tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/disengaged-students-24408/articlesDisengaged students – The Conversation2021-05-20T19:52:44Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1582172021-05-20T19:52:44Z2021-05-20T19:52:44ZGood riddance to boring lectures? Technology isn’t the answer – understanding good teaching is<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401467/original/file-20210519-23-e9scot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C4315%2C2866&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bored-male-student-listens-lecture-university-1077839498">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With some universities returning to face-to-face teaching this year, ANU Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt <a href="https://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/lets-it-hear-for-live-and-in-person-lecturing/">noted</a> that, while his university was one of them, lectures would be much less common and not a “crutch for poor pedagogy”. Since then many have <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=8996">discussed the issue of lectures</a>, including the deputy vice chancellor of University of Technology Sydney and the director of the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education in Western Australia, with ideas ranging from <a href="https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=8377">embracing the lecture to removing it entirely</a>.</p>
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<p>Condemnation of lectures is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/may/15/ten-reasons-we-should-ditch-university-lectures">nothing new</a>. However, the sudden, massive shift to reliance on technology due to COVID has brought increasing calls for ending the venerable lecture. Lectures will, we are told, be replaced by superior, <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-killed-the-on-campus-lecture-but-will-unis-raise-it-from-the-dead-152971">technology-enhanced substitutes</a>. </p>
<p>Underlying these messages are two tacit assumptions: that lectures make for bad teaching and that using technology improves it. But are these reliable assumptions? Rather than simply rejecting lectures and embracing technology, perhaps we should be looking more closely into both, and their relationship to each other.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-killed-the-on-campus-lecture-but-will-unis-raise-it-from-the-dead-152971">COVID killed the on-campus lecture, but will unis raise it from the dead?</a>
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<h2>Our love-hate relationship with lectures</h2>
<p>Discussions about getting rid of lectures follow predictable patterns. The most common complaints centre on lectures as <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/05/lectures-arent-just-boring-theyre-ineffective-too-study-finds">didactic, learner-passive and boring</a>. Accompanying these critiques is the oft-cited rule that students’ attention span has a limit of <a href="https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/short-attention-span-class-structure/">10-18 minutes</a>. </p>
<p>While there is <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/advan.00109.2016">little to no evidence for this claim</a>, we can all identify with struggling to remain awake as we are droned at from a lectern. But most of us can also recall times we were spellbound by a lecture. Anyone who has attended a great TED Talk or even watched one on YouTube knows what it’s like to be captivated for that <a href="https://www.ted.com/participate/organize-a-local-tedx-event/tedx-organizer-guide/speakers-program/event-program">3-18 minutes</a>.</p>
<p>Can lectures hold people’s attention beyond 18 minutes, though? The late Professor Randy Pausch was well known for the power and quality of his lectures, especially his final one, “<a href="https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/">Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture</a>”, which he delivered after receiving a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. That lecture comes in at a little over one hour and 15 minutes, and many consider it to be a masterwork of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/health/08well.html">powerful teaching and communication</a>. </p>
<p>Clearly, extended lectures can have great impact. Achieving that impact, however, requires understanding what makes for good lecturing and then committing to improvement. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ji5_MqicxSo?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture.</span></figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/videos-wont-kill-the-uni-lecture-but-they-will-improve-student-learning-and-their-marks-142282">Videos won't kill the uni lecture, but they will improve student learning and their marks</a>
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<h2>Push the boundaries and reflect on your practice</h2>
<p>Pausch challenges the stereotype of what a lecture is. He uses <a href="https://www.talkingaccounting.com/2019/01/07/using-props-in-the-classroom/">physical props, multimedia and other resources</a> to push the boundaries of the lecture beyond a typical, didactic engagement. The result is a lecture that periodically shifts how the audience is engaged and, in doing so, captures and keeps the audience’s attention.</p>
