Professional Educator Volume 5 Number 1 March 2006
Editorial
When the Prime Minister, John Howard, completed his Cabinet reshuffle in January, Dr Brendan Nelson went to the Defence portfolio, with Julie Bishop taking his place as the Minister for Education, Science and Training.
Nelson’s move from Education to Defence was described as a ‘promotion’ and universally accepted as such in media reporting. Accepting that the defence of the nation is certainly no small matter, it should still concern educators to discover that education appears to be secondary to it. Many readers will have heard the rhetoric that a skilled and knowledgeable population is our most valuable resource, and certainly worth defending, but surely that means education ought to be the primary portfolio and defence the secondary one. What Bishop does with Nelson’s inquiries and sometimes inconsistent reforms relating to schools,vocational education and training, and higher education remains to be seen. ‘I hope to continue some of the initiatives and policies he has put in place,’ she told the Australian.
‘A number of them do need bedding down and that will be a challenge.’
letters to the editor
How are young people faring? Dr John Spierings, Researcher, Dusseldorp Skills Forum.
Look at the population as a whole and it’s clear we’re living in a buoyant economy,with strong jobs growth and unprecedented wealth connected to home ownership.So are Australians comfortable with their lot? Well, the evidence is mixed.Widespread optimism about economic prospects is generally tempered by anxiety about levels of household debt and concerns about terrorism. Rising levels of clinical depression, popular longing for a personal sea-change and a profound incidence of family breakdown also tend to counter-balance the sense of economic goodtimes. What about young people?...
Opinion
Crisis? What crisis? A reply
In the October issue, Ian Keese took Kevin Donnelly to task in a review of Why OurSchools Are Failing. Kevin Donnelly replies.
Data
Reporting to systems and schools
Schools and education systems collect good data, but reporting and using data could be better, especially for teachers and principals,says Jocelyn Cook.
Improving learning
Data, data everywhere,but not enough to think. Data can inform educators, and when it does it’s called information. David Axworthy explains.
Innovation
Futures in education
Futures education in a rapidly changing world is critical if we are to empower young people to be proactive rather than reactive about the future, say Debra Bateman, Jennifer Gidley and Caroline Smith.
Disciplined thinking - Pathways to intellectual character in mainstream science
Mark Coleman explains how the Ithaka Project and simple action research influenced the development of assessment, curriculum and practice in junior Science.
what i’m teaching now - Music
Leaving aside the policies and the programs, the research and the rhetoric, education is really about what happens in your classroom. Trouble is, most educators don’t get to see what’s happening in the classroom next door. Joan earle opens the door to her classroom to explain what, and how, she’s teaching now.
National Perspective
A new Minister; the teaching of reading; the gender balance in education – and hardly a political stunt in sight. We must be between elections. Steve Holden reports.
In Brief
- New International School
- By The Profession, For The Profession
- On The Buses
Teaching and Learning - From the ground up
Postgraduate student assessment in nursing aims to promote the understanding of theoretical concepts and their application in practice. How do you achieve that? By mapping the influences of the curriculum and then evaluating student progress. Sue Brown explains.
Issues
Music Education
The Commonwealth’s National Review of School Music Education, released in November, proposes better pre-service teacher education for primary school generalist classroom teachers.
Nita Temmerman says that’s a good start, but further action is needed.
Eating Disorders
Educators can do plenty to help prevent health problems related to eating disorders, as brian hemmings, sarah park and simone masonwells explain
Reviews
Leadership for Mortals by Dean Fink
The Diary
Want to know about professional development opportunities, conferences and just plain useful stuff? the diary tells you what’s on.
As I See It
Teacher love
Danny Katz explains why he won’t be appearing on 60 Minutes anytime soon