Minnis Journals

For Education Leaders

Boys, Behaviour and The Law

Over two-thirds (69%) of youth offenders were male say recently published data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for the 2023-2024 financial year.
There are many theories about how to change behaviour and one is to educate boys about the law and whether their behaviour oversteps the line and wanders into illegality.
Early legal education helps with prevention of youth crime rates, foster respectful relationships, and create a culture of responsibility among young people. Read more

AI Isn't Coming for Jobs

The future of work isn’t human or machine, it’s human with machine - AI isn’t going to steal your job, but someone who’s highly fluent in using it might.
So, the idea is to get amongst it, experiment with the AI and realise that it is an efficiency tool that can be put to work in any number of ways.
AI is no longer emerging, it’s embedded. Its role in education is shifting from optional to an essential tool. Read more

Game-Changing Aussie App for Neurodivergent Kids

Reset Moves is designed to support neurodivergent children through short, engaging physical interventions.
Encouraging movement and focus through a suite of gamified physical activities the app has performed well in trials conducted across more than 250 students aged 5–17, boosting attention, mood, and physical activity. It is already seeing uptake in Australian schools and therapy networks.
Read more

Class Ability Grouping Causes Further Disadvantage

Grouping students into separate classes according to their ability, ‘streaming’ in Australian schools and in New Zealand, Canada, the United States, England, Ireland and Singapore, ingrains inequities.
Students placed in higher groups are often from privileged backgrounds, while students from lower groups are disproportionately from disadvantaged backgrounds. More experienced teachers, often with more qualifications are likelier to teach the highest streamed classes. Read more

Broader Ideas of Assessment Unlock Potential in Young Lives

The economics of education have changed immeasurably and permanently.
   It is no longer enough for young people to absorb and play back knowledge.
   In the digital age young people also need a broader array of skills and capabilities, to be empathetic and agile thinkers and to draw on their innately human skills to tackle challenges.
   It is time we stopped pitting knowledge against skills and capabilities.
Read more

The Butterfly Effect and School Planning

While the practice and structure of schools, in general, have a stable, unchanging appearance, the context in which schools exist is sometimes changed rapidly and schools have to adapt to the unexpected. School finance, staffing, policies, and facilities are often the targets for such unexpected changes, which mean class structures and curriculum delivery can be compromised. In the development of school Risk Policies, it is fair to expect the unexpected. Read more