<p>Lecturing at this level requires more than just experience. We must <a href="https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/ReflectiveTeaching">reflect on our teaching practice</a>, evaluate the quality of our lectures in relation to our intentions, and then commit to developing both our lectures and ourselves. </p>
<p>Professor Eric Mazur describes how, while teaching physics at Harvard in the 1990s, he came to the painful realisation that <a href="https://harvardmagazine.com/2012/03/twilight-of-the-lecture">his lectures were failing</a> to keep his students engaged or serve the educational objectives of the subject. He used this realisation as a springboard to improve his lectures and develop his pedagogical knowledge and skills. </p>
<p>Since then, Mazur has become a recognised expert in improving student engagement. He has created a variety of solutions for academics to keep students actively engaged in lectures, even those that go beyond the apocryphal 18-minute limit. The techniques <a href="https://mazur.harvard.edu/presentations/keynote-twilight-lecture-peer-instruction-active-learning">Mazur advocates</a> range from <a href="https://youtu.be/Z9orbxoRofI">integrating peer instruction into lectures</a> to <a href="https://youtu.be/iisnPrQLcNU">using a high-tech, collaborative platform</a> to promote students’ pre-lecture preparation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-tips-on-how-unis-can-do-more-to-design-online-learning-that-works-for-all-students-144803">5 tips on how unis can do more to design online learning that works for all students</a>
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<h2>Lose the assumptions, not the lectern</h2>
<p>So then what about the claim that technology is making the lecture obsolete? This seems doubtful for a couple reasons. </p>
<p>Pausch and Mazur’s methods can be transferred to an online space, even if we don’t label the result a lecture. We see many examples of how this works in well-regarded online learning platforms like <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org">Khan Academy</a> or <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/">LinkedIn Learning</a> (formerly <a href="https://www.lynda.com">Lynda</a>). However we label these engagements, it’s obvious technology can actually help lectures rather than just supplant them.</p>
<p>Now let’s turn the question around: does using technology guarantee or even increase the likelihood of good teaching? Technology can make good practices easier, like the use of <a href="https://elearning.uq.edu.au/guides/virtual-classroom/using-zoom-tips">polls and break-out rooms and timers</a>. Technology can even <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6798020/">open new possibilities and paradigms</a> for teaching. But there are no guarantees. </p>
<p>The list of ed tech failures is <a href="http://hackeducation.com/2019/12/31/what-a-shitshow">long and dismaying</a>. Examining what goes wrong, we see some <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/why-most-ed-tech-fails">common misunderstandings</a>. </p>
<p>One of these is that adding technology equals enhancing teaching. Technology carries no inherent pedagogical value. Swapping an iPad for a lectern does not, in itself move learning from a boring, didactic experience to interactive, lively engagement. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Distracted student struggles to watch an online lecture" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401465/original/file-20210519-3808-mr67wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A didactic, boring lecture is poor teaching whether delivered online or in person.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bored-unhappy-woman-watching-lon-online-1873189777">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Just like lectures, our uses of technology and the resulting impact must first come from thoughtful commitment to improving both teaching and teacher.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-unis-eye-more-instagram-worthy-campus-experiences-they-shouldnt-treat-online-teaching-as-a-cheap-and-easy-option-156585">As unis eye more ‘Instagram-worthy’ campus experiences, they shouldn't treat online teaching as a cheap and easy option</a>
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<h2>Be critical, be reflective, be better</h2>
<p>Technology can never substitute for critically reflecting on the pedagogical value of our practice. And while technology can assist a major transformation, it should never be a requirement for improving how we teach. Whether you’re a high-tech or low-tech teacher, you can give a good lecture or find useful alternatives if you remember to put the pedagogy before the technology.</p>
<p>We need to reject the notion that lectures will sink our students and technology will save them. Instead, let’s dig deeply and critically into both, reflect upon how to improve our practices, and apply sound teaching methods and practices to create learning engagements that are captivating and profound.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158217/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Some students may wonder why they bothered returning to campus. Others are struggling online. But lecturers who do engage students think deeply about how they do it, using all available tools.Christopher Charles Deneen, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Curriculum & Assessment, The University of MelbourneMichael Cowling, Associate Professor - Information & Communication Technology (ICT), CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/793462017-06-14T20:07:47Z2017-06-14T20:07:47ZLeaving school early means you’re likely never to return to study and training in adult life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173543/original/file-20170613-32034-76ew1m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">To the taxpayer, each long-term early school leaver costs $335,000.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One in eight Australians will never get Year 12 qualifications. Some, but not all of these people, make up the one in eight Australians who will be disengaged from full-time work, study or training for most of their lives. </p>
