Volume 12 Issue 1

The rapid and exponential growth of the internet over the past 40 years has changed the nature of society. Indeed, at the end of the first two decades of the twenty-first century, the internet is our defining medium. This has implications for student learning and, consequently, teacher pedagogy.

The attrition of early career teachers has been

identified as an international issue. This paper

reports on an Australian study that sought to

identify the lived experiences of beginning

teachers in one independent school system

in their first three years. Areas such as the

teacher’s job satisfaction and impacting factors

were addressed. Data revealed that the main

drivers for teachers terminating their teaching

career in the first few years are connected to

work/life balance, the level of support from

administration, the teacher’s mentor, and the

level and appropriateness of the professional

development they are permitted to attend.

This article discusses the leadership crisis

looming in schools. With fewer people aspiring

to take on school leadership, school education

systems must consider the drivers and barriers

of school leadership aspiration. This article

describes the perceptions of respondents

from three hierarchical levels within a faithbased

education system as to the factors

influencing their willingness or unwillingness

to consider school leadership positions. This

research explored survey data, both quantitative

and qualitative, relating to school leadership

aspirations and influences with regard to

applying for school leadership positions.

Five factors were found to influence the

unwillingness of respondents to consider school

leadership positions, while seven factors were

identified to influence willingness to consider

school leadership positions. Additionally,

four influence factors were identified which, if

significantly improved, would act to increase

respondent aspiration and thus influence their

willingness to consider school leadership

positions in the future.

This dual authored book brings together the expertise and experience of educators Sharratt and Planche. Their work contains both theory and practical suggestions for school leaders who wish to maximise learning through creating a collaborative learning culture in their school. The authors recognise that plans and good intentions may not always lead to action and propose a logical and achievable pathway towards purposeful practice.

I never, ever, thought I’d be that teacher—the

one you hear screaming at the kids in their class

from half a mile away—until I became one.

I’m not a shouter. At least I wasn’t a shouter

until, after over 20 years teaching in high

schools, I began working as a specialist art

teacher in a primary school.

How did I move from good behavioural

management strategies and a working pedagogy

in the high school art room to bored, noncompliant

behaviour in the primary school? How

did I find my way back from hating art classes as

much as the kids did to an environment where

we all are engaged, look forward to and love

what we do?

Of the many educational outcomes to be achieved in the primary years of schooling, research demonstrates that learning to read is the most significant. The precise way in which the complex processes combine must be understood and demonstrated by teachers in order to identify their students’ needs and to teach most effectively. The activities initiated at Hilliard Christian School to enhance achievement of this goal are shared here to support others with the same aim.

How can a school create a learning space that provides a retreat from the regular classroom and provides an environment where children can connect with learning and with God?

This paper discusses traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the symptoms that affect a student emotionally, cognitively and socially after experiencing a TBI. Traumatic brain injuries can have a profoundly negative impact on a child’s ability to learn at school and interact with peers in social situations. Recent research shows how TBI affects brain function and the impacts that this can have on education. However, research also suggests effective strategies that teachers can use in their classroom when teaching a student who has experienced a TBI.

“Your life as a teacher begins the day you realise

that you are always a learner”

Robert John Meeham

This quote has provoked much thought throughout

my eight years in the teaching profession. It has

stimulated my curiosity to try new initiatives in the

classroom and has challenged the way I view my

role as an educator. As a teacher at Gilson College,

I have been given the opportunity to participate

and reflect upon my teaching practices through

annual Action Research projects.

Christian family life affects the entire family, including students once they leave home. The purpose of this study was to determine college students’ perception of the influence of family on health. This was a cross-sectional, non-experimental study with a descriptive design. The study included 120 college students in a faith-based institution. Each student completed a Likert-type survey that pertained to their perception of health, and the degree of influence peers and family have on their health. The data analysis showed that college students perceive family influence on stress, spiritual health, and peer association to be influenced by the family. The social learning theory was used to guide the process of this study.