The power of data: How evidence-based practice is shaping education With more access to data than ever, Trish Davis, Robyn Clear and Daniel Sandral speak about how information can be used to shape teaching practice.
The writing on the walls: Conflict murals of Northern Ireland Studying the iconography of Ireland, PhD candidate Rebekah Poole found lessons on migration, oppression, resistance and endurance.
The rise of TeachMeets – an innovation that benefits everyone Andrea Stringer and Jake Little share how educators are taking professional learning into their own hands with TeachMeets.
THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING JOURNEYS OF WENONA STAFF 2017 ISSUE
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UPON REFLECTION – ISSUE 3, 2017 EDITORS: Hazel Flynn and Emma Froggatt DESIGN: Chello PHOTOGRAPHY: Rowena Clarke COVER IMAGE: Head of Educational Support Services Robyn Clear, Director of Data Analytics and School Improvement Trish Davis and Deputy Head of Junior School (Teaching and Learning) Daniel Sandral
CONTENTS
WELCOME
02
Dr Briony Scott discusses how a culture of learning impacts the wider school community.
FELLOWSHIPS & SEEDING GRANTS
04
Mr Mark Staker weighs in on the debate between creating teacher quality through quality teaching.
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Staff discuss how Wenona Teaching Fellowships and Seeding Grants have helped them reach beyond the classroom.
ENGAGE & GROW
FROM THE DEAN OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
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Staff share how tertiary study, scholarships and further learning opportunities have impacted their teaching practice.
FEATURES
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Staff share how they have engaged in further learning: from studying the murals of Northern Ireland to linking art education to cultural institutions.
NEW STAFF The newest members of our team introduce themselves and reflect on their career highlights.
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CREATING A CULTURE OF LEARNING A
s we celebrate the role of Professional Studies and ongoing learning at Wenona, I am reminded of the dynamic and recursive nature of learning. Schools are more than classes and timetables and events and programming. They are about people. People in community learning how to learn, how to live, how to grow, and how to pick themselves up when things don’t go to plan. We often talk about this with respect to students, but the same is true for our teaching and professional services staff. The quality and skill of our teachers in particular has a significant impact on the quality of our students’ learning experience. To improve quality, we don’t stand in front of teachers and lecture them or make them attend conferences twiddling pens and staring at another PowerPoint. Conferences serve one purpose but creating a culture of learning addresses many. There can be a tendency in education to focus on compliance and bureaucracy, which works just as well with adults as it does with students: not at all! In contrast, professional learning communities encourage teachers to work with other teachers, collaborating around strategy, pedagogy and classroom management.
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Lesson observations, peer reviews and team-teaching create a learning environment that is positive, constructive and focused on continual improvement. Intrinsic motivation and a strong desire to be better today than yesterday, to refine your craft, and to surround yourself with similarly motivated colleagues all help to create a learning community that is focused on continual improvement. It is this mindset, this approach — where teachers and staff are encouraged to explore, engage in experiential learning, shadow others, conduct their own research, give back to the profession and communities, and to hone their expertise through coaching, mentoring and project-based learning — that allows our young women to thrive. I commend to you this publication, under the leadership of Mr Mark Staker and the Professional Learning team, and the staff of Wenona 2017. DR. BRIONY SCOTT PRINCIPAL
Intrinsic motivation and a strong desire to be better today than yesterday, to refine your craft, and to surround yourself with similarly motivated colleagues all help to create a learning community that is focused on continual improvement.
WELCOME
E
ducators spend our time focusing on meeting the needs of the children and young people we teach. We enter the profession to ‘make a difference’ and to share our own love of learning with all those eager faces in our classrooms. Meanwhile, commentators decry falling standards, citing international rankings and the departure of early-career teachers from the profession. The media blazes with stories and opinions about how to improve teacher quality through interventions such as minimum ATAR standards, literacy and numeracy tests for those entering the profession, ongoing performance measurement and, in the most extreme cases, reviews linked to teacher’s salaries. Much of this commentary is based on personal memories of a supposedly idealistic education from yesteryear. At the heart of the debate is the elusive question of what makes a good teacher. As I look across our faculty of educators and professional services staff, including those highlighted within these pages, it’s easy to see there is no ‘cookie cutter’ answer to this question. Those who spend their time trying to produce a definitive list of attributes miss the point. We live in a diverse society, and as a school we pride ourselves on striving to cultivate a community that celebrates this diversity. Part of this is ensuring that the girls and young women in our care know that each teacher brings their own strengths and experiences to the classroom. No two classrooms will be the same because no two educators are the same; quality teachers provide a quality learning experience each in their own way. Measuring teacher effectiveness is no easy feat, despite the many 20th and 21st century systemic and school-based attempts to do so. At first, school systems were preoccupied with simply describing the attributes of a good teacher (e.g. high levels of student engagement and effective classroom management). This developed into a focus on specific knowledge and practices teachers needed, before slowly evolving into ways of measuring teacher impact on student performance. The result is a tension that has arisen between the notions of ‘quality teaching’ and ‘teacher quality’. It’s a tension we need to resolve.
FROM THE DEAN OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
RESOLVING THE TENSION
TEACHER QUALITY OR QUALITY TEACHING?
‘Quality teaching’ refers to the effectiveness of teacher practice, while ‘teacher quality’ refers to more intangible individual attributes of the teacher, such as motivation, commitment to development and inherent values and beliefs around education. The Australian Government’s 2014 ‘Teacher Quality: Evidence Review’ encouraged schools to work on developing quality teaching and teacher quality through a focus on: Teacher Competence – The knowledge, skills and attributes of teachers, from initial training through to ongoing commitment to professional development. Teacher Professionalism – The ethics that guide our practice; our commitment to ongoing professional learning; and our ability to draw on our own expertise and experience to shape classrooms as optimal learning environments. Exercise of Personal Attributes and Values – This is the most intangible factor, however at Wenona we foster a commitment to shared beliefs and values with expectations that affirm the dignity of every learner, and practices that celebrate and reward teacher passions and achievements, thus ensuring a culture of mutual respect. Teacher Relationships – In a relational school such as Wenona, a teacher’s ability to cultivate respectful and professional relationships across all stakeholders is an essential part of the equation. Teacher Practices – With a focus on shared practice, ongoing inquiry and reflection, we ensure that learning from each other is a key part of our work as educators.
At Wenona we put the focus on quality teaching, with our highly developed Learning Framework and Effective Teaching Cycle used to guide classroom practice and development. By aligning our Performance Development practices to these expectations, we have a clear set of teaching standards expected at the School. Each year, every teacher is given 360-degree feedback on their performance and each uses reflective practices to set their own professional learning goals. Through ongoing classroom observations, lesson study, inquiry-based Performance Development and peer review, and the whole-school professional learning program, each develops their own understanding of ‘quality teaching’. In 2017, the new role of Director of School Improvement and Data Analytics will further support this process.
Each year, every teacher is given 360-degree feedback on their performance and each uses reflective practices to set their own professional learning goals.
So, ‘teacher quality’ is enhanced by a whole-school focus on ‘quality teaching’: the two go hand in hand and the tension is reconciled. By ensuring that at every step from recruitment onwards our educators have a shared understanding of what it means to be an effective teacher, we are assured of a diverse faculty of quality teachers in classrooms across the School. Operating on the belief that all staff have a calling to the profession; that all educators are committed to improving their practice and being the best educators they can be; and that the sheer privilege of working in a school such as Wenona brings with it an obligation to contribute to the broader educational community, we can’t go wrong. As you read through this third edition of Upon Reflection, take the time to consider how each and every person featured serves as an example of a quality teacher working on developing their expertise to make a contribution to Wenona and beyond. MARK STAKER DEAN OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
UPON REFLECTION | ISSUE 3 FROM THE DEAN OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
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SHARKS, DRONES & SAXOPHONES: STEM IN THE USA GATHERING IDEAS
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n 2013 the Office of the Chief Scientist of Australia released a report in response to declining participation among secondary school students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Its recommendations were about ensuring we deliver STEM content in a way that encourages students’ curiosity and reflection. Why is this so important? Because the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that STEM jobs have increased at 1.5 times the rate of other jobs in recent years, yet research has found too many Australian girls feel a lack of connection to maths and science, and we are seeing a widening gender gap in STEM achievement for Australian Year 8 students. With my 2016 Wenona Teaching Fellowship I set about investigating successful STEM strategies being used elsewhere, with a particular focus on girls’ education. I chose to make my observations in the US, which is at the forefront of the STEM agenda. My first stop was New York, where I spent a week working with teachers at the STEM Institute of Queens, a school which has been able to achieve outstanding improvements in students’ attitudes and achievements. While there, I conducted a lesson on Australian animal adaptations for children in Years 4 and 5 who, not surprisingly, had plenty of questions about kangaroos! I was impressed by the way the school integrates cross-curricular learning, with projects drawing on content from Science, Mathematics, English and History. This integrated approach engages students and gives them a strong sense of relevance thanks to its real-life applications.
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Complementing this experience were the evenings I spent at various STEM Makerspaces that have popped up across New York City. The Maker movement sprang up in response to dwindling student engagement in STEM classrooms in a world where consumerism has largely replaced invention. Yet wanting to play and create is an innate human trait. Makerspaces are open and inviting places that foster creativity, critical thinking and the new skills that will be needed for new occupations over the next decade. Everyone is welcome to come and make anything they wish — I worked with one group to make a prosthetic limb for a three-legged dog.
This integrated approach engages students and gives them a strong sense of relevance thanks to its real-life applications. Leaving New York, I travelled south to New Jersey, where I spent a week working amid the STEM initiatives in the Monmouth County area, including at High Technology High, Biotechnology High and the Marine Academy of Science and Technology. At each of these schools I witnessed the benefits of mentoring and of girls forming connections with women in STEM careers.
I also saw the importance of developing projects that are driven by local community needs. A prime example of the latter was a day spent on a Marine Academy boat measuring water quality, discussing marine sustainability and even catching small sharks. Needless to say, the students and I were highly engaged on the boat trip! These first two weeks gave me the chance to reflect on popular misconceptions that exist in Australian schools about STEM. Many people assume it involves forcing our students to study more Science, Mathematics or Engineering. But as I’d seen, effective STEM education is about developing students’ skills in problemsolving, critical and creative thinking, resilience and Design Thinking so that they can apply these skills in any situation. Back in Queens, I was fortunate to attend the impressive 2016 Maker Faire Education Forum where 85,000 people gathered to share creations. Among the student inventions were electronic saxophones and 3D printers that make pancakes. I even got the chance to make my own drone, although unfortunately it did not fly … maybe next time. Then it was on to hot and steamy Austin, Texas for the Association of Middle Level Education Conference. Over three days I engaged in workshops on ‘flipped classroom’ pedagogy for STEM subjects, deepening my understanding about how to approach project-based learning. I also gave a presentation on the work Wenona is doing to engage and motivate girls in STEM, which received great attention from fellow delegates and helped to reinforce our School’s position on the world stage of girls’ education.
