I’m often asked what 21st century learning and teaching looks like for teachers and students. When I was speaking at the 2012 Technology in K-12 Education National Congress in Sydney recently, I had the chance to sit in on the student panel and was impressed to hear our own year 12 student, Mark Elias, from … More A student’s take on learning and teaching
Last Thursday, our system hosted French Archbishop Jean-Louis Bruguès OP, the Vatican’s Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, who is responsible for Catholic educational institutions around the world. While speaking specifically to more than 1,000 leaders about the nature and purpose of Catholic education, I believe his analysis of the challenges schools face today, … More The human dimension of schooling
Earlier this week I had the privilege of attending a graduation ceremony at The University of Notre Dame and witnessed 100 young student teachers graduate. Other than feeling very old, I was amazed by their enthusiasm and energy which was clearly evident in their demeanour. To see this gave me great hope in the future of … More Looking back on 2011
Our system has been very fortunate to have been working with Michael Fullan over a period of five years. Given Fullan’s vast experience and the demands on his time, it never ceases to amaze me how generous he is with his time when he is present. To sit around the table and explore issues in … More Make learning the work
Last Friday, Australia celebrated World Teachers’ Day. As much as it is important for us to acknowledge the work of teachers, I still believe teachers themselves are the best advocates for their profession. There is much good work happening every day in classrooms around the country and too often we never hear about. Teachers are often reluctant … More Touching the future
There has been a lot of discussion around the topic of creativity. Educators and society in general seem to agree on the importance of creativity – but do our schools provide a fertile ground for our teachers and students to develop and cultivate this attribute? In Will Richardson’s blog, he argues that on the whole … More Creativity crisis
Another school year has ended with some great results in the Higher School Certificate. Well done to the teachers who have laid the foundations on which our departing Year 12 students will build upon next year. Behind every successful student is a great teacher supported by a collaborative team of other professionals and instructional leaders. … More Just a teacher
I thought I would do a video post reflecting on what for me are the three key themes that emerged during my recent professional learning experience. Hopefully, the posts over the past few weeks from Canada, US and Scotland capture the current challenges, ideas and trends across school systems. Two things resonate across the globe … More What I’ve learned
Thanks to Mark Walker for sharing a recent interview with John Hattie in the Melbourne Age. Hattie is currently in Australia, continuing the Visible Learning crusade and making a lot of common sense. Australian principals are mired in tasks that don’t have much influence on how their students perform academically. Thirty-two per cent of their time is … More It’s a matter of principals
If the success of An Inconvenient Truth in raising our collective consciousness is anything to go by, then Waiting for Superman will challenge and hopefully change long-held assumptions about schooling. Waiting for Superman is a documentary-film about the deteriorating state of America’s public education system. It is an honest, confronting and challenging expose. Essential viewing … More Waiting for Superman
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