News & Events

The controversial NAPLAN test has been labelled as a failure by some and a crucial test by others. Dr Jenny Chesters speaks on ABC's Life Matters about the pros and cons of NAPLAN and about what an alternative testing model might look like.

The re-design of school facilities in the first two decades of this century is considerably more sophisticated than the open-space design of the 1970s.

The Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change (ILETC) project is a four-year study that began in 2016. Lead Chief Investigator Wes Imms shared some of the early findings on the opening day of Research Conference 2019.

Honorary Professorial Fellow Professor Richard Teese, who is also an adjunct professor at Victoria University, said some schools feared being labelled a ‘VCAL school’.

In Victoria an interesting collaboration has been developed in schools where students are learning about positive psychology in the classroom. To find out more about the program 2ser spoke with Dr TC Chin, Director Of The Wellbeing Profiler at the Centre for Positive Psychology at The University of Melbourne.

An independent evaluation by University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute finds intensive phonics-based reading interventions can deliver

Melbourne University's Dr Lisa McKay-Brown, a former Travancore School teacher who developed a mental health-focused program, said about 71 per cent of attendees were attending school full-time six months after the program.

It is not entirely clear what the problem is to which performance-based funding is the solution, apart from allocating additional funding from the Commonwealth Grants Scheme to support the growing numbers of school-leavers in Australia in the coming years.

Professor John Polesel from the University of Melbourne said there was limited research into the worth of school-based work experience.

Professor John Hattie says that tracking has minimal effects on learning outcomes and profound negative equity effects.

Positive psychology in schools is exploring how best to apply the science of wellbeing in key learning environments - helping students develop skills for life.

Currently, half of all early childhood teachers have a bachelor degree, with a further one-third still working towards one. With many expected to drop out, new modelling shows a significant shortfall by 2023.

The Master of Teaching (Secondary) Internship at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) combines study and classroom teaching in a unique way which allows students to gain the practical experience they need to succeed in teaching, whilst also earning a salary during their studies.

University of Melbourne experts in positive psychology are exploring how best to apply the science of wellbeing for school students in key learning environments

Developmental psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne, Terry Bowles, said that a mobile phone ban would not solve cyber bullying on its own.

On Tuesday 4 June the Melbourne Graduate School of Education celebrated the success of our graduate students, and the many achievements of our alumni and staff at the 2019 Awards Evening.

Professor Lindsay Oades, director for the Centre of Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne, told 10 daily the rules are "no different to somebody asking for a hug or asking for positive comments" in real life".

Dr Yvette Slaughter said Chinese had started from a much lower base than other languages, partly because there were too few qualified teachers.

According to Dr Jim Watterston, the Dean of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), the way in which teachers are trained therefore needs to reflect these challenges so that they can develop the necessary skills and competencies in order to prepare the next generations for future success.

Schools are leading the way with decisions around technology and perhaps they have a lesson for the rest of us, too.

Dr Anna Dabrowski said one of the biggest barriers to having fluent language teachers was that they had to have Australian teaching registration in the respective states and territories.

Senior fellow at the LH Martin Institute at Melbourne University and the former chief executive of TAFE Directors Australia, Martin Riordan, said the collapse in enrolments pointed to a "significant waste" in public money, coming on top of the $3 billion VET Fee Help scandal of 2016.

The UK’s TEF experience should be a warning to Australia’s re-elected government not to settle for empty accountability, says William Locke.

It is no surprise that teaching involves catering to a variety of different learning needs, and that this can be challenging.

School leaders’ roles have evolved from being primarily focused on management, to being direct concerned with improving student learning.

A child’s destiny is influenced by socio-economic status and location, but quality early learning can help even the odds, says a University of Melbourne expert.

If real-life politics is getting you down, these fictional political TV power players might inspire your interest instead.

Policy reform and investment in early childhood education are vital for children's life-long learning, well-being and health says University of Melbourne expert

This week, 120 parents turned up at a northern suburbs primary school in Melbourne for a consultation evening about technology in the classroom – and many voiced a question routinely asked at schools across the nation.

School leaders’ roles have evolved from being primarily focused on management, to being directly concerned with improving student learning.Anyone who works in a school knows it’s tough being part of the leadership team.