FELLOWSHIPS Next I made my way to Silicon Valley, the famed hub of technological innovation, outside San Francisco. I was fortunate to spend a few days working with Scott Swaaley, a world-renowned education guru at the Nueva School, which caters for gifted students and emphasises ‘learning by doing’. I found the coordinated cross-curricular approach it uses to develop girls’ generic design skills through Design Thinking and STEM subjects extremely interesting. The school places great emphasis on issues pertinent to girls’ education such as self-confidence, resilience, self-efficacy and the growth mindset, with strong emphasis on student choice in topics studied. Working with and talking to the students gave me great insights. My final stop was in San Diego, where I worked with educators at the international renowned High Tech High, made famous in the acclaimed 2015 documentary Most Likely to Succeed. The school offers purely project-based learning. There are no textbooks, no staffrooms and no homework. Instead there is choice, real-life learning experiences and an exceptional level of engagement. It gave me insights into how project-based learning functions, how teachers collaborate successfully and how to deal with challenges implementing these ideas. It motivated me to plan a similar approach to teaching STEM at Wenona.
SHARING MY FINDINGS Among the steps I have taken to share the insights I gained are: Creating a professional blog at jlittlemaths. wordpress.com for other interested teachers. Organising a STEM-focused TeachMeet where 100 educators from across the sectors shared the methods they are using to improve STEM education in their schools.
THE IMPACT ON MY TEACHING It’s no exaggeration to say the Fellowship has changed my philosophy of the role of education. It motivated me to think about the enormous amounts of content that teachers must rush through, compared to the development of vital generic STEM skills such as problem-solving which remain with students throughout their life. Based upon my observations and contemplation, I believe the following are important for Wenona girls in 2017 and onwards: The development of an integrated Mathematics and Science program for Stage 4. This will involve aligning content from both disciplines through project-based learning experiences. Mathematics and Science teachers will work together to teach outcomes simultaneously, providing a context for mathematics learning and supporting the transfer of learning between the two disciplines. This is a two- to three-year project that aims to improve our girls’ mindsets and achievements in these subject areas. The development of ‘flipped classroom’ pedagogy in Mathematics to improve academic results in the senior years and to maximize in-class time for individualised instruction. This strategy is currently being implemented with Mathematics (2 unit) in Year 11. The continued development of Wenona’s already thriving Makerspace, including encouraging more girls to join the Maker community. JAKE LITTLE MATHEMATICS TEACHER
Developing a ‘flipped-classroom’ pedagogy for the Mathematics faculty, which is having tremendous success in STEM teaching and learning in the US. Submitting proposals to represent Wenona at two national education conferences in 2017.
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BRINGING POMPEII BACK TO LIFE POMPEII FOOD & DRINK
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y Fellowship took me to Italy in June 2016 to spend seven days volunteering at one of the great sites for anyone with a love of history, Pompeii. Specifically, I was working on the Pompeii Food And Drink Project, which is administered by the Archaeological Institute of America, and run by esteemed former students of Professor Wilhelmina Jashemski, one of the 20th century’s leading experts on the site. This fascinating project was in its fifteenth season during my visit. Unlike a usual archaeological dig, it exists to further investigate things that have already been revealed. This is important at Pompeii, which was buried when nearby Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD and was extensively excavated from the mid-18th century until recently. New excavation is now very rare at Pompeii, mainly in an effort to ensure that what has already been excavated is preserved. But archaeologists have more than enough ancient material on site to keep them busy for the foreseeable future. (Historians, for their part, manage to keep busy by constantly disagreeing with each other, regardless of whether there is new material to argue about or not.)
The aim of the project is to develop a clearer picture of the lives of ordinary Romans. I like to call this ‘archaeology from below’, since it focuses on the lives of those generally ignored in the official records of ‘big ‘H’ history’. In the case of Pompeii this includes plebeians, slaves, women, children, the colonised, and others who, for whatever reason, lacked the literacy or influence to leave an individual mark. They represent the vast bulk of humanity; the true ‘silent majority’. The interest in these lives reflects a major shift that occurred about 50 years ago, as archaeologists and historians alike began showing greater interest in ‘everyday’ areas of investigation. The project builds up a picture of everyday life by establishing a historical record of spaces related to the production, distribution and consumption of food. This forms a rich database which allows archaeologists and historians to see patterns revealing the lifestyle of ordinary 1st century Pompeians. Already the project has investigated well over half the excavated part of the ancient city, taking in more than 850 structures and 3,000 spaces. As well as the archaeologists and historians involved, an eclectic group bring their skills to the task including architects, fine arts experts, anthropologists, biologists, research analysts, photographers, information management specialists and interior design experts.
Unlike the usual archaeological dig, it exists to further investigate things that have already been revealed.
Food and drink was everywhere in ancient Pompeii. Eating and drinking was a shared activity, taking place in private houses, villas and temples, by the roadside, and even in the cemetery outside the city wall. As is the case today, it met more than just a biological need. For the Romans, it served an important political role in entertaining patrons, hosting clients, or even rewarding citizens with a feast of meat from a public sacrifice.
‘A GIGANTIC JIGSAW WITHOUT THE LID’ The 2016 field season of the project began at one of Pompeii’s most famous and impressive buildings, the House of the Faun. Each team was led by two Principal Researchers and the first step was to capture all the features of the space that could possibly be associated with food and drink. The Principal Researchers needed to agree about whether or not a given features had any evidence to support food or drink usage in order for it to be included. That’s not as straightforward as it may seem. Potentially any space by the roadside was somewhere where food or drink was sold by street vendors, but without evidence it could not be included. In fact some of these sites are so problematic that a project veteran described them to me as being “like a jigsaw puzzle, but without the [box] lid and with so many pieces missing”. Features typically identified include kitchens, cisterns, cooking platforms, and frescoes and mosaics depicting ingredients or other foodrelated imagery. Even an internal ‘peristyle’ garden, such as the large one in the House of the Faun is considered a relevant feature, as it provided views that were part of the dining experience. Latrines are also relevant since they were used by slaves in the wealthier houses to dispose of food waste. Indeed, it is not unusual for the latrine to be located inside or nearby the kitchen. Once a relevant feature had been identified, the field manager assigned it a four digit code. All its essential information was recorded (including the category it fell into, its specific use and its precise grid location); floor plans and sketches were made and measurements taken; and finally it was photographed and videoed, creating as complete a record as possible for future study.
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FELLOWSHIPS
THE MYSTERY OF SECRETS IN PLAIN SIGHT We also worked in the Villa of Mysteries, named after the three large frescoes that adorn the walls of the main dining room. These depict the initiation of a worshipper of Dionysus. Among other things, Dionysus was the god of the wine harvest and his cult was often associated with drunkenness and religious ecstasy. This posed problems for the authorities and it didn’t take long for his worship to be driven underground, creating the need for secret initiation rituals that would identify genuine followers. But why would the owner of the villa emblazon his walls with a secret initiation scene for all to see? Perhaps he was pretending to be something he wasn’t? Perhaps it was simply wall art? Or perhaps it was intended as a talking point to stimulate dinner conversation? This particular villa contained facilities to produce wine on a large scale, perhaps commercially. Given Dionysus’ association with wine, could this be the significance of the wall decoration? Listening to the Principal Researchers debate these various possibilities was an education in itself. The chance to listen to an expert in the field describe what they observe in situ and have the opportunity to ask questions is a rare opportunity. His sheer depth of knowledge about the Villa of Mysteries, and in particular the grape processing room we were working in, shattered any illusions I ever had about knowing my own subject well! The entire week was full of meeting such people who love nothing more than to share their knowledge. I say share, because it’s a two-way process. My time in Pompeii gave me new insights into the way archaeologists think. More than ever, Ancient History seems to me something of a ‘house of cards’, in that by challenging just one assumption you can cause the entire edifice to fall. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is precisely how experts in the field view it. On more than a few occasions my questions were answered with comments such as, “Well, that’s what we used to think,” or “There’s no way of telling,” or even, “I really have no idea.” And that’s exactly what makes studying Ancient History so great: we can never be certain. All we can do is make best guesses based on the evidence we have at the time. But new evidence and new ways of thinking lead to shifts in interpretation. The great paradox of history is that something that happened so long ago is, in a sense, still changing, and that makes the subject endlessly fascinating. DAVID VAN TOL HISTORY TEACHER
LITERARY RESOURCES PROVIDE A CULTURAL EXCHANGE “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life … and a building block of development … a platform for democratisation, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity … Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realise his or her full potential.” — Kofi Annan
T
o be denied literacy is to be denied so much, yet in the remotest regions of our closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, illiteracy is rife. Among 15- to 24-years-olds, at best only an estimated 64 percent of males and 59 per cent of females are literate, and in very remote areas the rates can be as low as between five and 15 percent. Approximately 680,000 children are not even enrolled in primary school. SEAMfund (Sustain Education Art Melanesia) is a not-for-profit organisation that works in conjunction with the Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF) providing government-approved programs to improve this situation in some of the most remote areas of the country. SEAMfund provides much-needed resources for schools, fosters adult literacy and microenterprise training within the community, and facilitates distance education. In June 2016, I was offered the opportunity to travel to Papua New Guinea alongside author and SEAMfund founder Drusilla Modjeska, architect Dr Stephen Collier (the designer of School-in-a-Box), writer Maggie Mackellar and a small team of volunteers. Our mission was to deliver SEAMfund’s Making Books project and School-in-a-Box kits. I was enormously grateful for the support of Wenona and its Seeding Grant which enabled me to take up this opportunity. The grant covered my travel expenses as well as resources I could contribute. I was also immensely grateful to the Junior School students who participated in a ‘technology fast’ in order to raise money towards a School-in-a-Box. This required them to give up their usual ‘screen time’ and collect sponsorship from family and friends for doing so. It was a great service learning opportunity and I was very proud of their efforts and of the way they took up the challenge of finding different means of passing the time, including board games, craft projects, books and outdoor activities — many even reported ‘rediscovering’ their trampolines.
SEEDING GRANTS
The students from Orotoaba village travel to Tainabuna, which we were visiting, by foot and then canoe, a journey that takes them more than an hour each way. Drusilla and Maggie also ran workshops about storytelling and making books. K to 6 students worked collaboratively to create pages which would be combined with pages made by the students in PNG, eventually creating books which could gifted to the PNG students as literacy resources. Woodstock students created pages for a counting book; Stage 2 created text and illustrations for alphabet books; and Stage 3 students worked on a ‘mirror’ book, which would show their school day in parallel to that of students in Tainabuna village. (While there were obvious differences such as how they travelled to school, it was very interesting for the students to learn they had much in common: Science is a favourite lesson for both Wenona and Tainabuna students and everyone enjoys sports.) During our week in PNG we travelled first to KTF’s Kokoda College, a teacher training facility based in Kou Kou, where Dr Collier set up the first School-in-a-Box. I worked with the other volunteers here providing literacy workshops for student teachers and children from the nearby village school. We put in long days, but were inspired by the enthusiasm of the student teachers, who were excited to explore their School-in-a-Box and its potential for teaching and learning. Our next destination was the villages around the fjords in the Cape Nelson area in Oro Province. We arrived by air and the scenery below us was breathtaking: fingers of land covered in greenery extending into the sea, fringed by coral. Almost impenetrable jungle means villagers generally travel by water and the lifestyle of the people in this area is still very traditional. There is no electricity infrastructure (although I did observe occasional small, portable solar panels) and no litter or pollution. Fruit and vegetables are grown in vast gardens outside the villages and fresh fish and crayfish are caught on the reefs. The students from Orotoaba village travel to Tainabuna, which we were visiting, by foot and then canoe, a journey that takes them more than an hour each way.
Drusilla has spent a lot of time in the region. Writing her highly regarded novel The Mountain, she spent weeks at a time staying in village guesthouses, getting to know the people and understanding their way of life. Her return is always eagerly anticipated and we were given a most incredible welcome, being led in by villagers in traditional dress of tapa (bark) cloth, elaborate shell necklaces and feather headdresses, and greeted with a moving song. Martha Bentley, a drama teacher from Singapore’s Australian International School, and I had anticipated that we would be working with approximately 30 K to 2 students, but arrived to find almost 100 – enrolments had clearly increased! There were a further 140 students in the Years 3 to 8 classrooms. With the younger students we read stories and followed the pagemaking process the Wenona students had done. After industriously making pages in the open-sided classrooms, we moved under the trees in the centre of the village to play games, which entertained both the children and the adults. While there are enormous differences between the environments and resources of Wenona and the village schools we visited, what shines through in both is children’s natural curiosity and eagerness to learn and the desire of their parents and communities to provide the best possible opportunities for them to reach their potential. This trip was not only an education for me, it was an incredibly rewarding and joyful experience. KATE GORDON JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER
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‘16 PER CENT – A YOUNG WOMEN’S FILM COMPETITION’ A
filmmaking revolution is occurring in high schools across Australia. The ubiquity of cameras and access to editing programs has allowed for the production of sophisticated digital films. In fact, students are producing films of unparalleled quality, and within the ranks of young filmmakers, female students have proved themselves to be exceptional practitioners. But something is amiss. Despite participating equally while in school, only a small proportion of these young women are likely to go on to have a key creative role in film production. According to LUMINA the Australian Journal of Screen Arts and Business, in 2015, only 16 per cent of feature films in Australia were directed by women, only 20 per cent were written by women, and only 29 per cent were produced by women. In order to change this situation and achieve gender equity in the film industry, young women need to be actively encouraged to participate and given the help they need to do so. It is time for the seed to be sown for the next generation of filmmakers — and what could be a better resource for this than a Wenona Seeding Grant? The grant given to this project will support the creation of a film award for young female high school students and an accompanying nationwide film festival to celebrate and champion their work. It takes its title, ‘16 per cent – A Young Woman’s Film Competition’, from that far too low figure for Australian women directors. Split into two categories, Junior (Years 7 to 10) and Senior (Years 11 and 12), the competition will be open to films directed by girls, based on any key learning area from school and either fiction or non-fiction. A diverse panel made up of teachers, filmmakers and industry experts will select the finalists and winners and the finalists will be screened at the Independent Theatre.
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Throughout state and national curriculums, Film Studies is gaining momentum. Three states currently offer Film Studies, an explicit course in the production of films, while in NSW filmmaking is employed in a number of key learning areas including English, Drama and Visual Arts. This competition will provide valuable resources in the form of student films that teachers and students can use as a basis for study. The future intention is to complement the competition with workshops designed to support Wenona students who wish to submit a film as part of their Visual Arts body of work or major work for English Extension 2 or History Extension. An additional aim of ‘16 per cent – a Young Women’s Film Competition’ is to attract positive role models already in the industry, who can present workshops and act as ambassadors for the event. To this end we are collaborating with the Wenona Alumnae to ensure the festival’s diversity and longevity and to allow Wenona students to develop relationships with Alumnae in the industry. This initiative gives Wenona the opportunity to be a key agent of change, inspiring young artists and giving them a platform to grow into formidable film industry contributors. KATIE WAUD DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE ARTS
SEEDING GRANTS
In 2015, only 16% of feature films were directed by women.
In 2015, only 20% of feature films were written by women.
In 2015, only 29% of feature films were produced by women.
W
e live in the information age and move each day through streams of data, much of which is scooped up and stored in the name of progress. But collecting raw data is one thing; knowing how to make use of it is another. Wenona already brings a thoughtful and nuanced approach to data, using it to produce improvements for individual students and the School overall. But now this work will be enhanced by the appointment of Patricia (Trish) Davis to the newly created role of Director of School Improvement and Data Analytics.
Having joined Wenona nine years ago as a Mathematics teacher, Trish has held several leadership positions including Head of Mathematics and Acting Dean of Academic Studies. She brings both analytic skills and a broader perspective to her new position. “Being a Mathematics Teacher, I’ve always looked at data,” she says. “I think some people are scared of it. They shy away from being able to use real data and so use anecdote, and make judgement based on behaviours. While there’s nothing wrong with those sorts of assessments, it’s important to have information to back it up.” That is a position firmly supported by the Productivity Commission’s draft National Education Evidence Base report issued in September 2016 following a public inquiry into the way data is collected and used in Australian education from early childhood onwards. As the report puts it, “Simply creating evidence and making it available to educational professionals is not enough. Evidence only leads to improved education outcomes if it is used to inform decision making and changes the behaviour of practitioners.”
FEATURES
THE POWER OF DATA HOW EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IS SHAPING EDUCATION
To that end, the new role will intersect with several other key School figures, notably Dean of Professional Studies Mark Staker, with his focus on teaching and learning improvement cycles and teacher quality; Dean of Academic Studies Rowena Dudgeon; and Dean of Studies Beth Oakley.
It’s a position with which Trish wholeheartedly agrees: “Evidence must influence practice”, she says. “Data highlights strengths and weaknesses, for example. If you look at one particular child you can see where they are in a particular subject, where there are deficiencies in particular. Data can highlight not just whether there are learning difficulties, but if there is disengagement in the classroom. It allows you to look for patterns and inconsistencies, and then address them.” This dovetails with the approach taken by Head of Educational Support Services Robyn Clear, who uses a range of standardised testing to gain information on each student at the School, with the resulting data serving as a tool to ensure no child goes unseen. The assessments she oversees allows her team to identify students who are underperforming and need help in one or more areas. “You might get a child whose verbal skills are really high and whose non-verbal skills are really low,” she explains. “You might get a child whose verbal and non-verbal reasoning don’t match. Your main aim is to know the student and how they learn. If you know that, you’ll be able to push them along.” The Productivity Commission’s report suggests a four-pronged cycle of improvement: monitoring (tracking progress against objectives); evaluation (assessing efficacy and value for money of policies, programs and practices); dissemination (sharing evidence in a form decision-makers can use) and application (using evidence to inform decisions). In other words, not just collecting data for its own sake but instead combining observations and measurements to create meaningful narratives to underpin decision-making. “The cycle of improvement is really important. All these things provide the reasoning and foundation,” says Trish.
Daniel Sandral, Wenona’s Deputy Head of Junior School (Teaching and Learning), knows the power of data and the importance of the way it is used, having worked as a teacher educator, supporting teachers as they analyse data to improve student learning outcomes. He says, “A challenge for educators today is not to drown in vast amounts of data but be informed by data, to have the wisdom to know which sets of data will make a difference for students – and how to use that data effectively.” That means understanding each student’s ‘learning story’ in order to be able to support them to reach their full potential.
Your main aim is to know the student and how they learn. If you know that, you’ll be able to push them along. But the process can only really work if parents, too, understand what’s being done and why. So while Trish’s role includes developing an annual cycle of data analysis and review; leading professional learning on the use of data; researching and implementing data walls; and using data sets drawn from NAPLAN, Allwell, BOSTES and ICAS to inform teaching and learning; it also takes in one other vital aspect: communication. Acknowledging Robyn Clear’s valuable experience in this area, Trish says she is very much looking forward to working with her to convey their findings to the whole Wenona community. She recalls with a laugh a comment made at a 2015 conference session on data in schools led by Director of RAND Education Darleen Opfer: “She said, ‘In five years’ time there won’t be a role for you because the data will be taken on board.’ That’s the biggest thing, getting people on board. I see my role as a facilitator.”
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T
he Sydney Opera House (SOH) has long been known as ‘the people’s house’ but it wasn’t until Visual Arts teacher Yvette Lewington joined the institution’s Creative Learning team that she understood exactly what the phrase meant. In fact, she says, the part-time work she undertook at the Opera House while also teaching Woodstock and Year 8 Visual Arts opened her eyes to the plethora of educational opportunities offered to schools by many of Sydney’s cultural institutions.
The SOH role was a serendipitous flow-on from her connection to another of the city’s cultural hotspots, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). Having returned to Australia following a period living and teaching in the UK, Yvette set out to make local connections and successfully applied to be part of the MCA’s teacher council. There, educators from across the state and beyond come together through the council to share ideas on art education. “We’d talk about how you use galleries and schools; what’s effective and what’s not effective; the importance of it all,” Yvette explains.
FEATURES
BEYOND ART CREATIVE LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM As a council member she received artsrelated emails and on one of them spotted an invitation to apply for an SOH education role. Looking into it further, Yvette found herself pleasantly surprised. “My first reaction was like that of other people’s – it is all opera, drama, concerts as a kid, but that’s sort of it,” she says. “I began to realise how involved the Opera House is with education.” She applied, landed a contract role in the marketing department of the SOH’s Creative Learning team education arm, and “ended up sipping champagne over Sydney Harbour thinking, ‘How am I here?’” The destination might have been unexpected, but the fit was a good one: during her time working in a London school Yvette had cultivated strong links with nearby cultural institutions — in that case, local galleries. It was a key element in her plan to change the way things were done and reach students who felt so disengaged they thought they hated art. Frequent gallery trips made art less intimidating for her young charges, and familiarity encouraged open-mindedness. With the gallery no longer foreign, the children began to feel comfortable enough to contemplate some big questions: “‘Why have they created this to make us think?’ ‘How can we bring that into our own art-making, or into our lives?’” It got to the point where she and the class were visiting the Saatchi gallery each week both during and after school.
