Viewpoints
Bringing you thought-provoking views on current issues in education. Some are written to challenge current thinking. Others are written to prompt action.
Responding as an Anglican school to the emerging Australian Curriculum Posted on 21 March 2011
By Dr Bryan Cowling
As Christians and as professional educators, we welcome the development of a national school curriculum and we acknowledge the opportunities its implementation provides for us to plan, program, teach and equip our students to learn Christianly.
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Why are We Waiting? Posted on 4 March 2011
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By Dr Bryan Cowling
Only a fool would deny that school education in Australia is without blemishes. Thankfully our problems with schooling are not as catastrophic as those in the United States described by Davis Guggenheim’s in his stirring documentary ‘Waiting for Superman’ soon to be screened in Sydney. We have our skills shortages but not on the same scale as the United States where it is claimed that by the year 2020, 123 million jobs will be high skills/high pay but only 50 million Americans will be qualified to fill them.
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What, a Real Revolution? Posted on 10 February 2011
By Dr Bryan Cowling
For the past three years the entire Australian community has become familiar with the term “education revolution” or to be more precise, “Rudd’s education revolution.” It was proclaimed before the federal election in 2007 and it has manifested itself in many ways over the duration of the Rudd Government. In fact, unlike most governments in the past, which have struggled to bring about just one substantial change in education in a three year term, this one went for broke in terms of capital expenditure, national partnerships, the use of computers, the completion of a national curriculum, new teaching standards and of course the My School website. The scale of change was enormous.
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The Hole in Higher Education Posted on 10 February 2011
By Dr Bryan Cowling
Up until recently, the idea of a Christian young person pursuing post-school academic or vocational education at anything other than a public university or tertiary college was unthinkable. If you wanted to become a teacher, for instance, you went to a public university and some of us went on to complete our pre-service training (as it was called) at a state-owned teachers’ college. Since then not only has there been a proliferation of government-owned and funded tertiary institutions, but close on the heels of the aggregation of Catholic colleges into the Australian Catholic University, there has been a significant growth in the number of Christian faith-based colleges and institutes offering accredited tertiary courses and awarding degrees. This is not confined to the education sector, although my comments relate primarily to the education sector.
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Kidsmatters Posted on 24 January 2011
By Alison Wheldon
When 40 becomes 170!
The inaugural Kidsmatters conference, held late in 2010, was a wonderful morning of teaching, learning and encouragement for those who attended. The conference was envisioned to tap into the expertise and enthusiasm of Mrs Margaret Cooling, who had intended to visit our shores with her husband, Dr Trevor Cooling. However, a badly broken ankle meant a hasty rearrangement of keynote speaker and Mrs Sandy Galea very willingly and capably stepped in.
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Engaging with the National Curriculum Posted on 4 June 2010
By Dr Bryan Cowling
I make no apology for my strong support for the implementation of the forthcoming Australian Curriculum. It has been a long time coming. As someone who was involved in the Australia-wide discussions in the late seventies about a Core Curriculum for Australia, and a decade or more later an active participant in the development of the National Statements and Profiles, I am heartened to see the dream of a national curriculum almost realized. Full Article >>
An Authentic Australian Christian Approach to Education Posted on 4 June 2010
By Dr Bryan Cowling
High on the priorities for educators in Australia is the need to create an authentic, Australian Christian approach to education. Such an approach must impact on formal and informal education from the cradle to the grave, including early childhood education, primary education, secondary and tertiary education, adult education, credentialed and non-credentialed education. Full Article >>
‘Tear a little corner off of darkness.’ Bono, U2 Posted on 19 May 2010
By Mrs Ruby Holland
‘See Rome and die' said the ancients, encapsulating both the achievements and pride of the Roman Empire. I was reminded of this saying recently as I stood at the edge of the Huangpu River on the Bund in Shanghai and looked across at the modern miracle rising from the mudflats across the river in Pudong. On my eighth visit in fifteen years, I still stand and gape at the sheer immensity of everything Chinese. Buildings, freeways, crowds, capitalism, pollution, political power, faith: all appear larger than life in ever changing landscapes. The 21st Century does seem to belong to China. Full Article >>
Looking for a Good Book? Posted on 13 May 2010
By Mrs Ruby Holland
A Selection of Readings in Christian Education. This month sees a selection of books which help to stir our thinking in the area of educational philosophy, a necessity if we aspire to good practice. Full Article >>
Why the National Curriculum Must Include the Bible Posted on 12 April 2010
By Dr Bryan Cowling
Writing in the April edition if Quadrant, Australian journalist and author of five children's novels, including Beyond the Knock-Knock Door and Raw, which was an HSC text from 2002-2008, Scott Monk argues the case for including the Bible in the national curriculum. So far his call has not attracted much comment from the Christian educational community. In our view, it should attract lots of positive comments.
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Showing 1 - 10 of 39 Viewpoint Articles
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