It’s been difficult to ignore the recent post-PISA media coverage. And if you are to believe the loudest voices in the discussion, a return to ‘back-to-basics’ education will guarantee Australia’s future success in the rankings. Thankfully there are those like Professor Yong Zhao who continue to interrogate PISA’s ‘magical’ powers over policy-makers. Furthermore, PISA continues … More Taking the PISA bait
I’ve been looking at some data recently on suspension rates and there’s no prize for guessing which year group often has the highest (the answer is at the bottom of this blog post). What is alarming is there are students being suspended across all year cohorts. This raises a critical question for policy makers, which … More Lowering the white flag when it comes to suspensions
The question of why we aren’t paying the best teachers bonuses for their ‘magnificent contribution‘ is often thrown into the market place for debate. Differential payment of teachers is attractive in its simplicity especially to those outside education. It’s based on the premise that rewarding great teachers will motivate others to step-up. Good in theory … More The choice is yours
I spent the first week of the NSW school holidays at the ACEL national conference in Sydney. I was amazed that many teachers had travelled from as far away as Western Australia to attend. It was great to see such strong commitment to professional learning and networking but the irony is that most return to … More Ask the insiders
When schools and systems have the audacity and courage to challenge the status quo, they are often labelled as experimental or worse, irresponsible. Our system has copped its fair share of criticism over the years for taking an ‘experimental’ approach to learning and teaching. While some in the wider community may view it as experimental, … More Contemporary schooling needs to be seen to be believed
When ‘Teacher Professional Learning and Development: Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration (BES)‘ was published in 2007, we invited one of the lead authors, Professor Helen Timperley to speak about the teacher inquiry cycle and its effect on improved learning outcomes. More than a decade on, we are still referring to the ‘inquiry cycle’ in our conversations … More Who is my class?
Koroboro International School recently hosted its inaugural Festival of Learning. I was fortunate enough to have been a part of the celebration alongside 350+ local educators and leaders. While there are obvious differences between our schools and systems, what is evident in PNG and here is the equity gap. The rich are getting richer, the … More Equality and quality are linked
The whole notion of the school curriculum has, in recent times, been subjected to insistent pressures and numerous reviews. In fact, we are awaiting the recommendations of a review into the NSW curriculum to ensure it is ‘preparing students to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.’ The realisation that the Industrial Age … More Curriculum unlimited
The most effective relationships are built on mutual respect and trust. According to John Hattie in Visible Learning, when respect, trust, care and cooperation are present, it creates an environment where errors are ‘not only tolerated, but also welcomed.’ It’s a theme that runs through Stephen Covey’s best-seller, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, in particular … More Are schools aiming for a win-win?
A colleague of mine spent a week at Harvard Business School earlier this year learning how to apply scientific methodologies to strategic decision-making. The course drew participants from all sectors and all parts of the world. Yet very few in education. Telling perhaps? The premise is that if you are going to roll out a … More Can we apply scientific rigour to teaching?
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