The 10 Excellent Schools in Australia, 2021

2021 | VOL-05 | ISSUE-04

THE 10

EXCELLENT

SCHOOLS IN AUSTRALIA 2021

EDITOR’S NOTE

ACCELERATING THE NEED FOR WORLD CLASS EDUCATION

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ustralia reminds one of surfing, kangaroos, forests, mountains, deserts, warm climate, and warm people. It is also known for its rich culture and history and world-recognised education. It is one of the countries with highest literacy rate.

In addition, the diverse culture promotes tolerance, inclusion, and equality naturally in students. Schools also ingrain these philosophies deeply into the young impressionable minds which help them become future global citizens with ease. School education in Australia provides the necessary skills for future study.

Australia is also ranked third largest education provider to international students in the world. The country has great employment opportunities.

It is home to a large number of world-class universities and colleges and is known for its effective teaching and research. Education from Australia is recognised and respected around the world. It is one of the global

leaders for education, a reputation it has retained for decades.

An excellent education system in a country that is friendly and safe are all that parents would want for their children.

To provide all these to its students, schools in Australia had to evolve along with the ever-evolving education system, to meet the demands of 21st century.

From the old school of thought – ‘one size fits all’, to a personalised approach, the education field has evolved beyond anyone’s imagination. From teaching methodologies to curriculum, different flavours of pedagogy have come to the fore. The education system is more learner-centric and has transcended beyond the language-math-science studies. Parents today want much more than classroom teaching and are not willing to settle for anything less. No wonder every educational institute is branding itself with the holistic development of its students.

This also increases the challenge for educational institutions to provide the best and stay on the top.

Teachers must constantly keep brushing up their skills and knowledge to adapt to the new pedagogy styles.

Excellent curriculum today extends beyond the physical classroom. For creating global citizens there needs to be global awareness among teachers, which is strikingly visible in schools in Australia.

Digitalisation is another challenge that needs constant attention. Earlier, it simply meant computer education and LCD screens. Today, it has gone beyond computer education with EdTech platforms making waves in the field. And Australia has quickly adapted to the changing times.

Schools in Australia are constantly on their heels to deliver world-class education, thereby accelerating learning for all.

Few such schools in Australia that surpassed the rest caught our attention and we chose to feature them in our latest edition of The Knowledge Review, titled - The 10 Excellent Schools in Australia 2021.

Have an insightful read!

T R

Sumita Sarkar sumita@theknowledgereview.com

Cover Story

08 Tamborine Mountain State School Building Characters, Skills and Providing Excellence in Education

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CXO What ts the bill?

A Perspective on the Different Teaching Models

Change for Better A Rise of Innovation Imperative in Education

Caroline Chisholm Catholic College The Ongoing Legacy of Faith, Acceptance, Compassion and Excellence

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The Knox School Training Creators, Innovators, Thinkers and Visionaries!

30 Vivisection – Learning in Lockdowns A year of digital learning and the losses students faced

Grades v/s skills Is the number-crazy world ready for skills with or without grades?

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Articles

C O N T E N T S

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THE

10

EXCELLENT

TR

SCHOOLS

IN AUSTRALIA 2021

Name of the Institution Caboolture Montessori School

Caroline Chisholm Catholic College (CCCC)

Ghilgai School

URL

Brief

cms.qld.edu.au

Located on a 10-acre rural site ve minutes north of the Caboolture CBD, the Caboolture Montessori School offers a Montessori education program for children from age 15 months through to Year 6, placing students at the centre of their education.

cccc.vic.edu.au

Caroline Chisholm Catholic College is a Roman Catholic co-educational day school for years 7-12 and is dedicated to learning excellence in a faith-lled, engaged, and supportive environment.

ghilgai.com.au

Ghilgai School, at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges, provides Rudolf Steiner education for children from playgroups through to class 6. The school's secluded bush setting is a sanctuary for childhood.

Hymba Yumba Independent School

hymbayumba.qld.edu.au

Ravenswood School for Girls

ravenswood.nsw.edu.au

St Luke's Anglican School

St Stephen's School

Tamborine Mountain State School (TMSS)

The Knox School (TKS)

The Scots College Preparatory School

Hymba Yumba is an innovative education and community-building initiative which prides itself in offering jarjums (kids) a prep-Year 12 education grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with a strong focus on excellence in Arts and Science.

Ravenswood is dedicated to excellence in education for girls and the realisation of each child's potential, providing a balanced curriculum encompassing spiritual, academic, cultural, physical, and practical areas of learning.

stlukes.qld.edu.au

St Luke's Anglican School is an independent Anglican co-educational school whose staff are committed to providing the best opportunity for your children to reach their highest potential.

ststephens.wa.edu.au

St Stephen's School is one of Western Australia's largest independent schools which is a Christ-centred, student-focused and community-based school founded with a vision to nurture, and aiming to inspire learning that transforms lives.

tamborinemountainss.eq.edu.au

TMSS, comprising of exceptional staff, wonderful students, dedicated parents, and a supportive community, is focused on providing values-based education with an objective to promote academic, cultural, physical, and social development of each child.

knox.vic.edu.au

TKS is an independent, co-educational school that aims to deliver innovative education with dynamic teachers at its heart who connect, shape, provoke, and position their students to thrive in an adaptive global environment, encourage engaging, demanding and rewarding learning.

tsc.nsw.edu.au

The Scots College is one of Australia's oldest and most respected Presbyterian boys' schools that defends the honourable traditions, adventures and learning of boys, inspiring them to learn, lead, and serve as they strive for excellence together.

Cover Story

TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN STATE SCHOOL Building Characters, Skills and Providing Excellence in Education

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amborine Mountain State School (TMSS) is a fully inclusive and diverse school, dedicated to the holistic personalised education of each student and underpinned by multiple layers of community support and local business partnerships.

The primary school uses innovative and creative teaching pedagogies to engage students with the curriculum by linking the school’s teachings to the real-world context. TMSS embraces Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM)-based learning opportunities such as robotics, coding, specialist science, math, dance, drama, music and multimedia.

TMSS has developed a unilateral partnership named Tamborine Mountain Learning Academy (TMLA) with Tamborine Mountain State High School (TMSHS), Griffith University and Swinburne University. TMLA has established a Young Scholars’ Program (YSP), which allows students to learn at their ability level, rather than chronological age. Director General of Education Jim Watterston said this program is a “game changer” for TMSS students and demonstrates innovative thinking from the school’s leadership team.

TMSS has been recognised as a leader in forging strong partnerships with local indigenous communities and elders. TMSS is proudly embedding ATSI Indigenous Perspectives across all learning areas in real world contexts, with specialist indigenous community instructors and elders in the school’s Bush Tucker Garden and Yarning Circle outdoor teaching areas.

TMSS’s Vision statement is ‘Creating Sustainable Communities of Learners for the Future’. This is demonstrated

through focusing on STEAM subjects, fostering critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, innovative curriculum delivery that creates depth of understanding, prioritising wellbeing and emotional health, compacting the curriculum to enrich, extend and accelerate learning in meaningful, real-life contexts, implementing Feuerstein cognitive strategies, using online learning platforms: Online Learning at TMSS anytime - anywhere - any pace.

TMSS’s Motto is - ‘Strive for the Highest’. The school exemplifies this in every action and interaction it makes. TMSS promotes a values-based education, which can strengthen students’ self-esteem, optimism and commitment to personal fulfilment and help students exercise ethical judgement and social responsibility.

There is a true sense of community, which permeates through the school.

TMSS’s Parents and Citizens’ Association is a supportive and inclusive organisation that supports its students through positive leadership and behaviour, supplying additional classroom resources, assisting with

social activities and fostering strong community relationships.

Curriculum Shaping @ TMSS Teachers of TMSS design and shape a fully integrated guaranteed and viable curriculum to engage, challenge and motivate students. The school’s innovative curriculum shaping journey commenced in 2016. TMSS’s Principal, Jason Smith and his curriculum leaders used the Art and Science of Teaching Framework as a guide to deconstruct the Australian Curriculum and contextualise tasks to their students’ needs and interests. This approach resulted in a flexible scope and sequence in all learning areas that cohorts use to plan engaging studentcentered units of work. Cohorts receive one full day of planning each school term. Teachers and education leaders from neighbouring schools and early childhood providers are invited to participate in the school’s planning and moderation cycle. Curriculum leaders regularly conference with staff to monitor pace, student engagement, learning intentions, differentiation strategies implementations and maintaining high expectations.

The 10 Excellent Schools in Australia 2021

The school’s creative and extensive planning cycle follows a process to allow for teacher and student voice to drive the outcome: • Reflect – Review – Update • High yield questioning (How could this be improved? Which part engaged students the most? How do you know? Did you learn enough about what your students know, understand and can do to make a judgement against the Achievement Standards? Was the teaching and learning powerful?)

• Feedback from students about their learning.

• Unpacking the curriculum intent, demands and priorities of the next learning cycle.

• Backward mapping the teaching sequence from planned assessment.

• Sharing of effective practices and resourcing.

I will ensure every child in every classroom feels safe and is learning every day. My staff and I are committed to knowing each student as an individual

Holistic Development Flexible seating was introduced to TMSS in 2018 to provide students with opportunities to learn in a studentcentered environment – desks, chairs, bean bags, standing workstations, outdoor learning spaces and expanded environment and sustainability gardens.

Students enjoy a wide range of extracurricular programs to support their academic performance as well as to strengthen and develop their interests, talents and aspirations. From attending excursions and camps to consolidate learning, to undertaking online courses or participating in after school programs, the school offers its students a range of exciting programs to enhance learning. TMSS was the first and only state primary school in Queensland to have partnership with Swinburne University and roll out their suite of emotional intelligence techniques and strategies in classrooms across the school.

Dynamic Leadership

Every child is unique and has something to contribute to our school and community

Principal, Jason Smith is an awardwinning principal who has been the leader of TMSS since 2012. His objective is to promote the academic, cultural, physical and social development of each child. He encourages and teaches students to become self-motivated learners who can work independently, co-operatively and happily to gain the skills they need to make choices about their lives, now, and in the future. He places a significant emphasis on every student’s creativity and achievement. He ambitiously leads Tamborine Mountain State School to embrace a whole school focus on achievement and success in academic, sporting, arts and cultural programs. He is extremely passionate about celebrating the

successes of his young people and staff.

