School of the Air is a generic term for
correspondence schools catering for the
primary and early
secondaryeducation of children in remote and
outback Australia where some or all classes were historically conducted by radio, although this is now replaced by telephone and internet technology. In these areas, the school-age population is too small for a conventional school to be viable.
History
The invention of the
pedal radio by
Alfred Traeger around 1929,[1]
and particularly the involvement of educator
Adelaide Miethke in formulating and developing the idea of using the existing
Royal Flying Doctor Service of radio communications, were pivotal in the establishment of the School of the Air.[2]
The first School of the Air lessons were officially sent from the Royal Flying Doctor Service in
Alice Springs on 8 June 1951.[3] The service celebrated its 50th jubilee on 9 May 2001, ahead of the real jubilee on 8 June;[4][5][6] and its 70th year on 8 June 2021.[7] Each state of Australia that utilises this means of training has well-documented checks and overviews of the service.[8]
Method
There are School of the Air programmes in all states except Tasmania.[9]
School classes were conducted via
shortwave radio from 1951 until 2009,[10] after which most schools switched to wireless internet technologies to deliver lessons that include live one-way video feeds and clear two-way audio.[11][12][13][14][15]
Each student has direct contact with a teacher in an inland town such as
Broken Hill,
Alice Springs or
Meekatharra. Each student typically spends one hour per day receiving group or individual lessons from the teacher, and the rest of the day working through the assigned materials with a parent, older sibling or a hired home-stay tutor.
Originally the students received their course materials and returned their written work and projects to their hub centre using either the Royal Flying Doctor Service or
post office services. However the extension of
Internet services into the
outback now enables more rapid review of each child's
homework.
As the children are in isolated situations, the School of the Air is frequently their first chance of
socialisation with children outside their immediate family. This is supplemented by 3 or 4 annual gatherings where the children travel to the school to spend one week with their teacher and classmates.
Studies have shown that such education is on par with, if not better than, standards set by the traditional methods of schooling.[16]
Awards
In 2009 as part of the
Q150 celebrations, the School of the Air was announced as one of the
Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention".[17]
^Behr, John.
"Traeger, Alfred Hermann (1895–1980)". Biography – Alfred Hermann Traeger – Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 24 August 2019. {{
cite book}}: |website= ignored (
help)
^Ashton, Jean (1978) School of the air. Adelaide : Rigby, 1978 Previously published as Out of the silence, Adelaide: Investigator Press, 1971.
ISBN0-7270-0985-0
^Western Australia. Education Dept & Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. Western Australian Section (1968). In The school of the air. Govt. Pr, [Perth]
^New South Wales. Dept. of Education. Public Relations Office (1969). In School of deine mudda. Govt. Pr, [Sydney
^Calzoni, F (1991). In The Australian School of the Air: a conceptual test of its origins, history and recent evolution, with special reference to distance training in Western Australia 1955–1990. Murdoch University
^http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/school-of-the-airArchived 9 August 2011 at the
Wayback MachineIn 2005, there were more than sixteen schools of the air located around Australia, a network covering more than 1.5 million square kilometres. In fact, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory are the only states who do not have a SOA.... these schools also teach children who are travelling around Australia or who can't, for medical or other reasons, attend a regular school.
^Some sources suggest later Students not to be taught through the Royal Flying Doctor Service. SatWeb introduced. re – the Kimberley School of the Air.Broome advertiser, 16 Dec. 2004, p.4
^Bond, Donald S & Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (1978). In Satellite communications for the school of the air in Australia. Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd, Sydney
ISBN0-908522-09-6
^Forster, M. F & Katherine School of the Air (1981). In Domestic satellite and the School of the Air. Katherine School of the Air, Katherine, N.T
^Crump, Stephen & Twyford, Kylie & Anderson, Alan & Towers, Lorraine & Devlin, Brian et al. (2010). Australian Research Council Linkage project on Interactive Distance eLearning : 'Opening Our Eyes' : project report. In Interactive distance learning for isolated communities : ARCL project discussion papers 2008–2010.
^Crump, Stephen & Twyford, Kylie & Littler, Margaret (2010). Interactive distance e-learning for isolated communities : the policy footprint. In Interactive distance learning for isolated communities : ARCL project discussion papers 2008–2010.
^Imamura, E (1987). In Conventional and nonconventional schooling: a comparison of pupil performance in rural schools and schools of the air. University of Western Australia
^Broken Hill School of the Air (1957). In Over to you : annual magazine of the School of the Air. The School, Broken Hill, N.S.W
^Australia – the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the School of the Air [kit] / photographed by James H. Barr ; commentary spoken by Edmund Pegge ; notes by Winifred M. Barker and James H. Barr. St. Albans, Herts. (England) : Hugh Baddeley Productions, 1984. 34 slides, 1 sound cassette, 1 sheet ; in box 24 x 36 x 2 cm.
re Broken Hill School of the Air.
^Gibb, Phyllis (1986). In Classrooms a world apart : the story of the founding of the Broken Hill School of the Air. Spectrum, Melbourne.
ISBN0-86786-101-0ISBN0867861029 (pbk.)
^McKerrow, Helen & Mt. Isa School of the Air. P. & C. Association (1985). In Over to you : the first 25 years of the School-of-the-Air in North-West Queensland. Mt Isa School-of-the-Air P & C Association, [Mt Isa, Qld.]
^Lacey, LloydDistance education by satellite: the experience of the trial use of Aussat at the School of the Air, Mt Isa. -Qld-. In New Horizons: Aussat '86: Conference & Exhibition 5 & 6 November 1986. 201-210.
^Port Augusta School of the Air (1979). In Information booklet. School of the Air, Port Augusta, [Port Augusta, S. Aust
^Lloyd, Patricia & Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (2003). In You can't say no. Royal Flying Doctor Service, [Adelaide]
^Motley, Carrie & Starr, Bill (1990). In Bush tracks and radio waves : a history of Port Augusta School of the Air, 1958–1990. Tread Softly Pub, [Australia]
^Fitzpatrick, Jim & Western Australian Education Dept. Research Branch (1983). In The Carnarvon School of the Air : a study of the Parents and Citizens' Association and its interaction with the Education Department. Education Dept. of Western Australia, Research Branch, [Perth, W.A.]
^Kimberley School of the Air (2000). In School days on the airwaves : 40 years of Kimberley School of the Air. Kimberley School of the Air, [Derby, W.A.]
^Kimberley School of the Air (1990). In Kimberley School of the Air, 1960–1990 : 30th anniversary magazine. The School, [Derby, W.A.?]
^One of the world's largest classrooms. Details of 40th birthday celebrations.of the Kimberley School of the Air. Broome Advertiser, 13 Dec. 2000, p.30-31
^Aerial / Meekatharra School of the Air. Also Titled Wisdom by Wireless. Meekatharra, W.A. : The School, 1959-
^Meekatharra School of the Air (1984). In Wisdom by wireless : twenty five years, 1959–1984. Reads Printing & Pub, [Perth, W.A.]
^Hobson, Valerie.(1999) Shirley Forrester, elder of the bush. Outlines her own experiences in being educated as a student from rural WA and her contributions to rural education in Meekatharra including her establishment of the Meekatharra School of the Air, and her many achievements. in Network news for rural, remote and regional women, Summer, 1999, p. 14
^Lewis, Jo & Penfold, Chris & Port Hedland School of the Air (1989). In School of the Air : working together – apart : 1964–1989 : a silver anniversary project. Port Hedland School of the Air, [Port Hedland, W.A