EDUCATORONLINE.COM.AU ISSUE 5.02
2019 20 of the education sector’s most inspiring young voices THE AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION AWARDS Which schools and educators are in the running for a top prize?
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BRINGING PLAY BACK TO SCHOOLS Education expert Pasi Sahlberg on why play should be a key element of learning
RETHINKING SCHOOL STARTING AGES Can all students benefit from starting school when they’re older?
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ISSUE 5.02
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CONTENTS
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UPFRONT 02 Editorial
Educators have a key role to play in shaping informed citizens
04 Head to head
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What’s the key to raising the status of teaching as a profession?
06 Statistics
FEATURES
2019
CREATIVITY CAN BE TAUGHT How a leading writing program encourages students to embrace and practise creativity
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SPECIAL REPORT
RISING STARS 2019
The Educator shines the spotlight on 20 young educators who are bringing renewed passion and fresh ideas to Australia’s schools
Examining the shift toward wellbeing as a fundamental aspect of learning
08 News analysis
New research suggests that children should wait longer to start school
10 Learning and development update
Should students be allowed to leave school to engage in protests?
12 Technology update
A child development expert highlights a lesser-known detriment of too much screen time
17 Opinion PEOPLE
FEATURES
Renowned Finnish educator and author Pasi Sahlberg offers his perspective on how Australia can improve its education system
Marsden State High School transformed its culture by giving new teachers the support they need
A MEANINGFUL EDUCATION
A CULTURE OF SUPPORT
Teacher support is critical to ensuring access to high-quality education
FEATURES 32 The vision and voice of educational leadership
A sneak peak at ACEL’s upcoming national conference
38 How to improve your school’s NAPLAN results year after year How pre- and post-test analysis can help teachers tailor their approach
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40 FEATURES
FINALISTS REVEALED
Discover who made the cut as a finalist for this year’s Australian Education Awards
PEOPLE 56 Career path
Charting Eddie Woo’s rise from maths teacher to YouTube sensation
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UPFRONT
EDITORIAL
The bigger picture
O
n an individual level, a good education can be a path towards employment, higher living standards and a more fulfilled life. However, there are other critical, long-lasting benefits that can be realised at a national level. After all, some of the highest-performing education systems in the world are found in countries with the healthiest democracies. Finland, Sweden and Norway have some of the world’s leading school systems and also enjoy a ranking at the top of the Global Freedom Index. And for those wondering whether this is just a ‘European thing’, Japan and South Korea are also thriving democracies that boast enviable PISA scores. One particular skill these countries’ education systems hold in high regard is critical thinking, which enables young people to gather information, identify credible sources and take alternative views into consideration before making informed decisions. When large portions of a nation’s population are engaging with media, political discourse and the voting process, critical thinking – or the absence of it – can make a profound difference to the direction a country takes. (We’ve all heard that saying: “A nation of sheep soon begets a government of wolves.”)
For democracy to flourish, so too must a well-informed citizenry that can think critically – from the classroom to the ballot box The latest PISA rankings put Australia in 21st place out of 48 countries when it comes to the educational skills and knowledge of its 15-year-old students. There is also a growing belief that the health of Australia’s democracy is in decline. A 2018 study by the Australian National University found that a large majority of people agreed with the premise that Australia’s democracy is broken. And according to a report by the Museum of Australian Democracy and the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra, satisfaction with the way democracy works in Australia has fallen significantly over the last decade. The trends show that today, more than ever, it is incumbent not just upon Australia’s leaders, but communities everywhere, to ensure that young people are not only ‘STEM-ready’ and ‘future-proof ’ once they leave school, but also thoughtful and discerning citizens who are fully educated about democracy and their rights. For democracy to flourish, so too must a well-informed citizenry that can think critically – from the classroom to the ballot box. Brett Henebery, editor
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www.educatoronline.com.au WINTER 2019 EDITORIAL Editor Brett Henebery Journalists Tom Goodwin Abel Riototar Contributors Sarah Mitchell Aytekin Tank Production Editor Clare Alexander
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UPFRONT
HEAD TO HEAD
How can the status of teaching be raised? Some believe that increasing teachers’ pay can elevate the profession, but others say it’s not that simple
Deanne Fishburn
John Loughran
“Despite the big-picture aspects of the importance of education, three assumptions underpin public views of the work teachers do: that teaching is mostly telling others what you know and therefore requires little more than subject-matter knowledge, that people learn to teach primarily from more or less unguided experience, and that faculties of education overcomplicate the simple work of learning the practical requirements of teaching. The work of teachers needs to be better understood, and the education community needs to speak back to the marked decline in the status of teaching, which is largely driven by these three assumptions. Teaching matters, and that needs to be clearly demonstrated.”
Dan Tehan
Director Queensland College of Teachers
Federal minister Department of Education and Training
“This is a complex issue that the Queensland College of Teachers is committed to work on. All professions need to continually reassess their identity to attract high-quality people. We need to raise the awareness of career growth opportunities like Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher certification, the rigour in reforms to initial teacher education programs, the value of teacher registration, and the positive impact teachers have on students, communities and society. Teaching is a highly exposed profession, making it vulnerable to negative ‘armchair commentary’. Teachers, school leaders and stakeholders must, through actions, attitudes and behaviours, take ownership for reframing perceptions about the profession.”
“Every Australian child, no matter where they live, should have access to a worldclass education. Every parent will tell you that the best asset in their school is their teachers. The Morrison government will seek to attract more high-quality teachers into the classrooms by investing $15m to expand the successful Teach for Australia program. These Teach for Australia graduates will become high-quality school leaders in rural, remote or disadvantaged schools. It is vital that teachers receive the support they need to succeed. The Morrison government will task the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership to develop a national strategy to support schools to tackle the abuse of teachers in the classroom.”
Professor Monash University
SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS Reports show that more than 30% of Australian teachers leave within their first five years in the role, an issue that many believe is being compounded by a lack of support and respect for the profession. To address this, the House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training launched a federal inquiry in November 2018 to examine how to raise the status of the teaching profession in Australia. The inquiry is looking at opportunities to improve teacher retention, provide support platforms, lower workloads and increase the attractiveness of the profession for aspiring teachers.
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION UPFRONT
STATISTICS
Nurturing wellbeing
WELLBEING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
Educators agree that student wellbeing is crucial for learning – so what are they doing to support it? SCHOOL LEADERS are beginning to realise how important it is to integrate student wellbeing into learning. According to recent research by Microsoft and The Economist Intelligence Unit, nearly 80% of educators around the globe believe positive emotions are “very” or “extremely” important for helping students achieve academic success. This is especially true as artificial intelligence transforms the labour market, making human skills
79%
of educators believe positive emotions are critical for academic success
77%
say emotional wellbeing is crucial for developing foundational literacies
like creativity, interpersonal understanding and empathy ever more valuable. “We are at the beginning of a tectonic shift,” Dr Alejandro Adler, director of international education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center, told the researchers. “Rather than seeing wellbeing as an add-on, it is becoming a second strand to the helix: one being academic performance, the second being wellbeing and character development.”
81%
believe emotional wellbeing is important for developing communication skills
Student wellbeing has long been viewed as a pastoral duty that was tangential to academic learning, addressing individual problems and sometimes tackling issues such as bullying or nutrition and exercise. But a growing body of research into the role of wellbeing has led today’s educators to regard it as foundational to learning. Moreover, school leaders are realising that wellbeing must be addressed both within and outside of the classroom.
70%
say wellbeing has grown more important for K-12 students since they began their careers
Source: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI, The Economist Intelligence Unit
A LACK OF FORMAL PLANS
THE GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Although most educators believe that wellbeing is critical for student success, only about half of schools currently have a formal policy in place to support their students’ wellbeing.
Support for wellbeing as an educational issue can be seen across the globe. Emotional wellbeing has been at the core of education reform in various regions, including Asia, North America, Europe, Australia and Latin America.
3% 21%
Have a formal wellbeing policy in place Currently developing a policy Encourage wellbeing without a policy
23%
53%
Have no policy, nor plans to develop one
Source: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI, The Economist Intelligence Unit
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67%
of schools in Asia encourage development of emotional literacy in the classroom
66%
of teachers in North America incorporate principles of emotional literacy in their classrooms
65%
of educators in Latin America agree that emotional wellbeing is important for developing healthy adults and responsible citizens
Source: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI, The Economist Intelligence Unit
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IN THE CLASSROOM
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
79%
93%
82%
believe students benefit from challenges they can overcome
of educators think positive, stable relationships are important to academic success
SOCIAL
of educators believe they have a social learning focus in class
82%
COGNITIVE
think extracurricular activities have a positive effect on wellbeing
75%
believe a feeling of community and strong belonging impacts academic success
83%
think a supportive home environment impacts emotional wellbeing
EMOTIONAL
Source: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI, The Economist Intelligence Unit
OVERCOMING BARRIERS
TEACHER WELLBEING
With limited time and resources, teachers can often be hard-pressed to foster student wellbeing. The most common barriers were lack of resources (cited by 64% of respondents) and the feeling that change needs to come from school leaders (71%). However, respondents did share some ways in which they’ve been able to overcome these barriers.
Survey respondents agreed that teacher wellbeing is a critical piece of the puzzle – and that a holistic strategy should also foster educators’ wellbeing.
Immersive experiences that allow students to explore scenarios from the perspective of others
80%
58%
60%
Tools that foster collaboration among students
40%
49%
20%
Tools that help collect and analyse data about students’ emotional states
0%
46% 0%
100%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Source: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI, The Economist Intelligence Unit
72%
83%
Believe a teacher’s mood influences the wellbeing of children
Say an inclusive and safe class environment has a positive effect on child wellbeing
Source: Emotion and Cognition in the Age of AI, The Economist Intelligence Unit
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION UPFRONT
NEWS ANALYSIS
Should kids start school later? New research shows that children who start school when they’re older are more ready for the classroom. Is it time to rethink the school starting age?
EVERY YEAR, thousands of Australian parents face a difficult decision: Should they send their child to school now or delay until the following year? In New South Wales, for example, children born January to July can start school at 4½ to 5 years or delay a year and start at 5½ to 6 years. For children born between August and December, this choice isn’t available – these kids almost always start school in the year after their fifth birthday, barring special circumstances. However, new research could make that
start school later are more ready for the classroom than their younger peers. The study is the largest ever to examine how a child’s age when they start school relates to their ‘readiness’ in terms of development. It is also the first time that the magnitude of this relationship has been quantified in an Australian context. To get a clearer idea of what the situation looks like in Australia’s most populous state, the researchers looked at linked administrative data for more than 100,000 children who started at a NSW public school in 2009
“Children who start school in the year they turn 6 are more likely to have developed the skills and competencies needed to thrive in a formal learning environment” Dr Mark Hanly, UNSW Centre for Big Data Research in Health decision easier for parents. Researchers from UNSW, the Australian National University, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, the University of Melbourne and the Australian Catholic University released a report in April, concluding that children who
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or 2012. Their aim was to identify child, family and area characteristics associated with delayed entry, and to explore the relationship between school starting age and five domains of child development. The research team found that NSW
parents lead the nation when it comes to holding off on sending their children to school until a later age. One-quarter of children in NSW – almost half of those born from January to July – delayed school entry in 2009 and 2012. “What the data really show us is that, on average, children who start school in the year they turn 6 are more likely to have developed the skills and competencies needed to thrive in a formal learning environment, compared with their younger peers who start school in the year they turn 5,” said the study’s lead author, Dr Mark Hanly of UNSW Medicine’s Centre for Big Data Research in Health. The researchers also found striking geographical and social variation in the families who opted to delay. “Boys, younger children, and children from relatively advantaged families and neighbourhoods – particularly in Sydney – were more likely to delay,” said the study’s director, Dr Kathleen Falster of UNSW and
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SCHOOL STARTING AGES ACROSS AUSTRALIA Kindergarten, prep, foundation or reception is the first year of formal school. A child must turn 5 by the dates shown below to start school in that state.
30 June Queensland, WA and NT
31 July NSW
1 January Tasmania April/May Victoria, the ACT and SA Source: Education Department data
the ANU. “This might be because parents and teachers believe that boys and younger children are often less school-ready – but delaying school entry can come at an additional cost for families, especially if the alternative is expensive childcare.”
choice about when to start school in NSW, so students with these birthdates are ideal for studying how age is linked to development. “When we compared their developmental data, there was a clear trend: outcomes improved with each additional month of age,”
“Raising the school starting age may place added pressure on families to provide preschool care or restrict workforce participation for parents” Ben Edwards, Australian National University The researchers quantified the relationship between school starting age and early childhood development and found a strong link between age and developmental skills in the first year of school. Children born between August and December have no
Dr Hanly said. “Month-on-month, these differences are quite small – there’s not a big gap between August-born children and September-born children, for example. However, accumulated over a full year, these differences add up, and unsurprisingly, there
is quite a large development gap between 4½-year-olds and 6-year-olds.” However, the researchers cautioned that there are unknown long-term consequences of school starting age policies, so a more solid evidence base is needed before any changes are instituted. “For example, raising the school starting age may place added pressure on families to provide preschool care or restrict workforce participation for parents,” said Ben Edwards, an associate professor at the Australian National University. “A later start to school may also have long-run effects on the age that young adults enter the workforce.” Dr Hanly added that more longitudinal research is needed on the potential for initial age-related differences to impact later school outcomes. “While some earlier studies have suggested academic gaps closed between younger and older children after first grade, the long-term implications just aren’t clear yet,” he said.
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION UPFRONT
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS Online challenge seeks out videosavvy teachers A new joint initiative between the NSW Education Department and Teachers Mutual Bank will challenge educators to share their expertise via video. As part of The Learning Edge competition, five teachers will be selected for a unique hands-on workshop with an e-learning expert to develop their content curation skills. They will also receive a $2,000 hardware and software package to enable them to produce their own e-learning content. NSW Department of Education Deputy Secretary Murat Dizdar called the initiative a “fantastic opportunity to showcase teaching talent from across the state”.
Food education program gets funding pledge Labor has pledged $6m to restore federal funding to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, an initiative aimed at improving the health of young people in Australia. Launched in response to the worsening issue of childhood obesity, the program works with more than 1,600 early years centres and primary and secondary schools to improve students’ education about the benefits of healthy eating. It also runs face-to-face professional development days that offer teachers hands-on kitchen and garden experience so they can learn how to deliver “pleasurable food education”.
Teachers get induction support via new app Ongoing induction is an important part of supporting professional development and retention in the education sector. To help teachers in this respect, AITSL has created the My Induction app, which offers expert advice on the go,
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provides answers to frequently asked questions, and allows new teachers to track their professional wellbeing and growth. “With ongoing induction and support, the beginning teachers of today can become the expert teachers of tomorrow,” said Edmund Mission, AITSL’s acting CEO.
Three principals receive Harvard scholarship The three outstanding public school principals will soon travel to the Harvard Graduate School of Education to undertake a professional education program aimed at strengthening the skills of educational leaders. Sponsored by the Public Education Foundation, Teachers Mutual Bank and the Harvard Club, the 2019 Principals Scholarships went to Karen Duncan, principal of Harrisdale Primary School in Western Australia; Ann Caro, principal of Lithgow High School in New South Wales; and Jesmond Zammit, principal of Gorokan Primary School in NSW.
Education bodies unite to improve PD for teachers Two major education leadership bodies in Queensland have joined forces in a bid to improve professional development opportunities for teachers in the state and across Australia. The Queensland Education Leadership Institute [QELi] and the National Excellence in School Leadership Institute [NESLI] will co-create blended learning programs for educators and school leaders that feature a broad range of high-impact, face-to-face training and online programs. QELi and NESLI will launch the first joint cohort of the online Women’s Advanced Leadership Program on 30 July, with a blended learning health and wellbeing program due to follow shortly after.
On strike during school Should students be allowed to protest during school hours? One education expert says yes, but not all agree In May, thousands of primary and secondary students around Australia staged a third major strike calling for tougher government action on climate change. The students stormed political offices across Australia, including those belonging to former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and federal Labor MP Anthony Albanese. Finnish education expert Pasi Sahlberg praised Australia’s youth protest movement, saying it should be seen as a positive thing by leaders. “For years now here in Australia and around the world, we have insisted that young people need to learn the 21st-century skills that include critical thinking, complex problem-solving, effective communication, active citizenship and other desired features,” Sahlberg says. “Now they show us what they look like in practice. I think we should cheer and celebrate that, not to deny and ban it.” NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, on the other hand, believes that while students have a right to engage in protests, they should do so outside school hours. “I welcome students expressing their views on important issues – discussion and debate is a good thing for our democracy,” Mitchell says. “However, if they want to engage in rallies and community events, they should be doing it over the weekend, after school or in school holidays, not during the school day.” Mitchell added that students need to be at school on school days. “The best way to
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“Schools should be a place where children can experience and learn democracy, not just a place where we adults teach them about it” become an informed citizen is to get an education,” she says. “Any student not in class will be marked as absent, and unexplained absences are subject to the school’s disciplinary code.” A spokesman for the Victorian Education Department, meanwhile, said parents and carers should notify the school as soon as possible on the day of a student’s absence and, wherever possible, in advance of upcoming absences. “Every day at school is important,” the spokesman said. “It is well known that time out of the classroom means that students can
fall behind. Schools play an important role in helping students to engage with the broader community and issues they feel strongly about.” Sahlberg notes that many Australian schools are already teaching children about civil rights, freedom of speech, democracy, and how to influence decision-making and debate eloquently about important issues like climate change. The topic has been the subject of intense debate and protest, but reports in recent years have created a greater sense of urgency for governments to act. “If schools are not able or willing to accom-
modate these issues more in what they do and teach kids how they should use their rights in good way, we will see many more walk-outs, strikes, and even riots in and out of schools,” Sahlberg says. “That is what we need the least. Schools should be a place where children can experience and learn democracy, not just a place where we adults teach them about it.”
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UPFRONT
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Tech’s influence on child development What harm is being done as children spend more time with screens and less time interacting?
engagement and outcomes in the classroom. Three months later, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Education Minister Rob Stokes announced that from 2019, smartphones would be banned in the state’s primary schools to reduce the “distracting influence” they often have on students. However, educator, author and scholar Pasi Sahlberg believes such a ban on smartphones is a “simple but ineffective” solution.
“Self-control is the most powerful way to take control of this new phenomenon”
The digital world is reducing critical interactions between the generations – and that’s worrying for Peter Fonagy, professor of contemporary psychoanalysis and developmental science at University College London, who has spent more than half a century studying child development. “My impression is that young people have less face-to-face contact with older people than they once used to,” Fonagy told The Guardian recently. “The socialising agent for a young
NEWS BRIEFS
person is another young person, and that’s not what the brain is designed for. It is designed for a young person to be socialised and supported in their development by an older person. Families have fewer meals together as people spend more time with friends on the internet. The digital is not so much the problem – it’s what the digital pushes out.” In September 2018, the NSW government launched an independent review into the impact smartphones are having on student
Students use AI to tackle global challenges
Microsoft Australia and professional learning organisation Education Changemakers have launched the AI for Good Challenge, which encourages high-school students to use AI to solve important social and environmental issues. The competition will see groups of two or three students come up with a concept in one of three categories: AI for Accessibility, Earth or Humanitarian Action. “We can’t wait to see what AI solutions Aussie students come up with,” said Steven Miller, director of education at Microsoft Australia.
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“Most of screen time takes place outside of school, and simply taking the gadgets away from kids in school would not help – especially it is not a good idea for those who suffer from screens the most,” Sahlberg says. This issue, he adds, is best handled in close collaboration with children and their parents. “We need to educate them about the advantages of technology and risks related to heavy use of it,” he says. “We need to work with parents to set the limits of how smartphones, games and media are used at homes and in schools. Most importantly, we need to do much more with children now to help them to safe, responsible and reasonable use of their devices in school and at home. Self-control is the most powerful way to take control of this new phenomenon.”
Private school launches innovation centre
Queensland’s Ormiston College has unveiled a new Centre for Learning and Innovation, designed to prepare students for the challenges of tomorrow’s workplace. Set across the largest interactive floor space in Australia, the centre includes programmable drones, Australia’s first holographic wearable computer, 3D printers, writeable glass and a green screen studio. According to principal Brett Webster, the flexible space encourages both collaborative teamwork and self-regulated individual study to accurately reflect realworld working environments.
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Q&A
Ben Temperly Acting chief operations officer SOUTH AUSTRALIAN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Fast fact The SA Education Department’s new School Improvement Dashboard helps to inform school improvement planning with secure key data about each school’s student achievement and growth, student wellbeing, and organisational health
A new tool that simplifies school improvement What inspired the development of the School Improvement Dashboard? Our aspiration is to build the best education system in Australia and one that is truly world-class. We made a frank assessment of our current performance against the McKinsey Universal Scale, which is an internationally recognised measure of education system excellence. It demonstrated that for us to reach the top positions within 10 years, we need to accelerate growth for every child, in every class, in every school. To achieve that outcome, we have consulted around the world to build a new approach to school improvement. It has been developed with local school leaders and designed for South Australia. It recognises that, in the past, the support provided to schools has not been tailored enough.
How does the dashboard work? Rather than a ‘one size fits all’ model, we are providing customised support that meets the needs of individual schools. It includes guidance and support for principals and teachers based on the context of their school and the needs of their students, as assessed against the current status of academic performance and the trajectory of that performance over time. The dashboard has been developed with that in mind and presents key data to illustrate student achievement and growth, student wellbeing, and organisational health. This supports the improvement cycle by giving leaders the chance to more easily identify areas for improvement and to explore that area in more detail. Leaders can focus on key cohorts of students to inform
New partnership helps children get cyber ready
A recent study by cybersecurity firm Trend Micro found that parents often struggle to manage their kids’ online security. To combat this, Trend Micro has partnered with Life Education for bCyberwise, a learning module that helps to educate students in Years 3 to 5 about cyber safety, cybersecurity and cyber ethics. “As cybersecurity becomes increasingly a digital imperative with national relevance, the bCyberwise module is an important step in building digital education for young Australians,” said Trend Micro’s Tim Falinski.
targeted improvement strategies and gain insight into the views of students, parents and staff.
What are some of the challenges that the dashboard helps schools resolve? We know schools are awash with data and that principals have complex jobs and a lot of competing demands on their time. Our aim was to make the data as accessible, easy to understand and as immediate as possible so that principals and leaders could easily identify areas for improvement and evaluate the impact of interventions. The process was very much geared toward the end user, and we spent a considerable amount of time co-designing the dashboard with our principals to make sure it is as relevant and user-friendly as possible. We’ll continue to refine the data sets and platform as we learn more from our principals about its utility. This is a cornerstone product for the wider improvement model, and we are putting a lot of effort into making sure it does the job well.
How does the dashboard help school leaders in their day-to-day role? The dashboard provides leaders with the chance to identify areas for improvement and to explore that area in more detail. The dashboard is interactive, and all elements can be explored through a series of ‘explorer’ tabs. The tabs allow users to delve into more information on any of these metrics. Filters such as year level, gender, Aboriginal status and disability can all be applied to filter data and compare results.