Their art wasn’t just about the art they had seen, it was about going to different spaces and being exposed to different things. In fact, art became one of the things her students turned to after the 2005 London bombings. The large comprehensive secondary school at which she was teaching catered for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and even though it was in South London, many had never visited Central London, just a few kilometres away. Yvette had decided to remedy that with a full five-day ‘art week’ program of gallery visits and related activities in the city. But just days before it was to start, three bombs were detonated on London Underground trains and one on a bus. (The latter was particularly frightening for Yvette, who had caught a bus to school that day.)
She asked the students what they would like to do in regard to the planned activities, offering them the option of changing things around so everything took place near the school, or continuing with the schedule they had. “I made sure everyone had a voice. They all said they still wanted to go. They asked just one thing: that they go on buses, not trains.” While visiting the city so soon after the tragedy was “really eerie”, it was also a very special experience. “We went to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square and they loved it,” Yvette says. On their return to school the students made their own artworks. “But their art wasn’t just about the art they had seen, it was about what art is about – going to different spaces and being exposed to different things.” Now firmly ensconced in Sydney life, Yvette has enjoyed discovering the breadth and depth of the city’s creative educational offerings beyond just the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the MCA. “It’s not until you delve into it that you realise how many resources there are,” she says. “The Botanic Gardens has a strong education section, as does Sydney Living Museums.” And then, of course, there’s the SOH, where she has worked on linking the NSW schools’ curriculum with the Opera House’s Creative Learning program, building connections and finding new ways for teachers and students to take up opportunities. There is, she says, a good deal of flexibility, both in what’s on offer and who can access it: “The Opera House has a great accessibility program.” Yvette is also continually expanding her own creative horizons. In one example, after attending a ‘Creativity in the Primary School’ conference in 2015, she was inspired to create calico-bag costumes for students in the School’s Christmas play. These evolved into “walking artworks”, which the students presented in place of an end of term dance. Her future plans include giving Wenona girls the chance to participate in the MCA’s Art Write Now program, which aims to build up the skills needed to write about visual arts as well as to appreciate and practice art, something that Yvette sees as very important. “Art education is about more than drawing the lines,” she says. “Art education is about your development of process, artist research, looking at a skill and understanding how to use that skill, then bringing all those things together to build a final piece.”
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The people I met that day, I still talk to today. It didn’t matter if you were from the private, public or Catholic system, everyone was welcome. It was all about the teaching.
FEATURES
THE RISE OF TEACHMEETS AN INNOVATION THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE
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n 2006 five blokes who worked in education met up in a Scottish pub to share ideas. They had all been to a recent education conference which had proved disappointing, in fact they agreed that what each of them was doing in the classroom was more interesting than any of the presentations delivered from the stage. They decided to establish a regular meet-up to continue the exchange of ideas. They set some basic rules, including don’t speak over someone else; don’t hog the conversation; if you can tell your story without a laptop, do; and if you must use a laptop and want to show something don’t use Powerpoint to do it. What would become known as TeachMeet (or, in the US, EdCamp) was born. In the 2013 September school holidays Wenona’s Professional Learning Coach, Andrea Stringer, found herself with some spare time. Through Twitter she connected with Matt Esterman, who was organising the first Sydney TeachMeet. She offered to assist and before long was on her way to Parramatta for the initial event. She recalls that there was a strong, welcoming community feel right from the start. “The people I met that day, I still talk to today. It didn’t matter if you were from the private, public or Catholic system, everyone was welcome. It was all about the teaching.” Andrea has since run TeachMeet and offshoot CoachMeet events at Wenona and helped organise the ‘TeachMeet at the House’ gathering at the Sydney Opera House. She has also coached Wenona Teaching Fellowship recipient Jake Little in the skills needed to run his own STEMfocused TeachMeet.
A SHIFT IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING Eleven years after their creation, these collaborative professional gatherings have taken off across the globe. It represents “a shift in education,” says Andrea. “You’ve got a certain amount of people who seek out professional development all the time, just because they want to fuel their passion. But there is a cost to professional learning.” As well as the monetary impost involved in attending a conference or course, traditional methods of professional development often involve time away from school, which can be difficult to arrange.
TeachMeets, on the other hand, are free, open to all who are interested and are often live-tweeted, making them as accessible to as many people as possible. Just as importantly, they are built on free-flowing exchanges of experience and insight. “TeachMeets are about teachers getting together to share their practices,” says Andrea. “It doesn’t have to cost them anything except their time and their passion. It’s about connecting. We are trying to breakdown the silos of schools and that’s what TeachMeets do. There is a real crossing of the sectors.” Jake agrees. “The media might portray schools as being very competitive towards each other. But the truth is that teachers from Ascham work with teachers at Wenona who work with teachers at Parramatta High School.” Adds Andrea, “We are all educators and we have the same vision – to improve student outcomes.” Among the many benefits, the experience of presenting at the event has a direct application in the classroom, giving participants the opportunity to hone their public speaking skills in a supportive environment. The ability to present is a teaching standard and since 2015 Wenona has been approved by BOSTES to provide participants with two hours of accredited Professional Development through TeachMeets. Presentations run for between two and seven minutes. As Jake notes, “It’s short, sharp, and if you want more information, you can contact the presenter.”
A NEW APPROACH TO COACHING ALSO PAYS OFF The service that Andrea provided to Jake in her capacity as a Professional Learning Coach represents another shift in professional development. Coaching is available to all staff at Wenona and in 2016, his second year of teaching, Jake took up the option. Andrea initially coached Jake through his successful application for the Wenona Teaching Fellowship and the coaching relationship continued over the course of the year. “To me, coaching is about having conversations to build someone’s capacity,” she says. “It’s not about telling teachers they need to improve, or how to improve. It is the process of having conversations that focus on developing an educator’s learning through increasing self-awareness.”
“Andrea has listened to me after I’ve had one of ‘those’ days or weeks, encouraged me to try different classroom pedagogies, offered to observe classroom teaching and give feedback, and helped me develop a long-term career plan,” says Jake, who found the process so useful he wishes he had begun earlier: “If I’d had coaching in my first year it would have made a big difference.” Observing that too many new teachers leave the profession in their first six years he says, “Coaching is a strategy to change that.”
WENONA’S TEACHMEET STEM AND COACHMEET SUCCESSES As part of Jake’s Fellowship application, Andrea encouraged him to think about how he could best disseminate the things he learned from his planned study trip to the US. He first thought about trying to secure a lecture spot at a conference, but Andrea encouraged him to instead host a TeachMeet focusing on STEM education. It would be held at Wenona, but in keeping with the TeachMeet philosophy would be open to the wider education community. “It’s about Ut Prosim – serving other schools and communities through education,” Andrea says. The event, held in November 2016, was a big success. Jake believes it worked do well because it involved educators from across the spectrum but kept the focus on one learning area. “At a conference, you might hear from one or two speakers on what is happening at their school, but we brought together lots of schools – there were 21 presentations on the night, including 11 from Wenona teachers.” In September 2015, Andrea adapted the TeachMeet model and used it as the basis for Wenona’s first CoachMeet, where educational coaches or those interested in coaching came to share their practices, experiences and resources. “With coaching gaining continued momentum in education, we thought it would be good to connect, learn from each other and build our educational coaching network,” she says. “There is no competition between schools or sectors: we all want to learn and develop the teaching-coaching community.”
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by Acting Head of History Rebekah Poole
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began studying Irish history during my Master’s degree and have continued to draw on it throughout my teaching career. I wonder that the subject does not feature more frequently in the NSW syllabus. Up to one third of Australians are of Irish heritage, proportionally far greater than in the US, where Irish or Celtic Studies are frequently found at top universities. Within Irish history we find lessons on migration, oppression, resistance and endurance. As a concerning ‘us and them’ mentality arises in the Western world, it is vital to recall that at one point in the history of Australia and other nations the Irish were ‘them’, treated with suspicion and disdain. When I interviewed the former Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) volunteer and hunger striker Raymond McCartney in 2015, he said in the context of suspicion of migrants, “The Irish, more than anyone, should know what it is to be a stranger in a strange land.” I am currently undertaking a PhD in History, recording, examining and theorising on the changing themes and iconography within the murals of Northern Ireland. The first question I’m usually asked about this is whether it results from a personal connection. I can hardly deny my Irish heritage, but my fascination with these public displays of passion, rage and pride goes beyond the pull of ancestors. Atrocities were committed on both sides, with civilians frequently paying the price for vigilante violence, and many of the murals memorialise or celebrate this sectarian divide. They are a fluid and ever-changing expression of conflict in a society that ‘there but for the grace of God’ could be our own. Having presented and published extensively on Irish history topics from the Easter Rising to the memorialisation of the Irish Conflict, and had extensive experience HSC-marking on the Anglo-Irish conflict themes, I applied for the NSW Premier’s History Teacher scholarship. I was successful, which was a privilege and honour but also a serious responsibility. The scholarship enabled a research trip to Ireland where I met with mural artists, historians and former participants in the paramilitary conflict, all of whom proved welcoming and forthcoming. They, like anyone else, had a story they wished the world to hear.
Within Irish history we find lessons on migration, oppression, resistance and endurance.
FEATURES
THE WRITING ON THE WALLS CONFLICT MURALS OF NORTHERN IRELAND
MURALS ARE PUBLIC STATEMENTS THAT CHANGE WITH THE TIMES The North’s Protestant community have traditionally used murals as public statements of political and social presence. If the guttering and lampposts painted in vibrant Union Jack shades of red, white and blue weren’t enough to signify Loyalist territory, the mural images of William of Orange, mounted atop a steed with sword in hand, provided a strict reminder. Meanwhile, the iconography connected to the Provisional IRA included the image of a phoenix, symbolising a rising from the ashes. But the iconography has changed over the years. Sometimes this commemorates specific events. For instance, following the valiant but futile efforts of the 38th Ulster Division at the Battle of the Somme, the Flanders poppy was woven into the narrative of Loyalist history. In other cases it reflects the changing times. On a 2013 visit to Belfast, I stood with an acquaintance studying a Loyalist mural. It depicted a skeleton in military dress. Above the eerie figure were the letters U.F.F in large white text, signifying the area’s allegiance to the Ulster Freedom Fighters, the paramilitary wing of the Ulster Defence Association. My acquaintance shook his head and commented “They’ll never take that down. It will be here forever.” And yet by 2015 the confronting mural had been removed, one of many in the Loyalist heartland to be painted over as a result of the ongoing peace process and power-sharing resulting from the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Images previously found on murals celebrating groups listed as ‘terror organisations’ were relegated to small pictures in gilded frames – tiny memorials of the original artwork sitting beside the new murals with which they were replaced. These replacement murals expressed a sense of community and looked to the future rather than the past. The charging skeleton mural, for instance, was replaced by patchwork-like images of words and items dear to local women. Nearby, a mural that had depicted paramilitary groups and Orange Order celebrations was turned into montage of people from the past and present with the slogan, ‘Nothing about us, without us, is for us’, a comment on local involvement in the future direction of the North.
