tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/victoria-quarantine-89688/articlesvictoria quarantine – The Conversation2020-08-05T06:53:57Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1439912020-08-05T06:53:57Z2020-08-05T06:53:57ZVictoria’s childcare announcements explained<p>From tomorrow (Thursday, August 6) only children of <a href="https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/permitted-worker-scheme">permitted workers</a> will be able to attend childcare in Melbourne, which is under stage 4 restrictions.</p>
<p>Parents and providers have been waiting to understand what this means for their children and attendance numbers for the next six weeks.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/childcare-closed-to-most-families-no-jobkeeper-what-melbournes-stage-4-lockdown-means-for-parents-and-the-sector-143845">Childcare closed to most families, no JobKeeper: what Melbourne's stage 4 lockdown means for parents and the sector</a>
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<p>Both Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews and the federal Minister for Education Dan Tehan made announcements today that clarify many of these details, although questions remain.</p>
<h2>What did Dan Tehan announce?</h2>
<p>The federal government funds childcare, along with fees paid by parents. </p>
<p>In April, the government put in place a <a href="https://theconversation.com/free-child-care-to-help-nearly-one-million-families-especially-workers-in-essential-services-135439">childcare relief package</a>. Early childhood education and care centres across the country were provided with around 50% of their revenue based on enrolment numbers between February 17 and March 2, on the basis parents weren’t charged any fees. </p>
<p>Services were also able to access JobKeeper for eligible employees.</p>
<p>The package ended in July, with as well as JobKeeper for employees. But there is a transition package back to pre-COVID funding arrangements until September 27. The <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/tehan/return-child-care-subsidy">government is making up 25% of the childcare service fee revenue</a> from February 17 – March 1. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/morrison-has-rescued-childcare-from-covid-19-collapse-but-the-details-are-still-murky-134798">Morrison has rescued childcare from COVID-19 collapse – but the details are still murky</a>
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<p>Today, Dan Tehan <a href="https://ministers.dese.gov.au/morrison/support-victorian-families-childcare-workers-and-services">announced</a> extra provisions to the childcare transition package for Melbourne providers located in areas facing stage 4 restrictions.</p>
<p>This 25% of service revenue will be increased by at least 5%, and possibly more depending on their new rate of attendance and subsidy levels for children still attending.</p>
<p>This will mean services have a guaranteed income from the childcare subsidy plus 25% of their total revenue, as well as fees from parents of permitted workers. This is likely to provide around 80-85% of their total revenue. </p>
<p>Dan Tehan said parents will be given 30 extra absence days, on top of the 42 already available. Families can use their 72 total absences to cover non-attendance in the next six weeks, and won’t pay fees for those days. </p>
<p>The extra absences will be given to all parents across Victoria — not just those in Melbourne.</p>
<p>These changes will be in place from Thursday, August 6.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351233/original/file-20200805-372-276es1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Parents who aren’t permitted workers should theoretically be able to keep their child’s place in childcare and not have to pay for it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/view-young-attractive-father-freelance-worker-1704485941">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>What did Daniel Andrews announce?</h2>
<p>Decisions about permitted workers sit with the state, as well as decisions about whether childcare can be accessed if only one parent is a permitted worker, and the other is working from home. </p>
<p>Daniel Andrews said the rules on who can attend childcare will be the same for childcare, kindergarten and school. If children can be supervised at home, they must be at home — even if one parent is a permitted worker. </p>
<p>A permitted worker at home will be able to access these education services, but only if no-one else can supervise their children.</p>
<p>Parents will need to obtain an access to <a href="https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/permitted-worker-scheme">childcare permit</a> from the government, in addition to their permit to work. </p>
<h2>What is still unclear?</h2>
<p>There remains considerable confusion in the package for families and services. </p>
<p>For services, it’s unclear whether they will be required to remain open if it’s not practical to do so. Some services might only have a few children eligible to attend, creating cost pressures to open with small numbers, or consider combining operations with other services.</p>
<p>If providers decide they need to cut costs, staff hours will be the first to go, because labour costs are a significant proportion of their budgets. While the employment guarantee that exists requires jobs to be protected, for casuals this means their hours could be minimal.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-what-closing-schools-and-childcare-centres-would-mean-for-parents-and-casual-staff-133768">COVID-19: what closing schools and childcare centres would mean for parents and casual staff</a>
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<p>Although Dan Tehan says it is unlikely that services will have no children of permitted workers enrolled, some services might have no children attending.</p>
<p>The free absence days are aimed at keeping children enrolled while ensuring parents won’t pay while they’re not using services. They are also aimed at ensuring providers can continue to operate and remain viable, and provide early learning and care to children of permitted workers who cannot care for their children while working.</p>
<p>But for parents to access absence days with no charge, childcare providers need to agree to waive the gap fees.</p>
<p>That said, there is no mechanism for the government to mandate services to waive the fees. And we have heard <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/covid-19-closures-may-cause-childcare-centres-to-fold-industry-warns-20200802-p55hpa.html">reports of services</a> informing parents they are not financially able to waive gap fees for absences.</p>
<p>This raises the question: if a particular centre won’t waive a family’s gap fees, will that family be able to keep their child enrolled in their centre?</p>
<p>For families, the new permit system for permitted workers offers no clarity about how vulnerable children will be identified. These children have most to gain from attending early childhood services, and are least likely to live in families where permit systems are likely to be taken up.</p>
<p>There are no easy answers to these questions, which have highlighted once again how complex and essential early childhood services are. It has also highlighted the need for greater attention that governments need to give to the needs of their youngest citizens and families.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143991/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jen Jackson is an expert advisor to Thrive by Five, an initiative of the Minderoo Foundation . </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Noble does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Victorian parents will have a total of 72 days of free absences from childcare, if services agree to waive the gap fee. And childcare services will receive 25% of their revenue from the government.Kate Noble, Education Policy Fellow, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityJen Jackson, Education Policy Lead, Mitchell Institute, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1438442020-08-04T19:55:35Z2020-08-04T19:55:35ZVictoria’s Year 12 students are learning remotely. But they won’t necessarily fall behind<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351027/original/file-20200804-18-1p918iq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In early July, <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/updates/coronavirus-covid-19/statement-premier">Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews</a> announced government school students in prep to Year 10 — in Metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire —would learn from home for term three. Students in Years 11 and 12, as well as those in Year 10 attending VCE or VCAL classes, and students with special needs, would learn face to face.</p>
<p>The exemption for students doing VCE subjects to go class was made to ensure the least amount of disruption to the final years of schooling. </p>
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<p>From today, however, after the announcement of harsher, Stage 4 restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne and Stage 3 restrictions for the rest of Victoria, students in Years 11 and 12 will learn remotely with every other student in the state. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-actually-is-an-atar-first-of-all-its-a-rank-not-a-score-126594">What actually is an ATAR? First of all it's a rank, not a score</a>
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<p>So, will remote learning at the end of schooling mean Victorian students will fall behind the rest of the country?</p>
<h2>Setting up Year 12s for further learning</h2>
<p>Year 12 marks the end of school and the shift to work and further education for most students. </p>
<p>The Year 12 journey is sprinkled with milestones and rites of passage: the school formal, leadership opportunities, gaining independence with a new driver’s license and for many, turning 18 and being regarded as an adult.</p>
<p>In classrooms, learning is highly regulated by the teacher. Whereas in vocational education and training, and university, learning is rapidly moving to a more online, independent, mode. Even before the pandemic, post-school education required students to be more self-directed learners than they were at school. </p>
<p>This year’s Year 12 students won’t experience many common milestones and rites of passage. But many will have gained significant experiences of learning online, and independently — beyond what they ordinarily would have — which will set them up for similar learning beyond school. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/year-12-can-be-stressful-but-setting-strong-and-healthy-goals-can-help-you-thrive-131028">Year 12 can be stressful, but setting strong and healthy goals can help you thrive</a>
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<p>The chance to develop online learning capabilities while being supported by their school teachers will give Year 12s learning remotely a real advantage.</p>
<h2>Year 12s like learning independently</h2>
<p>We conducted a survey of students who experienced remote schooling during March and April this year at an independent school in Queensland. Overall 1,032 students completed the survey, across prep to Year 12. </p>