How do teachers assess the general capabilities in the Australian Curriculum, and what does that mean for how they teach?General capabilities, soft skills, 21st century skills; the notion of including ‘skills for life’ in the Australian curriculum is not a new one. But it is, perhaps, more embedded than ever.

Maxine McKew and Larissa McLean Davies discuss the importance of teaching Australian literature in schools, and what this mean for our students, our teachers, and of course, our writers.

As the federal election approaches, we’re expected to drown in slogans like “lower taxes”, “wage growth”, “franking credit reform” or “negative gearing reforms”. These mostly assume voters are as obsessed as the politicians with economic and financial issues, rather than, say, the kind of Australia they want their grandchildren to live in.

Glenn Savage, an Honorary fellow at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, said in an ideal world teachers wouldn't need to offer rewards and prizes, but the classroom reality was a different story.

Preschool funding is shaping as a major election battleground, with warnings Australia risks falling behind without significant investment.

By the age of five around 300,000 children are starting school – but more than one in five are not as prepared as their peers.

Research into child development is now showing that the middle years – from age eight to 12 are a crucial time.

A new professional learning academy for teachers, including those working as early childhood teachers (ECTs) has been officially launched in the South Australian suburb of Hindmarsh.

The Coalition’s approach to schooling policy since the 2016 election has primarily focused on its Quality Schools agenda.

Loneliness can cause serious problems for primary and secondary school kids; some key steps can help your child connect, say University of Melbourne experts.

What does it mean for the unemployed? Refugees? Indigenous Australians? Climate change and education? University of Melbourne experts assess the Federal budget in part two of our coverage.

If there was a simple recipe for improving schools, governments, principals and teachers would be diligently following every step.

Early career teachers are more likely to stay on if they practise what they teach in their own time.

During a recent tip to Asia, Professor John Hattie said he observed a class being taught by a robot, with kids telling him they preferred the android to a human.

The tourism body partnered with a leading psychologist of positivity and professor at Melbourne University, Lea Waters, to develop a series of values for happiness, by which the Bulanaires have been selected.

How well are we preparing the typical primary school kid for life when they graduate in 2032?

Everyone wants to be happy, but this goal can seem elusive. Take Lea Waters, who found that the effects of a troubled upbringing got in the way and was desperate to claw her way back to good mental health through treatment. By the time she graduated as a psychologist, those issues were under better control.

One of education's most influential academics has warned teachers not to underestimate the ability of robots to take over at least some aspects of their job, saying he recently observed a robot teaching a class and that the pupils preferred it to their teachers.

John Hattie, Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, has been ranked as the sixth-best university educator in the world by Global Top Gurus.

In 1970, just one in four university students were women. By 1987 the figure was 58 per cent, a figure that has remained more or less stable for the past 30 years.

As technology increasingly shapes our world, human interactions and intercultural understanding will equip us to thrive says a University of Melbourne expert.

Predictions about the impact of artificial intelligence and ­advanced automation on society and the economy alternate ­between the euphoric and the cataclysmic. But there are few areas where the impact of robotics will be more profound than healthcare, medicine and surgery.

Australian history teachers want to cover the history of massacres against Indigenous people during the colonial era but are squeezed for time in an already overcrowded curriculum, educators say.

Nearly 13 per cent of Australian students and more than half of all Indigenous students are missing at least one year of schooling by the time they reach year 10, despite the nation achieving 100 per cent school enrolment rates.

Confusion is a common aspect of our lives but it can be useful and perhaps even necessary, particularly when we are trying to learn something.

The National Excellence in School Leadership’s (NESLI) Staff Wellbeing Toolkit is having a significant and positive impact on school staff around Australia, according to a new report measuring the efficacy of the support program.

Professor John Polesel, Director of the International Centre for Classroom research and professor at the University of Melbourne’s School of Education, says that he believes if the program were to come to Australia, it would be equally beneficial for our students.

Chi Baik, an ­associate professor at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for the Study of Higher Education, told The Australian the study’s major message was that students’ course experiences had a significant ­impact on their wellbeing.

Honorary senior fellow at Melbourne University's LH Martin Institute, Mark Warburton said matching tax records and student data did not address the big issue of university funding and performance.

In a first for New Zealand, Samuel Marsden Collegiate School has become a Visible Wellbeing TM school, partnering with leading international Positive Psychology expert, Professor Lea Waters, to expand their support of student wellbeing.

Most of us have memories of our days at school—usually some good and some not so good. But the chances are the good memories arose when we felt cared for and valued by our peers and the adults who helped us learn.

Martin Riordan, head of education firm Lighthouse Learning International and senior fellow at the University of Melbourne's LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Education and Training, said a funding squeeze had made vocational education and training the "poor cousin" of the education system.

A report from the University of Melbourne's Youth Research Centre found racial discrimination, particularly at school, was still a reality for many young Australians.

Lorraine Graham y Lisa McKay-Bronwn son dos profesoras especializadas en educación de Australia.

While this practice has been lauded as a helpful way for educators to address the learning needs of children who are progressing at different academic levels at once, some argue it puts too much of an administrative strain on teachers, who must spend more time preparing lessons.

One in five young people experience anxiety and depression linked to their school life; University of Melbourne research is using technology to boost wellbeing.

Australia is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign PhD students to carry out university research as local students shy away from doing research degrees.

Failing to read to your children and do things to improve their vocabulary throughout childhood and early adolescence could lead to a higher chance of developing hyperactivity-inattention, a new study by Australian researchers have found.

Dr Jane Page received recognition in the awards, which were announced 26 January 2019. The Order of Australia is the principal means of recognising outstanding members of the community at a national level. Anyone can nominate a member of the community for recognition through the Order and nominations are encouraged from all members of the Australian public.  

While just about everyone agrees that critical thinking should be learned in school, the actual teaching of better reasoning is not easy.

University of Melbourne research finds young multicultural Australians are close to their families, but they have to balance different cultural expectations.

Most of us have memories of our days at school; usually some good and some not so good.

Researchers have found that children need downtime, and reducing the number of scheduled activities is an important aspect for parents to understand.

Australian universities are outsourcing their research productivity to international recruits, with a new analysis concluding that almost four out of ve additional doctoral students recruited over the past decade have been imported from overseas.

For most students attending school is not a major problem. From the earliest days of childcare, children adjust to consistent attendance.

Terry Bowles, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Melbourne, said paying for chores may offer children a sense of independence “but it may not be ideal for helping people identify how they can contribute generously to the group they are working with”.

Split or "composite" classes, when children of different ages are placed in the same class with one teacher, have long been a feature of primary schools in WA, but just how prevalent they are remains a mystery.

Teachers must be given better training to manage classroom discipline, Education Minister Dan Tehan has said, amid concerns graduates are increasingly unable to control disruptive and abusive students.

Did you know that about 10 to 20 per cent of children and adolescents experience mental disorders worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO)? The average age of the onset of mental illness is said to be 14 years.

According to Jon Quach, an early bedtime is anything before 8:30pm. Sometimes that’s not feasible, but if you can make it happen, you should.

The federal Education Minister, Dan Tehan, has dismissed Labor's threat to universities that their education faculties must toughen teaching degree admission standards, saying it will lead to a "teacher shortage".

Research Fellow Paula de Barba says for students to successfully complete an online course, they need to work on their motivation and time management skills.

Research by education guru Professor John Hattie, of the University of Melbourne, has found the quality of a teacher is the most important determinant of student outcomes - after the student themselves.

University of Melbourne researchers have outlined the four key steps to school connectedness; an important factor in students' learning and development.

University of Melbourne research shows it's hard for both local and international students to make friends on campus without intervention from teaching staff.

Dr Peggy Kern, of the University of Melbourne, believes that managing digital habits should be approached in a similar way to dieting.

Niklas Labba, Academic Director of the Centre for Sámi Studies at the University of Tromsø – Artic University of Norway, explored the importance of First Nations voice and constitutional recognition during his 2018 Narrm Oration at the University of Melbourne last night.

A new joint survey from Dr Peggy Kern, The Wellbeing Lab and the Australia HR Institute reports people working in the consulting industry are the most likely to consider themselves "consistently thriving" in the workplace.

The Wellbeing Lab Workplace Survey, conducted in partnership with Dr Peggy Kern from the University of Melbourne and supported by the Australian HR Institute, recently asked a representative sample of just over 1,000 Australian workers how their wellbeing was faring.