep falling behind.” The news isContinue reading “Ignore the Naysayers: Why Australia’s Education System is Stronger Than You Think”
Paper over Pixels: The Unrecognised Benefits of Traditional Learning
Everywhere I look, and every article I read seems to promise that AI will save or destroy the world. Let’s hope that, for our sake, it is the former. In educational circles, the promise of AI is compelling. Tools like adaptive learning platforms, AI tutors, and automated grading systems are projected to make learning moreContinue reading “Paper over Pixels: The Unrecognised Benefits of Traditional Learning”
The Standards Dilemma: Aligning Goals and Incentives in Australian Education
As an expat American, I’ve always been intrigued—and frankly, baffled—by the Australian schooling system. It’s a system riddled with contradictions that simply don’t add up. Take New South Wales (NSW), where I currently reside and have taught. NSW operates on a syllabus-based system of education. This syllabus tells teachers what to teach, and it’s supposedlyContinue reading “The Standards Dilemma: Aligning Goals and Incentives in Australian Education”
The Paradox of Standardisation in Australian Education: A Step Back from Progress
In an era when Australia ambitiously strides towards professionalising and valuing its teaching workforce, paradoxically, it tethers these professionals to a framework of stringent standardisation. This juxtaposition not only stunts educational progress but also undermines the very essence of the professionalisation that was painstakingly championed. As an advocate for unorthodox thinking in the realms ofContinue reading “The Paradox of Standardisation in Australian Education: A Step Back from Progress”
Maximising Student Potential 