<p>Just over 41% of students, overall, said they found learning at home stressful. But this was generally not the case for students in Year 12. Year 12 students were keen for the flexibility to learn at their own pace, and being free to determine the order of study each week, rather than follow a timetable set by the school.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351038/original/file-20200804-22-rflz39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Younger students find remote learning more stressful than do Year 12s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/stressed-teen-boy-studying-laptop-while-1096311866">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Year 12 students said they preferred to concentrate on one subject a day and to work intensely.</p>
<p>Generally Year 12 students said they disliked live video sessions and found them disruptive to their study flow. While 75% of Grade 7 students valued form class or home room live sessions, only 16% of Grade 12 students did. They preferred to spend their time focusing on given subject materials.</p>
<h2>Is online learning inferior to face to face?</h2>
<p>Studies <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1753-6405.12625">have suggested online learning</a> is likely to be less effective than classroom education over the longer-term. But <a href="https://credo.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj6481/f/online_charter_study_final.pdf">there is also evidence</a> to suggest <a href="https://cep.org.au/what-we-do/rural-learning-support/blended-learning/">the impact may be negligible</a> in the short term.</p>
<p>Other studies suggest <a href="https://www.learntechlib.org/p/98390/">there is no significant difference</a> in learning outcomes between students in distance education (when students live too far from the school to attend in person) and face-to-face learning.</p>
<p>But there are significant variations in outcomes within each approach. This means a student’s ability to learn online, the design of the online learning environment and even the amount of time needed for students to get familiar with learning online can affect their outcomes.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/studying-for-exams-heres-how-to-make-your-memory-work-for-you-124586">Studying for exams? Here's how to make your memory work for you</a>
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<p>Students have been conditioned for over 12 years to learn in classrooms from a teacher. This can make it difficult for them to become familiar with new ways of learning. </p>
<p>A major issue associated with online learning is a student’s ability to regulate themselves. This means being able to stay on task especially when a problem arises. Being unfamiliar with new ways of accessing and interpreting online environments and subject content, as well as working with peers online in communication spaces, presents new challenges for students. </p>
<p>However, the problem may again have to do with age. In our survey, mentioned above, 75% Year 12 students believed they were able to work through a problem productively online. This was higher than the other high-school year levels. </p>
<h2>Tips for Year 12 students</h2>
<p>There are many advantages to learning online. Students can work at their own pace, revise and review teacher made videos for examples, and engage with extensive notes and study guides to help with assessment and exams. </p>
<p>Students can also access their teachers in more varied ways and at different times of day. In other words, moving online for Year 12 students can provide a world of resources and access to teachers they have not experienced before.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-youre-going-to-school-online-here-are-6-ways-to-make-the-most-of-it-135215">So you're going to school online – here are 6 ways to make the most of it</a>
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<p>To make the most of their Year 12 experience, students should keep these simple tips in mind:</p>
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<li><p><strong>organise your learning week.</strong> Set up your own timetable of tasks to complete. Include breaks and time to relax</p></li>
<li><p><strong>be an active learner</strong>. Make notes while listening to teacher made videos and written materials</p></li>
<li><p><strong>contact a friend if you have a problem</strong>, and work through the issue together</p></li>
<li><p><strong>use the communication tools available</strong> to tell your teachers and friends what you are thinking about</p></li>
<li><p><strong>participate in live sessions</strong> and forums as much as you can. </p></li>
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<p><em>Correction: this article previously had an incorrect statement about ATAR calculation. This has now been removed.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143844/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Prestridge received funding from an independent school for a project on remote learning, from which the survey discussed in this article emerged.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donna Pendergast does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With Year 12s studying for their final year exam, the score of which will be converted into a ranking as related to their peers across the country, many Victorians are worried they may be set back.Sarah Prestridge, Senior Lecturer, Griffith UniversityDonna Pendergast, Dean, School of Educational and Professional Studies, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1436012020-08-03T20:01:02Z2020-08-03T20:01:02Z‘Exhausted beyond measure’: what teachers are saying about COVID-19 and the disruption to education<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350764/original/file-20200803-18-16mktal.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&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/tired-teacher-sleeping-against-big-blackboard-395205160">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>All <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-02/coronavirus-changes-victorian-schools-and-child-care-explained/12516544">Victorian school students</a> will be learning remotely from Wednesday. Prior to the state’s premier Daniel Andrews announcing a tightening of restrictions over the weekend, only students in prep to Year 10 in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire were learning from home.</p>
<p>But on Wednesday, schools will close for Year 11 and 12 students in Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire, as well as every student across Victoria — except for students in special schools and children of essential workers.</p>
<p>Like with the last remote learning period in Australia, the current uncertainty in Victoria might cause disarray and stress among teachers, parents and students.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-in-melbourne-will-go-back-to-remote-schooling-heres-what-we-learnt-last-time-and-how-to-make-it-better-142550">Students in Melbourne will go back to remote schooling. Here's what we learnt last time and how to make it better</a>
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<p>In response to the closures in April, with <a href="https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/teaching-and-learning-in-a-pandemic/">seven other researchers</a> across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the US, we <a href="https://tinyurl.com/TeachinginCOVID">designed a survey</a> that asked teachers 16 open-ended questions about how COVID-19 affected them and their students. </p>
<p>The teachers ranged from early childhood education through to school and university. We also included other educators, such as at museums. </p>
<p>The survey opened on May 4, 2020 while most countries in the survey engaged in home-based learning. There have been 621 responses to date. Of these, 179 are from Australian teachers, with 65% having over 21 years teaching experience, from which this article reports. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350757/original/file-20200803-24-ddbiph.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Number of respondents, by sector.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Our survey gained rich responses about the sudden closure of schools, transition to online learning, and the difficulties of negotiating social-distancing and increased hygiene maintenance. </p>
<h2>Relentless workload</h2>
<p>When asked, “How has COVID-19 impacted your teaching and learning?”, responses most commonly referred to technical issues, then the pragmatics of teaching and workload. </p>
<p>Overwhelmingly, teachers from early childhood to higher education experienced a significant increase in their workload. One teacher said the sudden change to online learning created “endless paperwork and programming issues” and “has been relentless”. </p>
<p>Another said </p>
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<p>It’s definitely added significantly to my workload and taken the holiday time that would normally provide some respite, meaning I am closer to burnout than ever.</p>
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<p>Social distancing requirements also increased teachers’ workload, creating “lots of additional cleaning requirements and having to collect children from the carpark as families are not allowed to enter”. </p>
<p>One teacher said</p>
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<p>It is draining. Exhausting. Time consuming. The work never stops.</p>
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<h2>‘I don’t want to teach anymore’</h2>
<p>The impact on the mental and physical health of teachers was the next most frequently expressed — after the technical, pragmatic and workload issues.</p>
<p>One teacher told us:</p>
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<p>I struggle to sleep at night for thinking about work all the time. I’m very stressed and anxious; my physical health has been impacted.</p>
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<p>Another said:</p>
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<p>It has challenged everything I enjoy about teaching.</p>
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<p>And another wrote:</p>
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<p>All the teachers I work with are EXHAUSTED beyond measure.</p>
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<p>Teachers said a lack of voice and agency in decision making made them feel “unmotivated” or “unvalued”.</p>
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<p>(we) may have felt more supported had we been consulted and listened to by management and government. </p>
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<p>One teacher wrote:</p>
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<p>In the beginning, I felt I could have dropped dead at home and my workplace wouldn’t even notice.</p>
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<p>Another said:</p>
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<p>Going through this, not feeling safe, and then seeing teachers belittled in the media, has made me come to the realisation that I don’t want to teach anymore. </p>
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<h2>‘It was a scramble’</h2>
<p>When asked, “What are the issues you are struggling with and need support with?” some teachers mentioned the management and decision-making concerning school closures.</p>
<p>The word cloud below shows the most frequent words in response to the question. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=267&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/350712/original/file-20200802-20-15uyfri.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Most frequent words in response to ‘What are the issues you are struggling with and need support with?’</span>
