Our school is a Government Public School. The school is located on a beautiful part of the Coastline and provides a comprehensive education that covers a diverse array of subjects to cater for student needs. All curriculum programs are of exceptional quality and regularly updated to ensure they are responsive to system guidelines and student needs and the school has recognised Formal Excellence programs in Music and Surfing.

The school also provides Vocational training Certificate courses within the school and many senior students undertake external training courses as part of the school academic curriculum. The school has a thriving International student program and attracts many students from across the world each year choosing to study abroad. The school also has sister school relationships with schools in Japan and Italy. If you are a teacher, what subject do you teach? How many students are in your class? The subjects I teach are Art, Digital Technologies and Psychology. Classes generally have 28 students in them.

School Environment Water is Life Project：catchment tree planting

What is the compulsory education system in your country?
Compulsory Education is from 5 years to 16 years. Most students remain in school until 18 years.

What's the breakdown of compulsory education from 5 years to 16 years?
What are the academic or career pathways of your students after graduation?
Students complete seven years of Primary School, starting from 5 years old. This begins with a foundation (Prep) year and follows with Years 1-6. Students then start Secondary School (High School) for four years – Years 7-10. Students then complete two years of Senior Schooling – Years 11 & 12.
It is mandatory for students to complete Year 10 and participate full time in education, training or employment, until they are at least 17 years old.
There are a number of academic or career pathways for students. These include University, TAFE courses (Tertiary and Further Education), Vocational courses, Traineeships and Apprenticeships, and Short Courses.

When does the school year start ?
School year starts late January / early February.

How many years of experience do you have in iEARN？What iEARN projects have you done with your students? 
I have been involved in iEARN for over 20 Years. I have worked in many projects including Water is Life, First People's Project, Solar Explorers Project, Teddy Bear Project, Great Apes Project and others.

Which project is the most memorable one for you? Which ones did your students enjoy the most?

Water is Life Project

The most memorable iEARN project has been the Water is Life project. This project has brought together students from all parts of the world. It has enabled students to think deeply about the UN SDGs and develop actions to make a difference to their own lives and the lives of others in their communities and the world.

It’s difficult to define which projects students have enjoyed the most because they are so diverse. I know that all students love their involvement in any project they join.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your school or your students? Were there any major changes?
Schools across the country were affected by school closures and the resulting online learning that replaced face to face teaching and learning. Different parts of the country had differing time spans of online learning, ranging from several weeks to several months.

The major challenges for online learning were:

For our Art classes we devised short skill based lessons that enabled students to creatively respond to topics in a variety of ways. We also asked students to explore their worlds and take photos or make sketches responding to a number of starting points. The students shared their work during the online video class sessions. For some topics we also set up online galleries where students could share their work.

Regarding the use of ICT, is One-to-One PC being done in your school? Do your students take those devices home? Do you use them for online classes?
We have a BYOD (Bring your own device) program at our school. Most schools are the same. Students' personal laptops are registered with the education department to allow internet access and software access whilst they are at school.

How long has the BYOD program been in place? How has it changed the way teachers teach and students learn in class?

The Education Department requires all schools to have a BYOD policy to ensure all students have access to a device for learning. The program has been in place at our school for over 6 years. It has changed the nature of teaching and learning in a number of ways: ー All classes have access to online classes for curriculum content, delivery and communication. These include Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Teams and the Queensland Education Department

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Program

Could you give any messages to teachers in Japan?