Roadshow highlights VR benefits in classrooms
The University of Newcastle is using a technology roadshow to showcase how virtual reality and other technologies can transform the classroom experience and drive school-wide change. A NSW Department of Education initiative, the InteractED roadshow is designed to guide school leaders, empower teachers and assist administrators in getting the most out of technology. Launched in April, the roadshow gives educators an interactive tutorial inside a spaceship controlled by a robot, who teaches them about learning in ‘virtual worlds’.
Sustainability drive takes major leap
Ascham School, an independent, nondenominational day and boarding school for girls in NSW, has put a significant focus on sustainability in recent years. In late April, the school announced that it has signed a corporate renewable power purchase agreement with Flow Power that will slash power costs and make the school’s facilities more environmentally friendly. Under the agreement, Ascham School aims to be powered by at least 90% renewable energy, using a combination of wind and solar power.
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PEOPLE
THE BIG INTERVIEW
A MEANINGFUL EDUCATION Pasi Sahlberg’s background has given him a global view of education reform. Brett Henebery gets his insights about the direction Australian schools are taking
FINNISH EDUCATOR, author and scholar Pasi Sahlberg has studied education systems around the world, analysing their policies and advising on reforms to improve the quality of teaching and learning. In September 2017, Sahlberg moved to Sydney with his two young sons, where he took up the role of professor of education policy at the UNSW Gonski Institute for Education. He has spent the past two years initiating and leading international comparative research projects on education and equity and education leadership, as well as applied research ‘impact labs’ to improve the quality of teaching and the equity of education outcomes.
Prioritising play At the heart of Sahlberg’s educational philosophy is the belief that young people deserve a childhood in which their imagination, creativity and happiness can flourish. His upcoming book, Let the Children Play, is centred on the notion that “more play will save our schools and help children thrive”. “Educators and paediatricians both agree that play is important for children’s development and learning,” Sahlberg says, yet he points out that teaching and learning have
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been heading in the opposite direction: more pressure on effort and achievement for both teachers and students, longer school days, and more homework. “One reason why this is happening in so many places may be what I call the Global Education Reform Movement that is driven
remedy for disappointing results.” Furthermore, he adds, the reason why play hasn’t appeared in policy menus is that play means different things to different people. “Unfortunately, many still tend to think that play is something children should do when the real work in school is done,” he says.
“Unfortunately, many still tend to think that play is something children should do when the real work in school is done. Learning through play, and the pedagogies behind it, are not very well understood yet among policymakers” by the market logic of competition and choice, standardized solution, and faith in improvement by measuring all possible elements in education,” Sahlberg says. “When outcomes don’t seem to improve, the problem is believed to be in inappropriate implementation of this logic. More play has rarely been an alternative
“Learning through play, and the pedagogies behind it, are not very well understood yet among policymakers,” he says. A big challenge in encouraging children to play involves getting them off digital devices. This has prompted some governments around the world, including Australia, to propose
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PROFILE Name: Pasi Sahlberg Title: Professor of education policy School: Gonski Institute for Education, UNSW Years as an educator: 36 Fast fact: Sahlberg has been widely published in academic journals, professional magazines and public media and is an editorial board member for several academic journals
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PEOPLE
THE BIG INTERVIEW
banning smartphones in classrooms. However, Sahlberg believes the issue should be handled by collaborating with children and their parents, educating them about the risks and advantages of technology use and helping children make responsible choices about how to use digital devices. He also believes both parents and schools should do more to offer children alternatives to “hanging around” on social media or the Internet, such as going to the playground, playing together at home or engaging in physical activity together.
years ago laid out an important common ground for this, but the conversation has since mostly focused on funding, testing and other technical [but important] aspects of education,” he says. “In many parts of Europe, excluding England perhaps, there is much deeper and more comprehensive thinking about what education is for, the role of public education and how the equitable education of all children is linked to the economic and social wellbeing of nations.” However, in Australia, Sahlberg says education is still seen as a “private good” that
“There are some critical elements in Australian education that need to be seriously considered and transformed before any real change for the better will occur” “It is critically important that parents and teachers are role models to children by keeping their own devices away,” he says. Sahlberg notes that while researchers around the world have found correlations between screen time and children’s mental health and wellbeing, these same experts have not yet been able to establish a causal link between the two phenomena. “I think ... we should act very quickly to this matter by accepting the facts and, at the same time, invest in research that would help us to understand why student learning, especially in complex domains like mathematics, science and reading, has been in decline,” he says.
Finding purpose To change the course of education in Australia, Sahlberg believes a new public dialogue about the purpose of education is needed. “The Melbourne Declaration more than 10
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primarily benefits individual needs rather than a common good that makes everyone better off. “There are some critical elements in Australian education that need to be seriously considered and transformed before any real change for better will occur,” he says. Sahlberg believes these elements include fair funding of schools, a renewed strategy for educating children with special needs, and accepting that the biggest positive impact on education – in both quality and equity – comes through investing more in early years education and care. He also believes that certain “harmful and disturbing” elements, such as the current form of NAPLAN and ATAR, should be removed from the system. “If more people – and those who hold the power – would understand this and act accordingly, things would change for the better in Australia,” he says, “and, I’d argue, quite swiftly.”
PASI SAHLBERG’S GLOBAL ACCOLADES
2012
The Education Award, Finland
2013
The Grawemeyer Award, US
2014
The Robert Owen Award, Scotland
2016
The Lego Prize, Denmark
2017
The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Resident Fellowship, Italy
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UPFRONT
OPINION
GOT AN OPINION THAT COUNTS? Email brett.henebery@keymedia.com.au
Ensuring access to education To support students’ right to a high-quality education, there must first be strong support for teachers, writes NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell OUR GOVERNMENT believes in promising the best education possible for every child, regardless of whether they’re from Lindfield or Leeton, Bondi or Bourke. A good education helps to overcome socioeconomic disadvantage and open the door to life’s opportunities. It’s no secret that the challenges faced by students, parents, teachers and school communities in regional New South Wales can be unique and varied. As minister for education, I am committed to ensuring every child has access to the same learning tools and resources. We are proud of our recordbreaking $6.5bn infrastructure investment. But we know that while new and improved buildings are important, the real magic that happens in the classroom comes through great teaching. One area I really want to work closely on is our staffing provision in rural and remote schools. Traditionally, it has been harder to get experienced leaders and teachers into roles in these locations. Principals I speak to tell me about the challenge of not just getting the permanent teachers, but also the casuals who are necessary to make a school work well. The Rural Experience Program aims to encourage teachers to get a taste of country life with the opportunity to experience teaching in a rural or remote community. It also offers benefits for permanent teachers
to take up rural positions and fasttracks temporary teachers for full-time positions to help address the ongoing issue of permanent teaching vacancies in rural and remote schools. I know tertiary education can be a costly exercise for regional students, which is why we are investing in scholarships to give students interested in teaching the best
900 regional and remote schools have strong and extensive wireless coverage and high levels of mobile connectivity. This investment will upgrade more than 13,000 learning spaces, provide greater access to online resources and learning opportunities through wireless connectivity, and help to level the playing field for regional schools. As the former minister for Aboriginal affairs, I am also passionate about connecting Aboriginal people to their culture through language. We are starting from the ground up by facilitating the learning of Aboriginal languages in schools and implementing the Connected Communities Strategy in 15 schools throughout 11 of the most complex and vulnerable communities across the state. The government is proud of the work being done to support the teaching of Aboriginal languages across the state and will continue to work with Aboriginal people to celebrate and share their culture. Children and young people, no matter their background, will always be at the centre of my decision-making. To support their learning, we need to support our teachers. We will continue to back strong local decision-
“We know that while new and improved buildings are important, the real magic that happens in the classroom comes through great teaching” possible opportunity to pursue their studies. The first recipients of our Teach Rural Scholarships have joined the workforce, bolstering teaching numbers in regional New South Wales. The scholarships are part of the government’s Rural and Remote Education Human Resources Strategy, which is a $59.4m investment over five years to improve teacher availability and experience in rural and remote public schools. Children should not have to go to a school in Sydney to access not only the best teachers, but also fast and reliable online resources. We are connecting country schools by investing $46m to ensure that more than
making by principals, who know their schools best, and, under Gonski funding, allocate funds to local needs and priorities. There is no more important work that a society does together than raise its future generations. We know there is more to do, and I look forward to working with all of the education community to achieve great things for the young people in our care.
Sarah Mitchell was appointed NSW minister for education and early childhood learning in April 2019. She has been a Nationals member of the NSW Legislative Council since 2011.
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SPECIAL REPORT
RISING STARS 2019
2019 The Educator spotlights 20 bright young Australian education professionals poised to become tomorrow’s leaders
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Sponsored by
Build your knowledge Broaden their horizon Shape the next generation with a professional education degree.
A global leader in teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary l
WELCOME TO The Educator’s annual Rising Stars list. For the third year in a row, we asked our readers to nominate up-and-coming leaders aged 35 or under who are making their mark in the ever-changing education sector. Thanks to an overwhelming response from readers, we were able to compile a list of 20 inspiring young educators who are working in a variety of roles in schools around the country and who instil confidence that the future of education in Australia lies in safe hands. This year’s Rising Stars were nominated by colleagues for their expertise, strength of character, willingness to innovate, their passion and their vision. In addition to those attributes, each of the educators featured on the following pages has demonstrated an ability to lead, and their work speaks to the tremendous efforts being undertaken in schools everywhere to embrace the kind of change necessary to thrive in the 21st century. The Educator is proud to have the opportunity to profile the achievements of these Rising Stars. I offer my sincere congratulations to all of those who made the list. Brett Henebery, editor
A WORD FROM OUR PARTNER The Melbourne Graduate School of Education is proud once again to acknowledge the successes of this year’s Rising Stars. It is inspiring to see so many young educators providing leadership in addressing the complex educational challenges we face in the 21st century. Their expertise, desire to innovate and passion for change will hold them in good stead as they pursue their careers in education. The Melbourne Graduate School of Education supports the development and growth of our students by equipping them with the skills, confidence and leadership qualities required to make a substantial contribution to the education of future generations. The Rising Stars of 2019 have clearly demonstrated their dedication to the teaching profession and to their students. Our schools are fortunate to have young educators of this calibre, and I would like to congratulate the 2019 winners and wish them all the best for continued success in the future. Dr Jim Watterston Dean, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
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RISING STARS 2019 INDEX NAME
Mid-year enrolment now open.
education.unimelb.edu.au/midyear
SCHOOL
PAGE
Burrows, James
Pulteney Grammar School
22
Burroughs, Travis
Templestowe College, Mount Alexandra College and Bundoora College
24
Byrnes, Candice
Beverly Hills Girls High School
21
Carter, Emma
The Scots School Albury
22
Dowley, Mark
Brighton Grammar School
24
Dunn, Carly
Gralee SSP
20
Easterbrook, Carly
Masada College
21
Frampton, Katie
Iona Presentation College
20
Gibbons, Georgia
Canterbury College
24
Ha, Michael
Hillcrest Christian College
26
Hosler, Troy
Nowra Public School
23
Kyritsis, Eleni
Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School
26
Meyers, Matt
SEDA Group
20
Omizzolo, Ben
Whittlesea Secondary College
25
O'Leary, Danielle
Beaconhills College
22
Pacek, Joshua
Bethany Lutheran Primary School
21
Shipp, Jessie
Braemar College
26
Thorpe, Ric
Ranges TEC
21
Van Homrigh, Annie
St Patrick's College Townsville
25
Worlley, Dani
The Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School
25
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SPECIAL REPORT
RISING STARS 2019 CARLY DUNN Teacher Gralee SSP
At Gralee SSP, Carly Dunn has rolled out an innovative application that enables more effective communication between parents and guardians, school administration, bus drivers, and teachers. Until 2017, the school relied solely upon communication books, a process that, although largely satisfactory, failed to reach all parents all of the time. Dunn tailored the process to ensure that all members of the Gralee School community have equal and effective options for communication, which is a crucial in ensuring that the ever-changing needs of the school’s students are addressed on a daily basis. In Term 2, Dunn plans to introduce a support group for parents who have children with disabilities, the first of its kind in the school’s area. She is also in transition to take up the position of principal in a relieving capacity until the end of 2019.