Still, murals continue to be populist and in cases such as the famed ‘People’s Gallery’ of the Bogside in Derry, are only created after extensive community involvement and consultation. Importantly, the organisation responsible for these murals does not take funding from political organisations. Instead three local artists, brothers Tom and William Kelly and friend Kevin Hasson, maintain and update the images themselves, aiming to use their art to provide a record of the community without a political agenda. But this independence is hard-won and has led to tension with political organisations such as Sinn Fein over the way the murals represent recent history, particularly to Northern Ireland’s growing tourist population. I met with Tom Kelly, who stressed how vital ongoing independence was for the murals, which capture moments from Derry’s history such as ‘Bloody Sunday’ through a personal lens. Rather than grand symbols, many of the subjects are relatives or friends of the artists caught up in the conflicts. The Bogside murals, too, continue to adapt and transform. I think of the image of Annette McGavigan, a local teenager murdered by security forces while wandering the neighbourhood. When it was painted in 1999, her mural depicted an uncoloured butterfly and an intact rifle, symbols of the ongoing violence in the region. Now, the butterfly has been coloured and the rifle broken, references to the peace process. And following the breakdown of relations with Sinn Fein, a mural depicting Republican Raymond McCarthy was transformed to become an image of a young girl pointing across the Bogside to another mural depicting a dove. This echoes a sentiment heard time and time again from members on both sides of the sectarian divide: the desire for a better and more equitable future for future generations. On my return to Sydney I used what I had observed to establish an online school resource. I also presented to teachers at the History Teacher’s Association national conference and spoke about Murals and Memory at the Irish consulate in Sydney and the 2016 Australasian Irish Studies Conference in Adelaide. In addition, it has been my privilege to bring Irish history to Wenona, with Year 10 History students having undertaken a unit on Irish rebellion in 2016 and the HSC Modern History class excited to study the rich topic of the Anglo-Irish conflict.
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DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY PAGE
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ENGAGE & GROW
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o complement my Wenona Teaching Fellowship and broaden my theoretical understanding of STEM education, I enrolled as a ‘Higher Degree by Research’ student into the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program at the University of Sydney. I am a part-time student, which means the degree is very much a marathon: it may take up to eight years and has become a hobby project over weekends and school holidays. Studying for a PhD has both theoretical and practical elements, as it provides an evidence base for arguments to change practice in Mathematics and Science classrooms. The focus of my research project is the implementation of a projectbased learning unit which integrates both Mathematics and Science standards in Stage 4 (Years 7 and 8). This follows recent Australian reports recommending the integration of these subjects in order to improve girls’ mindsets and their achievements in STEM. The interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning is not new, however most research articles are actually opinion papers with little empirical research. I aim to measure the changes in mindset and achievement when girls participate in projectbased learning which is more open, has more choice and which establishes a context for the mathematics content. This research has the potential to have direct implications for the future practice of Mathematics and Science teaching in Australia.
JAKE LITTLE MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHER Jake Little graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary: Mathematics) (Honours Class 1 and the University Medal) and a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics). He is currently completing his Doctorate of Philosophy and is in his third year teaching Mathematics and Science at Wenona. Jake has presented at conferences internationally and been published in academic journals including the Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. In 2014, he received the Mathematics Association of NSW Teacher Award. He is a pre-service STEM teacher mentor with the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney.
Being a teacher-researcher can be challenging. But it is exciting to read extensively about STEM education, and the fact that I can trial at Wenona those strategies with solid grounding makes completing this study while teaching ideal. One of the things I have learned through extensive research of STEM literature, my observations made during the Teaching Fellowship and by working with Wenona students is the fact that the acronym STEM has been widely misinterpreted. It has, in fact, gained a negative connotation with many students (especially girls) who may not associate directly with what it stands for. The key goal of the STEM movement is to develop students’ ‘general capabilities’ as described in the Australian Curriculum – problem-solving and critical and creative thinking. Science and Mathematics are two subjects that are well positioned to develop these, but unfortunately STEM subjects are too often still seen as a privileged pathway for the bearers of natural talent. So the study I’m undertaking has direct implications, not just for students at Wenona, but for students, teachers and school leaders across the globe. UPON REFLECTION | ISSUE 3 ENGAGE & GROW
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Examining and analysing concepts inherent to leadership, management, organisational culture, school effectiveness and learning communities has been enlightening and inspiring. I have gained a better understanding of how and why people do things; of how they think. This has complemented my desire to strive for organisational effectiveness with excellent and continuous improvement in my role at Wenona. In my current position as Director of Sport, I aspire to be at the forefront of change. That requires understanding change processes and their effects on an organisation in order to contribute to our community in a positive, meaningful and relevant way. As such, I have undertaken considerable strategic planning, which will continue to see the Sport department at Wenona undergo significant changes to ensure we are in the best possible position to provide an innovative, challenging and comprehensive program to our students. I am very excited and grateful to be part of this future.
ROBYN WAINE DIRECTOR OF SPORT Robyn Waine has worked as a PDHPE and Sport Teacher in both the public and private sector for over 25 years. She has worked at the Association of Independent Girls’ Schools, where she was responsible for the organisation and running for IGSSA sport. Robyn has a Bachelor of Human Movement and is currently completing her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Management.
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MASTER OF
Being a student again has reminded me of the inherent challenges of studying and working and has renewed my appreciation for the discipline it takes to get the work done. I have enjoyed the exposure to and interaction with a wide variety of people of different ages from different cultural backgrounds and various educational systems. So far I have studied elite athlete development in Australia and on the international scene, and intend to delve deeper into contemporary issues in coaching in my next semester.
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY
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ompleting a Master’s degree has always been my intention, however it is only in the last few years that I have been able to make it a priority. Six subjects down with two to go, the end is finally in sight! I can honestly say that returning to the world of academia has been a rewarding and meaningful adventure.
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MEMBER OF THE
NEW SOUTH WALES ASSOCIATION OF FRENCH TEACHERS PAGE
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hen I arrived in Australia from Scotland, a colleague at the first school I taught at suggested joining the New South Wales Association of French Teachers (NAFT). I enthusiastically took up the idea in order to meet more of my Sydneybased peers and to help familiarise myself with the Higher School Certificate and the structure and organisation of education in Australia, which is very different from what I was used to back home. Since joining NAFT in 2013 I have had the opportunity to learn from a range of experienced native and non-native speaking teachers, attend a variety of Stage 6 Professional Development workshops, and contribute to the writing of Higher School Certificate Trial Examinations. As my teaching experience in New South Wales has grown and developed, the way in which I engage in NAFT has also evolved. Engaging in this teaching association has encouraged and motivated me to become an HSC marker, as many of the French teacher community and NAFT members are. This experience is invaluable to me as a younger teacher, greatly enhancing my understanding of the Stage 6 syllabus, the HSC examination process and strategies for helping students excel in it.
ENGAGE & GROW
ROSS MILLAR LANGUAGES TEACHER An enthusiastic linguist, qualified translator, teacher and interpreter, Ross has lived in Spain and France and has a wide range of experience working with languages in the UK and Australia. His involvement in New South Wales Association of French Teachers has enabled Wenona students to work with other French students from across the state and benefit from various Stage 6 workshops. Ross is an active member of the New South Wales Association of French Teachers and is regularly involved in HSC marking.
Teaching associations are an excellent way to share ideas and to network with teachers from other schools. Being part of NAFT means I can constantly build on my knowledge and reflect on my own practice through discussions with a range of experienced French teachers from schools all over New South Wales and even internationally. Following conversations with like-minded educators I have met through NAFT, I have adopted several new strategies and pedagogy which have been pivotal in my development as a teacher. The organisation also provides the opportunity to constantly build on my own language skills, as the various events and workshops throughout the year are mostly conducted in French. In June 2016, I organised and, with the help of the LOTE Department, ran an HSC Speaking Skills day at Wenona. This event involved Year 12 French Continuers teachers and students from across Sydney’s North Shore and Northern Beaches, with around 120 people attending over the course of the day. Students had the chance to do 10-minute oral mock examinations and get feedback from an experienced HSC marker, with French Extension workshops beforehand to help them prepare. It was an excellent opportunity to work with teachers from other schools and gain an insight into their teaching methods. It was also a chance to showcase our Languages work at Wenona in a way that will help continue to raise its profile among students. Overall, the day was a huge success — so much so that it will now be an annual event on the NAFT calendar. UPON REFLECTION | ISSUE 3 ENGAGE & GROW
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MASTER OF
EDUCATION (STUDENT WELLBEING), UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
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ven though I have taught for more than 30 years, the reason I began teaching still resonates with me and influences my daily interactions with students. Teachers have the opportunity to connect with young people and be inspirational role models. They can provide an alternative narrative to a student’s life and can instil values that will allow their students to live with integrity, compassion and a belief in themselves. These values remain close to my heart. Being able to work with young people is one of the most precious gifts in our society. But despite all my experience, I know there is so much more to learn about young people, and the more I learn the more I feel empowered to work with our students, their parents and the wider community. As educators, it is essential that we are equipped with the knowledge and skills that come from an understanding of contemporary research. Only then can we gain insight into the capabilities of the individual child and provide an environment that enriches their life. In order to explore the dynamic interplay of contemporary research applied in the life of a school, I chose to undertake my Master’s of Education (Student Wellbeing) at the University of Melbourne. During the past two years of study my knowledge of adolescents has certainly been enriched. But even more importantly, I have gained a deeper and more authentic understanding of the importance and urgency of the individual child having a sense of connection and place. School connectedness means a child feels cared for and valued – and that in itself is pivotal in ensuring their educational journey is of worth.
SUZANNE KERR HEAD OF SENIOR COLLEGE Suzanne Kerr is qualified with a Bachelor of Arts with a Diploma of Education, majoring in Geography, History and Education. She has worked across independent girls’ schools including Abbotsleigh and Monte Sant’ Angelo. For the past 16 years Sue has held a range of positions at Wenona, including Head of House, Acting Deputy Principal, Director of Enrolments and Head of Senior College. She is currently studying her Master’s of Education (Student Wellbeing) at the University of Melbourne.
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PATRICIA DAVIS DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND DATA ANALYTICS Having previously worked in the finance industry, Trish began teaching in 2001. For the past nine years, Trish has worked at Wenona as a Mathematics teacher. She has held positions as Head of Mathematics, Acting Dean of Academic Studies and Director of School Improvement and Data Analytics. She is passionate about encouraging girls to pursue Mathematics at the highest level and hopes to develop a culture of evidence-based decision making.
