Popular Fads That Influence Australian School Education

Food wowserism - “childhood obesity epidemic” prevention programmes

Learned optimism depression prevention programme (based on the writings of Martin Seligman)

Self-esteem building programmes and activities (What happened to these kids' self-esteem in the first place?)

Cyberbullying prevention programmes

Edward De Bono’s thinking hats

“All Kinds of Minds” – Mel Levine’s theories about learning

And there was I thinking that getting an education is all about understanding concepts, learning skills, mastering self-discipline, memorizing important facts and generally discovering the wonders of the world around us. Silly me!

I have noticed that a reading of the popular volume of autobiography of Janet Frame, An Angel at my Table, is coming up on Monday morning on First Person on ABC Radio National 810am. In 2007 Janet Frame was identified posthumously by a NZ doctor as having had "high-functioning autism", but during her lifetime she had been given the diagnosis of schizophrenia which was later disputed by another doctor during her lifetime.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/firstperson/stories/2008/2209650.htm