Good quality teaching can be hard to define and there is no single way of measuring it. But all students, throughout their education, experience the highs and lows of teaching ability. More...
These days it is heresy to suggest some teenagers may sometimes exaggerate – but when it comes to accusations of sexual abuse or misconduct, teachers who are falsely accused have little hope of salvaging their careers. More...
A number of years ago as a PhD student, I was told that you must “publish or perish”. The advice was clear: teaching should be secondary in any considerations. More...
State and federal relations are almost always a bumpy ride – you only have to look at the recent stoush over schools funding to see that. So when relations go well and we see a glimpse of that perfect picture of co-operative federalism, attention needs to be paid. More...
Zimbabwean migrants to Britain are often referred to by those at home as being the BBC – British bottom cleaners – fit only for the most menial roles in the former colonial “mother country”. More...
Many teachers say they strive to teach their students to be critical thinkers. They even pride themselves on it; after all, who wants children to just take in knowledge passively. More...
Many visitors in poor, sub-Saharan African countries are struck by how schools outnumber factories. The large number of schools is due partly to the success of one of the Millennium Development Goals – that primary education should be available to all children. More...
Fifty Shades of Grey is only the most notorious of many recent novels that have their origins in online fan fiction, or fic. Although fic has been around for a long time, it has only recently become so visible in mainstream culture – and so more commercial. More...
Last month the University of Adelaide has boldly declared that it is phasing out lectures. Replacing them will be “flipped” classrooms, where students are expected to do pre-work before they come to class, and where classes are focussed on problem solving and collaboration. More...