News archive: 2010

Business Educators Australasia 

August 18, 2010
An update from our parent organisation on National Curriculum and other issues.

Business Educators gather in Brisbane to focus on Australian curriculum for Economics and Business

July 26, 2010

The Business Educators Australasia biannual conference in Brisbane July 16 – 19 was a tremendous success. The conference was convened by Business Educators’ Association of Queensland ( BEAQ) and the Queensland Economics Teachers’ Association Inc ( QETA) and over 450 teachers enjoyed a diverse program which ran over 3 days. The program included a number of significant key note speakers, industry visits and workshops on a range of topics including consumer and financial literacy, enterprise education and innovative ICT based pedagogies.

Tony Kitchen, Curriculum Manager ACARA confirmed the place of Economics and Business in Phase 3 of the Australian curriculum. Current placement of Economics, business and consumer and financial literacy is seen to be for upper primary and lower secondary ( Years 5 – 8) for all students. An initial advice paper will be developed by the end of 2010 and through BEA, EBE members will have a say in the shape of this curriculum. Exciting times ahead.

The 2012 BEA conference will be held in the second half of the year in Sydney, a joint exercise between EBE NSW and Victorian Commercial Teachers’ Association. This timing will coincide with the planned release of the draft Australian curriculum for Economics, business, consumer and financial literacy.

PYOE Competition 2010 April 15, 2010

Competition for 2010 is now open. Click here for further information.

National Professionbal Standards  April 15, 2010

It is important for all members of the teaching profession to be informed about the National Professional Standards for Teachers as the standards will apply to all members of the teaching profession.

The Professional Teachers’ Council NSW is conducting:

(1) A Consultation Forum -5.30pm – 7.30pm Monday 19 April at PTC NSW Conference Centre (101-105 Norton Street Leichhardt). Guest Presenter: Mr. Patrick Lee – CEO NSW Institute of Teachers. RSVP by 18 April to: admin@ptc.nsw.edu.au to indicate your attendance at this forum.

(2) An On-line survey: Courtesy of APTA. (NB: The survey includes a link to the Draft Standards which should be read prior to responding to the survey) https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/987J8MD

NB: It would be greatly appreciated if you could contribute your views by 20 April. This survey is also available on the PTC NSW website www.ptc.nsw.edu.au.

Education Future Forum  April 15, 2010

The Education Future Forum will provide an analysis of the key trends redefining the educational landscape by key experts in the field.

Pitched at an executive level, the Forum will present a strategic overview of the social, technological, governmental, economic and demographic trends shaping the future of the education sector.

The Future Forum is designed for leaders in education from public and independent schools at both primary and secondary levels, universities, TAFE and technical colleges, private and community colleges.

Click here for information.

VISA Launches Money Management Game  April 8. 2010

Visa has teamed up with the educational community to launch Financial Football, a fast-paced interactive game that engages students while teaching them money management skills.

The FIFA World CupTM- themed game encourages players to compete by answering financial questions to pass the ball and score goals.

“Money management is an essential life skill, but it can be seen as a dry classroom topic,” said Chris Clark, Visa’s General Manager for Australia and New Zealand. “We hope that Financial Football will be able to enhance financial literacy skills by using one of the world’s most popular sports to provide students with an entertaining and interactive way to learn about personal finances.”

The content for the Australian edition of Financial Football has been developed in consultation with Business Educators Australasia, the peak organisation that supports the business education teaching community. “The game will be a useful resource to engage students in better understanding financial terminology and its appropriate application,” said Christine Reid, Executive Officer of BEA.

Mr Clark said Visa would work with BEA to make the game available to secondary schools across Australia to provide business teachers with an additional online resource. “In today’s complex financial world, young people can sometimes be overwhelmed by banking data and financial jargon. Whether it is making an investment plan, taking a short-term study loan or just being aware of money-saving tips, it is important for everyone to be equipped with basic financial knowledge and have access to the tools to make informed financial decisions,” Mr Clark said.

Financial Football has a ‘pre-game’ section that allows players to learn commonly used financial terms and teaches skills such as calculating interest payments.

Financial Football is free to play and available in five different languages To play the game or find out more about the rules, visit www.visa-asia.com/financialfootball.

In conjunction with Visa’s sponsorship of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Visa will run a Financial Football competition in Asia Pacific through to 7 May 2010. Australians can compete online against players from 35 countries and territories in Asia Pacific.

The four players with the highest scores at the end of the month-long competition will each win a package for two (inclusive of airfares and accommodation) valued at US$12,000 to watch two 2010 FIFA World Cup preliminary round matches live in South Africa. In addition, the best 11 players will each receive a Visa FIFA merchandise pack. The competition is open to Visa cardholders and also to students aged 15 and above, residing in Asia Pacific.

The highest scores will be posted on a competition leaderboard and players are encouraged to replay the game to stay at the top of the leaderboard.

Enrol to vote week

March 23. 2010

Enrol to Vote Week (ETVW) is an Australian Electoral Commission program that encourages senior secondary students aged 17 and 18 years to enrol to vote.

AEC invites teachers to run an activity that helps students enrol, from 17-23 May 2010.

AEC realises that you may have a number of competing demands on your time, which is why this year they have extended ETVW to cover the entire month of May. This means that even if you don’t have time to run an event between 17-23 May, you can still be involved.

In the coming weeks AEC will be sending your school information on
registering and the activities you could undertake.

AEC looks forward to working with you to enrol students at your school.

Email: enroltovoteweek@aec.gov.au