A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
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How many of us rang in the New Year by posting a picture or status update for all our friends on Facebook? Probably a lot of us. Another year, another exponential increase in the amount of people engaged in social media in general and Facebook in particular. With increased use, comes increased mis-use – predominantly [...]
All this year I’ve focused on student wellbeing. But for the next 5-6 weeks it’s all about you. Make sure you take the time to recharge your battery over the summer by doing these 5 things. Connect with your family and friends. Take time to nurture your relationships, as often those closest to you [...]
A weighty issue… Last week there was a call from prominent Australian doctor for schools to include students’ Body Mass Index (BMI) scores on their report cards. The idea behind this is to “stimulate discussion” between parents, teachers and – presumably – kids about their health and in particular, their weight. I [...]
On the weekend, the Fairfax media carried an article entitled, How schools fail to curb bad behaviour. The article reported on research by Uniting Care that showed the amount of long-term suspensions in NSW had increased by 36% between 2006 & 2011. Suspension is a topic of hot debate in education. What good does kicking [...]
As the Fairfax media reports that more parents than ever were withdrawing their kids from the annual NAPLAN tests I wonder if these tests are even assessing the right things in school. Now I realize the importance of literacy and numeracy – of course I do. But, these tests only measure outcomes. [...]
There’s little doubt that most kids witness bullying during their schooling, either as the victim, the perpetrator or as a bystander. Over the years, I have seen many attempts to stamp it out but it seems we’re somewhat up against it. Let’s be honest, our politicians bully each other, the media bullies whoever happens to [...]
On Wednesday 14th November at 7pm AEDT (6pm in Brisbane, 4pm in Perth & 8am in London) PLANE will be hosting a live online Q&A webinar addressing a range of issues around education and wellbeing. I will be on the panel taking questions alongside 2009 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania Sam Cawthorn, Daily [...]
(Genuine) Engagement & Wellbeing enhance achievement, yet how many schools pursue achievement at the expense of engagement and wellbeing? The following is an extract from my recently published manifesto, “Still Trying to Find X”. It is essential that we create a Virtuous Cycle for all students in our schools. The Virtuous Cycle relies on having positive relationships at its heart or [...]
Every few months, this old argument crops up again: Homework – Good or Bad? Last week the ABC reported on research that suggested that homework was of little use to students of primary school age when it came to improving academic outcomes. The research also suggested that homework was only had “very limited” and [...]
For the most part, I believe that kids tend to rise or fall based on the expectations of the adults in their life. Last year, I was reminded of the book, 'Pygmalion in the Classroom' when I attended a workshop by James Nottingham. The book describes an experiment carried out in a US elementary school to test this [...]
