A collection of the most useful, tactical, and actionable information educators are using to help grow Australia’s education to the frontline of the world. 1% at a time.
This is where the K2AV team does the ground work to find practical information that educators can apply, ponder, and discuss to move the needle 1% further . So here it is:
Topics educators are debating
- Young people who can’t use the keyboard. With the prevalence of smartphones, an ever-increasing number of students are unfamiliar with the use of a desktop computer (or haven’t even seen one before), and hence don’t know how to use the keyboard. Educators are arguing the importance of training students on its use as it is necessary knowledge for their future job and others feel it is unnecessary.
- Zero tolerance approach on bullying. Victorian opposition government plans to rollout a $15.3M four-point plan to tackle bullying by implementing a zero tolerance approach. This comes at a time when Brett Lewis principal of John Butler Primary School in Perth made an announcement to resign due to on-going violence because of his no-suspensions policy.
Most shared YouTube video by educators
Online resources on Australian Curriculum teachers are recommending
Article educators are finding really helpful
7 Meaningful Strategies to Increase Engagement in The Classroom. A few of the favourites:
- Rock the First Five Minutes or FFM – use the first few minutes of class as a warm-up, provide a bit of breathing room before jumping right in,
- Share Your Life – teachers are expected to put up a front, sometimes showcasing there is a human standing at the front of the classroom can work wonders, and,
- The obvious one – Smiling. Smiling through difficult situations can make those situations less difficult, smiling is contagious and our brains mimic a smile without even realising it.
What educators are doing to tackle gaming addiction in class
In the article A Battle for Student’s Attention Against Fortnite – Chris Aviles provides an alternative approach by integrating a student’s interest in a game such as Fortnite into the lesson. “Instead of fighting the tide (sometimes) if you embrace it…you just get more out of your kids.” This could be a valuable approach to tackle other behaviour problems aside from just mobile addiction.
P.S. Someone we are a big fan of who has taken out precious time to help many educators in Perth, and also helped us many a time. Sarah Hill has set up her own edu consulting called Lumos Learning – to help schools handball the thinking around ways they could do things better onto her capable shoulders. It has our recommendation!
Some Inspo for the Term
We like honest no-holds-barred feedback. As the largest classroom technology provider to education in WA, our goal has been to help grow education in Australia to the frontline of the world. This newsletter, our podcast, and our book has been our means of sharing information that can help do that. Let us know what we could/should do better.
