Meeting employers’ need for experience — often identified in job postings — is the great catch-22 of starting any career. Many employers require experience for a job, but people cannot gain experience if no one hires them. More...
10 ways to get the most out of silent reading in schools
Reading aloud can help young children learn about new words and how to sound them. There’s great value too in providing opportunities for children to enjoy regular silent reading, which is sustained reading of materials they select for pleasure. More...
A traumatic past can make you a better social worker, but it might block you studying it in the first place
Last year, I received a phone call from a prospective student. She wanted to know if our university would accept her into a Master of Social Work program. Another local university had just knocked her back. More...
‘I wish you were murdered’: some students don’t know the difference between bullying and banter
Many Australian students don’t know the difference between banter and bullying, with some saying they joke about wishing their friend would “drown” or “die in a car crash”. More...
Don’t blame the teacher: student results are (mostly) out of their hands
Teachers have very little to do with why some kids are better at school than others, our research shows. This contradicts the popular view that teachers matter most (after genes) when it comes to academic achievement. More...
‘I’m in another world’: writing without rules lets kids find their voice, just like professional authors
Ask a child why they write and you might receive a common response: the teacher told me to. Kids often lack confidence as writers and find it emotionally draining. The problem might be the classroom and its detachment from what writers do in the real world. More...
Don’t calm down! Exam stress may not be fun but it can help you get better marks
Two-thirds of young people experience levels of exam stress that mental health organisation ReachOut describes as “worrying”. More...
Curious Kids: is it OK to listen to music while studying?
It’s a good question! In a nutshell, music puts us in a better mood, which makes us better at studying – but it also distracts us, which makes us worse at studying. More...
Quantum Computing Is Poised to Change Everything
It is truly rare that an advancement comes along that changes every aspect of society; quantum computing is poised to do just that in the 2020s. More...
Educational Opportunity in the Age of Disruption
Since the publication of my book, Free-Range Learning in the Digital Age: The Emerging Revolution in College, Career, and Education, in mid-2018, and after a year of listening, learning and reflecting, I would like to explore and look at the future of learning and work with refreshed eyes and new understandings. I am writing not as a critic but as a friend and longtime observer of higher education, learners, learning and opportunity. More...