In a launch presentation that encompassed the IBM-sponsored Kidsmart program and the publication by ANSN of Hanan Harrison’s Teaching our Digi Kids book (with IBM support), Miranda Scarff, from Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, IBM spoke enthusiastically about Hanan’s work and the impact that it is having across Australia. In discussing the book, she focussed particularly on its structure, with each chapter offering:

• topic introduction;
• reflection activities – getting you thinking;
• teacher snapshots – hear from colleagues;
• learning stories – working examples; and
• sample lesson ideas – what you can consider.

2009 has been targeted by education authorities as a year to improve literacy, numeracy and science outcomes for students in Australian schools.

For achievement levels to improve in our classrooms. teachers need to make changes to their current practices. Teachers not only need to have a deep knowledge of the subjects they teach, but they also need to know how students learn and how best to develop and nurture a culture and disposition for learning that is expected of independent thinkers in the 21st century.

Keith Redman, Editor of ANSN E-News, interviewed Gavin Grift for this ANSN Snapshot, which has been developed from that conversation, using a range of Hub documentation. The Snapshot also includes comment and insights from a draft paper by Anne Clement, a colleague of Gavin Grift’s, who was involved in the development of the Curriculum Planning Hub

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
John Dewey

John Spierings at the ANSN ForumFollowing advocacy from the ANSN Board, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Training has established an inquiry titled "Combining school and work: Supporting successful youth transitions". Teachers, parents, employers and schools are encouraged to make submissions to the Committee, and students are especially asked to check into the Inquiry web-site, and complete a short questionnaire designed to tap into their experiences.

By Hanan Harrison

Participants of the Adelaide Digi Kids continued to be challenged on their digital journey when they attended Days 3 and 4 of their Hub workshops. Their first challenge was to develop and create a claymation. The focus was not only to develop skills for the production, but also to develop a philosophy of technology integration where participants would reflect critically on their own pedagogical practices, to develop a meaningful context for introducing claymation as an additional medium for story telling, which could be used to support various literacy outcomes including recount, narratives and procedural genres, as well as a tool for reinforcing other curriculum outcomes.

Learn Coaching Skills to Support Teaching and Learning in Your School!

Australian National Schools Network and The Center for Cognitive Coaching present:

Schools conversing together: Action Learning through Coaching.

Overview

The You Yangs Learning Community Cluster (YYLC) has worked with Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies (CERES) and other environmental sustainability education agencies to enable schools to work effectively with community partners.

The 2 day Digi-Kids workshop was enjoyed by all participants over the school holidays.  Big thanks to Hanan Harrison and the ANSN (Australian National Schools Network) for presenting, as well as Mary Vajda from ECU for hosting the sessions.  The participants certainly had a good time and came away with an enormous amount of open ended ideas to implement into their classroom next term.

The 2006-2007 annual report is now available as a pdf download.

This Snapshot outlines the background of African students now in schools in Australia and discusses the need for teachers and schools to find ways to capitalise and build on the strengths of these students, to assist them in building the new (and sometimes unfamiliar) skills that they will need if they are to settle successfully in Australia. It then provides an overview of what the project is setting out to achieve, and includes case studies and suggested strategies, as well as details of the resources that are being made available.