Tag Archive - Education

Detention Block Tango

March 1, 2010 in Fun with 0 Comments

This year, for the very first time, there is going to be an Education and Social Work Revue at Sydney Uni!

Education and Social Work Revue Society Logo

A revue is basically a show with sketches, singing, dancing and acting. And this one is going to be amazing!

At Sydney Uni O-Week, we saw a glimpse of what will be performed later in the year. The “Detention Block Tango”, a great play on the “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago.

If you want more information about the revue, then head over to their website at http://www.edswrevue.com/. And if you’re an education or social work student at Sydney Uni, then why not get involved? They have a number of positions open here.

Misspelling

February 27, 2010 in Fun with 0 Comments

Its plain to see that I would loose at a spelling competition because I am not better then anyone else. Wierd huh?

How often do you spell simple words incorrectly?

Or just plain don’t know how to spell these words correctly?

I came across this great resource online which clearly, and visually outline these common errors and how to avoid them.

The resource is called 10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling by The Oatmeal.

Here is an example of one of the words. You can find the rest on the site.

As a preservice primary school teacher, I think it would be great to have a resource like this up in my classroom.

Public vs Private | Main Page

February 24, 2010 in Education with 6 Comments

I am a Christian studying to be a primary school teacher. Once I am done with studying, I am hoping to get a job as a teacher, and so I want to think through the decisions when deciding where to teach. Specifically with reference to either a public school or a private school.

Public Vs Private Boxers

Over the past months, I have been writing a series of posts thinking through these issues, and for convenience, I am going to have them all archived on this page, and each time I write a new one, I will add it to this list. I will also add drafts that I am planning to write.

All of these posts are from a Christian point of view in deciding to teach in either a public or private primary school in NSW, Australia.

Here are the posts.

At some stage, I am also planning on putting these into a resource for those who are going through a similar decision making process, if you would like to be involved in proofing this type of a document, please let me know.

“My School” Looks Dangerous

February 4, 2010 in Education with 3 Comments

My School is a tool that was launched (on 28/1/2010) by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), and is designed to be an “information service” for parents.

The site allows you to type in a schools name, and then a profile for that school will appear showing statistics about enrolment, socio-educational status and academic results. The main purpose is to compare schools academically, below is a screenshot of the site.

My School Academic Comparisons

This school is above the national average, and statistically comparable with similar schools

The issue with the academic results is that they are based of singular nation wide tests called the NAPLAN tests.

Parents are being encouraged to use the “My School” website to compare their school to similar schools, and they are also being encouraged to talk to teachers about their schools results. The website states that it aims to introduce “a new level of transparency and accountability to the Australian school system.”

If parents are encouraged to judge schools based off this one test, then this test will start to take over teaching. Instead of teachers teaching students what they need to know over the course of a year, teachers are going to be forced to teach students what they need to know to do well in the NAPLAN test.

Teaching for a test is not good for learning.

I doubt that the “My School” website will benefit education in Australia.

What do you think?

Public vs Private #8 | Parents Who Care Too Much

December 23, 2009 in Education with 3 Comments

The demographics of students and parents that attend public and private schools tend to be pretty stereotypical. As in certain types of parents send their children to private schools, and certain parents send their students to public schools. Although, sometimes schools can break these stereotypes (ok, a lot of the time).

So, instead of talking about private and public schools in this post (and the next few), I’m going to be talking about two ends of the parent spectrum. Those who care too much about their child’s education, and those who don’t care enough. Of course most parents will fall somewhere between these two, but will probably lean either way. So here are some characteristics of parents that care too much.

Parents who care too much

  • There will likely be a lot of pressure on the child to perform
  • Students may often be forced to go to tutoring (I onced tutored a Kindy girl in maths, she was doing year 2 maths at the time…)
  • The parents will put stress onto the teacher, and ask questions about why their child isn’t getting straight A’s
  • Although because of this, the teachers are accountable and teaching remains excellent
  • Students may be forced to do tests for selective schools when they have no chance of getting in, and therefore are under unnecessary stress
  • Parents will support the teacher in learning, and students will value learning as their parents do

Most private schools have parents that exhibit above symptoms. This can be both harmful and helpful. And some parents may only be helpful, or may only be harmful. But in deciding where to teach consider the parents that you will be partnering with in educating their children.

Stay tuned for Parents who don’t care enough.

You can read the rest of the posts in this series at Public vs Private | Main Page.

Public vs Private #7 | Other Teachers

December 12, 2009 in Education with 8 Comments

I’m still in the process of thinking about whether to teach in a private school or a public school (can you call them that?).

Something to consider in this decision are the other teachers at your school.

At a Christian private school, there is likely to be a higher proportion of Christian teachers. This might make it easier to have a Bible study each week with other teachers, and you may be able to create a unified front for Christ for non-Christian teachers. In this situation it may be easier to be a witness for Christ with the support of other teachers.

At a public school, there may not be many, if any other Christian teachers. This might make it incredibly hard to be a witness for Christ, and you may be tempted to be quiet. However, you would then be placing more Christian teachers in public school staff rooms. So hopefully encouraging Christian teachers who may be at the school, or being a much needed witness at the school.

All of this is of course speculation as I don’t know how many Christians teach at either public or private schools. However, I would love to hear from you!

If you’re a Christian teacher (preservice counts), what has your experience been with staff rooms at public and private schools?

Please comment here.

You can read the rest of the posts in this series at Public vs Private | Main Page.

    Public vs Private #3 | Support

    June 27, 2009 in Education with 9 Comments

    Red FlowerTeaching is hard. Being a Christian is hard.

    Therefore, being a Christian teacher is very hard.

    At a public school, a Christian teacher is likely to be in the minority, with very few other Christian teachers if any at all.

    There will be older teachers who will be able to support your teaching, they may even mentor you and give you excellent advice, but whatever they tell you, it will not be directly influencing your walk with God.

    However, at a private school, there are likely to be many other Christian teachers, many of whom will have been teaching for a long period of time.

    These Christian teachers will be able to support you not only in teaching, but in being a Christian teacher. This support would be very useful in the early years of teaching especially, as the teacher tries to understand how to best serve God in their field. The fact that the teachers can work together in glorifying God means that they can share experiences of discussions with students or parents, and also particular struggles that they may have.

    Of course if every Christian teacher went to a private school, then there wouldn’t be a single Christian teacher in a public school. But it is something to consider in this debate. If you have an opinion on this, let me know in the comments.

    Read the rest of the posts in this series at Public vs Private | Main Page.