Dr Jane Hunter of the University of Technology Sydney, says the whole point of STEM is to integrate subjects: to bring them together to solve complex problems and Hunter is an advocate for STEAM over STEM.
   Four years ago, Dr Hunter was invited by school leaders to work with teachers in their schools to build professional confidence and capacity in STEM subjects and her findings have been published in a new book.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many of the things that allow our happiness; work, secure housing, relationships and social connections, and the psychological fallout may be the final stage of the pandemic’s mischief.
   The worst of the impact will fall upon the more vulnerable members of society, the socially disadvantaged and the young and leading academics are worried.
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When I visited 30 school libraries in 2018 as part of a research project that looked at school libraries as a literacy resource, I was amazed by the complexity of the current teacher librarian role. 
  When I spoke to teacher librarians about what they do as part of their regular routine, it became clear that you have a chameleon-like role to play in your schools.
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Schools are not just places where young people receive a structured, cognitive and curriculum-based education. They are diverse, dynamic and create rich opportunities for students to develop emotionally, socially, physically and spiritually.
   Community members have never demanded more from educators and research has shown the need to continually adapt to the individual needs of students.
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The OECD report on PISA 2018 found that over two-thirds of students in the OECD did not fully try on the tests. Eighty per cent of students in Germany did not fully try as did 79 per cent of students in Denmark and Canada and 78 per cent in Switzerland. Some 73 per cent of Australian and New Zealand students did not fully try.
  This has obvious implications for the data produced and its veracity.
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The OECD’s TALIS report ‘Positive High Achieving Students?’ places teachers at the core of the most effective educational systems and reinforces what many will know; teaching success relies on the basics.
   The report’s value is that it relies on advanced statistics and machine learning techniques to come to its conclusions. Less is more when it comes to teaching; less administrative duties mean more time spent working with students. Read more