Personal and professional values are extremely important to Mr Smith.

Tamborine Mountain State School staff acknowledge that education is as much about building character as it is about equipping students with specific skills to become a well-rounded citizen. For some students their skill or talent is immediately apparent, for others it takes a little time to be revealed. Smith enjoys working with staff and parents to nurture and showcase their talents.

He has an unrelenting focus on student improvement through a studentcentered learning approach. He is a dynamic principal who promotes a value-based education to strengthen students’ self-esteem, optimism and commitment to personal fulfilment.

Smith spends a great deal of time around the school grounds and in the classroom asking students what they are learning and why they are learning it. He also asks them about their personal interests and achievements outside of school. He regularly asks the staff how he can better assist them in their pursuit of delivering a world-class education to his students.

Mr Smith is extremely proud of his staff. To acknowledge the amazing work they do, he lobbied the Queensland Department of Education for $200,00 AUD to convert an old grounds’ maintenance shed into a new staff lounge, known as “The Basement”. He worked with the contractors to ensure the project was built to his specific needs – a space where staff could go and unwind during the day, as well as before and after school. He made a commitment that the room would be a sanctuary for his staff. He then equipped the room with air conditioners, a massage chair, soft furnishings, microwaves, dishwasher, fridge, freezer, stereo, smart television, a café style technology hub, reading book-swap nook, board games, vending machine, hot drink vending café, lounge chairs and couches.

Apart from the Herd At Tamborine Mountain State School, the emphasis is on every student’s creativity and achievement. Students get many opportunities to participate in an extensive range of diverse extracurricular activities. It has a whole school focus on achievement and success in academics, sports, arts and cultural programs, which can only be achieved by students attending school every day, and the school and broader communities working with it to ensure that the school is continually ‘Striving for the Highest’!

My teachers will be explicit with their teaching, caring and compassionate, and responsive to the needs of every child

TMSS is proud to be a member of the Happy School program, which focuses on mindfulness and staff wellbeing. Mr Smith explicates that staff morale and well-being have a huge impact on student achievement, relationships within the school and the successful implementation of change.

Looking Ahead Tamborine Mountain State School is currently expanding its suite of technology devices to become change agents for a new innovative and creative way of teaching and learning through online platforms to complement and enhance its current educational practices. TMSS is also leading change with Indigenous education and language by being awarded a $15 000 to work with the Queensland State Library and author Gregg Dreise to produce a series of online Indigenous resources for TMSS and other schools across Australia to implement into their curriculum.

Awards, Accolades, Achievements • TMSS Principal, Jason Smith named in the “The 10 Most Inspiring Educational Leaders in Australia” in The Education Review (International Publication) • Australian Narragunnawali Awards – Finalist 2019 • Australian Education Awards – Innovation in Curriculum Design – Finalist 2019 • Australian Education Awards - Primary Principal of the Year (Government) – Finalist 2019 • Australian Education Awards - Primary School of the Year (Government) – Finalist 2019 • Australian Education Awards – Primary School of the Year (Government) – Winner 2018 • Principal, Jason Smith – Australian Educator “Hot List” – 2018 and 2020 • Qld Reconciliation Awards – state finalist 2018 • South East Region NAIDOC Awards for Inclusivity – Winner 2018 • Silkstone Eisteddfod –Band ensemble – Concert Band – Winner 2018 • Gold Coast Eisteddfod – Chorale – Winner 2018 • South East Region STEM Challenge – Winner 2018 • State Showcase Award – Regional winners 2014, 2016 • HP National technology – winner $10 000 • ABC Radio 'Grab a Goanna' – winner $40 000 mini-grand piano

Vivisection – Learning in Lockdowns

16 | MAY 2021

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A year of and the losses students faced

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MAY 2021 | 17

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ccording to Nelson Mandela, education is the most powerful weapon that can change the world. Lessons learned in classrooms with peers across different regions and religions induce inclusivity and nurture children as global citizens from an early age.

However, these academic learnings were abruptly halted due to lockdown.

When the Covid-19 pandemic was announced in March 2020, before restaurants and religious places were shut down, schools stopped their academic operations. Amidst the spring season of the academic learning, University of Washington shut down its campus operations and over 250 universities and colleges in the U.S. followed the suit, more so across the world.

18 | MAY 2021

Although students and teachers soon began classes through digital classrooms to make up for the loss of learning, the virtual settings robbed students of real-life experiences.

According to the recent findings of the McKinsey survey, most teachers agree that computers are no match for classrooms.

No doubt that many parents, students, and teachers are reluctant to return to the physical classrooms due to the high risk of Covid-19 infection, many teachers believe that digital learning is a poor replacement for physical classrooms. We have seen the major impact of which during the year pandemic in terms of student depression and anxiety of uncertain future more so in high school and college students.

While depression was the only major sign the world has experienced across homes and classrooms devoid of students. Let’s look at more such major losses lingering in empty classrooms.

Lack of access to technology Technological advancements and digital learning made sure that students would face no loss of learning. As the classes resumed through digital platforms both children and parents felt less anxiety towards their loss of the academic year. However, what about the students who didn’t have access to computers and mobile phones?

According to a Statista survey done in February 2019, 74% of Americans own computers. This percentage differs across the world with much lesser access to computers in developing

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2 and class 3 students have lost at least one language ability including orally describing their experiences, writing simple sentences based on a picture, reading familiar words, and reading with comprehension.

Loss of social skills ‘Sharing is caring,’ we all learned this fundamental life lesson during the early days of our school. From sharing your desk and pencil to tiffin box, these small sharing habits taught children to be inclusive towards others barring the differences in language, region, and religion.

Playing sports during the P.T. period nurtured team spirit and collaboration in early childhood. It also helped shy students come out of their bubble and mingle in groups and make friends.

This further helped improve their social skills.

countries and poorer nations. For students with no access to computers or proper network connection, there was no alternative way to continue their studies from home.

Loss of logical learning and language skills As the schools and colleges remained shut throughout the year, parents, students, and teachers focused more on the losses high school and college students had to incur. Surely, it would affect their educational goals, higher studies, and career ahead. However, the field studies in education by the research group at Azim Premji Foundation observed a major effect of school closure on foundation years of class 2 and class 3 students.

According to the survey, 92% of class

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Now with the digital classrooms, children have been missing these beautiful lessons and classroom experiences. Loss of contact with peers in and outside school has affected children of all ages in many ways, one from playing time to group studies.

Today, children are inducing more impatience while having to sit in front of the computers throughout the day.

This has increased their screen time as well as irritation and impatience in their behaviour.

Lack of physical activity When was the last time you observed playgrounds and local parks packed with children playing and running around? Since the lockdown was imposed last year in 2020, both adults and children were confined at home.

While lockdown removal and lesser restrictions in some areas allowed adults to step for work and running essential errands, parents have still been anxious for children to send out

to play due to the risk of infection.

Lack of physical activity has severely impacted children’s health increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes.

Furthermore, restrictions on their outings like school trips and field visits, and social mingling which was a regular part of their lives, have also affected mental health and well-being of children.

Seeing digital classrooms in a new light Digital classrooms have their perks.

Children have become familiar with technology which is much needed for individuals today to survive in the digital era. Moreover, as most of the lectures can be recorded, students have access to these resources 24/7. Selfstudy is another major habit reintroduced during the lockdown in students’ lives, mentally and habitually preparing them for the competitive exams in the future.

As online learning is the new normal in the post-pandemic era, this calls for seeing digital classrooms in a new light. Governments in collaboration with educational institutes and parents should introduce a robust digital educational model that includes regular physical activity, development of logical reasoning, language learning, and social skills in the post-pandemic era.

Children are the future of families, nations, and humanity. We have been fighting to save our children from the pandemic. Together, let’s try more to make their future bright and help them be stronger to face personal, professional, and social pandemics ahead. And whatever the medium, digital or physical, this can be only possible through holistic education and overall personality development.

By Vrushali Rakhunde

MAY 2021 | 19

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The 10 Excellent Schools in Australia 2021

Caroline Chisholm Catholic College The Ongoing Legacy of Faith, Acceptance, Compassion and Excellence

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he Catholic school system is 'different' and, being a faith community, an integral part of the church.

Catholic schools deliver the Australian curriculum as do all other schools, with the added 'learning area of religious education', which discusses important moral values, ethos, and complex metaphysical concepts, which is also integrated into the life and fabric of the schools.

Caroline Chisholm Catholic College has been a role model for schools and colleges which aspire to be a good catholic school that nurtures the intellectual, physical, emotional, and mental development of its students and the community as a whole.

filled, engaged, and supportive environment. At this illustrious school, students enjoy a single-sex education in their formative years at separate all-girls and all-boys campuses for years 7 to 9, before moving to the senior coed campus for years 10 to 12. At Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, the values of faith, acceptance, compassion, and excellence (FACE) are practised and contribute to building the college legacy.

Mission: The college's mission is to educate and prepare their students to be the best they can be in a faith-filled and inclusive community.

Caroline Chisholm Catholic College was established in 1997 and is dedicated to learning excellence in a faith22 | MAY 2021

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St John's (all-boys campus) caters for year 7 to 9 boys. Here, students are challenged and encouraged to be the best they are called to be. The facilities at St John's include a modern and wellequipped library, with a range of break out spaces for use by students in and out of class, newly refurbished and welcoming classrooms with access to data projectors as well as a number of specialised classrooms for art and technology subjects, and the modernscience labs.

The college also has a new performing and visual arts building, St Madeleine Centre which opened in 2019 and houses music, drama, dance, and other subjects. Students are well-supported by the dedicated staff in and out of the classroom, via a breakfast club, homework club and free after school tutoring, as well as through a range of co-curricular activities.

Vision: The college envisions to be the leader in learning excellence in their community.

Enthralling Campus The infrastructure of Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, as remarked below, is designed specifically for the holistic development of their students.

Christ the King (all-girls campus) caters for year 7 to 9 girls in an inclusive, focused learning environment. The facilities at Christ the King include a state-of-the-art food technology area, dedicated Arts Centre, a new science wing, technology spaces, as well as bright, welcoming

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Sacred Heart is an inclusive senior coeducational campus educating year 10, 11 and 12 students in a focused learning environment. It offers a range of learning opportunities and pathways including VCE, VCAL and VET, where each student is valued and encouraged to aspire for excellence.

Garema-Dumont is Caroline Chisholm Catholic College's 56-acre outdoor and environmental education facility located in a native bushland setting on the Moorabool river near Steiglitz in the Brisbane Ranges. The Moorabool river provides opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and swimming. The property also has high and low ropes courses, a rock-climbing tower, archery field, bush tucker garden as well as a range of mountain biking tracks. On-site facilities include

“

Here at Caroline

Chisholm Catholic College, we live out Caroline Chisholm's legacy through our values of Faith, Acceptance, Compassion and Excellence (FACE).”

“

classrooms with a focus on engaged and active learning.

a dining hall and kitchen, amenities with toilets and hot showers as well as a barbeque and campfire area.

The college is a perfect offering of single-sex and co-education. The early years of secondary school in their single-sex environments allow students to focus on establishing study routines, while building their learning confidence and addressing their personalised development needs. The adjustment to the co-ed pattern later is seamless in many ways because the students have experienced some coeducation classes whilst in years 7-9.

They will have also grown in confidence and their resilience will have developed. This allows them the opportunity to build on skills taught in the younger year levels.

Well-planned study groups support a rich learning environment with a focus on engagement of all students, with regular lunchtime activities delivered by passionate and dedicated staff.

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Motivational Force Anne Maire Cairns, Deputy Principal Staff, has been the motivating force behind retaining standard of the school along with her dedicated fleet of staff.

She has been committed to Catholic education for 25+ years and counts it as a privilege to have worked in a variety of Catholic schools, including her current school, Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, Braybrook. “I believe the driving focus in schools should always be about improving student learning and experiences. Student learning, growth and improvement are central motivators every day I come to work. Engaging and connecting with students, staff and our wider community are critical to the success of the young people we journey with daily,” she shared.

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Standing Apart The wellbeing of students is central to their experience at the college. All programs of the college are well resourced and represent a high priority to promote the personal, psychological, and emotional growth of their young people. The Wellbeing Team includes three full-time counsellors, bilingual support, refugee and outreach coordinators, parent liaison and primary school links officer, as well as partnerships with local and state organisations to support the students across all years.

Students in year 7 study a broad range of subjects including music (keyboard and guitar), science, textiles, food technology, drama, visual arts, design and technologies and languages (Italian and Japanese). Students are given increasing opportunities to make personalised choices at years 9 and beyond.

The college has a proud tradition of offering a robust number of learning programs, in addition to a core curriculum and co-curriculum options.

Educators that Care In the interest of aiding students, the college has a 'Learner Mentor' Program to assist students in the setting

Among its many achievements, the Caroline Chisholm Catholic College was recently awarded an 'Employer of Choice' award, the first and only to be awarded to a Catholic school.

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The wellbeing of our students is central to their experience at the College. All our programs are well resourced and represent a high priority to promote the personal, psychological and emotional growth of our young people.

The Learner Mentor Program acts as the foundation for facilitating relationships between students, staff, and parents/carers. Learner Mentors serve as coaches, mentors, guides and

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of personal and academic goals, keep a close eye on their progress in all subject areas, and are a first point of contact for students. The 'Learner Mentor' Program means they are the first point of influence and contact in the wellbeing of students and fosters personal responsibility for learning and provide each student with the necessary balance of support and challenge to allow for personal growth as a learner. Students maintain the same 'Learner Mentor' for three years.

role models. They facilitate an open relationship with the aim of assisting the student holistically and academically.

ATAR score of 98.7 and the Proximate Accessit 98.5. Several students were successful in achieving scholarships to leading universities.

Prospects The college provides a wide variety of opportunities across the academic curriculum, including VCE, VET and VCAL programs, as well as a comprehensive co-curricular program, spanning sport, music, visual and performing art, drama, technology, maths, languages, and faith in action.

The college's leadership is constantly seeking out innovative ways to deliver a robust curriculum to prepare the students for the future.T R

The students' academic results are strong; 95% of year 12 students have gone onto tertiary education, and in 2020, the College DUX achieved an

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A Perspective on the

Different Teaching Models

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eaching can be done in a variety of ways: through Socratic enquiry, direct instruction, collaborative work, project-based learning and more. Each model satisfies particular skillsets and strategies.

The needs of students should guide the educator about the choice of teaching model and all should be introduced to offer opportunities for students to find the best methodology suited to their style of learning.

Teaching should always be linked to individualised student learning for optimal outcomes.

Within a Montessori context, there are many models adopted by educators and always the deciding factor is the student needs. Often the students themselves become the teachers and peer teaching demonstrates high yield with positive learning outcomes.

Montessori is based on developmental needs and planned instruction as well as maintaining the understanding that students are constructivists, hence knowledge is acquired and sought, to widen personal understanding. Student

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participation and engagement is very high when they are agents in their own learning. Children naturally seek different models of how they are taught. Explicit instruction may be the first step when building a foundation of a new concept; the next step could be collaborative learning (teaching) or project-based learning.

A Montessori educator is cognisant of each teaching model and asked to identify the appropriate model for expected outcomes as well as for the student's best learning modality.

A model seldom used in a Montessori class is the 'expert model'. We want students to question and never feel that one person holds all the answers; this promotes responsibility on behalf of students to share their own knowledge and understanding without the sense of being judged.

An enquiry-based research project yields the most positive outcomes when the educator scaffolds expectations and provides criteria to be included in student work. Generally, a student will produce far more than required, when allowed to drive his/her own project.

About the Author

Yvonne Rinaldi is the Principal of Caboolture Montessori School, Australia. She was born in Italy and completed primary and secondary education there. She qualified as a medical technologist in Haematology from South Africa and worked at the South African Institute for Medical Research, completing a research in 'Child proteincalorie Malnutrition' within the African sector of the population. Working with children highlighted her interest in education and learning. Teaching became her next profession and she worked with children between the ages of 3 to 17. She is in education field for 40 years.

She also helped her husband run five companies within the engineering field and continued studying. She has two educational degrees and a Masters in Guidance and Counselling. She believes, “We can do whatever we put our minds to.”

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What fits the bill?

Yvonne Rinaldi Principal Caboolture Montessori School

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Training Creators, Innovators, Thinkers and Visionaries!

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he world that the next generation of learners will inherit is one of complexity and ever-changing innovation. A world where it is insufficient to have knowledge and ideas without the skills and attitudes to apply the knowledge and implement them. And the inculcation of these attributes begins at the school level itself, where the new generation of learners may have the optimal opportunities to nurture their thought, creativity and curiosity in an

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engaging educational environment.

Today, to be well educated no longer refers solely to an education in mathematics, science and the arts; it demands the infusion of the 6Cs – creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, character and contribution – at age and context-appropriate opportunities that combine to nurture the successful selfregulated learner and promote selfefficacy.

To thrive in the ever-changing world, this next generation of learners need a school committed to fostering the cultivation of an adaptive set of skills and values that, together with knowledge from the traditional disciplines, will equip students to embrace change as an opportunity. A school in east Melbourne embodies all the values mentioned above and is a training ground for the visionaries of tomorrow. Welcome to The Knox School!

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The 10 Excellent Schools in Australia 2021

The Knox School is an independent, co-educational school located in an outer metropolitan environment east of Melbourne, which aims to deliver innovative education with dynamic teachers at its heart. Teachers who connect, shape, provoke and position their students to thrive in an adaptive global environment, encourage engaging, demanding and rewarding learning, and support students to advocate for themselves, contribute to their communities and thrive as challenge becomes opportunity.

In the classroom, in the sports field and in life, you can always tell a Knox student. They are remarkable young people who take these values into the world and make a difference. They are confident, connected and focused on learning. Whatever path in life they choose, if they are a Knox student, they will be the best they can possibly be, and the school is immensely proud of them.

Vision The Knox School envisions to be recognised as a centre of excellence, focused on designing and implementing a model of personalised learning that is achievable and attainable within the current educational context.

The Knox School will grow and stimulate young people's learning and wellbeing to equip them to thrive and contribute in a complex and changing world.

The Knox School will grow a culture of excellence and accomplishment.

This will be an environment where to strive, experiment, fail and strive again is valued and rewarded and to accomplish outcomes beyond expectation is the norm.

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Exceptional Academic Results The school's VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education) and NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) results show that it is a school that cares. The Year 3 and 5 NAPLAN results position it in the top 2% of the nation.

Small classes enable students to get the personal attention they deserve, and the teachers are always available to provide extra help in any subject. The afterschool 'academic tutoring' is just another way the staff go the extra mile to make sure their students are not left behind.

There are endless opportunities here for pupils at any level; sport, music, performing arts, science, coding, robotics – the list goes on. Each child from Year 2 to Year 7 receives free music tuition on a rotation of orchestral instruments with opportunities to become part of musical ensembles.

The students who graduate from The Knox School are remarkable young people who take the values of achievement, respect, responsibility, resilience, care and empathy, into the world and make a difference

And most importantly, the child’s social and emotional wellbeing is just

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best to accommodate. Past suggestions have been trips to Cairns to view a solar eclipse; hiking and skiing in New Zealand; abseiling in the Grampians and much more. We don't do the same things year in year out – we’re adaptable and the students love it.”

The Innovative Leader With over 20 years of experience in education, Nikki Kirkup, originally from the UK, came to Australia from St George's International School in Switzerland where she held the role of Head of the English and Drama faculty for seven years. She implemented the International Baccalaureate Diploma and redesigned the ‘Middle Years English’ program in this role.

Before joining The Knox School at the start of 2020, Nikki held the role of Director of Senior Years at Melbourne Girls Grammar (MGGS) and Acting Deputy Principal and was instrumental in leading various projects and teams in the middle and senior school.

Nikki Kirkup Deputy Principal

as important to the school as their academic outcome.

the critical needs of the adolescent with an emphasis on health and wellbeing.

Continuous online reporting from Years 7-12 allows timely feedback on your child's progress and allows the teacher, parent and student to identify, intervene and improve. A Year 7 Centre is specially designed to ease students into secondary school life. It caters to

Elaborating on the incredible experience of studying at The Knox School, the Deputy Principal and Principal Elect – Nikki Kirkup, explained: “We are only limited by our imagination. If students suggest an activity or excursion, we will do our

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Student agency and ‘leadership beyond the badge’ are both areas that Nikki has championed, working closely with students to develop a range of philanthropic and enterprise initiatives.

With her passion for collaborative leadership, student-centred approaches, community engagement and innovation in education, Nikki is excited about her role at The Knox School, especially a return to coeducation and a significant role in furthering the four pillars of the school strategy.

Aspire to Make a Difference The Knox School approach is centred around four key principlesConnect: real learning is relational

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Shape: real learning requires expert teaching

Core Values

Provoke: real learning is challenging Position: real learning must be purposeful Situated in an awe-inspiring environment with clean air, an abundance of space, outstanding facilities, and proximity to public transport – The Knox School’s size is perfect to allow teachers and staff to get to know children parents personally. It is a values-driven school, celebrating each person's unique spirit without any religious affiliation.

“We have a commitment to academic excellence and to maintaining our position as a high achieving school,” stated Deputy Principal Nikki. “Our excellent NAPLAN results and strong VCE results reflect a school rich in personal attention. Every child and their family are known personally by the principal and teaching staff. Our excellent facilities are available to all students,” she added.

The school does not have compulsory Saturday sport allowing pupils more time with their families or to pursue their own weekend activities. Junior students can take advantage of a variety of co-curricular activities such as coding, film-making and young engineers. The school facilitates a fulltime registered nurse, counsellor and career counsellor on staff to assist students and their families.

The Knox School is only 500 metres from the East Link freeway, making it easily reachable from Melbourne’s southern and eastern suburbs. The Knox School is a place where learning and excelling is celebrated by all.

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The Knox School provides...

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Small classes, specialist groups and individual attention A secure urban environment Career guidance and personal counselling advice State-of-the-art multimedia and presentation resources Access to the latest teaching methods in modern facilities supported by Digital Technology resources Counselling for course selection for VCE and University entrance A community dedicated to multiculturalism and the growth of international understanding Care and proper supervision of students to provide a safe learning and living environment The VCE– An internationally recognised qualification Health Services – A registered nurse available every school day Dedicated counsellors for the needs of students Special classes in English as an additional language (EAL) Additional programs in oral and written English The celebration of major cultural events at school A five-weekly reporting cycle for parents

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Is the numbercrazy world ready for skills with or without grades 34 | MAY 2021

T

ell me if these situations sound familiar to you: Students skipping to the last page of their essay to see the score rather than going through the comments; Parents emailing about their children’s scores rather than their growth; Government launching initiatives which focus on test scores but paying very little attention to skills.

For many students across the globe, the emphasis on grades in education is frustrating at best and damaging at worst.

The fundamental purpose for the development of grades in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was to facilitate communication across institutions. Schools and instructors required a mechanism to convey student preparation and success as new universities were formed and those that already existed got larger.

As Schinske and Tanner remarked: neither the establishment of a grading system nor the consequent revisions of that system were done for the benefit of student learning per se; historically, grades have existed primarily for institutions.

Then why do students today value grades more than learning?

Every grade contributes to the overall GPA of students, and GPAs matter for internships, college admissions, and job applications. In fact, some colleges admit students automatically who are in the top 10% of their class, and some employers don’t even bother with the applicants who have lower than a certain GPA. Inevitably, parents also start putting more emphasis on GPAs, which increases the stakes for students too. A 2014 survey conducted by Rick Weissbourd at the Harvard Graduate School of Education found that 80% of kids thought that parents cared more about their achievements than their happiness or kindness. Particularly in highachieving and high-pressure schools, many parents often go directly to professors to try to raise their children’s grades.

?

Anne Marie Cairns, the Deputy Principal at Caroline Chisholm Catholic College, explained that, “Grades, scores, results are always on the minds of students, teachers, parents, and the external world, but skills, particularly soft skills are not only essential, but they are critical to success in various walks of life.”

A 2002 psychology study discovered that more than 80% of college freshmen based their self-worth on academic

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Grades v/s Skills

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competence – more than any other single factor be it family support, appearance, or life goals. This is an alarming statistic. Self-worth based on external sources is correlated with more stress, anger, academic problems, and relationship conflicts. Additionally, self-worth is also a factor of consideration when it comes to drug or alcohol use and symptoms of eating disorders.

Negative effects of grades on students Anne Marie Cairns spoke about the negative effect of grades by stating, “The negative impact on learning when the sole focus is on grades is not only detrimental to the student’s learning capabilities, but potentially quite damaging to their mental health and wellbeing.”

Education researchers, Anastasia A. Lipnevich and Jeffrey K. Smith, concluded in 2008 that grades depressed creativity, fostered fear of failure, and weakened students’ interest. These effects are only amplified in low achievers who experienced ‘dramatic declines’ in academic pursuit upon receiving low grades.

Another convincing theory as to why students are affected negatively due to grades is the ‘feedback intervention theory’, which describes how receiving feedback leads to changes in attention. Feedback should ideally focus students' attention on the task at hand and the learning required to perform the task more effectively; grades, on the other hand, focus students' attention on themselves instead, resulting in poor academic performance.

How to prioritize learning skills There are many methods that teachers can implement to encourage learning for students, such as: • Evolving Assignments Giving ‘evolving assignments’ such as papers written in instalments with descriptive feedback but no grades until the very end, only regular descriptive feedbacks. This kind of process emphasizes that learning is never finished and work can always be improved.

• Learning Reflections Other suggested exercises include learning reflections, which help students to connect current tasks to the abilities they'll need for their preferred careers in the future. This concept is more externally oriented than it might be, but the emphasis is on the advantages that skills-based knowledge may provide rather than on grades.

• Diction modification When presenting any form of task, teachers might aid to

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emphasize learning by making modest changes in their diction. Teachers might state, "This is what this task will teach you," rather than "This is what I need you to complete." After all, learning is about what students get out of it, not what teachers want out of it.

• Encourage Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation appears to be aided by two factors: interest and control, according to research. That is, the information must pique students' attention, and they must believe they have influence over the learning process. To pique students' attention, teachers should demonstrate their own enthusiasm for the subject; dull lectures can turn off even the most engaged pupils, while fascinating ones can entice even the most indifferent.

As student stress levels grow and companies place a higher value on skills and experience than GPA, it is critical that grades do not take precedence over learning as the ultimate purpose of school. We can assist kids to develop a love for learning that will serve them throughout their lives by giving them high-quality, constructive feedback.

“The teaching and development of soft skill, such as problem solving, collaboration, teamwork and critical thinking are lifelong skills that are necessary in all areas of life, way beyond school. It is obvious that the world of work demands these skills and fostering and enhancing them builds grit, resilience and improves health and wellbeing,” concluded Anne Marie Cairns.

By Aditya Umale

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A Rise of

Innovation Imperative in

Education

I

t has been more than a decade that we have not met a better change in the teaching learning process. We are still working on the amendments of old education policies. The new policies are to be framed based on the current need of the society, upgrading our nation to be escalated in the Education System. The author has risen to the present need of the hour, to have innovation imperative change in the field of education.

Education for Empowerment: Education is a milestone in the development of a nation. It is a mandatory requirement for developing a country's economy and society. The twenty first century has seen revolutions in many sectors; be it health and pharma, agriculture or industrial sector; including education sector which has started undergoing a major transformation.

Need for Innovation in Education: • Learning outcomes and the quality of education can be improved • Equity and equality can be enhanced • The efficiency can be improved by minimizing the costs and maximizing the “bang for the buck” • The results in numeracy and literacy can be improved

Evolution of Digital Technology: There is a paradigm shift from 'chalk and talk classroom' to 'learning outside the class room'; from 'sage on stage' to 'on demand' type of education. Here comes the digital technology aiding in transforming the teaching learning process, accelerating:

• Novel pedagogic models – enhancing students' creativity,

• E-learning Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the technology-based education has been implemented in many institutes; the success of which mainly resides in the digital literacy of the teachers. ICT as a tool is used to create, communicate, manage, store and impart information. Some of the revolutions brought in by ICT include replacement of blackboard with integrative digital white board, encouraging learners to use their own digital devices, shift from the normal classrooms to flipped classrooms.

Education 4.0: A modern approach to learning that is in line with the fourth industrial revolution, merging technology and teaching together. Internet of things, big data, Smart technology, artificial intelligence and robotics are all part of this industrial revolution 4.0, having an effect on our daily lives. The five 'I's of the learning in Education 4.0 are: • Imbibing the basic concepts • Iterating the fundamental skills • Interest in the subject to learn more • Interpreting the study results and applying them • Innovating concepts and build ideas, products and services Some of the applications of Education 4.0 include personalized learning, project-based learning, availability of educational tools, time management and organizational skills and change in the assessment pattern. The main purpose of Education 4.0 is to shift the focus from teacher centric to student-centric approach embedded with technology-centred approach placing the students at the foremost spot of the education process.

imagination and problem solving skills

• Virtual simulations – stimulating experimental learning • International collaborations • Real-time assessments

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Recent innovations in higher education include: 3D printing, virtual reality, video streaming, digital text books, learner faculty forms, changing revenue sources, open

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Change for Better

Dr. C. Ananda Vayaravel Professor and Principal

Srivenkateshwaraa College of Paramedical Sciences

About the Author Dr. C. Ananda Vayaravel is a passionate teacher for the students of Medical and Allied Health Sciences, enlightening them with his innovative teaching for the past 20 years. He possesses more than 15 national and international publications together with two patents to his credit. Top 10 Principal of the Year and the Best Academician 2020 are his accolades, being appreciated for empowering the students nationally. Currently, he is the Professor and Principal of Srivenkateshwaraa College of Paramedical Sciences (www.svcpms.ac.in), Puducherry.

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curriculum and courseware, new degree forms and certifications and improved learning management systems.

Conclusion: The current pandemic era prevailing from 2020 has changed the entire portfolio, forcing the implementation of these innovations in education in a dayto-day basis. It has provided the best platform for the teaching fraternity to understand the emergency for transferring and transforming the methodology of content presentation to the younger generation for a better future.

Whereby the teachers are pushed to their limit to come out of the comfort zone to learn the new technology, upgrade themselves and cater to the needs of the learners. They have started upgrading to the alternative way of delivering the content and making use of technology-oriented teaching aids rather than traditional ones. This has paved an imperative way to understand not only the teaching learning process but also to undergo a drastic shift in evaluation of the same.

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