Education is important. Completing high school is important. And yes, final exams are also important. But they are not MORE important than other things - like connection, resilience, hope, and wellbeing.
Nigel Howard is a Research associate at Flinders University, a former Secondary Principal, and currently studying for his PhD. As someone who sees the importance of education and knows the terrain of senior school/final exams both practically and academically, Nigel gives some terrific advice to parents and students currently facing the pressure of HSC exams.
Topics in this episode:
- Gap in school completion rates between city/country and high/low socioeconomic backgrounds
- Entry-level jobs and apprenticeships
- Why do kids stay at school? Why do others leave?
- The importance of listening to our children
- Specialised/alternative education
- Learning to pass exams vs learning how to apply knowledge
- National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 2020-2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)
- Neurodiversity
- Responsiveness of schools to struggling students
- How important is the ATAR system? What does it mean for schools?
- Resilience and success
- Articles in The Conversation written by Nigel Howard -
- Parents have just started their own school in Sydney – this is part of a long tradition in Australia
- 20% of Australian students don't finish high school: non-mainstream schools have a lot to teach us about helping kids stay
- School attendance rates are dropping. We need to ask students why
- Are flexible learning options giving schools a convenient way out of taking responsibility for 'difficult' students?
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