Robotics, equestrian, major life decisions. Life is full on for today's high school students. Lateline follows three teenagers from three different schools as they balance exams, extra-curricular activities and trying to have a life.
Consistent with evidence presented during the inquiry, research suggests that there is an inherent value in young people undertaking work during their school years. However, at some point, work can start to become an impediment and students’ school performance deteriorates as work demands increase.
THEY tend to be model school students - polite, hard working, with a respect for education many teachers wish more teenagers from non-Asian families would emulate.
Homework Horrors- At psychologist Judith Paphazy's clinic in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, a steady stream of 12-year-olds with headaches, insomnia or anxiety seek her help. Accompanied by their parents, these children reveal a common bond: all have large amounts of homework set by their schools.
Gender stereotypes that children absorb can shape attitudes and expectations into adulthood.
Extreme expectations of 'Tiger Mums'. Interview with Amy Chua - author of 'Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Tutoring for Chinese students at coaching colleges.
Kayne, Stephanie, Nancy and Tayaka head back to school and look at the issues kids face, including fitting in, frenemies and homework. Plus, fitness guru Michelle Bridges chats to Kayne about bullying.
Cultural learning senior lecturer and psychologist Amanda Mergler pointed out in her piece on The Conversation that some parents felt requiring their daughters to wear dresses and skirts was outdated and amounted to gender disadvantage. To this, I say piffle. Dresses are not passe. Skirts are not discriminatory or symbols of sexism. They do not limit female power or confidence. And having our boys and girls dressed the same — as boys, effectively — does not make them the same. They are not, never should be, and clothes do not make the man (or woman). Celebrate difference, because difference between genders does not mean better or worse and schoolchildren should not be encouraged to see themselves as a homogenous, genderless blob.
The literature shows that young people in Australia do engage in volunteering, both in formal and informal contexts. The drivers of young people’s volunteering activity are varied, and are influenced by ‘top-down’ signals from policies and programmes, as well as ‘bottom-up’ approaches motivated by community needs and the desire of many young people to participate, contribute to their communities and gain valuable skills and experiences.
Individual and School-level Influences Participation in extracurricular activities important for students Students’ participation in extracurricular activities such as drama, music, sport, debating and community work can be important in their overall engagement with school, and may be related to positive educational outcomes.
EXTRACURRICULAR activities are good for children but questions remain about which ones are the most efficacious and why, information that would help governments and other funding bodies work out the best way to direct resources.
Twenty years ago, the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California attempted to describe what makes a "good school". The centre identified several characteristics of successful schools, which it recommended parents look for when choosing a school for their child: