A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Sarah Jefferson, Edith Cowan University Many Year 10 students are beginning to think seriously about what subjects they might pick for years 11 and 12. These are important decisions – not just because they may form the basis of further university study and career paths. They will also be the focus of the final years [...]
Alexander Sweetman, Flinders University Martin turns off the light to fall asleep, but his mind quickly springs into action. Racing thoughts about work deadlines, his overdue car service, and his father’s recent surgery occupy his mind. As he struggles to fall asleep, the hours start to creep by. He becomes frustrated about how he will [...]
Sally Larsen, University of New England If students have poor academic results early in school, do they continue to fall further and further behind as they move through their education? The intuitive answer to this question is yes. This perception is fuelled by relentless media reporting about falling standards in Australia, and claims about “widening [...]
Tracey Muir, Australian Catholic University and Peter Liljedahl, Simon Fraser University Australian students’ performance and engagement in mathematics is an ongoing issue. International studies show Australian students’ mean performance in maths has steadily declined since 2003. The latest Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018 showed only 10% of Australian teenagers scored in the [...]
Alison Poulton, University of Sydney “Cassie” is an anxious adult. She stresses and puts off tasks that should be simple. Seeing others succeed makes her feel inadequate. It’s easier to avoid challenges than risk failing again. She has taken anxiety medication but it didn’t help much. This hypothetical example illustrates a situation many people have [...]
Netta Weinstein, University of Reading Important conversations with teenagers are among the biggest challenges of parenting. They can feel like walking a tightrope. Lean too much – or too little – into commands and restrictions and you’re likely to tip over. In preparation for writing this article, I asked my daughter for her advice to [...]
Elizabeth Westrupp, Deakin University and Christiane Kehoe, The University of Melbourne Emotions are core to our human experience, but seeing “negative” emotions in our children – anger, fear, jealousy, envy, sadness, resentment – can make us uncomfortable. Strong emotions in our kids may trigger our own emotional reactions, and we may feel lost about the [...]
Michelle Jongenelis, The University of Melbourne You’re driving your teen home from school when they open up to you about their vaping. What started off as an occasional puff of an e-cigarette has turned into something more serious. “I was curious and just wanted to try it,” they say. “All my friends were doing it [...]
Margaret Kristin Merga, University of Newcastle Reading is a critical skill for school and life beyond it. Young people need strong reading skills to learn and demonstrate their learning. Reading skills are not just about performing well in subjects such as English. They are related to performance in subjects like science and maths. When [...]
Spot the warning signs that could save your child's life... Every week, paediatric endocrinologist Dr Gary Leong sees children who have been hospitalised in intensive care with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious and life-threatening complication of diabetes. DKA can cause difficulty breathing, swelling in the brain and loss of consciousness—not to mention the stress [...]