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n 2015 I experienced an immense career change when I stepped up to the role of Acting Dean of Academic Studies. This was not a position for which I felt fully prepared and so I looked for opportunities to develop my leadership skills at a senior level. I was delighted to not only be accepted into the National Excellence in School Leadership (NESLI) Advanced Leadership Program, but also to receive a scholarship to undertake the study. The course, which is delivered over six months and contributes 25 per cent to a Master’s degree through Monash University, caters for only 27 women at a time. As well as providing me with resources, it has enabled online interactions focusing on authentic and values-driven leadership. This gives me the opportunity to discuss relevant issues with other women in leadership positions within the education sector. One of the most interesting study modules to date has revolved around language and accountability. For example, choosing to not blame traffic or meeting overruns for lateness to another appointment but instead owning the outcome as the result of not planning well enough. This is something I am now conscious of in my daily interactions with staff.
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A quote by Harvard Business School Emeritus Leadership Professor John P Kotter has made me think about and question my practice significantly: “Leadership is about vision, about people buying in, about empowerment, and most of all, about producing useful change.” I have embarked on peer coaching, both as a coach and as someone receiving coaching. I’ve found I enjoyed the soundingboard aspect as well as having someone who can challenge me and my goals, and who is as committed to my development as I am to theirs. Mindfulness and journaling are two practices required by the course and I have found both challenging. I have never written in a journal before and, despite all the research that supports these behaviours, my experience with mindfulness has been fleeting. However, I am persevering. I value the professional learning and interactions the course has provided and I’m looking forward to the upcoming modules and to continuing to develop as a better leader.
ENGAGE & GROW
SCHOLARSHIP TO THE NATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
ADVANCED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, MONASH UNIVERSITY
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lthough my degrees were completed through Australian universities, I began my teaching career in the United States, in Washington state and California. There, as a beginning teacher, I was provided with a state-funded mentor for my first two years. We worked together as I acquired my local teaching credentials and became a more effective teacher. This mentoring relationship was incredible and unique. Years later, as part of a Design Thinking course I undertook at Stanford, I designed a framework to mentor and coach early-career teachers, supporting them from their final term of university through to their accreditation as a Proficient Teacher. Then, in 2015, the Wenona Teaching Fellowship supported my attendance at Harvard’s ‘Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership’ course. Here I learnt about current research on coaching as a form of school-embedded professional learning. My passion to support teachers through coaching was once again ignited. After I completed a Master’s of Education I was encouraged to continue on with a PhD. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that I finally made the commitment to begin my research, with coaching in education as my topic. My intention is to learn how to conduct research effectively and ethically while contributing to the theoretical and practical knowledge of coaching, early-career teaching and professional learning. I’m particularly interested in understanding early-career teachers’ perspectives on coaching within their schools, because we know that within the first five years of their careers many educators leave the teaching profession. While graduates feel prepared to teach, they encounter loneliness, isolation and a lack of emotional and expert support when they enter the classroom.
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ENGAGE & GROW
RESEARCH INTO
EDUCATIONAL COACHING
ANDREA STRINGER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COACH With international teaching experience, Andrea brings a global perspective to education. Credentialed in Washington and California, she is qualified by the NSW Teaching Standards Authority (K to 6). Andrea has a Masters of Education and a Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education. In 2015, she received the Keith Tronc Award by the Australian Council for Educational Leaders for most outstanding teacher.
To develop effective teachers, the New South Wales Teaching Standards Authority, requires all teachers to be accredited by 2018. Additionally, teachers are mandated to obtain 100 hours of professional learning within the following five years. An OECD survey conducted in 2013 indicates that participating in school-embedded professional learning such as coaching is more effective for teachers than attending professional learning externally. Coaching is not about telling teachers that they need to improve or how to improve; instead, it is a process of one-to-one conversation focused on developing the educator’s learning via increasing selfawareness. Through questioning, active listening and challenging in a supportive and encouraging environment, the coach facilitates self-directed learning. With coaching gaining continued momentum in education, Wenona piloted a coaching program in 2016 and held the first #CoachMeet. Here, coaches or those interested in coaching connected, listened and learned from each other, expanding the informative, valuable coaching network in education locally and internationally. UPON REFLECTION | ISSUE 3 ENGAGE & GROW
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SECONDMENT TO THE
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS NSW
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arly in 2016 I was approached by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW) for secondment as a School Innovation Consultant. Specifically, I was brought in to the organisation’s ELEVATE team. Working in collaboration with the UK-based Innovation Unit and the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, ELEVATE supports schools in collaboratively designing new practices that will enable capable learners to reach their highest potential. My role was to support these educators to become a community of practice, enabling learning within, across and between schools. This meant challenging teachers to develop and prototype practices which could solve some of the problems facing high-potential learners. This involves using Design Thinking methods and processes to support teachers as pedagogical designers. I have long believed in the power of the Design Thinking approach. It raises questions, challenges expectations and allows teachers to delve into a range of possibilities in order to find the best learning pathways for their high-potential learners. In my work with the AIS, I visited a number of schools across NSW, meeting principals and other school leaders. I learned about how they leverage opportunities to embed innovative practices into their school communities. I also witnessed the importance of ‘student voice’ when cocreating powerful and effective teaching and learning opportunities. The opportunity to work at AISNSW provided me with an invaluable professional learning experience which I’m thrilled to bring back to Wenona. My experience confirmed my belief in assessment practices and data literacy and I’m thrilled that in 2017 Wenona is deepening its focus on data. I believe its intelligent use will sharpen the design of the learning experience and extend the many curriculum opportunities offered.
DANIEL SANDRAL DEPUTY HEAD (K TO 6, TEACHING AND LEARNING) Daniel Sandral has a Master’s in Education (Adult Education) and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. Prior to joining Wenona, Daniel worked as a teacher educator, advising teachers across K to 12 who work with students with additional languages. He has worked as a literacy and numeracy educator in primary and lower secondary schools and as a curriculum advisor.
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CAROLYN SHAW HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL Carolyn has 15 years’ experience in education in Australia and the UK. Born in Scotland, Carolyn completed a Bachelor of Education (Honours) at the University of Edinburgh and worked at an independent girls’ school as Assistant Head of Department and Sports Coordinator. Carolyn joined Wenona 10 years ago, and has worked as Head of Middle School for the past eight years. She is currently completing her Masters of Education (Student Wellbeing) at the University of Melbourne.
A
t the beginning of 2015 I decided to apply to study a Master’s of Education (Student Wellbeing) at the University of Melbourne. While the course structure and subject appealed to me, going back to study was a daunting concept. However I moved past my apprehension about how I was going to manage to balance study with a full-time job and I have not regretted the decision. In fact, it has been one of the most rewarding and challenging things I have done. At times it can be overwhelming, but it has required me to practice what I preach when I tell students to maintain a balanced lifestyle, keep exercising no matter how busy you are and enjoy what you do. The structure of the course involves travelling to Melbourne once a month to attend weekend classes. The face-to-face element of the course appealed to me more than the ‘online’ environment and indeed has provided extensive opportunities to participate in engaging discussions with educators from all over Australia. Being focused on Student Wellbeing, the course encompasses the theory behind what we do on a day-to-day basis as educators. I have found it exceptionally interesting to have the opportunity to explore the research behind various frameworks that promote student connectedness and academic achievement. It has enabled me to reflect on present practice within our own school setting. I will also be able to do this with the second unit of the course, which is related to psychology and counselling; again, looking at theory and placing it in a school context. I have thoroughly enjoyed the first year of the course, which encompasses the area of education I am most passionate about: how to support young people (and their families) to achieve their personal best and how to equip them with the social and emotional skills required in life beyond the classroom. This endeavour has given me the opportunity to revisit the reasons I studied education in the first place and has reconfirmed the decision I made more than 15 years ago to become a teacher. PAGE
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ENGAGE & GROW
MASTER OF
EDUCATION (STUDENT WELLBEING), UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
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ROWENA DUDGEON DEAN OF ACADEMIC STUDIES In my final year at the University of Sydney I completed a careers assessment that indicated I would be suited to a career in sales and marketing. After laughing uproariously at this prospect, my lovely careers advisor admitted that perhaps these types of tests were not always correct. Strangely enough though, my time in the education sector has been a bit like the greatest sales and marketing job one could have. Educators market wisdom and hope to generations of young people; that is ultimately our job, and the rewards of guiding children to live out their potential are beyond measure. After I completed my Bachelor of Arts with Diploma of Education in Politics and Geography, I went on to do early-teaching placements in country NSW, in public high schools on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, at PLC Croydon and then at Pymble Ladies’ College, where I stayed for 11 years. Pymble afforded me many career opportunities, notably as Head of Goodlet Boarding House and Acting Head of Senior School. During this time I acquired a Master’s of International and Social Development from the University of NSW, which equipped me with an understanding of the importance of developing deep community connections through shared values and common goals. In 2007, I was appointed as Head of Social Science at Roseville College and went on to hold various executive leadership roles there including Director of Teaching and Learning and Head of Middle School. In 2015, I was appointed as the Director of Staff Learning and Research at MLC Melbourne. I am now very fortunate indeed to have joined the dynamic learning community at Wenona as Dean of Academic Studies. I have long valued working with fellow teachers to improve the learning experiences of young people by creating environments that value leadership, innovation, critical thinking and student wellbeing: all things for which Wenona is very well known.
NEW STAFF
ANTONIO BOSCHIERO
HELEN BREMNER
DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDIES
DIRECTOR OF ICT
A love of travel, a curiosity about people and cultures, and a desire to learn more about the world – these have been my motivations throughout my life and my teaching career.
A career in ICT was certainly not on my radar when I was at school. My journey to taking up the position of Director of ICT at Wenona is as eclectic as it is serendipitous.
This desire to learn and discover was instilled in me by my parents and enhanced by fantastic teachers, lecturers, colleagues and students that I’ve come across in my career. I’ve worked in many different types of schools: independent and public; boys’ and, for the past 15 years, girls’ schools. I’ve always enjoyed guiding students in their language learning adventures and many of them have gone on to further their study in this field, to learn other languages and to take up important roles in which they have found their language skills invaluable.
I taught for many years at both primary and secondary levels and have held various e-learning roles within schools, but I have also worked throughout Europe as an educational tour manager and have run several businesses. My diverse background means that the notion of the Renaissance woman resonates very strongly with me!
Over the years I have held a variety of roles. I have been a Head of Department and a Director of Studies. I have also marked the HSC in Spanish and French. All these experiences have been very rewarding and I have used them to benefit my students, my colleagues and the schools at which I have worked. I have taken many students on overseas learning tours and language immersion tours. I’ve also helped students arrange exchange opportunities and assisted them further develop their language skills upon their return. I am very excited about continuing this work at Wenona. The School has an exciting Languages program and I’m really looking forward to working with the wonderful teachers here to help it grow even further.
