What's newSA secondary principals consider e-portfolios for general assessmentA forum held by the South Australian Secondary Principals Association (SASPA) has discussed the possibility of assessing students' general skills through digital or electronic portfolios. See article in the Advertiser (AdelaideNow) 6 December 2011. Victoria's Education Minister lays out Government's vision for education reformVictoria's Minister for Education, Martin Dixon, has set out the Government's vision for education reform, entitled Victoria as a Learning Community. See also report on ABC News 29 November and article in The Australian 30 November 2011. Website launched for Bastow Institute of Educational LeadershipThe Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership has a new website that gives early childhood and school professionals access to information about upcoming courses, workshops and seminars as well as an extensive library of resources on leadership in education. In 2012, Bastow will launch its online learning system that will give leadership course participants remote access to resources, networks and online collaboration. The Bastow Institute of Educational Leadership was established by the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) in 2009 to provide a range of learning options for current and aspiring leaders in early childhood and education professions in Victoria. See DEECD News Bulletin 9 November 2011. SA teachers to have two additional student-free days for curriculum PDPrimary and secondary teachers in South Australia's public schools have been allocated two student-free days each year over the next six years, to support professional learning focused on implementation of the Australian Curriculum. See statement from State Minister for Education and Child Development, Grace Portolesi, statement from the AEU, and article in the Advertiser (AdelaideNow), all 5 December 2011. WA education minister overhauls teacher registrationWestern Australia's Education Minister, Liz Constable, has introduced a Bill to State Parliament that would replace the Western Australian College of Teaching (WACOT), and give the responsibility to a new body, the Teacher Registration Board. Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework recognisedSteiner Education Australia reports that the the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has granted recognition to the Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework as an alternate curriculum. Trials explore benefits of computer games for learning in primary and secondary schoolsThree trials in Victoria have explored the benefits of using computer games for learning in primary and secondary schools. The trials involved 80 teachers and 960 students across the state. See DEECD news bulletin 24 November 2011. Research reports find that many Chicago charter schools are strugglingRecent research suggests that many charter schools in Chicago 'are performing no better than traditional neighborhood schools and some are actually doing much worse', according to an article in Edweek 30 November 2011. New edition of psychiatrist's guide pathologises sorrow, according to some doctorsThe fifth edition of the psychiatrist's 'bible', the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, treats various forms of unhappiness as medical conditions, according to some doctors. The manual is due for completion next year. See article in The Age 4 December 2011. |