Generation Next Blog

April 2020

Students won’t get through all school content while learning at home: here are 3 things to prioritise

By |2020-04-24T11:10:48+10:00April 20th, 2020|Categories: Education, Learning, Uncategorized|

Alison Willis, University of the Sunshine Coast As children learn from home, parents are effectively running two schedules – work and school. Some children may not be able to get through all the work their school assigns in the time they have, which can leave parents feeling guilty. It’s important for parents to note they [...]

Talking to young people about coronavirus (COVID-19) – Phase One: bewilderment and fear

By |2020-04-09T15:33:56+10:00April 20th, 2020|Categories: Resilience|Tags: , , , |

The role of parents and adults in talking to young people through this time is crucial. As the situation progresses the types of challenges we will face will change as will the general reaction of most people. This will most likely follow some fairly predictable stages. I will release a series of statements over the [...]

Coronavirus could be a reset button for youth anxiety

By |2021-03-03T16:20:35+11:00April 6th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety|Tags: , , , |

There are of course not many upsides to a global pandemic, but one of them may be that the single biggest threat to youth wellbeing is lessened. Founders of free-play advocacy organisation Let Grow, Lenore Skenazy and Peter Gray, point out that anxiety is an already huge problem for young people that has also been [...]

After COVID-19: The Longer-Term Impacts of the Coronavirus Crisis on Education

By |2020-04-06T15:34:08+10:00April 6th, 2020|Categories: Education|Tags: , , , |

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is stress-testing all aspects of society in uncomfortable and unsettling ways. In terms of education, COVID-19 has already stretched our education systems to breaking-point. By the end of March 2020, school closures had affected over 1.3 billion children and young people across the globe – that is nearly 80 per [...]

The psychology of isolation

By |2020-04-06T15:32:35+10:00April 6th, 2020|Categories: Resilience|Tags: , , , |

Self-isolation can be difficult and boring, but it can also be an opportunity for self-reflection and renewal. In many cultures, this is traditionally the purpose self-isolation has served.Self-isolation in religious traditions is in many ways about practising self-restraint and withdrawing from the ills of society. Fasting during Ramadan, Good Friday or Lent are exercises in [...]

COVID-19 has thrown year 12 students’ lives into chaos. What can we do?

By |2021-03-03T16:20:50+11:00April 6th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Education|Tags: , , , |

Schools have been progressively moving classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is uncertainty over what the next months may bring. This has thrown many year 12 students’ lives into chaos. States and territories are yet to determine what will happen with final year exams. More than 180,000 students are expected to complete [...]

March 2020

How to Use a School Closure to Surge Ahead Academically

By |2020-03-24T17:37:37+11:00March 24th, 2020|Categories: Education|

The probability of school closures to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a major challenge for senior school students. It is tempting to view this as an extended holiday with time for crashing out on the couch, watching squillions of episodes of Games of Thrones (again), spending endless hours messaging friends and consuming [...]

Coronavirus: how to help children through isolation and lockdown

By |2020-04-24T11:04:56+10:00March 24th, 2020|Categories: Uncategorized|

Emma Maynard, University of Portsmouth The UK has become the latest country to close schools in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is a game changer for families, displacing children from friends, learning and their school community. To help them through what could be months of isolation and potentially [...]

What my students taught me about reading: old books hold new insights for the digital generation

By |2020-03-24T17:36:19+11:00March 23rd, 2020|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , |

Every year about 150 students enrol in the introductory English literature course at the Australian National University, which I teach. The course includes works by Shakespeare, Austen, Woolf and Dickens. I know what these books did for me as a student 20 years ago, but times have changed. I am curious to discover what reading [...]

10 tips to safeguard sleep in the anxious times of COVID-19

By |2021-03-03T18:03:38+11:00March 23rd, 2020|Categories: Sleep|Tags: , , , |

With the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, one of the recommendations by experts is social distancing and self-isolation when you experience symptoms. With the increase in travel restrictions and staying home, this is a good time to catch up on all the sleep lost as a result of our busy lifestyles. We spend a third [...]

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