Learning & Teaching

Digital Habits Presentation 1 – Social Media Use 

On Tuesday this week, a number of our parents came along to the first of three presentations focused on teenagers and their digital media, gaming and online habits. In this week's presentation we learnt the facts about teen use of social media platforms, problematic use and how to have conversations with teens about using the socials.  It was highly informative and gave practical strategies about how to support young people to recognise and change behaviours. Congratulations to Tanya Moran, Mel Zulfic, Tajinder Wulff Katrina Gyngell for their quality work.

We welcome all staff and parents along to the next sessions, which will be held online. Please email Tanya Moran to register: mor@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au

Digital Habits Presentation 2

Safe Gaming

Online: Wed 23 October, 6-7pm 

Exploring the different types of games teens play, the benefits of gaming and the challenges. We will give some tips on how to ensure students game safely. 

Digital Habits Presentation 3

Teens & Explicit Content

Online: Thu 7 November, 6-7pm

In the final presentation of this series, we cover the increasingly accessible and extreme nature of explicit online content such as pornography. We assess the dangers and the strategies that parents can employ to reduce the risk of harmful exposure.

Feedback from Academic Review Conferences

As you know, we trialled a new style of Academic Review Conference (ARC) last term and we had excellent parent and student attendance and participation compared to past conferences at that time of year. In 2023, 28% of students attend the Term 3 conferences, compared with 90% of students attending the 2024 ARCs. 

We recently surveyed parents, teachers and students to get feedback on their experience of the ARC format. Analysis of the data from parent (37 respondents), teacher (61 respondents) and student (79 respondents), gave us a range of feedback and some helpful improvement suggestions. This information will inform the structure and nature of the future student conferences.

Overall Summary of Feedback:

• The purpose and rationale for the conferences was very clear to parents and teachers, but less clear to students 
• There was high agreement that the conversations were informed by evidence, and focused on learning progress, learning behaviours and areas for improvement
• Most reported that teachers and students were well prepared for the conversations
• Parents commented that some mentors did not know their students well enough and they missed the opportunity to have conversations with the classroom teacher. 
• Some parents and students had more positive experiences of the ARC conversations than others
• Teachers’ responses were more positive in most areas. They found the ARC conversations to be more positive and productive than students and parent did. They found student participation to be high 

Some Recommendations for future student conference formats: 

· Parents, not students, make all the bookings

· Provide more opportunities for parents to book in their own interviews with a range of staff including pathways, wellbeing, inclusion staff

· Extending school day from 8:30am - 6:30pm to give more parents opportunities to meet after work

· Teach students how to lead the ARC conversations

• More training for teachers on how to have differentiated conversations based on the student’s needs

· Provide teachers with quality resources and advise on target improvement strategies based on student need – learning, engagement, behaviour & study habits

· Explore developing new Maestro dashboards for teachers with additional data and information specially for the conference conversations

· Students identified that they wanted changes made to the reflection task for the ARC conferences. Co-designing these activities with students is an option to explore

• Explore opportunities and strategies with teachers on how and when to have regular, learning improvement check-ins with students they teach. This would reduce the dependence on student conference for this purpose

Natalie Manser 

Assistant Principal

mar@wantirnacollege.vic.gov.au