When will I ever use this in real life? How often have you heard this (or words similar) ringing across your classroom? When students encounter a concept that is totally new, confusing, or just doesn’t seem relevant to their own life the shutters will often come down. Why bother learning this intricate math formula when… Read more
Many jobs have been replaced by automation, with many more to follow. This has been happening for many years now, from factory assembly lines, to self-serve checkouts and even the performance of intricate surgeries. Recently you might have noticed automated orderlies delivering equipment at some of Australia’s hospitals, or even been assisted by a humanoid… Read more
Yep, that’s right. Pool, Billiards and Snooker are not only a great way to get kids away from the small screen and physically active; cue sports are also a great way for kids to experience STEM in action. Your students won’t just get the recreational benefit of positive physical and social interaction when you bring… Read more
Whether it’s good news for you or not – the Research Project is here to stay! The review and proposed changes to the Research Project includes more defined options including entrepreneurial or community activism projects, and those tied directly to vocational studies and career pathways. But why wait for the revised curriculum – why not… Read more
A recent Monash University survey found that Australians would like to see ‘life skills’ taught in our schools. The kinds of things mentioned ranged from technology and coding (the skills that were considered important for future employment); but also covered budgeting, job preparation and domestic tasks. The demand for what one survey respondent called ‘learning… Read more
Nigeria and Kenya are actively tackling their high youth unemployment rate by ‘equipping children with entrepreneurial skills while they’re still at school’. The African continent simply doesn’t have the jobs to employ everyone leaving school; so equipping students with the ‘essential foundational knowledge and skills such as emotional intelligence and risk taking’ will help them… Read more
Information Technology is a part of everything we do, at home, at school, at work, in government, business and the community. But it’s about more than just computers. It includes all of the technology that allows us to share and store information. That is all of our devices, television, the radio, the Internet and the… Read more
We understand that time is limited in any classroom and there is only so much you can get through in each lesson. It’s a shame really, especially considering the time spent on research and preparation. Even when all goes to plan, by the end of a unit of work, there is often so much that… Read more
For at least the past century, Australia’s promise to our young people has been that education is their ‘golden-ticket’ to a full-time job. That promise is now at risk. So begins the forward to the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) 2018 report ‘The New Work Reality’. It’s nothing we are unaware of, and it… Read more
Being a dedicated teacher doesn’t mean you need to be a slave to your profession, devoting every spare minute of the day to planning, preparation, and thinking of new and wonderful ways to engage your students. It doesn’t mean poring over lesson plans and new methodologies whilst crouching over a sandwich at your desk. It… Read more
A shift in dynamics In what seems to have been the blink of an eye, the shape and dynamics of the workforce has shifted. The staid and steady career for life has largely given way to a patchwork of casual jobs, short-term contracts and innovative start-ups. Long-term security seems to have been lost, and some… Read more
What is DIPP? Defence Industry Pathways Program (DIPP) is collaboration between TAFESA, ASC, Department for State Development and the Advanced Technology Project (ATP); and that’s a mouthful of acronyms! Focussing on manufacturing and design, DIPP is a semester long course that helps students to develop the high-level employability skills so important to advanced manufacturing roles… Read more