<p>These groups are the subject of Mitchell Institute’s <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/costs-of-lost-opportunity/">Counting the Costs of Lost Opportunity report</a>. The report paints a picture of Australians who, from a young age, miss out on opportunities to reach their full potential so, as adults, struggle to contribute to society and find success.</p>
<p>The Australians caught in these statistics represent a level of failure in the education system. This failure carries a huge cost for the individuals, their families, the economy and the country. </p>
<h2>Early school leavers</h2>
<p>Completion of Year 12 or an equivalent qualification is an indication of whether young people have developed knowledge and skills to prepare them for further study or participation in the workforce. </p>
<p>It is one of the benchmarks that separates those who will proceed to further study and training from those who will not. </p>
<p>But it is not as simple as students reaching Year 10 or 11 then deciding school isn’t for them. <a href="http://www.mitchellinstitute.org.au/reports/educational-opportunity-in-australia-2015-who-succeeds-and-who-misses-out/">Evidence suggests</a> paths towards dropping out and disengagement begin early, and certain segments of the population are particularly at risk. </p>
<p>Failure to complete Year 12 can also be in response to difficulties that emerge late in the schooling years, such as health problems (including mental health), family disruption and severe bullying or victimisation. </p>
<h2>Disengaged young people</h2>
<p>Looking solely at early school leavers who did not complete Year 12 does not accurately or fully identify those on a trajectory to a lifetime of disengagement, as some return to study later in life. </p>
<p>A better picture is gained from looking at those not fully engaged in employment, education or training by the age of 24. </p>
<p><a href="http://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/hilda/publications/hilda-statistical-reports">By tracking</a> 25 to 44 year olds from 2001-2014, we found that almost 90% of men and 82% of women who had not completed Year 12 did not return to study and training. </p>
<p>They were early leavers in their teen years, and as adults they still had no qualifications.</p>
<p>About 18% of early leavers remain disengaged from education, training and work their entire adult lives. This is about two and a half times higher than the rate for people who complete Year 12. </p>
<p>It is clear that achievement is largely locked in by the age of 25 and if you don’t have a Year 12 qualification by then, you are unlikely ever to. </p>
<h2>Cost of missing out at age 19</h2>
<p>To the taxpayer, each long-term early school leaver costs $335,000. </p>
<p>Across that cohort of 38,000 early leavers, the annual fiscal burden amounts to over $315 million for those who will remain without Year 12 or equivalent qualifications across their adult lives. </p>
<p>The full lifetime cost to the taxpayer of this cohort is $12.6 billion. </p>
<p>From the social perspective, each early leaver costs the Australian community $616,000. This equates to over $580 million annually for the cohort of long-term early leavers. The full lifetime burden amounts to $23.2 billion.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=290&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173683/original/file-20170613-8123-1ac2nvt.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Fiscal and social costs of early school leaving at net present value.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lamb and Huo (2017)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<h2>Cost of missing out at age 24</h2>
<p>The cost to Australian taxpayers for each person who will remain disengaged from work for more than half their lives is $412,000 over a working lifetime. Across the cohort of 46,000 disengaged young people, this amounts to over $471 million each year or $18.8 billion over a working lifetime.</p>
<p>For communities, each disengaged young person costs about $1 million over a lifetime. This is almost $1.3 billion annually per cohort and $50.5 billion for the group’s full lifetime cost. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/173684/original/file-20170613-11089-1lyhf30.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Fiscal and social costs of long term disengagement at net present value.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lamb and Huo (2017)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Employment, crime, welfare and health impacts</h2>
<p>Disparities in educational attainment lead to major differences in many areas of life: people who miss out face increased likelihood of experiencing unemployment or underemployment, crime, public welfare dependency and poor health. </p>