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KATIE FRAMPTON
MATT MEYERS
Technology and applied science teacher
National digital learning manager
Iona Presentation College
SEDA Group
As a food technology teacher, Katie Frampton is vibrant and energetic, sharing her passion for health, nutrition and wellbeing with students in Years 7 to 12. She is also a house coordinator for 180 students and manages the afterschool community service cooking activity, preparing baked goods for local shelters. As an extension activity to the Year 11 and 12 Food Science and Technology course, Frampton designed a tour of primary producers in Western Australia, introducing students to a food and farming experience beyond what they had seen before. Working in collaboration with the Southern Forests Food Council, the tour was designed to address syllabus outcomes of managing production processes, understanding the nature and operation of food-related systems, and observing firsthand how resource management decisions affect developments in food-related industries.
Matt Meyers heads up the national digital learning team at SEDA Group, overseeing the progress and success of digital technology use across the five states and territories that SEDA operates in within Australia. This year, Meyers has overseen the development and delivery of an online diploma course for students in regional Victoria who faced significant difficulty travelling to Melbourne to further their education. This program has allowed students who otherwise might never have completed their schooling to use various technologies to complete their studies, collaborate with classmates and deliver significant projects online. Meyers is also leading and connecting with key stakeholders across SEDA’s national landscape to build a professional learning culture that is centred around digital technology and focused on the continuous improvement of the application of technology within teaching and learning. Projects on the horizon for Meyers include incorporating VR into the SEDA curriculum and the expansion of the online diploma course to students in remote Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
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Sponsored by
JOSHUA PACEK
Build your knowledge Broaden their horizon
Classroom teacher/innovation and learning design coordinator Bethany Lutheran Primary School
Shape the next generation with Joshua Pacek is a driving force behind Bethany Lutheran a professional education degree. Primary School’s successful transition toward A global leader inagile teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary l learning. Pacek works tirelessly to support With anthe emphasisschool’s on practical tuition, you’ll benefit from direct access to influential e their field - learning from those who are themselves driving change in education wor Mid-year enrolment open. staff, students and families in understanding andnowvaluing education.unimelb.edu.au/midyear the school’s Agile Pedagogical Framework. He leads The Sandpit, a fortnightly professional development opportunity where teachers can explore innovative practices, thinking and tools in a fun and casual environment. Teachers are then equipped to transform and enhance their students’ learning. Pacek also leads a team to plan and deliver parent information sessions and other community events to educate parents around the school’s pedagogical beliefs and practices around agile learning and project-based learning. Pacek is also working toward completing his master’s degree in education, specialising in innovation and change, and was recently asked to present at a national innovation conference.
RIC THORPE Director Ranges TEC
CANDICE BYRNES English teacher Beverly Hills Girls High School
Candice Byrnes has progressively increased her students’ academic performance in English and Japanese to exemplary levels. Her depth of subject knowledge and practical experience have enabled her to relate syllabus concepts to real-life situations, providing students with relevant and meaningful learning experience and an appreciation of how coursework connects to real life. In order to broaden learning opportunities for all students, Byrnes led a team to co-develop the Beverly Hills Girls High School Quality Learning Framework, forming the umbrella for whole-school structures. The framework was developed to empower girls to be the best learners they can be and focuses on the important skills and attributes that will ensure their education equips them to be successful lifelong learners.
Ranges TEC has been operating as a trade training facility in Melbourne’s Outer East for eight years, providing VCAL and six pre-vocational trade options for practical learners in Years 10 to 12. Ranges TEC’s apprentice placement figures remain above 85%. Over the last two years, Ric Thorpe, who has been working at Ranges TEC since its inception, has moved into the director’s position, where he provides clear, consultative and gracious leadership with restorative justice and student growth at its heart. Under Thorpe’s guidance, Ranges TEC has grown significantly in connection with industry and by facilitating VET practice at other schools and institutions.
CARLY EASTERBROOK Teacher and year patron Masada College
At Masada College, Carly Easterbrook is responsible for geography and society and culture, and she enthusiastically promotes and organises junior students to compete in the National Geography Competition. She is a dedicated user of technology in the classroom, applying online teaching modules and implementing ‘flipped learning’. Easterbrook brings a broad range of educational qualifications into her teaching practice, enabling students to get a wider perspective of the topics being taught in the classroom. She has embraced Masada College’s Culture of Thinking pedagogy, as well as The Leader in Me program. Easterbrook’s HSC class received excellent results in the Society and Culture course, and she also marked the Year 12 HSC Society and Culture Examination in 2018, which enabled her to bring great insight to her students to help them prepare for their final examinations.
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SPECIAL REPORT
RISING STARS 2019 DANIELLE O’LEARY Head of humanities/senior geography teacher Beaconhills College
In 2019, when students are grappling with issues of changing climates, changing landscapes and changing patterns of human migration across the globe, it could be argued that geography teaching is more critical than at any other time in modern history. Yet paradoxically, geography enrolments are declining – but Danielle O’Leary is bucking this trend. By instilling a passion for the world in every young person who sits in her classroom, she provides a launch pad for students to make a difference, have rich geographical conversations, and write and express thoughtfully about global events. As senior geography teacher and head of humanities at Beaconhills College, O’Leary employes innovative 21st-century pedagogies to empower every student to engage with geography. Judging by the enrolment numbers in Beaconhills’ VCE geography classes, her impact is clear, but most important to O’Leary is creating a cohort of students who love learning and who are genuinely curious about the world they inhabit.
JAMES BURROWS Middle school science and maths teacher Pulteney Grammar School
In his first year at Pulteney Grammar School, James Burrows impressed with the creative and innovative methods he used to engage students. His ideas included using Minecraft to teach measurement to Year 8 maths students and creating a roller coaster project for Year 7 science students. Burrows has also been working with a hub group of like-minded teachers from a variety of schools to explore how projectbased learning can be introduced into each of their schools. “James has taken the lead in looking at new and engaging ways to deliver the curriculum, and most importantly, his approach has influenced others,” a colleague says. “He has initiated numerous collaborative teaching opportunities so he can work with other teachers to demonstrate and assist them to consider how their teaching can be more engaging and relevant for students.”
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EMMA CARTER Year 5 classroom teacher The Scots School Albury
Emma Carter began her teaching career as a classroom teacher at Wangaratta Primary School. During her time there, she taught in Years 5–6 and Foundation. Due to her excellent team-building skills, she was given the opportunity to join the school improvement team and also led the school in literacy curriculum development and initiatives. Carter then made the move to The Scots School Albury, where she has been a key leader in the implementation of data-driven classroom assessment and embedding 21st-century technologies. She has also been instrumental in the development of a whole-school wellbeing program that looks to improve the use of preventative strategies in dealing with the social and emotional needs of primary-aged students. A role model for all, Carter believes encouraging students to become lifelong learners and to have respect for themselves and others should be a priority within any learning environment.
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Sponsored by
TROY HOSLER Assistant principal Nowra Public School
Build your knowledge Broaden their horizon
Shape the next generation with Troy Hosler has led the pedagogical changes of a professional education degree. moving Nowra Public School into a 1:1 iPad A global leader inplatform. teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary l Hosler heads up the professional learning team, With an emphasis on practical tuition, you’ll benefit from direct access to influential e their field - learning from those who are themselves driving change in education wor Mid-year enrolment open. which is responsible for embracing iPads as anowtool education.unimelb.edu.au/midyear for powerful teaching and learning. Additionally, he has kicked off coding clubs at lunchtime to reduce the pressure on the playground, engaging students who sit on the periphery of social exclusion. His team members have followed suit and created clubs of their own to allow students to fly drones and work on animation during lunchtime. “Troy is widening the scope of student learning, tapping into student passions and linking them back into school curriculum,” a colleague says. “His classroom teaching is highly engaging, and his students increasingly take risks with their learning.”
Build your knowledge. Broaden their horizons. Shape the next generation with a professional education degree. A global leader in teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School of Education builds students’ knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary learning spaces. With an emphasis on practical tuition, you’ll benefit from direct access to influential educators who are experts in their field - learning from those who are themselves driving change in education worldwide. Mid-year enrolment now open.
education.unimelb.edu.au/midyear
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SPECIAL REPORT
RISING STARS 2019 TRAVIS BURROUGHS ESTEAM learning specialist Templestowe College, Mount Alexandra College and Bundoora College
Working across Templestowe College, Bundoora Secondary College and Mount Alexandra College, Travis Burroughs links with staff to develop ESTEAM in all three schools. He is working to move students and staff away from basic woodshop skills and into manufacturing skills relevant for recycling and robotics industries. He has Maker Spaces up and running with a variety of enterprises, from lasercutting signage and name-badgemaking to robots and T-shirt printing. With routers for robotics and metalworking, the schools are making a clear shift from traditional woodshop to manufacturing. Burroughs has also initiated a Precious Plastics recycling plant at Templestowe and Bundoora colleges, which shifts the students’ understanding of plastic as a waste product into a precious raw material to be used. Through funding from the Sidney Myer Fund, Burroughs has been able to build industrial equipment to process recycling at the school. Students can bring plastics from home and create new items from it. Burroughs has his eye on expanding the program to give the students entrepreneurship opportunities and take sustainability to the next level.
MARK DOWLEY Director of staff development Brighton Grammar School
Since joining the Brighton Grammar School staff in 2017 as the director of staff development, Mark Dowley has been instrumental in implementing a cutting-edge instructional coaching program from ELC to VCE. He has developed an instructional playbook of high-impact teaching strategies to help staff improve the quality of their instruction. In particular, he has introduced the use of video as a coaching tool so that staff can review their classes and notice patterns in their own behaviour and in the behaviour of the class. As a result, student engagement has increased markedly. “Mark has improved, and continues to improve, the learning outcomes for the school’s students by collecting the school’s own data, as well as accessing external research, to ensure that our practices are progressive and evidence-informed,” a colleague says. Dowley has played a key role in creating and implementing Brighton Grammar School’s Effective Learner model, which is used in every classroom by every member of staff and every student. He has also organised conferences hosted by the school, including ResearchEd, which featured Professor John Hattie as keynote speaker, as well as Jim Knight’s first five-day instructional coaching course held in Australia.
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GEORGIA GIBBONS Junior school teacher Canterbury College
Georgia Gibbons is an exemplary teacher who is always thinking about what she can do to give her students the best possible experience. “Georgia is dedicated to the art of teaching,” a colleague says. “She could easily transition into an administration role, but she is committed to being an outstanding teacher.” Gibbons actively shares her classroom practice ideas via social media, using her Instagram account to connect with other teachers all over the world, sharing classroom and lesson ideas and gaining inspiration from others. Her page, which currently commands 20,000 followers, caught the eye of producers at The 7.30 Report last year, who invited her to be part of a story on the new generation of motivated, passionate teachers who are using their Instagram accounts as platforms to talk about education.
