Portfolio of education and more general articles

1. NEWSMONTH
Volume 28, Number 6 - DMA 2008
http://publications.ieu.asn.au/2533.html
Thinking outside the square
By Nicole VANDERKROEF, IEU Journalist
Teachers at Eden Learning Centre use a dynamic combination of integrative
teaching, practical experiences and one-on-one support to inspire students who
have become disengaged from mainstream education, writes IEU Journalist
Nicole VANDERKROEF.
Set up as part of Youth Off The Streets, a non-denominational community
organisation working for disadvantaged young people, Eden Learning Centre at
Macquarie Fields aims to empower students to make decisions that will enable
positive changes throughout their lives.
A supportive learning environment
With an intensive learning environment of only 12 students aged 14 to 17, the
centre provides an opportunity for young people who may be long-term truants,
or from low socioeconomic backgrounds or broken homes, to complete their
studies in a supportive and uplifting environment.
IEU member and manager Steven Armstrong points out that Eden is not a
behavioural school in the usual sense. Rather, the centre facilitates the students
in changing their behaviour and finding a purpose for learning.
“These young people have usually had some reason to oppose the education
system,” Steven says. “We offer them another option which will make a real
difference in their lives and give them a way forward. But we also tell them that
the process won’t be easy.”
Eden offers most mainstream subjects but the format of classes and approach to
the BOS syllabus is unique.
Teachers use an integrative approach, often covering many subject areas in the
one lesson by relating the content to real-world examples and practical tasks.
There is also a strong emphasis on skills that will be useful for students in the
workplace, and Eden has developed a comprehensive network of industry
professionals who teach practical workshops.
Students engage with lessons as they can see the direct connection between the
content and everyday life, and they recognise how their education will benefit
them in the future.
A focus on student achievement

2. IEU member teacher Karelynne Randall says a big part of the job is getting to
know the students and creating a supportive environment in which they feel
comfortable.“The basis for everything taught at the centre is communication,” she
says. “Many students have trouble with their communication skills, so it’s a
matter of working intensively with them and discovering the best way to engage
them in their work.”
To help facilitate this, an individual education program meeting is held for each
student at the beginning of each term. Teachers, together with the student and
the primary stakeholders in their life, develop key actions and practical goals for
the coming term.
At the end of the term, teachers review the student’s achievements with them
and talk about what the student would like to achieve next. The emphasis, says
Steven, is to reinforce the positive and focus on accomplishments the students
can be proud of.
A great example is a program set up between Eden and KU Macquarie Fields
preschool, where the young people at Eden worked through a series of learning
activities with the preschool children, focused on enhancing their language and
literacy skills.
The Eden students thoroughly enjoyed it because it helped them feel part of the
wider community and instilled a sense of achievement and “making a difference”.
Karelynne says that one of the greatest things about working at Eden is seeing
the students develop over time.
“You look at their portfolio of work and the changes in their behaviour and you
can’t help but be proud."

3. INDEPENDENT EDUCATION
Volume 38, Number 3 - DMA 2008
http://publications.ieu.asn.au/2566.html
Dare to Lead still breaks new ground
By Nicole Vanderkroef, IEU Journalist
Eight years after it first began, the Dare to Lead program continues to inspire
students and educators to embrace Indigenous culture and help bridge the gap
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. NSW/ACT IEU Journalist
Nicole Vanderkroef reports.
Dare to Lead is a national coalition of over 5,000 principals dedicated to
implementing projects that focus on improving educational outcomes for
Indigenous students.
National Action Area Coordinator Brian Giles-Browne says that each of the three
national conferences held this year have highlighted areas critical to Indigenous
education and helped schools tackle challenges in innovative ways.
The first two conferences addressed the lack of resources for Indigenous
children with special needs, and also those who are gifted and talented.
“Indigenous projects tend to focus on the deficit model and don’t cater for gifted
and talented students,” Giles-Browne says. “Often these kids aren’t identified as
gifted and talented until later in life.”
In late September, Dare to Lead will be holding their third conference on
Indigenous children in early childhood education. It will focus on providing
children with a better start to schooling and familiarising them with the
mainstream system.
Giles-Brown says that integrating Indigenous themes need not necessarily
involve a “big upheaval”. Simply looking at the curriculum and giving it an
Aboriginal perspective can make all the difference.
A great example of this is Holy Family Primary School Emerton, a Catholic
school in a socially disadvantaged area of western Sydney. It has been involved
in Dare to Lead since 2004. Of its 128 students in Years K-2, 17% are
Indigenous.
In 2005, the school was recognised with a Dare to Lead quality teaching award
for their Reading is Fun program.

4. Teachers at the school produced a kit that contained Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander relevant materials and parents were trained to help their children work
through the material at home.
Parents and guardians in the Indigenous community were invited to participate,
which encouraged ownership of the plan by Indigenous families, acknowledged
their value to the school, and emphasised the school’s commitment to
Indigenous education.
Principal Sr. Brenda Kennedy explains that the school does simple things each
day to promote understanding of Indigenous culture.
“Teachers and principals are often very busy and it is hard to follow-up on all the
programs and notices you hear about. But it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Even simple things like raising an Aboriginal flag and doing an Acknowledgement
of Country can help promote an understanding of Indigenous culture in the
school.”
Sr. Brenda says she has seen many improvements as a result of the program,
some less measurable than others.
“One of the biggest honours was when parents asked us, a year or so after their
children had enrolled, to change their details to reflect the fact that they were
Aboriginal, when previously they didn’t want that included. It really shows the
changes these programs have made in the school and how Indigenous families
are made to feel welcome.”
She encourages principals to get involved in the Dare to Lead program, including
those who don’t have Indigenous students. IEU Indigenous Advisor Diat Callope
agrees:
“I’d encourage all principals to sign on and follow up with real changes, because
they can make such a difference to the educational outcomes of Indigenous and
non-Indigenous students alike.”
Visit http://www.daretolead.edu.au or contact the secretariat on (08) 8245 9822
for more information

5. NEWSMONTH
Volume , Number - DMA 2008
http://publications.ieu.asn.au/2387.html
Trade union time warp
By Nicole Vanderkroef, IEU Journalist
Once the centre of the trade union movement in NSW, the Sydney Trades Hall
houses an eclectic historical collection just waiting to educate visitors on a wide
range of issues – from arbitration to textiles and design, writes IEU Journalist
Nicole VANDERKROEF.
Walking along Sydney’s busy Sussex Street, you could almost miss the entrance
to Unions NSW. But hidden behind this rather ordinary, inner-city office façade,
lies one of the trade union movement's best kept secrets – that is until now.
Built in 1871 and originally fronting Goulburn Street, the Sydney Trades Hall was
once the nerve centre of the trade union movement in NSW. These days, this
late-Victorian style building is home to both modern Unions NSW offices and
historical union treasures.
The custodians of this celebrated architecture and these unique artefacts are
now inviting students and teachers to take advantage of the wide range of
resources available – spanning an enormous number of topics across the
curriculum.
If walls could talk
The Sydney Trades Hall, and its older and larger cousin in Melbourne, came into
being during the early days of the trade union movement in Australia.
The Halls were built on behalf of a number of trades as a place to hold meetings
and banquets. By joining together, trades who were not individually wealthy
enough to build their own space now had a place to use.
Renovations in 1903 and 1933 saw the creation of a gallery room for union
banners to be housed, and many of them still hang on the walls today.
“The banners indicate the importance of nationalism for workers,” says Neale
Towart, Unions NSW Research Librarian and Trades Hall heritage expert.
He says that banners were an important part of the early trade union movement,
as they helped create awareness and gain enthusiasm from the public, who were
often illiterate but could appreciate the artwork and stirring images on the
banners.

6. In 2001, it was proposed by the Labor Council of NSW (now Unions NSW) to
redevelop the site to provide modern office and retail space for use by the Labor
Council as well as other tenants.
However, respecting the heritage significance of the original building was one of
their top priorities.
“The significance of the building lies not only within the built fabric, but also the
moveable collection,” says Neale. “In particular the collection of union banners,
which are a testament to the craftsmanship and exquisite detail of the banner
makers’ art.”
Today, many of the original internal architectural features of the building remain,
and have now been preserved and recognised by the State Heritage Register.
These include the stairwells, the lift, and many decorative architectural features.
“This is a working building, it’s not a museum,” says Bill Pirie, Trades Hall
caretaker and historical expert.
“But there are some very important features around, both in the architecture and
the artefacts, and these we want to preserve.
“The Victorian paintwork in the building is one of the only examples of this type of
paintwork left in the state, and they went to great lengths to retain it,” says Bill.
Curriculum conscious
Neale Towart says that because of the richness of trade union history, and the
sheer volume of features at the Trades Hall, teachers can access resources that
are useful in subjects across the curriculum.
“This building has allowed us to have a repository for materials around [trade
union] issues,” says Neale. “And after having seen the NSW Board of Studies
curriculum, we aim to be able to provide packages of material on particular
aspects of the curriculum for teacher use in the classroom.”
These include topics as diverse as:
* The union movement and its history of arbitration
* The Women’s Movement and gender equality
* Working conditions
* Indigenous rights
* Victorian architecture
* World War I, II and the Vietnam War
* Fabrics, textiles and design.

7. The Trades Hall also houses an auditorium. Remodeled in 1948 to improve the
acoustics, it can seat up to 212 people and be used for meetings or educational
multimedia presentations.
Radio station 2KY began broadcasting from the tower room in the Trades Hall,
and teachers can also access resources and artifacts relating to early radio and
communications in Sydney.
Getting involved
Teachers can become involved and utilise the resources at the Trades Hall in
two ways.
They can arrange tours of the building and historical collection with Neale, so
students can directly experience the architecture and union artefacts on offer.
Neale is also hoping to develop online resources and written materials in
conjunction with teachers specifically tailored to the NSW curriculum, and invites
any interested teachers to contact him.
“We hope that schools and students will come and view our materials onsite and,
when we get our online materials up and running, that they will access those and
get a lot of use out of them,” Neale says.
Contact Neale Towart at Unions NSW, Level 3, Trades Hall, 4 Goulburn St,
Sydney, ph (02) 9881 5999.
A video story of this article will be appearing soon on the IEU website at
www.ieu.asn.au

8. IEU online
The Future Of IR: ‘We Will Be Harmonised’
By Nicole Vanderkroef
The future of the NSW industrial relations system is about ‘finding a place’ within
a national framework, with ‘competitive federalism’ offering plenty of
opportunities, NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca has told the
annual Workforce conference.
Speaking at Workforce’s ‘Uncovering the post election landscape’ conference,
held in Sydney on 3-4 December, Mr Della Bosca said he was “confident that by
the time Prime Minister Rudd’s time expires we will have a national system”.
“There is now an opportunity that did not exist under Howard,” he said. However,
it would still remain crucial to “keep the genius” of the current system in place
and to maintain the strength of the states.
“We think there is a role for the NSW system within a harmonised federal system
… [but we] need to decide what powers we will let them take and what powers
we will retain”.
Among benefits would be providing consistency on employee rights issues. A
competitive federalism model would present many further opportunities, he said.
“Someone innovates and others take it on. Someone makes a mistake and there
are enough others out there to help deal with it … there is a case for competitive
federalism.”
“We might get all sorts of advantages from a harmonised system.”
Get it right the first time
Over the past decade Australian industrial relations laws have become “the least
fair in the world” but Labor will need to get its reforms right as they are “likely to
stay for some time”, Griffith University’s Professor David Peetz told the
conference.
Former Sydney University Dean of Law Professor Ron McCallum hinted at what
the changed industrial landscape could look like. He said it was “no accident” that
Julia Gillard took the Education and Social Inclusion policy portfolios in addition
to Industrial Relations.
“The Rudd Government is about education and this will be tied in with training
and the workforce,” he said.

9. “We will see a new model of citizenship where all will be required to work, in
return for family friendly policies.”
Strong role for unions
An expected emphasis on consultation and negotiation as part of the new
industrial framework would be “much more in the unions’ interest”, said Professor
McCallum. He predicted it would now become “unfashionable to be anti-union”.
Meanwhile Professor Peetz suggested any anti-union sentiment in the
community had been grossly overstated during the Howard Government’s
election campaign.
“There is no doubt that industrial relations was the single most important factor in
the election result, he said. In addition to the unpopularity of WorkChoices, "the
Liberal campaign was based on the mistaken view that the majority of people
disliked and feared unions”.
Unions NSW secretary John Robertson agreed that unions would play a stronger
role. He told the conference that “historically, the Labor Party has been about
bringing relevant parties together and achieving a consensus”.
“Unlike with the last Government, that was only into big business, we will have a
seat at the table.”
However there were likely to be “points of difference”, he said. “Whilst we are
close we are not attached at the hip.”
“For us it’s about making sure Labor has responsible policies.”
Focusing on communities
The union movement’s role would also involve “shifting public opinion in the
areas that matter”, Mr Robertson said. Helping unions achieve this would be the
infrastructure built up around the Your Rights at Work campaign, with 46 such
community-based groups now in NSW alone.
Along with industrial relations policies, areas of focus would include research and
development, vocational education and training, the living wage, infrastructure,
public transport, lands and titles, and communities.
It’s about making sure people have “good, strong jobs” plus the ability to spend
time with their families, he said.