A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Children’s interest and engagement in school influences their prospects of educational and occupational success 20 years later, over and above their academic attainment and socioeconomic background, researchers have found. The more children felt connected to their school community and felt engaged, rather than bored, the greater their likelihood of achieving a higher educational qualification and [...]
Dr Andrew Martin, Australian psychologist and one of the country's leading experts on student motivation, describes the key components of motivation as those that improve, those that restrict and those that reduce motivation. He refers to those students who have a natural belief in themselves and their capacity to achieve as 'boosters'; those who restrict [...]
According to Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald, “Stuffed toys that help children deal with ‘difficult emotions’ are being spruiked as a means to 'assist with the stress of NAPLAN.’” As an aside, it does seem ironic that the PR firm pushing these toys is called Evil Twin. Now, I understand that Year 12 students [...]
I recently heard of a girl who was given a boob job as a graduation present by her parents. The parents had just invested a fortune in educating their daughter in one of Australia’s top schools. But it seems the final message of her schooling was effectively to not worry her pretty little head about [...]
In the past ten years, there has been growing interest in applying our knowledge of the human brain to the field of education, including reading, learning, language, and mathematics. Teachers themselves have embraced the neuro revolution enthusiastically. A recent investigation in the US-based journal Mind, Brain, and Education showed that almost 90% of teachers consider knowledge [...]
'Family-school and community partnerships are re-defining the boundaries and functions of education. They enlarge parental and community capacity; they create conditions in which children learn more effectively. In these ways they take education beyond the school gates'.* The Family-School and Community Partnership Bureau recently commissioned a report into the effects parental engagement on children’s educational [...]
So Christmas is over and many young people will now be the proud owners of some sort of new technology. It is important to set boundaries around the use of new technology such as iPhones, iPads computers and internet access. This gives peace of mind to both parents and teenagers as both feel they are [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Is your cup half empty or half full? Experts say that it is not so much what happens to us but what we think about what happens to us that determines how we feel. This is important when teaching children resilience and how to handle life’s challenges. Andrew Fuller is a clinical psychologist and Generation [...]
