↓ SECTION 02 — SCHOOL
Meet Michelle Phillips Head of Middle School
I am a passionate educator with a special interest in personalised, inquiry-driven curriculum. I began my teaching career in South Africa, where I taught in private and public, boys-only and coeducational schools. My interest in inquiry learning was sparked while teaching in New Zealand. This stems from a belief that students learn if they are interested in and connected to the topic and content they are being taught. After teaching in New Zealand, I moved to Singapore, where I taught in international schools. It was here that I was introduced to the International Baccalaureate (IB) and, more specifically, the Primary Years Programme (PYP). The values of the IB resonated with me. I saw students who were not only motivated to learn, but intrinsically able to demonstrate cultural understanding and respect as they were required to get along with each other in very small spaces. As an IB educator, I have had the opportunity of working with teachers all over the Asia Pacific to help them develop an understanding of curriculum and philosophies of learning. Most recently, I have lectured at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne. I moved with my family to Melbourne in 2007, accepting a job at Firbank Grammar, where I was Head of Junior School at the Brighton Campus; a girls-only campus from Early Learning to Year 6. I continued my IB journey at Firbank, taking the School through IB authorisation and evaluation.
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Through my research and working with teachers, using theories of learning and best practice, I have formed a personal philosophy of education. My core belief is that all we do in a school should focus around purpose for our students. This encompasses teaching, learning and assessing. Teachers should use testing to establish not only where a student is at but, more importantly, where they need to go next. Planning for learning has become somewhat of a science as we move away from a one size fits all model of learning. Student engagement and voice are also important to me. I believe that students who have a say in their learning and can take responsibility for it are more engaged. I also believe that students don’t learn in the blocks or subjects that we set for them. Therefore, any connection we can make between content, skills and understandings and the world around them is more relevant and makes more sense to our learners. I already know that my key values in education are aligned to the Middle School philosophy and I look forward to working with the students and teachers to further explore how best to continue to improve the teaching and learning at Geelong Grammar School. Michelle Phillips Head of Middle School
LIGHT BLUE - GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL