EDITOR’S PICKS

Don’t want to send the kids back to school? Why not try unschooling at home?
As schools resume for most Australian students, a new group of parents have emerged, write Rebecca English and Karleen Gribble. These parents have decided to give home education a longer-term try, finding their children have improved academically and benefited from the calmer home learning environment....
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20 May, 2020
Out Of The Blue
Rod Howard decides to delete all expletives and become a sworn-again dad. While it shames me to say it, just occasionally in my brief apprenticeship as a father the stresses and strains of parenthood have resulted in the involuntary utterance of words, which in sober...
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20 May, 2020
Girls consistently outperform boys in reading skills – but could this be changing?
Girls consistently outperform boys on reading tests – and have done so for several decades around the world, write Louis Volante and Francesca Borgonovi Lack of motivation, a weak vocabulary, poor reading engagement and lack of role models have all been considered possible reasons for...
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20 May, 2020
Family meals during the pandemic: The good, the bad and the struggle
Jo Lindsay, Claire Tanner and Deana Leahy report on their research with families with primary school-aged children last year, and they found that the ideal of the shared family meal around a table was a challenging ritual to put into practice. This was particularly the...
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20 May, 2020
Education technology, schooling and privacy
The COVID-19 outbreak has rapidly accelerated how much schools rely on online learning, writes Lisa Archbold The move has raised a range of issues – particularly digital privacy and security of information. Managing these security and privacy issues is the responsibility of regulators, schools and...
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20 May, 2020
A collective return to school and adjusting to the ‘new normal’
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to learn new things. Some of us have gained new knowledge about ourselves, and also about others. Some of us have had an opportunity to reflect on what we value and prioritise in life. Others have had lessons on...
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20 May, 2020

Celebrating Mothers

Diabetes and pregnancy can be a tricky (but achievable) mix
6 things to think about if you have diabetes and want a baby and 1 if you don’t, report Freya MacMillan, David Simmons, and Tinashe Dune The number of people with diabetes is expected to increase from 463 million in 2019 to 700 million by...
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21 April, 2020
Coronavirus with a baby: 9 things you need to know to prepare and respond
If you have a baby, Karleen Gribble and Nina Jane Chad report you may be worried about them catching the coronavirus, particularly after media reports of an Australian infant diagnosed with it. The good news is, the evidence so far is babies almost never get...
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16 March, 2020
The Rubbery ‘No’
Erica Sharplin wonders if we should be teaching our children to take ‘no’ for an answer. Can I have one Mum?” “No. Not now.” “Please Mum.” “No. I said not now. It’s nearly lunchtime.” “Ple-ease!” “I said no! Now stop bugging me about it!” “Please,...
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04 March, 2020
In The Public Interest?
The village is most welcome to help raise her child, writes Maxine Clarke, but through practical gestures, rather than unconstructive heckling. For a few short months, I was completely content with the new-found public interest in my condition. Even a few pats on the tummy...
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12 November, 2019