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<p>One teacher said:</p>
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<p>Our school closed down at the end of term one. It was a scramble and our management made some decisions which made life harder for teachers. </p>
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<p>One early childhood and childcare teacher said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The government has largely ignored the realities of EC [early childhood] environments, the impossibility of social distancing with children under five, and the fact we have high exposure to bodily fluids. </p>
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<p>But the most frequently mentioned struggle for teachers in Australia was maintaining quality in pedagogy and curriculum delivery. Teachers are worried the quality of education might be compromised during this uncertain time. </p>
<p>One teacher said:</p>
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<p>We are in social repair time. And you know what — no one cares what we are doing in our rooms — just get through ‘til term’s end.</p>
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<p>The teachers named student disengagement, uncompleted work and the disparity of access to online materials as the key challenges to quality. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-had-no-sanitiser-no-soap-and-minimal-toilet-paper-heres-how-teachers-feel-about-going-back-to-the-classroom-138600">'We had no sanitiser, no soap and minimal toilet paper': here's how teachers feel about going back to the classroom</a>
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<p>The second most frequent struggle was insufficient time to attend to teaching and learning demands. Many reported working 60% to three times more hours than they were contracted and paid. The sudden shift to online required teachers to self manage production and delivery of online teaching and learning materials, without adequate training and resourcing. </p>
<p>In the longer term, this sudden change in education may lead us to think of <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/3-ways-coronavirus-is-reshaping-education-and-what-changes-might-be-here-to-stay/">innovation in the area</a>. But for now, teachers, schools and students are just trying to survive, and they need all the resources necessary to make it through this year — and beyond.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143601/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Phillips previously received research grant funding from The Spencer Foundation, USA and Queensland Department of Education. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Cain does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In response to school closures in April, researchers put together a survey asking teachers how COVID-19 affected them and their students.Louise Phillips, Associate Professor in Education, James Cook UniversityMelissa Cain, Lecturer in Inclusive Education and Arts Education, Australian Catholic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1423742020-07-09T12:59:14Z2020-07-09T12:59:14ZGrattan on Friday: Does Victoria’s second wave suggest we should debate an elimination strategy?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346556/original/file-20200709-62-myrea7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2000%2C2000&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wes Mountain</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scott Morrison summoned his self-restraint and resisted temptation. Invited on Thursday to attack the Victorian government over its disastrous decision to use private security guards to monitor people in hotel quarantine, the prime minister was careful.</p>
<p>He hadn’t seen himself as a “commentator” on state governments, he said. “I’ve seen myself simply seeking to help them deal with the problems that they’ve had.”</p>
<p>He added just a little dig, saying he understood many Victorians would be frustrated and angry and “I’m aware of where they’re directing that frustration and anger.”</p>
<p>“But it won’t help the situation if I were to engage in any of that. I have a good working relationship with the Victorian government.” </p>
<p>Morrison needs to keep his national cabinet as united as possible, and turning on Victoria would be counterproductive.</p>
<p>The cynics might also note there’s no imminent election in Victoria. Contrast the federal criticism of the Palaszczuk government, which goes to the polls in October, over its refusal to open its border (which it is finally doing this Friday, except to Victorians).</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/melbournes-second-lockdown-will-take-a-toll-on-mental-health-we-need-to-look-out-for-the-vulnerable-142172">Melbourne's second lockdown will take a toll on mental health. We need to look out for the vulnerable</a>
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<p>Federal Liberals from Victoria are sending mixed messages. Tim Wilson told Sky the Andrews government had put the interests of companies “that hired their union mates” above the public health of citizens.</p>
<p>But Russell Broadbent said now was the time to be “backing the premier, not attacking the premier. This is not a time for politics and divisions. We all make mistakes.”</p>
<p>This second wave of the coronavirus that’s hit Victoria will test whether the strong public support we’ve seen for Australian leaders during COVID will hold.</p>
<p>Morrison is being diplomatic but Daniel Andrews this week has come under intense criticism, especially from sections of the media, with calls for ministerial heads and greater accountability. Andrews’ decision to appoint a judicial inquiry into the quarantine disaster has been condemned as a way of avoiding having to answer immediate questions. </p>
