Posted November 06, 2018 08:00:55 A new academic year has begun and we’re seeing the impact of the 2016 Government’s education reforms.
As the new academic calendar kicks off, here are five lessons we can learn from the last year and the first year of the Abbott Government’s school reforms.
1.
Make sure your school is the right place for you.
The school that you choose will depend on many things, but most importantly, it will depend more on you and your goals than any other factor.
For example, if you want to teach English as a second language, it’s important that your school has an excellent curriculum and is an option you can get work in if you can’t get into an accredited school.
But if you’re looking to teach Australian languages and culture, your first priority should be your school’s teaching standards.
As an educator, you’re going to need to be able to work across all schools and disciplines, and you’re more likely to be successful if you have the confidence to ask for help from others.
That means working closely with other teachers, ensuring they’re working with the right staff and ensuring the school has a strong support system.
2.
Educate yourself.
The biggest change of the year has been the removal of the requirement for you to have an education qualification in the first place.
If you want your students to have the best possible chance of succeeding in life, you need to know what you’re getting into.
You need to understand the types of schools you’re working in, and the curriculum you’re teaching, and make sure you understand the resources and support you’re giving your students.
This will ensure that your students are successful in their education, but it also means you’re able to give them a much better chance of success.
3.
Work on your curriculum.
If your school doesn’t have a curriculum or it’s not up to scratch, it can make a big difference.
That’s because it’s more likely that a student who doesn’t take up any of the lessons will get stuck in the same learning pattern.
That can leave them unprepared for their next subject or a career, so it’s a very important aspect of the learning experience.
A good curriculum can include an introduction to history, geography, languages, history of science, geography of technology and so on.
It’s also important to have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your subject area, so that you’re prepared for the learning challenges ahead.
If there’s an emphasis on reading, you can expect your students not to get the right level of instruction in their subject, and that will mean you’ll get stuck on subjects they’re not interested in.
You might even need to find a new subject altogether.
4.
Be prepared to be flexible.
The most important lesson from the previous year’s reforms was the introduction of a flexible curriculum.
It allows students to switch between subjects and still have the same amount of instruction and material.
This means that, even if you don’t have any particular subjects in particular, you still need to have your students take part in the relevant subjects, and if you find that they don’t do as well as you expected, you might want to consider switching subjects.
The same goes for teaching and working as an administrator.
Some schools will also have a different subject in a different format, which means that you need a flexible approach.
Some teachers are going to be more flexible than others, so you might be able get a more flexible approach at your school if you work closely with the school’s staff.
5.
Take a chance.
It can be tempting to think that all schools are going the same way and there’s nothing that can be done about it.
That is not the case.
While the Abbott School Reforms may have brought about the biggest change in Australia’s educational system in decades, there are still some schools that are very much in need of improvement.
Many teachers and principals are feeling a little let down, and many principals will be keen to see what they can do to bring some positive change to the schools they work in.
They’re also looking for ways to bring the best out of their students, and to give their students the best experience possible.
If the reform has worked for you, you’ve been doing the right thing.
Let us know what changes you would make to the way you teach in the comments below.
If this is your first time reading a new article, check out our Education Guide for 2017.
