Too many teachers leave their profession within the first five years of teaching. Some Australian research puts that number at around 50%, and the numbers are similar in other developed countries. We know some of the reasons why so many teachers leave the profession. We know that many feel the pressure of increased professional demands, … More Give teaching back to teachers
You may have seen recently that the Tasmanian Government has proposed lowering the starting age of schooling (from 2021) to four and a half years as well as opening up the possibility for parents to enrol students as young as 3 and a half (from 2020). Predictably this announcement has divided community opinion with a range of concerns raised … More Life-long learning isn’t a short-term endeavour
It is well documented that the success of Finland’s education system has been in part due to the autonomy granted to schools. The decision to trust teachers and the communities to make their own policy decisions has lead to increases in student achievement not to mention a rewarding working life for teachers. Autonomy needs to be understood … More The autonomy argument
If you ask the general population about their perception of teaching, I am sure the response would be 9-3pm working day, lots of holidays. Teaching is a profession that is still defined by its (industrial) conditions. The scope of teachers work remains categorised by a school week, a school term or a school year. The … More The tip of the iceberg
I made the following observation on New Year’s Day. My hope for 2015. Less conservatism in teaching profession more innovative practices. Learning together for our future — Greg Whitby (@gregwhitby) January 1, 2015 I think if we are going to do better we desperately need teachers to be prepared to challenge not only what they … More Innovation as the norm
There is a proverb that says ‘borrowed garments never fit well’. This is particularly apt for education systems on the journey from good to great. I believe there are two roads that can be travelled when it comes to school improvement – pay someone to do it for you or ‘sew’ your own success. One … More ‘Sew’ your own success
Despite the fact we are on school holidays in Australia, my last post generated a very lively debate over the validity and usefulness of NAPLAN which got me thinking about the overall purpose of schooling in Australia. A recent edition of New Yorker magazine ran an interesting opinion piece regarding French President François Hollande’s decision … More What do we want our schools to be?
The big news over the weekend were the reforms announced by NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli linking teacher pay to professional standards and giving principals greater control of their school funding budget. It’s been described as the ‘greatest revolution to hit NSW education in 50 years” and while I don’t wish to disagree with the … More Big changes for NSW education
Is student-centred learning a given when we are talking about schooling in today’s world? Our system’s theory of action has the student at the centre but in recent times, I have begun to rethink whether the teacher should be at the centre. Without good teachers and leaders at the centre, can you improve the learning … More Teachers at the centre
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