<p>The premier was particularly exposed because early on, he had been so insistent there should be tough restrictions. </p>
<p>The reporting has also, naturally enough, focussed on the hardship stories. But it is yet to become clear what the majority of the community thinks, or how much more difficult the drastic new lockdown will be to run than the last one.</p>
<p>On treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s figures the lockdown will cost the Victorian economy $1 billion a week – and it goes for six weeks.</p>
<p>The rest of the country will pay for the mistakes and lapses in Victoria, even if it will be some time before we know how high the price will be.</p>
<p>The new situation will reset the parameters for the federal government’s July 23 economic statement, with even more spending needed after September than was anticipated.</p>
<p>The government is now framing that statement against a background of greater uncertainty than expected only weeks ago. </p>
<p>The Victorian outbreak has meant the state has not been able to accept flights of Australians returning from overseas. Other states want inflows of returnees restricted and national cabinet is set to cap numbers generally, adding to the hurdles faced by those who have delayed coming home. Federal and state governments are showing little sympathy for these laggards, believing they should have returned earlier.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346752/original/file-20200709-87076-ypr1vu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Grattan Institute</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>On another front, the new outbreak means the hoped-for Tasman bubble – opening of travel between Australia and New Zealand - now seems a distant prospect, certainly at a national level. The Australian National University and the University of Canberra have delayed plans to bring back some overseas students.</p>
<p>If the second wave moves interstate, the consequences could be dire. No wonder premiers are erecting walls against Victorians. ACT chief minister Andrew Barr has even suggested some Victorian federal parliamentary backbenchers might be encouraged to stay at home.</p>
<p>A broader second wave would make the October budget much more difficult. Potentially it could become near impossible to pursue the substantial reform agenda which Morrison has flagged he wants. The government is talking about bringing forward the legislated tax cuts but that is not new reform.</p>
<p>The Victorian situation has reignited the issue of whether Australia should pursue an elimination strategy, rather than a suppression one.</p>
<p>Morrison, with an eye to the economy, early on embraced suppression.</p>
<p>He and the federal health authorities warned, as the economy’s reopening began, that there would be spikes – localised outbreaks that would have to be dealt with.</p>
<p>What was perhaps not adequately appreciated was the fine line between spikes and a new “wave”. </p>
<p>Admittedly an elimination strategy would not have prevented an outbreak caused by a lapse in quarantine arrangements for overseas returnees, although it might have been easier to control.</p>
<p>Morrison always preferred the suppression strategy because he thought the economic costs of pitching for “elimination” would be too high. But the cost-benefit weighting did depend on the “suppression” model working.</p>
<p>The benefits of elimination, despite the greater short-term pain of tougher lockdowns, are to be seen in New Zealand. As of Thursday there were 24 cases there, all overseas returnees and all in hotel quarantine. There is currently no community transmission. The NZ health ministry said it had been 69 days since the last case was acquired locally from an unknown source. The economy has been able to reopen.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/melbournes-hotel-quarantine-bungle-is-disappointing-but-not-surprising-it-was-overseen-by-a-flawed-security-industry-142044">Melbourne's hotel quarantine bungle is disappointing but not surprising. It was overseen by a flawed security industry</a>
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<p>The question is whether elimination would be practical for a bigger country like Australia. Some experts believe so.</p>
<p>Former secretary of the federal health department Stephen Duckett is arguing for an elimination approach to be adopted even now.</p>
<p>Duckett, with the Grattan Institute, and Will Mackey this week wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald that the Melbourne situation “lays bare the uncertainty that comes with the nation’s suppression strategy”.</p>
<p>“Australia’s national cabinet should explicitly pursue an elimination strategy similar to that of New Zealand. The current suppression strategy carries the certainty of repeated outbreaks and lockdowns, shattering business confidence, confusing the public, and prolonging the COVID-19 ordeal,” they wrote.</p>
<p>“It will cost the economy more than an elimination strategy. If we reassess and refocus, the benefits of elimination are within our reach. If not, we must all prepare to live with uncertainty.”</p>
<p>Health minister Greg Hunt dismissed of Duckett’s call, telling the ABC “to pretend we can wish the disease away is not … a realistic or responsible statement”.</p>
<p>In fact a number of states have in effect been pursuing elimination, through their border policies, and this has been largely successful. </p>
<p>But nationally, the suppression versus elimination debate is one that we’ve never properly had. Maybe it’s time we did.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142374/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The surge of cases in Victoria is inviting speculation into how the state and federal governments could have acted differently.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.