We had the great pleasure of welcoming Anrig Professor Richard Elmore from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and our colleagues Darrell Fraser and Judy Petch from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development in Victoria last week. Although it was a flying visit, our guests had the opportunity to meet with our leadership team and … More The proverb of the tree
You know an election is in the wind when the well-worn public vs private school story appears in the tabloid press and as fodder for radio shock-jocks. According to an article this week, the success of public schools in HSC and NAPLAN tests was partly responsible for an increase in enrolments. It follows the SMH on Monday which quotes Chris Bonner, former president of the Secondary Principals … More Diversity should be the norm
In this clip, Ken Robinson talks about the moral purpose of schooling. For me, the questions are what should influence our understanding of learning and teaching; how do we change our practice/thinking to meet our moral obligations to all learners?
I’ve just returned from presenting at the iNet Conference in Melbourne where I had the opportunity to do a little show and tell…..the iPad. I brought an iPad to demonstrate the point that learners control the device in the learning and not the reverse. This will excite some and unsettle many educators but we cannot deny what is happening … More Beyond the horizon
I recently had a chat with Rob Muscat, assistant principal at Nagle College Blacktown and we were talking about the work the staff are now doing as part of their commitment to challenging and empowering students. It is obvious that teachers are excited about a new way of working that is collaborative, supportive and professionally … More Teachers learning
The Building the Education Revolution has allowed many of our primary schools to closely examine the dynamic between contemporary pedagogy and learning environments. New opportunities to reflect on how teachers work together, plan and teach is resulting in positive outcomes for learners. Throughout 2009, staff at St Monica’s Primary, North Richmond have been exploring ways … More Reflections – part 2
Mark Kelly, the global head of education for architect firm Woods Bagot has joined the chorus of public school principals concerned about the federal government’s school rebuilding program. In Tuesday’s Australian , Kelly urged the federal government to move away from traditional one-size-fits-all templates to more innovative and sustainable school designs that promote collaborative models of learning and teaching. I believe these comments have helped … More Getting it right
John Connell gave an excellent presentation at the ACE Digital Fair in Geelong last week. As always, his depth of knowledge and understanding about schooling is thought-provoking. What struck me about John’s presentation on the Joy of Learning is the broad theory base that we draw from in re-shaping schooling for today’s world. What we … More Joy of Learning
Over the past few months, there has been vigorous debate over Joel Klein’s New York model for school improvement and the indications that it will serve as a model for improving schooling here. It is clear when you read the for and against arguments that we each have a different understanding of quality education. Teachers want … More Visible learning and teaching
Professor Sidney Strauss is the Chief Scientist, Ministry of Education in the State of Israel and is responsible for research into learning and teaching particularly in the area of cognition and appropriate pedagogies. We were recently discussing the imperative of changing educational models to reflect 21st century society and the needs of today’s learners. Sid … More Changing pedagogies
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