COVER STORY
RISING STARS 2017 PATRICK SANDERS Head of science faculty Brighton Grammar School (Vic)
Since becoming head of secondary science at Brighton Grammar School, Patrick Sanders has been a man on a mission. Sanders was committed to finding a way to lift standards in science education at Brighton Grammar. He worked with subject leaders to drive a full-scale rewrite of the science curriculum. But, according to his nominating colleague, the “real magic” is the fact that Sanders influenced a shift in focus from delivering content, to how to deliver that content. Teaching practice, that colleague says, has changed for the better. After completing an analysis of the school’s Year 12 science results for the last three years, Sanders determined that, by improving academic literacy in science, ATAR scores would also improve. Collaborating with the school’s P-8 literacy coach, he trialled and implemented literacy enhancement tactics from Robert J Marzano’s ‘Six Step Process for Teaching Academic Vocabulary’ model. And then, to empower other members of staff to use this method, Sanders created an instructional video to teach staff how to apply Marzano’s method in their classes, regardless of subject. Sanders has also driven a project to lift academic outcomes by producing a Year 7–12 rubric to achieve consistent marking and language for science practical reports. This involved his collaboration with university experts, teachers from other schools, and his own team. The result – after an investment of more than 150 hours of work – was the development of a Year 7–12 unit-by-unit assessment rubric. Sanders has written several chapters for the new VCE chemistry textbook and digital platforms for Pearson, and has presented at several conferences.
KIRSTEN MURRAY Leading teacher, curriculum and MYP programming Alamanda College (Vic)
Kirsten Murray is a founding member of Alamanda College, a prep/kindergarten to Year 9 school in Victoria’s Point Cook. The school opened in 2013 with 330 students and today educates 2,040 students. Murray arrived at the school just out of the graduate teacher range and, having held a number of leadership roles since that time, is now leading its newly formed middle school curriculum team and is head of curriculum development. As a key member of staff, Murray has supported both primary and secondary staff in their curriculum development and implementation strategies, working tirelessly for the benefit of both peers and students. Her nominating colleague says that Murray’s IT skills have enabled Alamanda College’s 1:1 device program to flourish across the school, with a 98% uptake. Described as a highly capable and distinguished Apple educator, Murray was invited to present at the prestigious 2016 EduTech Conference. As a leader, it’s said Murray has demonstrated adaptive leading skills and high levels of curriculum knowledge supported by creativity and flexible thinking.
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ERIN COWIE Head, K – 6 Giant Steps (NSW and Vic)
Our next Rising Star, Erin Cowie, is described by her nominating colleague as “an outstanding young teacher”. As head teacher at Giant Steps, an independent school for children with autism, Cowie is responsible for working with some of the school’s most challenging students. The groups that she has taught all have complex needs. Cowie’s work in developing, implementing and analysing data on her students details levels of both dysregulation and engagement. The refinement of teaching and learning programs and the addition of a range of further adjustments results in improved outcomes for both students and their families, allowing greater participation across all facets of the child’s life. In addition to her daily work at Giant Steps, Cowie has undertaken the Association of Independent Schools Middle Leaders Program, has recently completed Harvard University’s Instructional Rounds course, and is currently completing her Experienced Teacher qualification. She will also be presenting at the IABA conference in July, and is studying for her Master’s in Autism Studies at Griffith University. On top of all of that, Cowie now finds herself one of The Educator’s 2017 Rising Stars.
www.educatoronline.com.au
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