The variability in how we talk to each other is confusing for sufferers of autism and research has found that using social robots to teach people with the condition to identify the subtleties of communication and respond appropriately is effective in treating the disorder.
   A curriculum to treat ASD created by Prof So Wing-Chee from the Chinese University of Hong Kong using social robots has been heavily tested and works well. Read more

Edapt Education is an easy-to-use, end-to-end data platform that allows educators and schools to drive student growth and improvement through predictive and actionable data-driven insights.
   The platform, which was created by a Monash University graduate, has been adopted by more than a dozen primary and secondary schools across Victoria, with another 18 schools expected to sign on before the end of the year. Read more

The high turnover of staff in rural and remote schools means that the quality of teaching can suffer and this can have a flow on effect into the classroom.
  Given what we know about the effect of the student/teacher relationship on student success and outcomes it is perhaps, not surprising that the concern is raised and PD for rural end remote settings needs to reflect this situation. Read more

VR offers an immersive platform for narrative education, interactivity and problem solving and a recent study has found that high school students show greater knowledge mastery after learning through virtual reality, compared to those who did not. 79 Australian students from two secondary schools, one public and one private participated in the Uni SA and Torrens Uni study.
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Vulnerable children are more likely to be excluded from school, making bad stations worse; boys, Indigenous students, and students with a disability are disproportionately affected by exclusion. Indigenous students received 25 per cent of all suspensions and permanent exclusions in Queensland, despite comprising just over 10 per cent of student enrolments and 25 per cent of all suspensions in New South Wales. Read more

Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Program was a hit in primary schools, boosting food awareness and the importance of healthy eating. That success should be replicated with its new secondary schools program.
   To celebrate the launch, Australian high schools can win one of two membership packages and $3,500 towards their own kitchen garden for 2021.
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