In This Issue

EDITORIAL and INSIDE INSIGHT

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD - Solution

OPINION - Look at the doughnut, not the hole

League tables will just make us look at the hole, not the doughnut, when it comes to addressing school performance and improvement. So what's the doughnut? It's the work done by actual quality teachers to increase the learning gain of students, says Greg Whitby.

FEATURE - Building bridges: Designing shared-resource schools

A Commonwealth government pilot program that's encouraging local schools to share educational facilities is doing more than breaking down the barriers between them, explains Max Chester.

THE PROFESSION -

The forms of things unknown: Language and literature

Exploring the relationship between language and literature in the senior secondary classroom offers multiple ways for students to think and to understand their world, writes Anita Patel.

Clearly organised

Learning how to prioritise tasks and organise routines can save you time, make your workload seem lighter, and make you a more effective educator, says Rebecca Mezzino.

CLASSROOM CONFIDENTIAL - Secrets of success

Should we focus on fostering opportunity and legacy for our students to ensure their success, asks Seamus O'Grady, or should we reconsider the very concept of achievement?

RESEARCH - State of play: Preschool education in Australia

Australia's preschool system needs nationally consistent and comparable data, better legislation, and more qualified early childhood education teachers. Raelene Morey reports.

TRANSITION - Falling through the cracks

If we want our young people to learn and earn, we need to ensure they experience successful transitions, rather than letting them fall through the cracks, say Lucas Walsh and Jessica de Campo.

INNOVATION -

Inclusive learning technologies: Supporting students of all abilities

Technology tools allow schools to accommodate the individual learning needs of all students, and provide inclusive and equitable access to curriculum, knowledge and understanding, write Jane Farrall and Greg O'Connor.

Surviving Web 2.0

Web 2.0 tools can be useful for teaching and learning in the classroom, but they are also valuable for building professional communities and pursuing professional learning, says Chris Smith.

NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE and IN BRIEF

ISSUES - Pancake people in flatland

Are we really being flattened by the pressure of information spewed out by the internet, are we getting dumber or smarter, and is the internet really changing the way we think? Steve Holden looks for some answers.

REVIEW

From Blogs to Bombs: The future of digital technologies in education

THE DIARY

AS I SEE IT... Octopus evolution

When octopi intellect overtakes human education, our species is doomed, says Danny Katz.