What's newNSW draft K–10 English syllabus releasedThe draft K–10 English syllabus for NSW is now available, and primary and secondary teachers are encouraged to take part in the statewide consultation. See statement 1 August 2011 from the NSW Board of Studies. Videos available for National Literacy and Numeracy Week NSWIn collaboration with other education authorities, the NSW Department of Education and Communities has produced a wide range of literacy and numeracy videos for the state's National Literacy and Numeracy Week (NLNW) 29 August–4 September 2011. The videos are designed to assist teachers' professional learning and to support parents. ACARA unlikely to take legal action against newspapers publishing ranked lists of schoolsThe Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) does not intend to take legal action against newspapers that have published ranked lists of schools based on data from the My School website, according to an article in The Australian 1 August 2011. NSW School Certificate to be abolished from 2012The NSW Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, has announced that the state's year 10 School Certificate will be abolished from 2012. See statement 4 August. See also article in the Sydney Morning Herald 4 August 2011. Ethics classes in NSWSecular ethics classes in NSW have been discussed in a range of media articles and public forums this week. See, for example, article 1 August, report 2 August and article 4 August in the Sydney Morning Herald, blog post 3 August on the Daily Telegraph website, and comment 2 August and related comment 1 August 2011 in The Age. Call for new approaches to maths teaching in AustraliaIn a new research report Peter Sullivan, a professor of mathematics education, has called for new approaches to maths teaching in Australia. See article in The Age 2 August 2011. WA curriculum authority to be restructuredRevision to the role and structure of Western Australia's curriculum authority are set out in legislation currently before the state's parliament. See also article in The Australian 4 August 2011. WA secondary schools in study of the role played by diagrams and visual tools in science learningWestern Australian secondary schools are taking part in a study to understand how diagrams and visual tools can help students learn scientific concepts in the classroom. See report 29 July 2011 from ScienceNetwork Western Australia. WA schools in low socioeconomic areas to receive new playgroundsWestern Australian schools in low socioeconomic areas are to receive new playground facilities. See statement 2 August 2011 by State Minister for Education, Elizabeth Constable. More schools moving to Independent Public School status in WAIn Western Australia, 109 schools are to become Independent Public Schools in 2012 and 2013. See statement from the State Education Minister, Liz Constable, 1 August 2011. New data describes enrolments and capacity of Queensland schoolsQueensland's Education Minister, Cameron Dick, has released detailed data showing enrolment figures for every school in Queensland, along with information about each school's capacity. See Minister's statement 2 August 2011. Life teaching bans, stricter reporting of student sexual abuse under new laws in QldThe Queensland Government has tightened procedures used for background checks on teachers. See statement 2 August by Education Minister, Cameron Dick, and article 3 August 2011 in the Courier Mail. Four-term school year to be implemented in TasmaniaAll Tasmanian Government schools will move to a four-term school year from 2013. See statement 1 August from Tasmania's Minister for Education and Skills, Nick McKim. See also article in The Mercury 2 August 2011. Education on track for outback transient Aboriginal kidsA software program, to be trialled in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, will track the movement of transient Aboriginal children. See article in The Australian 3 August 2011. Rural Centre of Teaching Excellence Pilot ProjectIn Victoria, 21 rural schools are working with three universities in the Centre of Teaching Excellence initiative, resourced by DEECD. The Rural Centre of Teaching Excellence is one of seven across the state funded to facilitate school-university partnerships to deliver quality professional experiences. See statement 29 July 2001 on the website of the Country Education Project. |