FRUIT DEVELOPMENT Flowering plants are all around us: they line our streets, fill our gardens, and decorate our homes. In fact, flowering plants are currently the most diverse plant group on Earth. Many familiar trees, such as oaks and maples, are flowering plants. Flowers are not only beautiful and attractive to insects and humans, but […]
Continue ReadingA recent Monash University study has found that positive and confident primary maths teachers embrace student struggle in the classroom, prioritising inquiry-based and student-centred teaching approaches, which ultimately benefits students. Unsurprisingly, these maths teachers more likely to be in a leadership role, seek out professional learning opportunities and stay in the profession for longer. The […]
Continue ReadingHow babies are fed is often a topic of hot discussion. It’s known that babies should be introduced gradually to solid foods at around six months old. But in recent years, another question has arisen: should parents be spoon-feeding babies special pureed baby foods or could they just join in with the family and feed themselves from the […]
Continue ReadingAs Australian students returned to school this week, they were met with conflicting and changing advice from federal and state governments on the coronavirus outbreak. The outbreak, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province, has killed more than 170 people and spread to at least 16 countries – seven people have been identified with the […]
Continue ReadingLike adults, children use the news to learn about what’s happening in the world. But the circulation of misinformation, such as the recent spread of fake news about COVID-19 (the disease caused by coronavirus), blurs our understanding of events and issues. In 2017, we conducted the first nationally representative survey of how Australian children, aged eight to 16, […]
Continue ReadingThe second Monday in February is Family Day in parts of Canada. Started in Alberta in 1990, four additional provinces celebrate Family Day: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick. (Other provinces have holidays reflecting their heritage.) Québec is one of few jurisdictions that does not have a civic holiday in February, though the province has generous […]
Continue ReadingHelp your child prepare for their first day of kindergarten or school with some popular books about starting school. Here are some books that you can read to your child to give them an idea of what to expect on their first day. Books for children starting school The Berenstain Bears go back to school by […]
Continue Reading“How much more love and affection can I give him? …. Because once you pee on your brother, you’ve gone too far, and we have to fix this now.” What’s a parent to do when a child acts out in a big way, like peeing on the baby? We can understand the toddler’s jealousy, but […]
Continue ReadingWe take an “efficiency” approach to childhood and child-rearing in Australia. We want kids to grow up and become productive economic citizens without them deviating from identified pathways, and society wants a return on its investment. We achieve policy goals by denying kids the opportunities to learn by trial and error, risk-taking, independent decision-making, problem […]
Continue ReadingThe spread of the coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 is a public health emergency with economic and social ramifications in China and across the world. While the impacts on business are well documented, education is also facing the largest disruption in recent memory. Institutions around the world are responding to travel bans and quarantines with a […]
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