The Canberra Classroom

A few Canberran schools have introduced a therapy dog into their school environment. Dr Christine Grove of Monash University (1:07) talks about the growing evidence-base around the use of therapy dogs in schools, before Christina Refshauge from Curtin Primary School (15:05) talks about the influence that her therapy dog Bentley is having in her classroom and across her school.

University academics - all of whom are teachers of undergraduate students - share their knowledge about assessment practices at university. What assessments are set? Which assessments are first-year students particularly adept at and which ones do they struggle with? And what skills do academics wish their students could be more familiar with when they arrive at university? In Part 2 of this discussion, we hear from: Dr Andrew Banfield, Senior Lecturer at the ANU's School of Politics and International Relations (0:36), Professor of History Craig Stockings from UNSW Canberra (13:55), Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Literary Studies Tony Eaton from the University of Canberra (27:19), and Assistant Professor of Teacher Education Emily Hills from the University of Canberra (40:47).

University academics - all of whom are teachers of undergraduate students - share their knowledge about assessment practices at university. What assessments are set? Which assessments are first-year students particularly adept at and which ones do they struggle with? And what skills do academics wish their students could be more familiar with when they arrive at university? In Part 1 of this discussion, we hear from: Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Science Disa Pryor of the University of Canberra (1:47), Professor of Astrophysics Paul Francis of the ANU (8:39), Professor Michael Platow from the ANU Research School of Psychology (15:46), Senior Lecturer in Economics Dr John Hawkins from the University of Canberra (29:14), and Dr Michelle Worthington from the ANU College of Law (41:33).

The F1 in Schools program is one of the biggest STEM-based competitions in the world. Associate Professor Warren Smith from the University of New South Wales in Canberra and Graham Stock of St Francis Xavier College talk about the program's aims, educational impact, and what Canberran teachers and schools might want to think about if they're interested in taking part in the program.

If you are interested in more information regarding F1 in Schools, you can contact Warren at w.smith@adfa.edu.au or Graham at Graham.Stock@sfx.act.edu.au.

Re-Engineering Australia's STEM Educational Outcomes Report 2019 can be downloaded here: https://rea.org.au/wp-content/uploads/REA-Educational-Outcomes-Report-2019-A.pdf

If you have an idea for a future episode of The Canberra Classroom, feel free to forward it to cameron.bennett@ed.act.edu.au.

A few years ago, a number of students at UCSSC Lake Ginninderra who were also athletes at the AIS Centre of Excellence had to leave Canberra part way through their time at school, but wanted to keep studying at the college. A number of teachers were called upon to ensure that these students could undertake at least some of their studies remotely. As such, by the time the Pandemic reached Canberra in 2020, a number of teachers at Lake G had already had some fairly recent experience of quickly transitioning to remote learning for some of their students. Two teachers who led both the original transition and the school's approach to remote learning in 2020, Glenn Currie (3:02) and Becky Gill (22:17), talk about the experience and what the school has learned during these two stages of teaching students while they are off-campus.

Scaffolding Literacy is a pedagogy designed to help students' reading and writing skills that has found a new prominence in Canberran high schools over the past few years. Dr Misty Adoniou (01:12) of the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education and the University of Canberra talks about the pedagogy after facilitating professional learning in Scaffolding Literacy in the ACT. Then, teacher Tanya Young (19:36) talks about how she implemented the Scaffolding strategies in her classroom at Alfred Deakin High School.

An interview with Martin Watson, the Executive Director of the ACT's Board of Senior Secondary Studies, aimed at helping people develop a clearer understanding of how Year 11 and 12 works for students in the ACT.

The Sydney Theatre Company's School Drama Program has been introduced into a few Canberran primary schools to great success. John Saunders of the STC (01:26) talks about the program's history, its aims and successes, before Skye Knight from Giralang Primary (15:41) talks about the influence that the program has had on her teaching, her classroom and her school.

In 2020, The Canberra Classroom will invite teachers and educators to share what is happening in teaching and learning in Canberran schools.

Various episodes will cover all levels of schooling in the ACT. Stay tuned for Episode 1!