Education for Older Kids
Pressure to be perfect
Sarah Wayland 10:02am Is your child a perfectionist? How parents and teachers can send the message that making mistakes is all part of the learning journey.
Australian children among the sleepiest
DAN HARRISON Sleepiness is holding Australian schoolchildren back in the international education race, a study suggests.
Brands cash in on NAPLAN test fear
Jewel Topsfield and Daniel Hurst Stuffed toys that help children deal with ''difficult emotions'' are being spruiked as a way of assisting ''with the stress of NAPLAN'', as companies cash in on the emphasis placed on next week's national literacy and numeracy tests.
Natasha's new goal: saving orangutans
KATIE CARLIN It has been five years since Natasha Stott Despoja left politics to raise her two young children but the former leader of the Democrats has been on her latest project – saving orangutans in south-east Asia.
Pakistan's Malala back at school for first time
Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai has returned to school for the first time since she was shot in the head by the Taliban in October for campaigning for girls' education.
Ten tips to help boys succeed at school
School A-Z School principal Paul Tracey, and expert on boys' resilience and motivation Professor Andrew Martin, give their best ideas on helping boys to excel at school.
Students insist there's nothing poultry about their chooks
Julie Power Getting too attached to a chook is risky. That's one of the lessons learnt by students at Muirfield High School in Sydney's north-west who for the first time are entering the Royal Easter Show's egg-laying and chicken-meat competitions for schools. Of the eight egg-laying pullets they received in November as eight-week-old chicks, only five remain: Comet, Cupid, Blixen, Prancer and Rudolph.
Parents snap up NAPLAN how-to books
EMMA MACDONALD Publishing houses printing how-to guides and NAPLAN-specific workbooks have found themselves winners as parents clamour for help in maximising their children's scores.
Neck and neck in NAPLAN race
Josephine Tovey and Amy McNeilage Public and private schools on Sydney's north shore have continued to achieve almost uniform high results in NAPLAN testing, a trend believed to be one factor driving the enrolments surge in local public schools.
Why children need to make mistakes
Jessica Lahey Kids must be allowed to make mistakes and a new study details the reasons why.
Too much study puts 'life on hold'
AMY CORDEROY Given the choice, children in NSW would forgo television and spend more time playing sports and hanging out with family, according to a landmark report.
Students clashing with teachers
KIMBERLEY O'BRIEN Is your child struggling to adapt to their new teacher? Here are some different approaches that will help diffuse the situation.
When home and traditional schooling collide
Linley Wilkie More families are approaching their child's education with a measured mix of traditional and home schooling but how do they marry these conflicting philosophies?
Sophie starts high school after journey of pain and triumph
JO CASAMENTO Walking through the school gates unassisted on her first day of high school was more of a milestone for Sophie Delezio than most.
Parents do the maths of school daze
Lara O'Toole Starting secondary school can be a landmark chapter in a child's life, but for their parents it can be a different story.
Unschooling truly in a class of its own
ANDREW TAYLOR As children prepare to go back to school, some parents are taking a radically different tack.
Ingredients for an empty lunch box
Donna Webeck Sanity saving lunch box tips with 4 Ingredients kitchen whiz, Kim McCosker.
Is it time to re-imagine school holidays?
Ainslie MacGibbon It's been challenging to find a child who spent the summer harvesting crops, or undergoing immersion in agriculture - outdoors that is, not with Smurfberries, a Smurfy hoe and an iPod. Or Ninja Fingers. Yet that's what the long summer holiday was originally intended for. Is it still relevant to take school holidays this way? Everyone, at the same time? Or just burdensome?
Back to school to-do list
Agencies The first day of school is just around the corner and there is no better way to make the transition from lazy summer days to the back to school grind then by preparing a list now.
2013 school term dates and public holidays
A guide to school term dates and public holidays in your state.
Parents suffering from back to school stress
LAKSHMI SINGH Working parents endure high levels of stress when it comes to getting ready for their child's return to school, according to a recent study, but there is help available.
Cyber safety lessons to roll out in schools
KATIE CARLIN Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited Yates Avenue Public School in Sydney’s Dundas Valley today to launch a new cyber safety program aimed at educating primary-aged children on how to stay safe online.
Students facing tough lessons as teachers fight back
Jewel Topsfield School fetes, parent information evenings, music, inter-school sport, excursions and marking are among the activities that will be banned this year if they fall outside the 38-hour working week as teachers ramp up their industrial action.
Is salt the answer to growing smarter kids?
Cres Eastman Iodine deficiency could be why Australian children lag behind at school.
Gifted children have needs too
Melissa Conley Tyler Pushy parents of gifted kids only want their children's needs to be taken seriously.
The great race to the top of the class
Australia faces a huge battle to catch up with other nations, write Josephine Tovey and Amy McNeilage
Students want sex education earlier
Amy McNeilage High school students say they are not getting sex education soon enough and want topics such as puberty and pregnancy discussed in primary school, a Victorian study has found.
Why this parent is for NAPLAN
KATHARINE MURPHY Memo to teachers: surely transparency in schools is a good thing.
Children being drilled for results
JEWEL TOPSFIELD National study reveals children are suffering stress-related vomiting and sleeplessness as some teachers drill them for months prior to the NAPLAN.
Kids' kick start successful shoe business
Anneli Knight Confidence, creativity and perhaps a touch of cuteness can help kids learn valuable lessons in how to run a business.
How to make kids listen to their minds
Richard Schiffman Self-reflection to help enlighten children is being introduced into classrooms worldwide.
Express yourself digitally
Melinda Ham New technologies and a little know-how can make an artist out of all of us, writes Melinda Ham.
League as a learning tool
ANDREW STEVENSON Teachers may often have dreamt of knocking kids heads together but its unlikely they imagined using rugby league as a learning tool.
Parents rally behind Gonski Review
Rachael Sowden The Gonski Review revealed that Australian schools are in desperate need of funds to bring them up to standard but will the Government take this advice?
Learning the Kumon way
Amy Mcneilage Kumon classrooms are easy to spot. Floor to ceiling pigeonholes store thousands of worksheets. The learning method claims no secret formula. The idea is basic.
Schoolgirl punished for killer idea to fight bullying
Julie Power A US teenager suspended from school for creating a fictional character who committed suicide to lift awareness of bullying should have been commended.
A classroom flip brings home the benefit of video lessons
Breanna Tucker PETER Smythe has often been accused of being a little back to front. The year 11 mathematics teacher at Canberra's Gungahlin College has reversed the concept of ''classwork'' and ''homework''. Everyday he sends his students a series of YouTube links to self-recorded videos of himself lecturing and asks them to study the clips at home.
Preparing for NAPLAN
Children around Australia are brushing up on their reading, writing, language and numeracy skills this week in preparation for NAPLAN but how can you help them perform on the day?
The case for NAPLAN
Barry McGaw Other learning depends on literacy and numeracy, a strong foundation is essential.
Growing healthier children one school at a time
KATIE CARLIN A love of food, gardening and children inspired renowned cook Stephanie Alexander to attempt to change the future health of a generation one child at a time.
Students influenced by parents attitude to maths
Kim Arlington When it comes to keeping students interested in maths, the attitudes of their parents are a key part of the equation.
The view from the circle inside the square
Elisabeth Tarica One student and his family have found being bright can have its drawbacks.
A dream come true
Harmony Day is a time to celebrate our nations’ diversity and while many of us who have been born in this great country have grown up in its safety and beauty there are also others who have fled their own country to seek the safety and refuge we often take for granted.
Survey
Baffled? Bet your cotton socks
Saffron Howden Australian primary school students believe cotton socks derive from animals and yoghurt comes from plants.
Art galleries not just for the well-to-do
Jen Vuk Do your eyes widen with fear at the thought of taking your kids to the art gallery? Jen Vuk finds out just how kid-friendly galleries can be.
Jury is still out, but iPads may put the pen to the sword
Andrew Stevenson PEN and paper are not yet in the dustbin of history but the radical transformation being wrought in the learning experiences of year 6 students at Neutral Bay Public School in Sydney's lower north shore suggests time may be running out for traditional methods.
We need to stop both nation and needy from falling behind
David Gonski As the global economy continues on its trajectory of change, the pressure is on Australia to maintain a knowledge and skills base that can change and adapt to keep up with the world around us.
Cyberbullying: The Facts
QUIRKY KID If you suspect your child is a victim of cyberbullying or you want to know more this factsheet will give you a comprehensive overview of what you need to know and what action to take.
Men weep into their muggaccinos too, you know
ANDREW DADDO DON'T you wonder where the dads are in those schmaltzy first-day-at-school stories on the current affairs shows?
Forget highs and lows, it's the little stuff that counts
ANDREW DADDO I WAS all geared up to write something gushy and emotional, and end-of-yeary-teary.
Private school fee growth tops inflation
Andrew Stevenson LEADING private schools will again increase their fees by almost double the inflation rate, with Sydney school fees set to break the $30,000 ceiling in 2013.
A new take on kids behaving badly
Denise Ryan THE classroom wall is covered in obscenities. The teacher knows the culprit, but decides to clean up the mess and not tell anyone.
School of thought
Heidi Davoren My children have attended a private school since prep. Next year that will all change.
Primary school languages plan hits resistance
Andrew Stevenson PRIMARY school students in NSW, many of whom learn no languages other than English, would be taught a language for two hours a week under the national curriculum the federal government is developing.
God may be first casualty as Guides look for a fresh start
Cosima Marriner ''I promise that I will do my best: to do my duty to God, to serve the Queen and my country; to help other people; and to keep the Guide law.
The truth about the gifted & talented
QUIRKY KID All parents consider their children to be ‘gifted and talented’ and this term can be quite controversial in many schools, often due to competition for places in specialist classes designed to ‘excel’ high achieving students.
Schoolboys thrive on risk at recess
Andrew Stevenson For generations children have complained that school can be cruel and unusual punishment. Now it seems some headmasters are listening, introducing more breaks during the school day and explicitly recognising the value of running wild.
Study's the name of the game
Megan Johnston Learning institutions are taking classes to the next level, writes Megan Johnston.