I have been fortunate to have worked across various sectors and to have witnessed digital disruption affect every area of our lives, education included. Since emigrating from Scotland to Sydney in 2008, I have worked in Independent boys’ schools, integrating technology into teaching and learning. Most recently I held the position of Head of eLearning at Trinity Grammar School, where I oversaw many exciting initiatives across three campuses. Being passionate as I am about encouraging more girls to consider careers involving ICT, I was very keen to make the transition to Wenona, where girls are empowered to be drivers of technology. As a teacher I was fascinated by the way technology could engage and extend students. In e-learning and ICT roles I thrive on finding more efficient solutions for existing school processes: working with teachers and administration staff has allowed me to better understand whole school needs and have a broader impact than when I was in the classroom. Taking up the role of Director of ICT at Wenona has allowed me to blend my passion for teaching and technology. With a huge remit to ensure that our staff and students are able to take advantage of world class technologies, I am incredibly grateful to be supported by an open-minded and future-focused school leadership team.
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DR ALISHA THOMPSON
SONIA BRENNAN
DIRECTOR OF STEM
DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION
“You are always so happy. Where do you get so much energy?” Whenever I am asked this the answer is easy: I amplify it from my students. I’m lucky to have found one of the few occupations that can give back more energy than is put in. I have studied, I’ve done lab research, I’ve studied more, gone back to labs and worked lots of odd jobs but through it all, I have taught. Teaching is fun. It brings me joy and fills me with enthusiasm that I pass on to my students.
After completing a Bachelor of Business with a major in Accounting, I pursued an accounting career with Horwath & Horwath and then Ferrier Hodgson as a Chartered Accountant, as well as working in my family’s fruit business, Antico’s Northbridge Fruitworld. In 2001 my two young daughters and I moved with my husband, who was then working for IBM, to Tokyo.
I am a native Californian from a co-ed public system that had amazing teachers. I wasn’t keen on high school but my teachers kept me inspired and helped me over the finish line. Entering university, the classroom and lab became my playgrounds, my teachers encouraged ideas, discussion and dissension, and I flourished. My graduate class of Chemistry majors was all-female; an encouragement to my PhD studies. It is impossible to measure the value of a teacher who keeps a girl trying even in her darkest days. It is with great pleasure I join the team at Wenona. We have a challenging world for which to prepare young women (my two daughters included) and I am proud to be able to play my part as a proactive role model.
We lived there for three years, and I spent 12 months of this time as the Financial Controller of the Tokyo English Life Line (TELL). Upon returning to Sydney I took on a number of different part-time roles, including practice manager for an accounting firm, sales work and serving as bookkeeper for a recruitment firm. In 2013 I started working in the Development Office of Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College. As a Monte Alumna whose daughters had followed in my footsteps, I was very excited to be going back to my old school. I was involved in many different activities during my three years there, including working with the Capital Campaign team raising funds for the O’Regan Arts and Cultural Common; organising the Monte Rugby Lunch (which in 2015 had 680 attendees and raised $165,000); and coordinating the College’s Open Day. Since July 2016 I have been working at Wenona and have loved getting to know the staff, students and parents in my capacity as Events Coordinator and Acting Director of Foundation. I am really looking forward to carrying on the valuable work of the Foundation as Director. We have a very exciting time ahead of us.
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NEW STAFF
SANDRA WOODWARD
LAUREN JAMES
HEAD OF SCIENCE
HEAD OF MATHEMATICS
I have always loved science and wanted to know how things worked. After high school I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Sydney. I changed my major many times as I was exposed to new things that I could not bring myself to ignore. But in the end I majored in Physics and Mathematics, as these topics were of such keen interest to me. My desire to teach came from the teachers I had as a student: they were always so energetic and willing to answer weird and wonderful questions.
As the daughter, niece and cousin of high school teachers, I can honestly say there was never another career I seriously considered. Having seen many of my friends switch off Mathematics in their final years of school, I realised that this was the subject in which I would try to make a difference.
Since becoming a teacher I have had many opportunities that have helped me develop professionally. I have mainly taught Science but have also had the pleasure of teaching PDHPE and Italian. I have given lectures to fellow teachers at conferences; helped students at revision seminars; co-authored a textbook; held roles including Assistant Head of Science and Gifted and Talented coordinator; and was awarded New South Wales Secondary School Teacher of the Year. Wenona is such a welcoming community, I am loving being here.
I am willing to take on challenges and have taught at every level from a Year 7 mixed ability group to HSC Mathematics Extension 2: each brings its own joy. What I most love about teaching are the relationships you develop with both students and colleagues; I have previously held Year Adviser and Academic Administration roles that strengthened these bonds. In my most recent position as a Gifted and Talented Coordinator, I worked with students and staff on a range of exciting initiatives and projects, such as our Year 7 STEM day, Future Problem Solving and curriculum design for various faculties. These experiences strengthened my skills in collaboration and communication. Finding myself with an increasing desire to spend more time thinking about my chosen subject, I am thrilled to have been appointed as Wenona’s Head of Mathematics. The School’s Mathematics staff are incredibly energetic, dedicated and innovative and I am excited to work with them to inspire our students and to also support their own professional development goals. But most of all, I can’t wait to teach more maths!
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ROBYN CLEAR
NONIE AYLING
ANNELISE PEARCE
HEAD OF EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES
HEAD OF BOARDING
BUSINESS OFFICE MANAGER
I commenced at Wenona in the role of Head of Educational Support Services K to 12 in June 2016. I am a highly experienced educator and have held leadership positions in a variety of schools, most recently at Pymble Ladies’ College.
I’m very excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the wonderful community at Wenona School as the new Head of Boarding. My experience has shown me that the presence of boarders and the richness and diversity they contribute greatly enhances the whole school.
My path to Wenona has been a varied one. Following a country upbringing I moved to the city to study science, but quickly found my interests lay in finance and business.
Having originally trained in K to 6 education, I have worked for over 30 years in primary and secondary roles in the public, Catholic and Independent sectors, in the classroom and in educational support. I completed my Master’s degree in Special Education over 20 years ago. As a believer in life-long learning, I relish the opportunity to discuss current and topical research with colleagues. I strongly believe that school, especially the early years, should be fun and enjoyable. I am privileged to lead a team of passionate and expert educators in supporting students and personalising their learning. Family is really important to me. I have four adult children and enjoy spending time with my husband and travelling and exploring Sydney, and more recently, the world.
I made the decision to pursue a career in Boarding some years ago, after working closely with students at St Scholastica’s College, Glebe, as Year 7 Coordinator. That role gave me a deep understanding of how, with encouragement and support, students can flourish, embrace challenges, become resilient and reach their full potential. Becoming Director of Boarding at Stuartholme School in Brisbane gave me further opportunity to assist students to understand their strengths and capabilities. I was also fortunate to work with Indigenous students from Cape York. I continued that work at Ascham, as Deputy Head of Boarding, implementing a partnership program with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME), which encourages Indigenous students to set goals and focus on successful educational outcomes. I am thrilled to have joined Wenona and look forward to building on the strong wellbeing framework already in existence. I believe that my role as a leader in the boarding community is to help boarders become confident young women who make positive contributions to their communities, have a strong sense of purpose, a capacity to deal with change and are happy as boarders. I can do this by developing and communicating a shared vision with students, parents and staff, focusing on the enhancement of wellbeing, the facilitation of goal attainment and the building of resilience.
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I began my career in the financial markets, spending 10 years with Macquarie Bank, then taking a pause after my first two children were born. Next I took a role closer to home, managing the multiple businesses of a hospitality entrepreneur. However, following the arrival of another baby, I decided to seek opportunities within schools to give me much needed family-life balance. Beginning as a Senior Administrator within the Diocese of Broken Bay, I developed a true love for the education system and an appreciation of the value that good management brings to a school community. I have been able to utilise my business and finance skills in the fast-paced yet caring school environment with its many stakeholders — staff, parents and students — and relish the opportunity to get to know so many fascinating individuals. The true reward of my work is seeing the development of each child and knowing that in some way I have been able to support their educational journey. I am delighted to join Wenona, which so vibrantly encourages young women to reach their full potential through diverse and challenging experiences. I feel privileged to work with a dynamic team in successfully supporting the business operations of the School while embracing my passion for education.
NEW STAFF
REBEKAH POOLE
SEAMUS RODDEN
RENEE DE ROSSI
ACTING HEAD OF HISTORY
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SPORT
GIFTED AND TALENTED COORDINATOR
I am an experienced teacher of Modern, Ancient and Extension History. I have previously taught at Northern Beaches Secondary College and Knox Grammar, and have undertaken roles including Year Coordinator and Professional Learning Coach. I am excited to join Wenona. I believe firmly in the importance of professional learning and subject-specific passion. I am dedicated to the study of history myself and to encouraging a curiosity for the past, as it informs the present.
I am a dedicated and forward-thinking educator and sports coach. I have taught Personal Development, Health & Physical Education for more than six years in schools in NSW and Queensland, including teaching students with complex and special needs. I have held leadership roles in a variety of settings and am experienced in designing and leading innovative programs that improve schools’ overall sporting performance and enhance student engagement and achievement.
After completing a Bachelor of Education degree, I taught in primary schools in Sydney and London. It was in London that I discovered a passion for teaching young girls, helping them to grow and thrive as bright, informed, confident and caring individuals.
Among the areas in which I have extensive experience are as a Modern History marker and as a digital textbook author with the online resource provider Alpha History. I have been a recipient of the Gandel Philanthropy Scholarship to study the Holocaust at Yad Vasheem in Israel, and was the winner of the 2015 NSW Premier’s History Teacher Scholarship award, investigating the manner in which Irish history can be better resourced in order to provide a depth of understanding as to the nature of sectarian conflict.
I hold a Bachelor of Education (Human Movement and Health Education) from the University of Sydney, have other tertiary qualifications in health and fitness, and am currently studying for a Master’s of Educational Leadership at the University of NSW. I am passionate about creating positive experiences that encourage students to embrace physical activity and I believe sport can play a vital role in helping young people develop the skills they need to become the leaders of tomorrow.
I have published extensively with the Teaching History journal as well as the academic journal of the Australasian Irish Studies Association. I am currently undertaking a PhD on the transformation of themes and iconography within Northern Irish Conflict Murals following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, presenting on my research at the Australasian Irish Studies Conference, the History Teacher’s Association National Conference and the Irish Consulate, Sydney.
In my most recent teaching role, at Kambala, I had the opportunity to work with students in Stages 1 to 3, and enjoyed contributing to fundraising and Service Learning initiatives. In 2013 I received Professional Accomplishment/Excellence accreditation from the Board of Studies Teaching & Educational Standards (BOSTES)/ Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority (ISTAA). This provided me with many interesting opportunities, including helping to establish teacher accreditation guides, assessing teacher accreditation applications and serving on the ISTAA council. Two years later I received a Highly Accomplished Accreditation Award and Medal. I have since supported teachers aiming towards higher levels of accreditation. My interest in curriculum development led me to my most recent role as Senior Education Manager for an educational company, where I developed programs and resources. I am currently completing a Master’s of Education in Gifted Education and enjoy contributing to this very exciting and rewarding field. I am delighted to be joining the Wenona community and look forward to working with teachers, students and parents alike.
