Mirella and Charlene are teachers and education consultants who met in 2012, growing close over a shared love of Ellen Degeneres and The West Wing. Their professional concern for wanting to “do more” for mathematics education led them to create Education Equals – a pioneering educational space. 

Learning is most effective when students feel that they are a creative force in their own education. It is often the case that children feel that learning just happens to them, rather than growing from them, especially if conversations about their learning are absent.

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Kate is a mum of 4, blogger and running enthusiast living in country Victoria. With 2 kids doing NAPLAN this year, she’s being kept busy preparing her children for the experience. 

I have two children who will sit their NAPLAN tests this year; my son in Year 5 and my daughter in Year 3.

I have very mixed feelings about the testing, as many people already know. But my feelings don’t change the fact that my children will be sitting the tests, and as a parent I feel it is my responsibility to ensure they are prepared for the experience.

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Mirella and Charlene are teachers and education consultants who met in 2012, growing close over a shared love of Ellen Degeneres and The West Wing. Their professional concern for wanting to “do more” for mathematics education led them to create Education Equals – a pioneering educational space. 

The other day I asked the students in one of my Year 7 classes “who’s a bit worried about NAPLAN this year?”

About 70% of the students’ hands went up and a few students had genuinely worried faces.

I then asked them to explain to me and the class what they were worried about. Their responses provide insight into student perceptions of NAPLAN and what we can do to help them feel more confident and self-assured this time around.

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The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, or NAPLAN, is a test that all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit. The tests are diagnostic – that means they test children on the essential skills they are taught throughout their education, rather than simply making them recall information.

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