Take medicines seriously
An estimated 9 million Australians take prescription medicine every day, and many more pop over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol and vitamins. Almost one-quarter of a million people are hospitalised each year due to problems caused by their medication. Medicines play…
Using Discussion as a Summative Assessment
Throughout my two decades in education, I have experimented with a variety of approaches to assessment, including projects, models, debates, and traditional assessments. In the past two years I’ve been teaching high school online, and I’ve abandoned traditional tests in…
5 reasons to look after your eyes
You only get one pair of eyes. And while people often develop serious eye conditions as they age, or because of illness and injury, there are plenty of things you can do to protect your peepers from unnecessary damage. Here are 5…
Testing times for HIV
New notifications of HIV (the Human Immunodeficiency Virus) have — overall — stabilised in recent years. But HIV diagnoses have also increased in some population groups. Australia has made great progress in HIV prevention within the gay community. For example, HIV diagnoses in gay…
18 Inconvenient Truths About Assessment Of Learning
II. It’s an extraordinary amount of work to design precise and personalized assessments that illuminate pathways forward for individual students–likely too much for one teacher to do so consistently for every student. This requires rethinking of learning models, or encourages…
Why 4 in 10 mothers stop breastfeeding by 6 months
Most parents of newborn babies have heard that ‘breast is best’. But although 96% of children are breastfed soon after birth, only 15% of mums are still breastfeeding exclusively 5 months later. So, what’s preventing some parents from continuing to breastfeed,…
Farmer health is about growing awareness
If you are one of the 300,000 Australians who earn their living from the land, you’ll know how difficult and uncertain farming can be. There are health and safety issues, such as working long hours in the sun, or with…
5 ways to make your opinion count when it comes to health
Most people have something to say when it comes to health. From conversations at barbecues to chats with co-workers to social media, people always find ways to share their views about health, wellbeing and medicine (and more). Sometimes it’s useful;…
A 3-Step Process School Leaders Can Use to Grow From Failure
Have you had a fail lately? A professional development day that took an unexpected turn or a student activity that got more eye rolls than applause? As educators, we always aim for innovative, exciting, and relevant learning experiences for our…
Supporting Red Nose Day saves little lives
Every day in Australia, 9 infants or children die suddenly and unexpectedly. The aim of Red Nose Day (Friday June 29) is to reduce this number to zero. By hosting an event, creating a fundraising page, volunteering or buying merchandise,…