Viewpoints
Bringing you thought-provoking views on current issues in education. Some are written to challenge current thinking. Others are written to prompt action.
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.
Full Article >>
Career Changers Posted on 30 March 2010
By Dr Bryan Cowling
Everywhere you go, you see signs inside school grounds proudly proclaiming that the construction site behind the sign is part of Building the Educational Revolution. The phrase is a simple, catchy one, but not as substantial as it might seem. Sure, the vast expenditure by the Federal Government on schools infrastructure has been a stimulus to the economy and a boon to some construction companies. I'm sure teachers, students and parents are and will be appreciative of their new facilities. But these new facilities, after all, are but bricks and mortar, necessary and useful, but they do not constitute a revolution. Full Article >>
Who will be a Principal? Posted on 10 February 2010
By Dr Bryan Cowling
At the beginning of this new school year, 25% of Anglican schools in the Diocese have a different principal to what they had twelve months ago. Selecting a new principal is not an easy task. Though the processes vary from school to school, research and anecdotal data gathered throughout Australia shows that fewer people are applying these days to fill vacant principal positions. This is equally true for Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and government secondary schools. The reasons are many and varied. The situation is quite concerning. Full Article >>
The Haiti Earthquake - The Challenge for Teachers Posted on 20 January 2010
By Mr George Glanville
How could He do this to us? There is no God! This was the gut-wrenching cry of Remi Polevard, resident of Haiti, as his five children lay dead beneath the rubble of their home. Teachers will be returning to school after the Christmas break to face the real and aching questions of students like - Where is God in all this? In 2004 it was the tsunami; in 2009 it was the Victorian bushfires; now it's Haiti. Full Article >>
Tips 4 Teachers Posted on 9 December 2009
By Mrs Alison Wheldon
Have you been given your tentative class list for 2010? No doubt, there will be names on that list that have caused you to inwardly cheer, and others over which you're feeling some level of anxiety. Yet others may be no more than a name to you. Over the Christmas break, commit to pray for all those names on your list. Pray for each name separately, whether the child is well-known to you or not. Full Article >>
Right Story, Wrong Lessons Posted on 2 December 2009
By Dr Bryan Cowling
It's almost Christmas time and no doubt those of us who teach will be retelling the story of the birth of Jesus. If we follow the text of the gospels and don't go adding myths (like that of three wise men) or mixing it with accumulated traditions, we'll probably tell the right story. But will the lessons learned by our students be the ones most needed. Especially at Christmas time. Full Article >>
Showing 1 - 10 of 34 Viewpoint Articles
Posted 20 Aug 2010
Fourth Annual Celebration of Anglican Schooling
Posted 19 Aug 2010
Bigger than the Rudd Revolution
Posted 4 Jun 2010
Posted 4 Jun 2010
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