Educational Articles of Interest
| Wednesday February 24, 2010
Ranking by NAPLAN results rates a fail
John Collier, Sydney Morning Herald, February 3, 2010
A visible aspect of current community life is the demand for transparency and accountability. Governments feel the demand from the electorate for information on which to base decisions, and on which to judge the performance of social utilities such as schools.The notion of accountability is unobjectionable. Schools play an important and even decisive role in shaping the futures of young people and should be held accountable. But how - and through which indicators?There are many objections to using NAPLAN tests and the consequent league tables based upon them for this purpose. Attempting to express the quality of a school in a single statistic is so reductionist as to be misleading. The input of schools into a student's life cannot be measured as a result of a short test on one day of the year. The essential problem is that much of what schools do - pastoral care, extension of life opportunities through co-curricular and sporting programs, formation of values, creation of community - cannot be quantified.
Christopher Bantick, the Australian, 1 February 2010The suggestion that poor children will not do well at school is both offensive and misguided. Anyone who knows much about education and teaching understands this simple fact: quality educational outcomes are directly related to quality teaching. It is the sleeper in the My School website.
Research has persistently shown better teachers mean better results. Do you think I am overstating the case? Well, consider this. According to the findings of the benchmark 2005 Department of Education, Science and Training's national inquiry into the teaching of literacy:
"Highly effective teachers and their professional learning do make a difference in the classroom. It is not so much what students bring with them from their backgrounds, but what they experience on a day-to-day basis in interaction with teachers and other students that matters. Teaching quality has strong effects on children's experiences of schooling, including their attitudes, behaviours and achievement outcomes."
Building Resilient Children Forum
| Wednesday February 24, 2010
Warrandyte Primary School
Invites Parents and Friend
To A
Building Resilience Forum
Resilience is the ability to bounce back, recover or adjust to challenges or change.
WEDNESDAY 17 March 7 p.m. –9 p.m.
Refreshments from 6:45 p.m. Cost - nil
Presented by Chris Daicos a noted expert in this field.
We CAN influence our children’s ability to deal with problems (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, depression, bullying) in a constructive way.
A resilient child exhibits:
· Social competence
· Problem solving skills
· Autonomy
· A sense of purpose and future
Come along and find out how we can foster these skills in our children. Wouldn’t it be nice to know how your children could ‘bungy jump’ through the pitfalls of life.
This highly interactive and engaging workshop will:
· Provide an overview of current research in the area of resilience
· Provide an opportunity to identify and learn about the positive factors that build resilience
· Enable participants to consider ways of increasing and maximising the protective factors for children and adolescents
Chris will talk us through what we can do to help establish the protective shield that promotes resilience.
ALL WELCOME