One of the things I love about the school year beginning each year is the opportunity we have as teachers to start fresh, set goals and the enthusiastic nature a new year brings in. The first morning as we meet back as a staff after a well deserved break is always full of enthusiasm and excitement.…
Author Archives: Mel Cashen
A day at the museum
I have always believed in the power of the network in education to provoke, support and connect. As a user of twitter I have built up a large network around me and now people I have connected with through that have become close colleagues who I talk to regularly about my practice.…
Telling or Teaching?
I picked up this 1937 Teachers Quarterly for a $1 at a market over the summer. It was really for a bit of a laugh to read and look at how much had changed.
But I was a little surprised to see that after all these years, educators are continuing to send the same messages.…
Reggio Emilia
I recently attended the Australian Reggio Emilia Conference, which was this year in Melbourne. For a long time I have looked at the Reggio Emilia region with envy as many of my ideals of education are enacted within their city walls, while our policy makers were busy talking about back to basics and mandating phonics.…
A Fringe Festival of Learning
“People don’t go to conferences for presentations. They go for the networking.” Overheard on tram 48, 6.47pm, 16.4.15.
As educators we know and understand the importance of providing authentic, rich and fulfilling learning experiences that provide real world contexts for learning.…
Digital Technologies | A Curriculum
Last year I was lucky enough to be involved with VCAA in trialling the new Digital Technologies Curriculum in the primary school. The AusVELS‘ version of the Australian Curriculum is set to be released later in the year and will be the first time we have seen computer science in the primary curriculum. …
SplashED
Last week I became a Splash ambassador. Splash is an Australian website run by the ABC which collates high quality content to share with Australian educators, parents and students. It includes videos, audio clips, games and interactives which can be used across all year groups.…
New beginnings
I always love the opportunities new beginnings offer you and this week my new beginning was starting at a new school. Usually a time of trepidation and nerves I found myself full of excitement and a sense of feeling like I was truly at home.…
Festival of Gaming
At this time of year I love reading everyone’s wrap up of the previous year. Highlight, lowlight, best of. I am not usually one to write that sort of thing, and if you look back over my year of blogging I haven’t been one to write much at all.…
Startup Weekend Education Melbourne
Last weekend saw the first Startup Weekend Education in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to be one of the organisers. Startup Weekends are typically a grassroot movement to empower entrepreneurs….. although ours was a little different. Education Startup Weekends are typically aimed at entrepreneurs to work with educators to develop ideas for education…..…