Sponsored by
RYNN ANDERSON Principal Tarneit P-9 College (Vic)
Described as “an outstanding young school leader”, Rynn Anderson is the principal of Tarneit P-9 College west of Melbourne. It’s a rapidly growing school, with around 1,800 students enrolled from Foundation through to Year 9. The school’s population includes a high number of refugees and English as an Additional Language (EAL) students. The Educator understands that Anderson has been responsible for building a strong learning culture within Tarneit P-9 College. That’s been the result of the effective use of professional learning teams, based on the DuFour model, as well as highly effective teacher capacity building using structured coaching approaches that have been founded upon the student-centred coaching model. Additionally, Anderson has provided leadership to her local network of schools by delivering professional learning on successful coaching and providing effective feedback.
YASODAI SELVAKUMARAN Teacher and professional practice mentor
CHRIS PEVY-BUENEN Principal Nicholson Street Public School (NSW)
Rooty Hill High School (NSW)
Yasodai Selvakumaran is an outstanding teacher. Her students have consistently achieved above-average results in the HSC, in a school where the cohort generally performs just below state average in most subjects. In 2014, Selvakumaran received the Australian Council of Educational Leadership NSW Mary Armstrong Young Educational Leader Award recognising inspiring classroom practice and her leadership of the school’s Aboriginal programs. Last year, she and another teacher developed a professional learning program that drew on concepts such as song lines, stories, non-verbal communication, symbols and images, community links and land links to introduce ‘8Ways of Learning’ in the school’s professional practice. Aboriginal elders, students and community leaders – including the staff from AFL NSW – conveyed deep messages about the way teachers can connect with the community and use their pedagogy to embed Aboriginal perspectives. The result was the adoption of 8Ways of Learning across the school. As a professional practice mentor, Selvakumaran has developed professional learning for practicum supervisors and coached and mentored practicum, early-career and new teachers appointed to the school. Over 50 practicum students were offered places at the school in 2016, and it embedded a strategic partnership with UNSW to offer an APST Lead level course for classroom observers. As a result of the action research project on which Selvakumaran collaborated with another teacher, the school’s work on creativity was translated into a Creative Inquiry Cycle, which was trialled with over 500 students studying history and geography across the school. Selvakumaran’s implementation of that work will be featured in the Australian Learning Lecture series this year.
Chris Pevy-Buenen inspires students, staff and members of his community to continuously enhance learning for all. At 31 years of age, he became principal of Nicholson Street Public School after highly successful tenures as both a classroom teacher and assistant principal. Since being appointed principal, Pevy-Buenen has worked to foster high-quality teacher and learning experiences for all children by promoting targeted funding and aligning the school community behind the school vision. He’s promoted a culture of distributive leadership, empowering staff at all levels to lead key projects, established coaching and mentoring programs across the school, and innovative practices that embed information and communication technology in all learning areas. Pevy-Buenen has also initiated and led an early-career principals’ network, which provides an opportunity for newly appointed principals to network and build collegial relationships with each other via a series of workshops led by senior education officials. He works with principal colleagues to facilitate professional connections for all staff members that extend beyond the school gate.
www.educatoronline.com.au
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