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CHARLOTTE KARSTEN
PAUL HOLLIS
JUSTIN QUIGLEY
HISTORY TEACHER AND DEBATING COORDINATOR
HISTORY TEACHER
SCIENCE TEACHER
Stepping through Wenona’s gates on my first day of high school, I could not have predicted that 11 years later I would return as a teacher.
Having graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Teaching (Secondary Education), I have been a teacher for eight years and have taught in a number of schools including Newington College, Fort Street High School, Marrickville High School and Macquarie Fields High School.
I have always had a curious nature and an appetite for a range of pursuits. Allowed to choose two elective subjects in Year 9, I selected Latin and (to the displeasure of my Latin teacher) Design and Technology Metal. I thoroughly enjoyed both. Practical, handson work has always been very familiar and enjoyable, due largely to my farming background.
The dynamic nature of school life at Wenona, the feeling of being connected to a community of empowered women and the staff of passionate educators all inspired my love of school. I recall telling my Year 8 History teacher how lucky he was that he got to come to school every day, forever! For the next five years my desire to teach grew. Following graduation, I dove straight into a Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney, with a double major in Modern History and Performance Studies. My interest in questioning and understanding our past blossomed as I had the privilege of studying under experts in the field. University broadened my intellectual horizons and I could not wait to return to a close-knit school community and share my discoveries with young minds. Ultimately, the motto I had read every day for six years, Ut Prosim, motivated me to serve the school and broader educational community which had served me so exceptionally. I feel privileged to work among the inspiring and committed teaching staff at Wenona and fortunate to be sharing my passion for history with the next generation of Wenonians.
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During this time, I have acted in both curriculum and pastoral leadership roles and have coached football, futsal and water polo at an elite level. I have also had a number of deeply enriching professional development opportunities, including HSC marking and running overseas tours in 2015 and 2017 to France, Italy, Germany and Belgium in collaboration with professionals in the field of Ancient History. During my six years at Macquarie Fields High School, a partly selective school in Sydney’s south-west, my interests in history, sport and travel fostered my passion for holistic education. My main focus at the school was developing collaborative inquiry-based learning in 21st century learning spaces and building the profile of Ancient History. Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all,” and that philosophy is deeply ingrained in how I teach. The most rewarding aspect of my work is coming into class every day and seeing the students eager to learn and engage with history. I am absolutely thrilled with the opportunity to join the team at Wenona and hope to inspire the girls I teach to develop a love for Ancient History as well as to embrace the challenges and outcomes of a holistic education.
When it came to applying for university degrees I was conflicted in trying to choose between engineering/architecture and a degree in veterinary science. I chose the latter, with the prospect of farming weighed into the decision. I was never sure I had made the correct choice, but it’s funny how life can turn you 180 degrees: I now find myself teaching technology and science at Wenona and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. My pearl of wisdom is listen to the advice of those with experience but never discount your own inner drive. Life is jam-packed with opportunities to do things that you never knew you wanted to do. There are two aspects of teaching that I love. The first is working with young people. Youth are too often underestimated and undervalued in our society but young people never fail to surprise. The second thing is that as a teacher you are always learning. The world is a constantly changing and an invariably fascinating place and we can never know enough about it.
NEW STAFF
MICHELLE JENSEN
LOUISE MCNERNEY
JULIETTE CARSON
TEACHER LIBRARIAN
JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER
VISUAL ARTS TEACHER
I come to Wenona as the President of the School Library Association of NSW, bringing 10 years of teaching experience. An avid media specialist, I studied game theory as part of my Master’s thesis and enjoy using this knowledge to empower students, teachers and librarians to create dynamic interactive learning experiences.
I am thrilled to have joined Wenona as a Year 4 class teacher. I bring more than 12 years’ experience teaching across the primary grades in independent and state schools in South Africa, the UK and Australia.
I grew up in an artistic family of educators where creative pursuits were valued and encouraged. I have always had a love of visual imagery, history and communicating ideas.
Acutely aware of the need to apply technological innovation to education, I transformed my last school library by incorporating an iPad bar and an everevolving Makerspace, blending traditional arts with digital technology. My innovative and collaborative Pop-Up Makerspaces are in demand for schools, local libraries and conferences. I am an experienced facilitator and have presented at three EduTech conferences, imparting cutting-edge approaches for the use of technology in the classroom and library. I invite my students to think outside the box, while providing a dynamic learning experience using robots, games and digital technology.
I have a Bachelor of Primary Education as well as a Master of Children’s Literature. As part of acquiring the latter I studied creative writing under the tutelage of former British Children’s Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Along with a love of primary education, I have a deep interest in Design Thinking principles and STEM-related innovation, including the use of coding and Minecraft as educational tools.
I discovered the darkroom at the age of 14. Watching an image appear before your eyes is magical and I spent many hours in my home studio nurturing my interest in photomedia. The allure of photography led me to complete a Bachelor of Art Education majoring in Photomedia at the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts (now UNSW Art & Design). After completing my degree, I headed to London where I combined my passion for teaching Visual Arts and Photomedia with that of documenting my travels with my camera. During the past 20 years I have taught in a variety of schools, both in the UK and NSW, most recently at St Leo’s Catholic College at Wahroonga. While at St Leo’s I undertook leadership roles as Assistant Year Coordinator for Stage 4 and Stage 6 and as Head of Visual Arts. I have had the pleasure of being a BOSTES HSC marker; marking HSC Bodies of Work; pilot-marking benchmarks; and serving as a Senior Marker both in Sydney and throughout country NSW. To witness an HSC Visual Arts student work in collaboration with their teacher and challenge their skills both materially and conceptually to create a resolved Body of Work is inspiring. Many students I have taught have been nominated for ArtExpress.
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CIARAN EDWARDS
NICHOLAS AMATO
JONATHAN GASPARINATOS
MATHEMATICS TEACHER
JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER
PDHPE TEACHER
The inspiring and committed teachers I was lucky enough to encounter during my own time at high school have had a significant and lasting impact on my life. From influencing the way I approach problem-solving to encouraging me to pursue whatever aspirations I may have, the positive effects of my high school mentors cannot be understated.
After completing a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University, I spent some time coaching various sports, both at local clubs and at my old school, Melbourne Grammar. Working with children to develop their skills and attitudes became a passion of mine and I wanted to have a greater positive influence in their lives. This led to me undertaking the Master of Teaching (Primary) degree course at the University of Melbourne.
Everyone should love what they do and this is especially true for teaching, which I believe to be the best job in the world. Every day I am given the opportunity to shape the hearts and minds of my students. I believe in the intrinsic and inherent worth of every student and I believe this is where the best teaching begins. Creating relational and pastoral classrooms where students are safe to be themselves, feel valued and feel they matter is something I will always strive to do.
By tutoring HSC students after I left school, I discovered I found teaching others immensely rewarding and this led me to become a teacher myself. Music and Mathematics being the two disciplines in which I have found the greatest joy, I began a combined Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Science with a Mathematics major at the Australian National University. I completed the science degree before moving to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where I graduated in Music (Performance) focusing on classical guitar. Although many people see music as an expressive art form and mathematics as more of a rigorous science, I consider both to be highly creative art forms: in this sense, the two disciplines go hand in hand. I plan to encourage students to be imaginative and to appreciate elegance and value creativity across all aspects of their lives. I was immediately impressed by the attitudes towards learning on display at Wenona and feel privileged to be a part of a school with such a strong culture of personal and professional development for both students and staff.
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Throughout my degree I enjoyed wonderful teaching experiences at various schools in the Bayside area of Melbourne, as well as a school in rural Victoria and the Yew Chung International School in Hong Kong. For the past two years I have worked as part of the Year 3 team at Gardenvale Primary School in Melbourne. During my time there I was also actively involved in the Environment curriculum team, helping to develop a vegetable garden and implement sustainable practices. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from many wonderful teachers throughout my work experience, which has assisted the development of my teaching practice.
I enjoyed every second of my own high school education and was immensely privileged to be given the opportunity to build strong relationships with my amazing teachers. Following school, I undertook my Bachelor of Education (Human Movement and Health Education) at the University of Sydney and set my sights on one day becoming a great educator. At the completion of my degree I was lucky enough to secure both casual and full-time work at PLC Sydney, where I developed an even deeper love for my vocation. Above all else, I want to help my students develop character, learn to love the beauty of life and believe they can change the world they live in. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Wenona community and look forward to helping shape my students’ lives through excellent education.
NEW STAFF
HAYLEY HUMPHRIES
MARK KELLY
MATHEMATICS TEACHER
PDHPE TEACHER AND FOOTBALL COORDINATOR
From a very young age I had a passion for Mathematics, and this was combined with my love of motivating and inspiring young people, meant my decision to teach the subject was never in doubt. Many people find Mathematics challenging, but I believe that if students have a positive mindset towards it that they can achieve unlimited success.
I am a qualified and experienced teacher and coach with a Bachelor of Education (Health and Physical Education). I have a demonstrated history of excellence in PDHPE and extensive involvement in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities centred around various sporting and welfare priorities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I am also a health and sports enthusiast with a passion for playing and spectating a wide variety of sports.
I can recall the Principal at the first singlesex school I worked at, in Perth, Western Australia, saying to me that after working in an all-girls school I would never look back. I have found this to be resoundingly true: in my opinion, single-sex environments tend to more effectively encourage young women to pursue their interests in areas such as STEM and to foster their capabilities as leaders. During my career I have been fortunate to work as a Head of Mathematics both in the UK and Australia. Most recently I have also worked as a Director of Student Wellbeing. The latter role was invaluable in facilitating my knowledge of the social and emotional development of students, which I believe has greatly improved my ability as a teacher.
At my previous school I was involved in numerous leadership positions, including Year Adviser, Integrated Sport Coordinator, Gymnasium Coordinator and Coach/Selector for the various sports in the Talented Sports Program (Touch Football, Rugby League, Netball, Soccer). I served as Wenona’s Touch Football Coordinator in Term 4 last year, when the School won the Eastern Suburbs Women’s Touch Football Competition for the first time and will be applying the same methods this year, striving for further success.
Being part of the Mathematics Department at Wenona gives me the opportunity to work with a committed team of teachers, and the students never cease to amaze me with their enthusiasm and willingness to engage in their learning. I am currently studying for a Master of Business Administration degree at Macquarie Graduate School of Management and I have found this experience highly beneficial in contributing to my development as a professional in my field.
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WENONA SCHOOL LTD ABN 83 000 250 304 CRICOS 02275A 176 Walker St, North Sydney NSW 2060 T 02 9955 3000 F 02 9959 4460 E wenona@wenona.nsw.edu.au www.wenona.nsw.edu.au