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Expert insights
The REDI community is highly active in current educational debates. Here you will find blogs, opinion pieces and related communications on issues that continue to define our critical work.
In defence of teachers · International education · School funding · Technology in education · Gender · Teacher shortage
In defence of teachers
“Our focus should be on strengthening teachers’ contextual decision making, and not on constraining them in ways that will reduce their professionalism, and ultimately their standing.”
Russell Tytler, Science and writing: Why AERO’s narrow views are a big mistake, AARE blog, 21 October 2024
“Is this the best way to improve mathematics learning for all?” Carly Sawatzki and Danielle Armour, Common Denominator, 1/25, January 2025″It’s time to ask tough questions. Questions about the purpose and direction of education policy in Australia. Questions about the impact on teachers and students.”
Carly Sawatzki, Why these quick fixes won’t work for teaching today or tomorrow, AARE blog, 12 August 2024
“Educational researchers, peak bodies, professional associations and representatives of national education research agencies met to discuss the challenges and opportunities for Australian education research over the next decade.”
Jill Blackmore, Priorities and Future Directions for Educational Research, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, 5 August 2024
“Due to the complexity of the Australian education landscape, teachers are often left to navigate diverse and conflicting educational ideologies about Australian schooling.”
Tom Mahoney, How we can challenge oppression from the ground up, AARE blog, 5 August 2024
“Excessive focus on explicit methods will have side effects and could lead to students not meeting curriculum expectations.”
Jill Brown, Explicit teaching mandate – a pushback is now critical, AARE blog, 29 April 2024
“State governments are ostensibly responsible for public schooling in Australia, however federal governments can do a lot to improve education.”
Jill Blackmore, Amanda Keddie & Katrina MacDonald, How to fix education: cut tests, defund private schools, AARE blog, 20 May 2022
International education
“It’s a critical time to remind ourselves of the needs of international students and how best to support them, which is at the heart of our work.”
Ly Tran, Diep Nguyen, Danielle Hartridge, & Gary Lee, Student voices and areas of support in need, Koala News, 26 November 2024“A boost to the ties that bind Australia and the Indo-Pacific is essential
to humanising public diplomacy and building life-long connections.”
Ly Tran, Key questions for reform of the New Colombo Plan, Lowy Institute, 23 August 2024“While Chinese students learn and transform through overseas study, they face significant barriers when returning home.”
Ly Tran, Why are int’l graduate returnees to China considering themselves “wastes”, The Pie, 23 August 2024“Although the discourse of international education in Australia has traditionally emphasised its economic value, over the past year it has switched to prioritise political concerns and politically driven motives in government decisions about international education.”
Ly Tran, International education policy needs a critical re-think, University World News, 5 August 2024“An analysis of the proposed policy alongside census data shows the premise of this policy is not just contradictory, but difficult to achieve.”
Ly Tran, The federal government’s proposed international education policy is flawed, and will likely have unintended consequences, ABC News, 21 May 2024“Another distinctive shift is in the view of international education’s purposes, from cultural exchange and mutual understanding to politicisation and weaponisation.”
Ly Tran, International education’s goal? To enrich human beings, University World News, 2 September 2023
“The plan to put a 35 year old age limit on temporary visas for international graduates is a very bad idea that will damage Australia’s research capacity”
Ly Tran and Jill Blackmore, Planned 35 yo age limit on temporary graduate visas is poor policy, The Australian, 20 December 2023
“The international education sector’s headache from ill-fitting visa caps now has a unique Learning Abroad twist: an uplifting initiative tossing mortarboards into the air… a no-caps option!”
Trevor Goddard, New Colombo Plan Scholarships 2.0: A whole new world, The Koala, 21 August 2024
School funding
“Competitive grant writing is critically reshaping the principal’s role as a school leader – and not in positive ways.”
Emma Rowe, ‘Very frustrating’: for public school principals, applying for grants is now a big part of their job, The Conversation, 31 July 2024“If you feel like you’re paying a lot for your child’s private school education, that’s because you probably are.”
Emma Rowe, Australian families spend far more on private schooling than many other countries. Here’s why that’s a problem, The Conversation, 10 July 2024
Technology in education
“EdTech companies promise teachers to track their students’ engagement automatically and in real time. But what do these tools actually measure?”
Chris Zomer, Student engagement data: what does it actually mean?, AARE blog, 26 August 2024“Through engagement data, online learning platforms promote the idea engagement is measurable and can be expressed in numbers and graphs.”
Chris Zomer, Some online platforms are starting to measure ‘student engagement’ at school. Here’s what you need to know, The Conversation, 12 June 2024
“The usage of generative AI technologies in learning-based scenarios, such as schools, continues to be a contentious issue.”
Phillip Dawson, Is it cheating to use AI in the classroom?, Webinar, 8 August 2024
“The new AI Framework does important work in acknowledging opportunities while also foregrounding the importance of human wellbeing, privacy, security and safety.”
Leon Furze & Lucinda McKnight, Does the new AI Framework serve schools or edtech?, AARE blog, 5 December 2023
Gender
“As someone who studies gender, social justice and schools, there are other questions I consider to be more important, such as: does a school give students equal opportunities for education and future life success?”
Amanda Keddie, When picking schools, don’t get stuck on single-sex vs. co-ed. Instead ask – are all students supported and included?, The Conversation, 20 November 2024“A very encouraging finding from our study was that many young men are critical of the gendered content they encounter online.”
Amanda Keddie, Promising news: how young men think about Andrew Tate and what he sells, AARE blog, 15 July 2024
“This finding is important because it contradicts other recent large-scale research, which has found no statistically significant academic advantage to single-sex schooling.”
Claire Charles, Lucinda McKnight, New research suggests girls in single-sex schools do slightly better in exams than girls in co-ed environments, The Conversation, 23 May 2024
“We suggest five recommendations targeting employers, policy and resourcing to create change in the industry.”
David Farrugia, Gender-based violence is a big concern in hospitality – and women bear the brunt of managing it, The Conversation, 25 August 2023
Teacher shortage
“First Nations peoples have the oldest teaching and learning techniques and knowledges in the world. This has the potential to benefit all students.”
Glenn Auld, The teacher shortage plan must do more to recruit and retain First Nations teachers, The Conversation, 18 November 2022