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Sponsored by
BEN OMIZZOLO Leading teacher, student voice andBuild agency your knowledge Whittlesea Secondary College Broaden their horizon
ANNIE VAN HOMRIGH Dean of innovation St Patrick’s College, Townsville
Annie Van Homrigh inspires colleagues by modelling professionalism, dedication and a strong commitment to using evidencebased research to create innovative learning experiences that demonstrate her expert knowledge of science, science education and students. Not only has Van Homrigh initiated several key strategic projects to address the decline in girls pursuing STEM pathways, but she also engages the wider community to make STEM relevant and accessible for young women throughout North Queensland. Van Homrigh has been responsible for a sustained increase in the number of girls studying senior science subjects at St Patrick’s College over the last four years, and many students have identified her as their primary motivation and inspiration for choosing science in senior. Nearly 100% of graduates from Van Homrigh’s physics class pursue STEM degrees at university, particularly in engineering. The demand for STEM subjects resulted in the introduction of the college’s marine science program, which was designed and implemented and has continued to flourish under Van Homrigh’s leadership.
Shape the next generation with At the end of last year, Ben Omizzolo developed a professional education degree. a huge range of leadership opportunities A global leader in teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary l based on student feedback. These roles were With an emphasis on practical tuition, you’ll benefit from direct access to influential e their field - learning from those who are themselves driving change in education wor Mid-year enrolment now open. communicated to all students via assemblies, education.unimelb.edu.au/midyear news feeds and social media, and received an exceptionally positive response. Along with other staff and students, Omizzolo interviewed students for all positions. To enhance student connectedness, which was a low point in the Student Attitude to School Survey, Whittlesea Secondary College implemented a vertical house system that links each student with a head of house for their duration at school. The houses had to be built from scratch, and Omizzolo led a team to work with students and create positive house names, logo designs, mascots, mottos and charities to support. “Ben supported all staff to work with the students and achieve this massive undertaking under great time pressure,” a colleague says. “As a result, the school has seen a huge positive impact from this work at the start of 2019, and students have felt they have shaped the change of the school.”
DANI WORLLEY Director of learning and learning enhancement coordinator The Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School
Through her role as director of learning, Dani Worlley has overseen the review of all teaching and learning programs at The Good Shepherd Lutheran Primary School. She works with teachers to develop high-quality learning programs that are differentiated to meet the needs of students, always remaining focused on what most enhances student learning. Worlley has taken a lead role in the implementation of the school’s Learning That Matters approach to teaching and learning, and she consistently challenges teachers to reflect on what students need to thrive in today’s and tomorrow’s world. Worlley also leads a team of learning enhancement teachers who support the school’s teaching and learning programs. As an educator who puts positive relationships top of mind, Worlley is highly regarded by colleagues and parents alike.
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SPECIAL REPORT
Sponsored by
RISING STARS 2019
MICHAEL HA Director of digital innovation Hillcrest Christian College
JESSIE SHIPP Teacher, HPE instructional leader and Duke of Ed coordinator Braemar College
A graduate of Braemar College, Jessie Shipp returned as a member of the health and physical education teaching team, where she willingly accepted roles that saw her take on levels of responsibility beyond the classroom. In 2016, she was appointed coordinator of the Duke of Edinburgh program, which entails managing the 186 students who are currently participating in the award. She has also built on the work of her predecessors to contribute to the growth of the award in the. To date, Shipp has been involved in awarding one gold, eight silver and 28 bronze awards. In 2017, Shipp accompanied the college’s Nepal Schoolies Alternative group as they worked in a Nepali school and then trekked to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar. Earlier this year, Shipp took on the role of HPE instructional leader, overseeing 10 staff and 751 students in a Year 5–12 college in the HPE learning area. “She is eight weeks into the role, and she has already instigated some changes that have been consultative with staff and have placed students at the centre of the decisionmaking,” a colleague reports.
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Build your knowledge. Broaden their horizons
Shape the next generation with Michael Ha believes in educators need to collaborate a professional education degree. and share their successes and struggles and A global leader in teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School of Educa knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary learning help each other out in an open forum. actively WithHe an emphasis on practical tuition, you’ll benefit from direct access to influential educato their field - learning from those who are themselves driving change in education worldwide. Mid-year enrolment promotes shifting the focus from valuing the now open. right answers to knowing how to behave wheneducation.unimelb.edu.au/midyear we don’t know the answers to encourage curiosity, questioning, problem-solving and wonderment. In 2017, Ha developed a newly introduced Year 9 and 10 subject called The Lab, which aims to foster creativity and problem-solving in all areas of life and explores the value of deeper learning. In addition, Ha has developed half-day departmental curriculum development workshops, a classroom observation professional learning group for teachers, and a Year 8 Digital Leaders program. He also leads a three-week challenge-based learning program for all Year 7 students at the end of each school year around the idea of improving sustainability. With a passion for student wellbeing, design thinking, visible thinking, PBL and student entrepreneurial skills, Ha regularly presents at conferences and workshops on the effective and innovative pedagogical use of technologies in education. He also started a monthly web show, Teach Tech Play, which has evolved into a conference where educators from around the world are invited to share their passion and ideas on education. In addition, he is the founder of EdCamp Melbourne, a free ‘un-conference’ devoted to advancing best practices in K-12 education and professional development for educators and parents. Ha is dedicated to exploring the innovative use of technology in education and has researched the benefits of drones, smart watches, AR/VR and 360 cameras for classroom observations. His previous roles include being a board member of Digital Learning & Teaching Victoria, a Microsoft innovative educator expert and trainer, an authorised Google education trainer and innovator, and an Adobe campus leader.
ELENI KYRITSIS Junior school curriculum and innovation teacher Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School
Eleni Kyritsis is a multi-award-winning teacher who has been recognised for her contributions and leadership in digital learning. Kyritsis’ knowledge of digital learning tools allows her students to engage in a variety of learning activities and tasks that capture their imagination, pique their curiosity and foster a culture of self-directed learning. Through professional development, collaborative planning and modelled learning experiences, Kyritsis has introduced a design-thinking-based pedagogy known as the Tinker Train, which enriches classroom programs and empowers students to be innovative learners who are able to apply design thinking principles to solve real-world problems. Whole-school, multi-aged Tinker and Maker events see students work collaboratively together in their house groups on a series of problems and tasks – from building towers to creating models and making mazes – designed to develop skills such as creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. Kyritsis has also introduced Family Tinker and Maker Nights to the junior school, providing families the opportunity to work together to complete design challenges.
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Build your knowledge. Broaden their horizons. Shape the next generation with a professional education degree. A global leader in teaching and education research, the Melbourne Graduate School of Education builds students’ knowledge with transformative thinking across a range of courses in contemporary learning spaces. With an emphasis on practical tuition, you’ll benefit from direct access to influential educators who are experts in their field - learning from those who are themselves driving change in education worldwide. Mid-year enrolment now open.
education.unimelb.edu.au/midyear
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
WRITING
Creativity can be taught Writing is a fundamental skill for any student. But how can students engage more effectively with content and develop strategies to improve originality? The Educator spoke to award-winning author Jen McVeity to find out EVERY CHILD has an imagination. Yet there’s a common misconception that creativity is bestowed upon the lucky few. Collectively, this myth needs to be banished – creativity is an essential skill for the current generation of learners, and schools can teach it as they would maths, science or PE. The writing classroom is the perfect place to start, says Jen McVeity, author and creator of Seven Steps to Writing Success. “Creativity can – and should – be taught and practised just like any other skill,” McVeity says. “Ask any author: the more you write, the more easily the ideas flow.” How to generate ideas Big ideas create exceptional writing. McVeity maintains that there are three key strategies to enhance students’ creativity and originality:
• Brainstorming: a form of imaginative research
• Visual clustering around a central idea, or mind mapping
• Asking questions 28
To help teachers apply these strategies, McVeity created Seven Steps to Writing Success, which breaks down writing into individual steps to ensure students are not overwhelmed by writing an entire piece at once. It’s a teaching and learning resource hailed as “the building blocks to great writing”, which is not only lifting students’ literacy engagement but has been shown to
around Australia are part of the Seven Steps community, and many are seeing an immediate improvement in student writing results and engagement. The program’s Seven Steps are:
• Step 1: Plan for Success • Step 2: Sizzling Starts
• Step 3: Tightening Tension • Step 4: Dynamic Dialogue • Step 5: Show, Don’t Tell • Step 6: Ban the Boring • Step 7: Exciting Endings “It is Step 1, Plan for Success, that holds the key to creativity, focusing on brainstorming,” McVeity says. “It is the thinking before writing and brainstorming which are the most powerful tools of creativity. Students learn to dig deeper, to find unique ideas and powerful arguments so their writing can stand out and excel. The more students brainstorm, the more easily their ideas flow.” Similarly, free-flowing visuals such as mind mapping provide a pathway to original and complex writing structures and allow
“Creativity can – and should – be taught and practised just like any other skill” Jen McVeity, Seven Steps to Writing Success raise NAPLAN data by one to three levels within a single year. The program supports the assertion that investing in teachers is the best way to improve student achievement. It’s been demonstrated by countries such as Finland, where teacher training and support is paramount, and as a result, student outcomes are high. Teachers from more than 2,500 schools
students to select their best ideas. This approach often produces different concepts that students might not have initially considered, stretching their imaginations. Finally, asking probing questions about structure or characters – “What if the fish can talk?” – encourages students to further explore and develop their writing beyond obvious and simple ideas.
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Alpha versus beta brainwaves Typically, throughout the day, most people function in beta brainwave mode – fast, oscillating waves responsible for logical thinking. Beta brainwaves help us navigate a car, calculate maths problems or crunch spreadsheets. Alpha brainwaves are slower and higher in amplitude – these are the ones that allow us to be creative. Meditation, daydreaming, brainstorming ideas and asking “what if …” are all products of the alpha state. “Getting into the alpha state and gener-
ABOUT SEVEN STEPS Seven Steps to Writing Success is a writing program that empowers teachers to inspire their students to rapidly improve their writing skills and, most importantly, learn to love writing. Developed by award-winning Australian author Jen McVeity and using both author- and curriculum-based techniques, it develops skills and strengths in students that are crucial for five domains of a holistic learner: personal learning, interpersonal learning, thinking processes, communication and English language, and literature and literacy. “The concepts of the Seven Steps apply to all forms of writing – narrative, persuasive and informative – and we give practical examples of how to apply the concepts to each text type,” McVeity says.
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
Brought to you by
WRITING
ating ideas takes time, and sadly, we often don’t respect that time,” McVeity says. “Most authors spend at least a third of their time coming up with ideas. Yet how many of us teach brainstorming and give students time to practise and master the skill?” Students need to regularly practise using these planning techniques to allow time for reflection, deep thinking and creative flow. This is particularly apparent during NAPLAN, when students are given five minutes to plan their writing and often struggle to think of original ideas in such a short timeframe.
important to teach creativity in an engaging way,” McVeity says. “Injecting the fun into writing lessons encourages creativity and has a profound impact on student confidence in their imagination and writing skills.” Only after students have mastered the basic techniques of writing do they put it all together to tackle the task of writing a whole narrative, persuasive or informative piece. The second strategy for engagement is the emphasis on collaborative learning within a Seven Steps classroom. Talk is a vital scaffold for writing for all students. It is the first step in literacy and is also important
“Students learn to dig deeper, to find unique ideas and powerful arguments so their writing can stand out and excel” Jen McVeity, Seven Steps to Writing Success Importantly, creative writing is not only relevant to fiction; it also includes persuasive and informative writing. Seven Steps provides training and resources for each of these writing styles. This aims to banish formulaic writing, particularly the “persuasive formula”, which flattens out students’ writing and makes the work of a gifted Year 9 student sound exactly the same as a Year 3 student.
Creativity breeds engagement Research has shown that the average teenager or adult can only listen with focus for approximately 20 minutes at a time. Therefore, placing the teacher at the front of the class, instructing for long periods, means lower retention rates and less engagement than a collaborative classroom. “Kids are creative in different ways, so it is
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for beginning writers and students with learning difficulties or from EAL backgrounds. Sharing, interacting and peer feedback are crucial tools that can be used to develop writing skills. “People often regard writing as a quiet, solo activity, intense and full of concentration,” McVeity says. “It doesn’t have to be this way.” Before and after each short writing task, students work in groups. Beforehand, they might brainstorm ideas, explore planning options, research evidence and ask questions of each other, much like teams of TV script writers do. “After writing, students share their work with others, get feedback from their audience, learn how other students have tackled the piece and make notes for their own improvement,” McVeity says.
BOOSTING LITERACY FOR 1 MILLION+ STUDENTS In creating the Seven Steps to Writing Success program, Jen McVeity has helped raise the literacy levels of more than a million children. Aggregate data of 1,700 students in F-9 shows a 10% increase in writing skills on the NAPLAN band in just 10 weeks. The program has also been shown to improve student engagement within a matter of weeks. In addition, McVeity says that principals are often amazed at the “self-sustaining power” of collaboration. “Students are engaged; they often say, ‘Yay, we’ve got writing now!’ However, the power also comes from feedback and results,” McVeity says. “Teachers can see a rapid rise in students’ literacy skills, and this is exciting for teachers as well as for the student.”
Seven Steps has generated many success stories by eliminating the fear students often feel when asked to think creatively. One example is Grange Primary School, which greatly improved its writing program after introducing the Seven Steps. Year 3 teacher Georgie Medhurst says, “Reluctant writers saw how fun writing could be. My students’ writing has completely transformed.” Seven Steps teachers say their students are now engaged, and their classrooms are collaborative, vibrant and interactive environments that champion creativity in all aspects of literacy: speaking, writing, reading and listening. Is this happening in your classroom? For more information on Seven Steps to Writing Success, visit sevenstepswriting.com. You can also follow Seven Steps on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
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A
Imagine a vibrant writing classroom full of ideas, laughter and energy. Students are engaged and contributing; writing with passion and sharing with excitement.
That’s what a Seven Steps classroom looks like.
Australia’s largest and most engaging educator of writing literacy
Teachers from over 3,000 schools trained
improvement in writing scores in just 10 weeks
Australia-wide PD for teachers and schools
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
ACEL NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The vision and voice of educational leadership ACEL is preparing the stage for its most prominent and interactive national conference to date
EDUCATIONAL LEADERS have the privilege of setting the moral purpose, expectations, culture, and learning and teaching practices within their organisations. They strive to develop future-focused cultures, reflect on their practices, engage in professional learning and influence student learning. Developed with these principles and practices in mind, “Vision and Voice”, ACEL’s 2019 National Conference, will be held in Sydney on 2–4 October and will provide a platform for international and national speakers to share their expertise, highlighting the importance of both vision and voice in setting the learning agenda. Effective leadership, collaborative engagement, accessing student and staff voices, and developing deep learning practices are some of the topics ACEL’s renowned keynote and concurrent speakers will explore over the three days. These presentations will
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be complemented by panel discussions, student performances, book signings and several opportunities to network with professional colleagues from across the country and beyond. The three-day premier conference will be held across three floors of the famed Sydney landmark Hilton Hotel and feature
an esteemed line-up of globally renowned keynote speakers, including Professor Michael Fullan, Professor Alma Harris, Professor Douglas Fisher, Victoria Brownlee, Lee Watanabe-Crockett and, for the first time in Australia, Dr Todd Whitaker. Dr Whitaker says his session “will centre on specific things that the best leaders do that others do not, and this is so essential because everything comes down to leadership. For example, when things go well, it is the leader; when things do not go so well, it is the leader. The session will centre on the specific things that separate the very best leaders from everyone else.” The conference will also feature a selection of educational leadership panels and symposiums, including last year’s highlight, “The Australian Showcase”, featuring such names as Professor Erica McWilliam, Tony Cook PSM, Professor Janet Clinton, Dr John Halsey, Greg Whitby, Professor Michele Simons and more. Also on the three-day agenda is an Australian literacy spotlight, where leading Australian authors will be on the exhibition stage to discuss their works and career journeys, followed by book signings and meetand-greets. The new exhibition stage area will be a showcase within the educational exhibition area, which will also feature newly
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“[This session] will centre on specific things that the best leaders do that others do not, and this is so essential because everything comes down to leadership” Dr Todd Whitaker introduced product demonstrations, live interviews, special appearances, program spotlights and entertainment. In reference to the “Vision and Voice” theme, the conference will also integrate delegate interactivity over the three days via the use of technology, social media and research portals – all of which are firsts for the conference. Also for the first time, the ACEL National Awards Ceremony, which is celebrating its 34th year, will move to a special gala dinner
presentation within the Hilton ballroom, where both the National Award recipients and the 2019 New Voice Scholarship class will be recognised for their excellence in educational leadership. The New Voice Scholarships are awarded to 20 recipients each year and make up ACEL’s $300,000 and 10-year commitment to recognising emerging leaders in Australian educational leadership. Scholarships are awarded across four core educational catego-
ries: School Leadership, Educational Leadership Research, Indigenous Voice in School Leadership, and Early Education and Care. “It is without a doubt one of the highlights of our year to play a role in recognising these important emerging voices in educational leadership,” says ACEL CEO Aasha Murthy. “The New Voice Program remains of core importance to ACEL and a program that we as an organisation have the utmost pride in. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch the worthy recipients become important leaders and contributors not only to ACEL, but as true leaders of the wider education sector.” Registration for the Australian Council for Educational Leaders 2019 National Conference, “Vision and Voice”, is open now at acel.org.au. Special early bird pricing is available until 30 July. Plus, exclusive to readers of The Educator, register before 20 July and use the promo code ACELCONF19, and your registration will include a free Todd Whitaker 2pk book set, which includes Leading School Change and What Great Principals Do.
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION FEATURES
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
A culture of support Thanks to a successful retention program, Marsden State High School is now a school of choice for new teachers
LAST NOVEMBER, the House Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training launched a federal inquiry into the status of the teaching profession to examine ways to improve the retention of teachers in Australian schools. The inquiry followed reports of Australian universities experiencing a decline of up to 40% in initial teacher education course applications between 2015 and 2017. Fewer teachers at a time when student enrolments are booming in major cities presents obvious operational challenges for school leaders who want to both retain new teachers and prevent experienced ones from leaving the job. One disadvantaged secondary school in outer Brisbane has been able to overcome this challenge. On 27 March, Marsden State High School deputy principal Michael Smith was one of 12 recipients of the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award, recognised for his success in improving teaching quality and consistency at MSHS by boosting the support available to teachers at the beginning of their
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careers. The changes to the school’s teaching and learning landscape since this initiative began are nothing short of transformational.
Turning the tables In 2014, when Smith first started teaching at MSHS, between 40% and 50% of new teachers were leaving the job. Compounding
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the issues, the principal had also recently left, creating a void at a time when leadership was desperately needed. “When I first started at the school, there was very little support for these teachers,” Smith says. “You could tell they were having an awful time and really struggling. Another significant challenge was around student growth. To give an idea of the scale, when I started, we had 1,600 enrolled students, and now we’re at 2,500, so our student numbers have grown by 900 over the last four years alone.” When the new principal, Andrew Peach, stepped into the role, he and Smith developed a strategy that would not only put
things back on an even keel but also transform MSHS into a thriving school of choice. “We knew that this situation we were in couldn’t continue, so Andrew and I began collaborating with four Queensland universities, which helped us address the serious issues we were facing,” Smith says. “Andrew does a lot of work with the universities and is on a number of faculty and advisory boards, as am I, so it was very much a collaborative project.” Together, Smith and Peach built the school’s brand with pre-service teachers at the universities MSHS was collaborating with. “Our theory behind that was if you’re a 20th year teacher transferring back in, you’re
probably going to go for a choice school in a leafy part of the western suburbs over Marsden,” Smith explains. “However, if we work hard on beginning teachers and say, ‘This is a place that’s going to really look after you and make sure that you turn from a good graduate into an excellent classroom teacher’, it’s a win-win. “When you start teaching, you’ve only had 80 days of experience teaching in a classroom through practicums,” he adds. “Most of the time, you have a teacher up the back observing the lessons, but once you get into the classroom by yourself, you don’t realise how helpful those support teachers were just by being there.”
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION FEATURES
SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
“If we work hard on beginning teachers and say, ‘This is a place that’s going to really look after you and make sure that you turn from a good graduate into an excellent classroom teacher’, it’s a win-win” Michael Smith, Marsden State High School
Smith points out that new teachers are essentially middle managers with no realworld experience. “From 9am, these beginning teachers are standing in front of 28 people whose performance and behaviour they’re responsible for,”
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he says. “But unlike middle managers, who gradually work their way up into the role, beginning teachers are stepping into this responsibility from day one rather than working their way up to this responsibility incrementally. When you put it to people like
that, they get a new perspective on why being a new teacher is so stressful.” Smith adds that while university programs and courses offer support, there’s only so much they can do. “It’s easy to blame universities for not preparing graduate teachers properly, but how can you truly prepare someone for this?” he says. “You can train yourself up with all the theory, but until you’re there on your own in front of a class that you’re totally responsible for, you can never be fully prepared.” Approaching teacher support through a policy of honesty has helped MSHS build stronger connections with beginning teachers, who, as a result, feel more prepared and supported by the school’s staff. “All 55 new teachers who have joined Marsden since 2014 have chosen to remain in
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the profession,” Smith says. MSHS is continuing to provide a strengths-based approach to teacher development. The school’s ‘Marsden Guarantee’ gives MSHS graduates who choose to study teaching access to practicum placements while at university, plus the opportunity to join essentially the same professional development events and networks as the school’s beginning teachers. “We have the support mechanism in place when a young person goes from Year 6 into Year 7, but there’s a bit of a gap when it comes to the transition from Year 12 into university,” Smith says. “If these students feel overwhelmed and require extra support, our guidance officers are on hand as an extra layer of support, in addition to our mentors.” Smith says the change at MSHS has been “incredible”, adding that “the level we’re at now compared to where we were at in 2014 is completely different. It’s a highly collaborative environment.”
School of choice Smith says the school’s dramatic turnaround from struggling with frequent teacher dropouts and a lack of direction to a “school of
choice” demonstrates the importance of having a robust support network for beginning teachers. “I’ve had 12 of the school’s former teachers call or email me, saying they want to come back because of the great culture the school has built,” he says. “These teachers say they’ve worked at other schools, but those schools lacked the kind of focused and sustained support that Marsden is offering. “ Smith recalls one teacher who recently reflected on the support MSHS provided her during her first days in front of her class. “She told me that the mentors and guidance officers at MSHS were ready to help her before she even knew she needed help, and that’s really something to think about,” he says. The school’s network of support is now so strong, Smith adds, that MSHS now has more mentors than it has mentees. “At the beginning of the year, I sent an email out, telling my staff of 180 to let me know if they didn’t want a pre-service teacher,” he says. “I got three emails back. I can’t sell enough pre-service teacher places for the number of educators who want mentors to help them out.”
MARSDEN STATE HIGH SCHOOL AT A GLANCE
Established in 1987
Enrols 2,500 students and 180 staff
Motivational speaker Prince Ea filmed his Student vs Teacher video at MSHS earlier this year
Deputy principal Michael Smith was a recipient of the 2019 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
TESTING
How to improve your school’s NAPLAN results year after year AutoMarque reveals how pre- and post-test analysis can give teachers valuable insight into their students’ learning needs
WHEN TEACHERS conduct pre- and post-test analysis in their everyday teaching, the feedback keeps them informed as to the quality of their pedagogy – their ‘impact’ – thus enabling teachers to confirm their own and their students’ competence. By contrast, the media regularly reports that many schools conduct NAPLAN practice tests leading up to the annual assessment, despite the mounting evidence that this is largely a waste of time. This is because NAPLAN is a standardised test – a test that measures what students know and can do. It is ironic that while members of the teaching profession know
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this, they appear to ignore the reality. When teachers regularly conduct pre- and post-test analysis in their everyday teaching, they need to observe some basic parameters. Each pre-test should be looking at what the teacher believes all students already know, understand and can do, and connect to the next new material (Part A). The second important part of the assessment (Part B) addresses the new knowledge, understandings and desired actions to be taught. The purpose of Part A is to confirm that the students are well positioned for learning the new material. Part B will reveal how much the teaching group already knows,
understands and is able to do. With this evidence, the teacher is well informed about the learning needs of the class, often saving considerable time compared with not having pre-test evidence. When preparing multiple choice assessments, teachers should aim to ask four to six questions about each teaching point to reduce the chance of students guessing. If each question is tagged as belonging to a particular strand of learning, it aids the teacher to understand where to teach by strand of learning. Empowering teachers to address a single strand each time speeds up the process of learning. The dilemma from a teacher’s perspective is that all this marking could lead to an increase in workload. That would be true if teachers were marking by hand; however, those teachers who use AutoMarque are able to mark 30 students’ work in less than two minutes using their school photocopier. The results of such assessments are obtained by clicking on icons. The image at left summarises how each
Number
Percentage Answered Correctly
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3D interpretation
30
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3D interpretation
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strand was handled in the pre-test, while the image directly above identifies the relevant questions in one strand of learning and students’ success in the pre-test. The image at the top of this page summarises the pre-test/ post-test analysis, including the level of teacher impact. Such methodology helps schools to increase their NAPLAN results by 10 points each year, every year – an improvement of 50 points over five years. To verify this claim and obtain a free demonstration copy of AutoMarque, contact us at automarque.biz.
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EVENT PARTNER
FRIDAY, 16 AUGUST • DOCKSIDE SYDNEY
The Educator reveals all the finalists across 22 categories for the second annual Australian Education Awards Last year’s Australian Education Awards were a tough act to follow … yet the response to The Educator’s call for 2019 nominations raised the bar yet again. Hundreds of submissions poured in from the very best in the business. Whittling down these fantastic nominations to a final shortlist was no easy task, but The Educator is thrilled to reveal the stellar finalists who will be battling it out for a much-deserved award at the ceremony itself. The list includes a staggering 173 finalists across 22 categories, meaning that the competition is higher than ever before.
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Discover who made the cut on the following pages – and cheer on the winners as they collect their awards on Friday, 16 August at Dockside Sydney. It’s going to be a great evening of celebration and entertainment, hosted by TV stars Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Sandra Sully and featuring live music from funk maestros the Gotham City Horns. We hope you and your colleagues will join us – it just wouldn’t be the same without you! To book a table, please visit educatorawards.com.
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EVENT PARTNER
BEST CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAM
BEST PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PROGRAM
• Campsie Public School
• Australian Science and Mathematics School
• Canterbury Primary School
• Bethania Lutheran School
• Downlands College
• Coomera Rivers State School
• Emmanuel College
• Haileybury
• Genazzano FCJ College • Radford College, Canberra
• Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, including Ipswich Junior Grammar School
• Snowy Mountains Grammar School
• Kurri Kurri High School’s Project NEST
• St Andrew’s Anglican College
• Radford College, Canberra • St Patrick’s College, Campbelltown
2018 winner Best Co-Curricular Program Briar Road Public School
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THE SMART TEACHERS AWARD FOR
BEST SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN
BEST STEM PROGRAM
• Kurri Kurri High School
• Callaghan College
• Penrith Selective High School
• Cessnock Academy of STEM Excellence
• Saint Stephen’s College
• Ipswich State High School
• St Margaret’s and Berwick Grammar School
• Marsden State High School
• St Paul’s School
• St Clare’s College, Waverley
• The Knox School • Wahroonga Preparatory School
• St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School (Warragul Junior School)
• Wesley College
• Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar • Taminmin College • Thuringowa State High School • Valentine Public School
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• Aquinas College • Ballarat Grammar • Briar Road Public School • Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School • Marcellin College • Marsden State High School • Mount View High School • St Martin’s Catholic Primary School • St Paul’s School • Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar
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EVENT PARTNER
BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY • Callaghan College
• Saint Stephen’s College
• Coomera Anglican College
• St Mary’s College
• Coomera Rivers State School • Emmanuel College • Maryborough State High School • Ormiston College
2018 winner Best Use of Technology Ormiston College
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BOARDING SCHOOL OF THE YEAR
INNOVATION IN CURRICULUM DESIGN
• Ballarat Grammar
• Asquith Girls High School
• Immanuel College
• Carey Baptist Grammar School
• Snowy Mountains Grammar School
• Marsden State High School
• St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
• Northside Christian College
• The Rockhampton Grammar School
• Ormiston College
• The Scots School Albury
• Sheldon College
• Toorak College
• Tamborine Mountain State School
• Wesley College
INNOVATION IN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT DESIGN • Immanuel College 2018 winner Boarding School of the Year St Paul’s School
• Luther College, Croydon Hills • Mentone Grammar School • Ormiston College • Redeemer Lutheran School • Saint Stephen’s College • Sheldon College • Trinity Lutheran College • Wesley College
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EVENT PARTNER
DEPARTMENT HEAD OF THE YEAR
EDUCATION RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
• Amanda Bowker Ormiston College
• Wilbur Donovan Bentley Park College
• Bek Duyckers Perth College Anglican School for Girls
• Benjamin Garnaut Warwick Senior High School
• Jason Fischer Haileybury
• Madeleine Jessop Endeavour Sports High School
• Adrianne Jones Yeronga State High School
• Gary McGovern Penrith Selective High School
• Belinda Jones Thomas Reddall High School/ Department of Education
• Chelsea Quirk Rowville Primary School/ Department of Education
• Claire Leong Wesley College
• Lisa Scobie Kurri Kurri High School
• Chris Pacey St Patrick’s College, Townsville
• Jordan Stewart St Patrick’s College, Townsville
• Tamara Sullivan Ormiston College
• Lucy Sturley The Forest High School
• Iain Taylor Saint Stephen’s College • Birgit Verhagen The Knox School
2018 winner Department Head of the Year Travis Goulter Ormiston College
2018 winner Education Rising Star of the Year Lian Davies Whittlesea Secondary College
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THE SOUND SCOUTS AWARD FOR
PRIMARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR – GOVERNMENT
PRIMARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR - NON-GOVERNMENT
• Beenleigh State School
• Haileybury
• Blue Haven Public School
• Hillcrest Christian College
• Granville Public School
• Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School, including Ipswich Junior Grammar School
• Revesby Public School • Tamborine Mountain State School
• Korowa Anglican Girls’ School • Mount Evelyn Christian School • Ormiston College • Redeemer Lutheran School, Nuriootpa • St Leonard’s College, East Brighton, Victoria • St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School
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• Great Southern Grammar • Kangaroo Island Community Education • Maryborough State High School • Snowy Mountains Grammar School • St Patrick’s College, Townsville • The Rockhampton Grammar School • The Scots Schoool Albury • Whitsunday Anglican School, Mackay
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www.educatorawards.com
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EVENT PARTNER
THE CIVICA AWARD FOR
SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR NON-GOVERNMENT • Australian International Academy
• Korowa Anglican Girls’ School
• Ballarat Clarendon College
• Ormiston College
• Haileybury
• Saint Stephen’s College
• Immanuel College
• Trinity Grammar School
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The Civica vision for education is to help Australian schools of all sizes and geographic locations be recognised as world-class.
Liz Lovett Marketing Manager P: 0418 431 617 E: liz.lovett@civica.com.au W: civica.com.au
SECONDARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR – GOVERNMENT
SPECIAL EDUCATION SCHOOL OF THE YEAR
• Ashdale Secondary College
• Alesco Senior College
• John Monash Science School
• Cire Community School
• Liverpool Boys High School
• Giant Steps Australia
• Mabel Park State High School
• Margaret Jurd College
• Manea Senior College • Templestowe College • The Pavilion School • Yeronga State High School
www.educatorawards.com
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PRIMARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR – GOVERNMENT
PRIMARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR NON-GOVERNMENT
• Karen Andrews Jannali Public School
• Matthew Boundy The Scots School Albury
• Paul McDermott Blue Haven Public School
• Darren Cox St Philip’s Christian College Cessnock
• Narelle Nies Revesby Public School
• Angela Drysdale St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School
• Anthony Simone Harvest Home Primary School
• Catherine Eyers Bethania Lutheran School
• Jason Smith Tamborine Mountain State School
• Suzanne Floro Knox Grammar Preparatory School
• Daniel Vella Barwon Heads Primary School
• Sandra Hawken St John’s Anglican College • Sally Ruston Abbotsleigh
2018 winner Primary School Principal of the Year – Government Loretta Piazza Meadowglen Primary School
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2018 winner Primary School Principal of the Year - Non-government Brad Gaynor Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School
www.educatorawards.com
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EVENT PARTNER
THE JB HI-FI AWARD FOR
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR - NON-GOVERNMENT
SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR – GOVERNMENT
• Paul Browning St Paul’s School
• Tim Lloyd Plumpton High School
• Ros Curtis St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School
• Mark Long Penrith Selective High School
• Graeme Irwin St Philip’s Christian College
• Peter Marsh Gymea Technology High School
• Belinda Provis All Saints’ College, Perth
• Nerida Walker DET Matraville Sports High School
• Kevin Richardson Immanuel College • Derek Scott Haileybury • David Shepherd Ballarat Clarendon College • Brett Webster Ormiston College
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TEACHER OF THE YEAR • Richard Black The Knox School • Melanie Campbell Orange High School • Phil Carew Toorak College • Michael Ha Hillcrest Christian College • Giovanna Iannicelli St Mary’s College
JB Hi-Fi Education Solutions provides professional advice, trusted products and tailored solutions to help schools achieve the best possible outcomes for their ICT programs.
• Samantha Reynolds Saint Stephen’s College
Ally Catalano National Marketing Manager P: 03 8530 7901 E: ally.catalano@jbhifi.com.au W: jbeducation.com.au
• Scott Sleap Cessnock High School
• Ronnelle Sanders St John’s Anglican College
• Matthew Tesoriero Picton High • Tony Vallance Lilydale High School
www.educatorawards.com
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THE MICROSOFT EDUCATION AWARD FOR
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR
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THE COMPASS EDUCATION AWARD FOR
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL OF THE YEAR
TO BE ANNOUNCED ON THE NIGHT …
TO BE ANNOUNCED ON THE NIGHT …
This award recognises the most outstanding school principal in Australia, based on effective leadership and motivation of staff, commitment to professional development, and leadership of innovation and change within the school. Finalists in this category are drawn from the winners of Primary School Principal of the Year – Government, Primary School Principal of the Year – Non-Government, School Principal of the Year – Government and School Principal of the Year – Non-Government.
This award aims to celebrate the most outstanding school in Australia. Criteria include consistent high standards of teaching and learning, effective management, and a commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. Finalists in this category are drawn from the winners of Primary School of the Year – Government, Primary School of the Year – Non-Government, Secondary School of the Year – Government, Secondary School of the Year – Non-Government and Special Education School of the Year.
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Microsoft Education provides students, educators and IT administrators what they are looking for: better learning outcomes on a platform you never outgrow.
Compass Education is the leading student management platform in Australia, with over 1,800 schools choosing Compass to power their school operations.
Clare White Education Marketing Communications Manager P: 0414 601 109 E: v-clwhit@microsoft.com
Travis Gandy General Manager – Operations P: 0407 444 855 E: tgandy@compass.edu.au W: compass.edu.au
www.educatorawards.com
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Event partner
Award sponsors
Official publication
Organised by
www.educatorawards.com
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Promoting Student Wellbeing
Engaging bystanders is the key to disrupting the cycle of bullying, cyberbullying and harm in our schools. Stymie provides anonymity to bystanders, allowing them to make notifications about someone in their school, who they know is being bullied or hurt or harmed. This information enables the school to make contact with the person who needs help the most; the target of harmful action. For six years, students have been using Stymie to anonymously report cyberbullying, bullying, illegal activity, family violence, self-harm, poor online behaviours, suicide ideations, sexual harassment and other types of harm that some of ‘our kids’ face every day. The anonymity of the notification tool, helps students feel safe enough to share important, life-changing information. We are empowering students to improve their culture of care, by helping them to ‘say something’ without fear.
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FEATURES
PRODUCTIVITY
How to do one thing at a time In today’s distraction-fuelled world, multi-tasking seems to be a way of life. Aytekin Tank explains how narrowing your focus can actually allow you to achieve more
IN HIS 2013 book, The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, author Gary Keller reminds us that everyone has 24 hours in a day. So why do some people earn more, achieve more and get more done? They “go small”. “When you want the absolute best chance to succeed at anything you want, your approach should always be the same. Go small,” Keller wrote. “‘Going small’ is ignoring all the things you could do and doing what you should do. It’s recognising that not all things matter equally and finding the things that matter most. It’s a tighter way to connect what you do with what you want. It’s realising that extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.” Going small to follow one path sounds easy, but there are fresh opportunities and shiny objects around every corner. Distraction is everywhere. There are times when you want to test the waters, and creativity often
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requires sampling. But if you truly want to move the needle, that demands a narrow field of vision. For example, at JotForm, we always choose an annual focus area. Last year was about data. Across all our teams and functions, everyone worked to boost user productivity by leveraging data. That task looked different for each employee, but we’re aligned with a single, shared goal. When you focus on what’s important, the results can be incredible. Lay out all the options and pick what really, truly matters. Set your focus area and stick to it.
Start as small as possible The advice to “go small” works on multiple levels. Choosing your goal or main project is the first step. Then, once you know what you’re trying to achieve, zoom in closer. When we’re working on a major project, I always try to step back and ask: “What’s the smallest version we could create that would
still produce results?” Once you have that mini version, gather feedback. Refine and work your way up to a bigger, better model. Keep going, and you’ll achieve more than you thought was possible.
Create automated systems Technology is far from foolproof, and until recently, our admins were constantly tackling server issues at 3am. Every time it happened, I reiterated the need to find a real solution – one that didn’t require midnight wake-ups. Eventually, we installed automated tools that tell us, for example, when our servers are 80% full. They notify us again when the servers reach 85% capacity. Now we never hit that 95% panic zone. We’ve automated an issue that drained our focus. Systems aren’t exciting, but they are essential. Create efficient processes and automate as many steps as possible. You’ll free up valuable time and energy to stay focused on your “one thing”.
Designate a leader Sports teams need coaches and captains. Orchestras need conductors. Group activities almost always function better when someone’s leading the way, even if the work is highly collaborative. At JotForm, all of our cross-functional product teams have leaders – and good ones dramatically increase both focus and productivity. So what makes a strong leader? In my experience, it’s someone who can make quick, smart decisions. They listen closely, gather information and make choices that move the group closer to its goals. If you’re working solo, it’s equally important to step back from your daily tasks and measure what matters. Be your own leader. You can always reach out for help, too.
www.educatoronline.com.au
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when everyone checks in and shows what they’ve done. If a team has gone off the rails, we can gently bring them back on track. Usually, though, we’re excited about what they’ve accomplished. You can set up markers on your own as well. Think of your project as a large circle that contains lots of smaller circles or checkpoints. Once you have those boundaries in place, you’re free to wander.
Set tech limits In a 2010 study published in the journal Science, Harvard University psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert discovered that people spend almost 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re currently doing. Even more striking? Distractions make us unhappy. As Killingsworth explained, “Mind-wandering is an excellent predictor of people’s happiness. In fact, how often our minds leave the present and where they tend
Whether it’s a friend, colleague, mentor or advisor, a different perspective is often highly valuable – but remember that the final decisions are always yours.
Explore – within your boundaries All this talk of single-minded focus can sound really dull, especially if you’re a creative person. I get it. But doing one thing at a time isn’t about boring yourself into efficiency. There can still be room for exploration if you create clear boundaries. Build your sandbox, and then you can play in it. Because we spend a full year chasing one big goal, our teams are welcome to follow some tangents along the way. There’s no rush
Doing one thing at a time isn’t about boring yourself into efficiency. There can still be room for exploration if you create clear boundaries. Build your sandbox, and then you can play in it to the finish line. I also realise that off-thewall ideas can spark innovation, so we encourage experimentation. If your team is eager to explore, set some markers so you don’t get lost. For example, our Friday ‘demo days’ are the time
to go is a better predictor of our happiness than the activities in which we are engaged.” That’s a stunning thought: being focused can actually make you feel better, regardless of what you’re doing. From starting a business to finishing a spreadsheet (without
www.educatoronline.com.au
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FEATURES
PRODUCTIVITY
checking Instagram), single-tasking will not only help you achieve great results, but you’ll enjoy the process a lot more. Startup gurus and productivity experts have endless suggestions to help you stay focused, but here’s what consistently works for me: Box your time. Creating time limits is oddly motivating (and effective). Whatever you want to do, try ‘boxing’ it into a set time period and ignore distractions, including emails, calls, texts, making coffee, alphabetising your bookshelf or grooming the cat. Get laser-focused for that set period of time and then take a break. Repeat as needed. You can apply this same principle to projects,
presentation on my calendar, I’m careful about what I schedule around it. I try to avoid meetings. I get more sleep. I eat more leafy greens and do what I can to stay relaxed. I’m ‘boxing’ my energy toward an important goal.
Make a clean break In 2018, the makers of a message board app surveyed more than 11,000 employees at 30 of the biggest technology companies. They asked: Are you currently suffering from job burnout? More than 57% of participants said yes. Many people are struggling to stay on what can feel like a treadmill without a
Even if you’re working hard to accomplish great things, downtime is not optional. Your body needs to recover, your brain needs to consolidate all those inputs, and you’ll be infinitely happier and more productive if you give yourself a break teams, products or just about anything else that requires true focus. Box your energy. We all have energy limits. Even the so-called “sleepless elite” (high performers like Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi and fashion designer Tom Ford) will eventually run out of fuel. Doing one thing at a time will preserve your precious energy. And just like time-boxing, you can get even more intentional about shifting your energy toward what matters. For example, if I have a big interview or
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‘stop’ button. The tech-fuelled blur between work and personal time can be difficult – and confusing. The solution? Create as many boundaries as you can within your sphere of influence. As much as possible, separate work from your personal life. I know this might sound overly simple, but it’s up to you to create real limits. Set office hours, for example, and don’t clock in outside those periods. When I leave the office, I do everything I can to leave work
there, too. I want to be present for my family. I want to enjoy my time with them – and I need to rest and recover. I don’t work on the weekends, either. If I do have a new idea on Sunday afternoon, for example, I’ll send a quick note to myself (but I won’t dig into it). If I want to share something with a team member, I will send them an email, but I’ll write ‘FOR MONDAY’ in the subject line. If I see emails at night, I remind people that they should wait until the next morning (and then I try to take my own advice).
Take real time off I can’t say it enough. Even if you’re working hard to accomplish great things, downtime is not optional. You need to rest. Your body needs to recover, your brain needs to consolidate all those inputs, and you’ll be infinitely happier and more productive if you give yourself a break. The data confirms it: After taking time off work, 64% of people say they’re “refreshed and excited to get back to [their] job”. Hiking in nature and staying disconnected from all devices for four days can lead to a 50% spike in creativity. So, whether you’re crafting a business plan, writing a novel, lifting weights or perfecting your Bolognese sauce, give it everything you have. Do that one most important thing and then move on. It’s that simple – and that powerful. Aytekin Tank is the founder and CEO of JotForm, an online form creation software with four million users worldwide and more than 100 employees. A developer by trade but writer by heart, Tank shares stories about how he exponentially grew his company without any outside funding. For more information, visit jotform.com.
www.educatoronline.com.au
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www.educatoronline.com.au
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PEOPLE
CAREER PATH
PAYING IT FORWARD An educator’s career doesn’t have to be long in order to be illustrious, as Eddie Woo’s meteoric rise demonstrates
Woo began his teaching career at Fort Street High School before returning to teach at his alma mater, James Ruse Agricultural High School. “It was a privilege to return to the school community that had given so much to me and stoked my love of learning. I had wonderful mentors who had grown me as a student, and now they were guiding me as a fellow educator.”
2007
GOES BACK TO HIS ROOTS
2014
MOVES UP Woo took on a new challenge when he became head teacher of mathematics at Cherrybrook Technology High School in Sydney’s north-western suburbs. “This move stretched me to my limits and challenged me to define what it meant to be a curriculum leader. I grew tremendously under the leadership of my principal, Gary Johnson, who was an outstanding model of insight, poise and good judgement.”
2017
NAMED AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR Woo was no stranger to awards in 2017, winning both a Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award and the University of Sydney Young Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement. However, his proudest accomplishment was being named a NSW Local Hero at the Australian of the Year Awards. “It was a real shock to be named one of the Australians of the Year. Though I was born in Australia and have lived here my entire life, I was bullied as the child of migrants, and it was a wonderful thing to be so embraced by the nation.”
2019
ATTAINS AN HONORARY FELLOWSHIP Woo’s latest accolade is an honorary fellowship from Western Sydney University, in recognition of his above-and-beyond contributions to the education community. “I’m passionate about the growth of classroom teachers to become curriculum leaders who can craft great learning experiences for their students. It’s a privilege to be recognised for doing that everyday work because of its crucial importance to children and schools.”
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2012
LAUNCHES WOO TUBE Woo initially set up a camera in his classroom to film maths lessons for a seriously ill student. After he posted the videos to YouTube, they went viral, launching a channel that currently has more than 530,000 subscribers. “This seems to some like an exceptional thing to do, but it’s what teachers around the country do every day: respond to student needs with the tools at our disposal, using imagination to repurpose tools beyond their original intentions.”
2015
RECEIVES PREMIER’S PRIZE Woo was rewarded for his cutting-edge work when he was named a joint recipient of the Premier’s Prize for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching.
“There was a steep learning curve in my first months as a leader, and this was one of the earliest signs that I was headed on the right track and starting to do things worth celebrating” 2018
BECOMES AN AUTHOR AND TV HOST Woo marked 2018 by hosting an ABC show, Teenage Boss, and publishing his first book, Woo’s Wonderful World of Maths. He was also appointed leader of mathematics growth for the NSW Department of Education and an education ambassador for the University of Sydney. “Writing a book and hosting a TV show were fantastic opportunities to speak into mainstream culture and have an influence on what people think about mathematics. However, the thing I’ve loved doing most is working across NSW to support and empower teachers in schools throughout and beyond the department.”
www.educatoronline.com.au
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