<p>In 2016, employment levels were <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6523.0">far better</a> for those with degrees or diplomas compared with early leavers. 80% of people with a Bachelors degree or above and 75% of people with an Advanced Diploma or Diploma were employed, compared with 67% for people with Year 12 and only 44% of those with Year 11 or below. </p>
<p>In 2009, prisoners aged 25-34 years were much less likely to have a Year 12 qualification than people of the same age in the general population (14% compared to 63%), and significantly more likely to have completed less than Year 9 (17% compared to 1%). </p>
<p>Similarly, people aged between 15-64 with no qualifications are almost two and a half times more likely than those with university degrees to be dependent on government income support. </p>
<p>And, lower levels of educational attainment are associated with poorer health, including conditions such as strokes, hypertension, high cholesterol, depression and diabetes. </p>
<h2>What needs to be done?</h2>
<p>The costs of having young Australians grow up without the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century emphasises an urgent need for educational reform – we simply cannot afford to do nothing. </p>
<p>In the determination of how much economic potential is being lost, it is equally vital to identify the policies that might harness the lost potential. </p>
<p>It’s important to look at the strategies that are needed to transform our schools and make our education system work well for all. </p>
<p>This is an important next stage of the work. It will need to look at the benefits of interventions such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>providing targeted access to high-quality programs in early childhood education</p></li>
<li><p>better addressing the welfare and schooling needs of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds</p></li>
<li><p>ensuring access to high quality programs and support as young people ascend school</p></li>
<li><p>investing in the vocational education and training (VET) system to ensure high quality training pathways and equitable access as a priority.</p></li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79346/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Lamb co-authored the Counting the Costs of Lost Opportunity report. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shuyan Huo co-authored the Counting the Costs of Lost Opportunity report. </span></em></p>Achievement is largely locked in by the age of 25, so those who do not have a Year 12 qualification by then are unlikely ever to have one.Stephen Lamb, Research Chair in Education and Director of the Centre for International Research on Education Systems, Victoria UniversityShuyan Huo, Senior Research Fellow, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/719882017-02-13T03:04:27Z2017-02-13T03:04:27ZMainstream schools need to take back responsibility for educating disengaged students<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/155597/original/image-20170206-18741-j3ps0k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many young people drop out or are excluded from mainstream schools.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/educating-australia-35445">this series</a> we’ll explore how to improve schools in Australia. Some of the most prominent experts in the sector tackle key questions, including why we are not seeing much progress; whether we are assessing children in the most effective way; why parents need to listen to what the evidence tells us, and much more.</em></p>
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<p>Mainstream schools need to take back responsibility of educating all students, even those who have temporarily become disengaged in education. </p>
<p>An alternative education sector has rapidly expanded in recent decades as Australian federal and state policies have sought to keep disengaged and vulnerable young people in education.</p>
<p>Over 900 plus so-called flexible learning programs are operating throughout the country, within and outside mainstream schools, catering for more than <a href="http://dusseldorp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Victoria-Institue-1-7-MB2.pdf">70,000 students</a> each year.</p>
<p>The growth of this sector can be seen as both a reflection of changing labour markets – paired with <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-get-young-people-into-work-we-first-need-to-understand-how-the-workplace-is-changing-65394">rising youth unemployment</a> – and a pragmatic response to <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-expelling-too-many-children-from-australian-schools-65162">exclusion practices</a> by education systems that are focused on academic achievement and outcomes. </p>
<p>Exclusion from school places makes vulnerable young people at <a href="http://apo.org.au/research/family-factors-early-school-leaving.pdf">greater risk</a> of long term unemployment, dependence on welfare, mental health issues and social isolation. </p>
<p>Young people unable to attend mainstream education then need to look for an educational alternative that addresses the complexity of their lives and needs. </p>
<h2>Can these students still get a good education?</h2>
<p>With success increasingly defined through <a href="http://www.myschool.edu.au/">league tables</a> and comparison of schools through national tests such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/naplan-results-reveal-little-change-in-literacy-and-numeracy-performance-here-are-some-key-takeaway-findings-70208">National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)</a>, a growing number (around 70,000) are no longer able to maintain their education in the mainstream system. </p>
<p>Many young people drop out or are <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-expelling-too-many-children-from-australian-schools-65162">excluded</a>. This is often because of their feelings of rejection and disillusionment with a system that fails to recognise the impacts of disadvantage, related social and mental health issues, and family trauma. </p>
<p>Ideally, alternative programs offer the potential of a curriculum that is individualised and relevant to their lived experiences. They offer:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>practical skills such as basic carpentry, motor maintenance or food preparation;</p></li>
<li><p>authentic learning experiences, which include real life tasks that are relevant to the student’s lived experience and facilitate success. For example, practical maths activities related to cooking and catering projects;</p></li>
<li><p>flexible learning that enables students to work at their own pace in small group or one-to-one situations;</p></li>
<li><p>a curriculum based on real-life scenarios, such as researching aspects of their local communities;</p></li>
<li><p>schooling that addresses the biological and developmental impacts of trauma before focusing on relationship-building and engagement with learning;</p></li>
<li><p>welfare and counselling support, which could include, for example, a school day consisting of two hours of counselling and two hours of classes.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Types of alternative education programs</h2>
<p>Alternative education activities in Australia fall into <a href="http://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1962718/User_croftsj_Stokes_26_Turnbull_Final_Web_18-5-16.pdf">three broad categories</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Programs within mainstream schools. These are usually aimed at keeping young people connected to school. Some are supported by philanthropic organisations, others by government initiatives.</p></li>
<li><p>Programs within Technical and Further Education (TAFE) or Adult and Continuing Education (ACE), such as Victorian Certificate of Alternative Learning (VCAL) (Years 11 and 12) or Certificate of General Education for Adults (to Year 10 level). </p></li>
<li><p>Standalone programs: often referred to as Flexible Learning Options (FLO). These programs operate either within mainstream settings but on separate sites or as separate schools in their own right. They typically offer alternative Year 9 to 12 options and/or curriculum and welfare support designed to meet the specific needs of their students, such as responding to the impact of trauma. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Such programs have the potential to support students at risk of disengaging entirely from mainstream education, but also to promote the resilience and well-being of all young people in mainstream schooling. This leads, in turn, to whole-school change that will benefit all students.</p>
<p>Many of the programs grapple with the delivery of a rigorous curriculum, the expectation of student academic achievement, and creating opportunities for students to return to mainstream education and training. </p>
<h2>Taking back responsibility</h2>
<p>Mainstream education needs to take back responsibility for adequately catering to the needs of a growing sector of marginalised young people, and learn to work in partnership with alternative education providers and community-based organisations to better support students. </p>
<p>One thing to consider is whether these sites of education offer a distinctive developmental approach that should influence curriculum and pedagogical design more widely.</p>
<p>Within the alternative sector, greater transparency is needed around curriculum and instructional quality, combined with better data on enrolments, course completion, and program outcomes. </p>
<p>We also need more consistent funding practices (many programs are dependent on the uncertainty of short-term grant allocations) and professional skills development.</p>
<p>These variables, consistently monitored and supported by effective local partnership between agencies, would contribute to a cultural shift in which Australian schools come to provide meaningful education for all young people, not just those engaged in the mainstream.</p>
<hr>
<p>• <em>The authors explore this theme further in a new book called <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/items/165663">Educating Australia: Challenges for the Decade Ahead</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fragmentation, inconsistency and a lack of accountability between alternative education providers means not all young people get access to a good education.Helen Stokes, Associate professor, The University of MelbourneMalcolm Turnbull, Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/515702016-02-03T19:04:46Z2016-02-03T19:04:46ZAustralian students are becoming increasingly disengaged at school – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/109764/original/image-20160201-11642-1n9165d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How can we keep students engaged at school?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around<a href="http://www.curriculum.edu.au/leader/engagement1,37021.html?issueID=12851"> one in five</a> Australian school students don’t find school engaging, which means they are <a href="http://www.bass.edu.au/files/6913/5966/8146/Sullivan_BaSS_Punish_Them_or_Engage_Them_Report_Overview__visual.pdf">less likely to learn properly.</a>. It’s an issue that tends to worsen as students become older.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2356&context=ajte">study</a> showed that in year 7, 70% of students observed found school engaging, but in year 9, this dropped to 55%.</p>
<p>Part of the reason is that the brightest kids are not being challenged enough, leading to students becoming <a href="http://www.ccyp.wa.gov.au/files/Literature%20reviews/2015%20Report%20-%20Children%20at%20risk%20of%20disengaging%20from%20school%20-%20literature%20review%20-%20final.pdf">disconnected and disengaged</a> from their studies. </p>
<p>Disengagement has resulted in Australian classrooms <a href="http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-overview.pdf">becoming rowdier</a> and bullying becoming more prevalent. </p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.bass.edu.au/files/6913/5966/8146/Sullivan_BaSS_Punish_Them_or_Engage_Them_Report_Overview__visual.pdf">2012 study</a> revealed that just 60% of students in South Australian secondary schools found school engaging. While over two thirds of teachers reported disengaged behaviours on an “almost daily basis”.</p>
<h2>Why are students not engaged at school?</h2>
<p>There are many possible <a href="http://www.bass.edu.au/files/6913/5966/8146/Sullivan_BaSS_Punish_Them_or_Engage_Them_Report_Overview__visual.pdf">reasons</a> for disengagement. Among these are the possibilities that the tasks being set are too challenging or too boring resulting in students being easily distracted; or that lessons being taught are perceived as uninteresting or irrelevant.</p>
<p>This has marked implications for the academic progress of these students, who are then at risk of dropping out of school prior to completion. </p>
<h2>Disengagement can lead to dropping out</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.ccyp.wa.gov.au/files/Literature%20reviews/2015%20Report%20-%20Children%20at%20risk%20of%20disengaging%20from%20school%20-%20literature%20review%20-%20final.pdf">Around 25%</a> of disengaged young people do not complete school, with some variation nationally from primary to secondary school. This should be concerning. </p>
<p>Of the 25% who did not complete school in 2013-14, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4221.02014?OpenDocument">one in four</a> students indicated that they did not like school, with some indicating that their disinterest was on account of not doing well. </p>
<p>Of concern is the <a href="http://www.bass.edu.au/files/6913/5966/8146/Sullivan_BaSS_Punish_Them_or_Engage_Them_Report_Overview__visual.pdf">quietly disengaged</a> student, who sometimes goes unnoticed because they are usually compliant, but not as productive as they could be. </p>
<h2>How to make students more engaged</h2>
<p>While engaged students are keen to perform well, achieve highly, and consequently look forward to successful post-school lives, disengagement can lead to poorer academic performance for some students, and therefore limited success. This can in turn affect their quality of life. </p>
<p><strong>Personalised learning approach</strong></p>
<p>Teaching children in the same way means some of the brightest kids often are not challenged enough. Personalised learning has been <a href="http://education.qld.gov.au/publication/production/reports/pdfs/federalist-paper.pdf">identified</a> as one of the essentials to school success. This involves using <a href="https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/publ/research/publ/personalising-education-report.pdf">individually designed strategies</a> which tap into student strengths to help increase the level of student engagement. This <a href="http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/pages/personalised.aspx">could include</a>, using open learning spaces, student developed timetables and behaviour guidelines.</p>
<p><strong>Add sense of purpose to learning</strong></p>
<p>Getting students involved with projects and using real-life scenarios <a href="http://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1207&context=research_conference">could contribute</a> to a sense of ownership and bring enjoyment to learning. Through these approaches, students are more likely to feel that school is relevant, important and prepares them meaningfully for life outside school.</p>
<p><strong>Foster student wellbeing</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2846654/">Positive interactions</a> between teachers and students can help create classroom stability, feelings of security and overall gratification with the learning process. Forming <a href="http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/viewFile/745/162">positive relationships</a> at school can also <a href="http://www.tlrp.org/pub/documents/enrichingschoolingcommentary.pdf">contribute towards</a> a student’s emotional and social wellbeing.</p>
<p>Teachers need to compare their strategies with their peers in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the different methods they use to increase student engagement at schools.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51570/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pearl Subban is affiliated with Monash University. </span></em></p>Around one in five Australian school students are disengaged, leading to disruptive behaviours in class and students dropping out.Pearl Subban, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.