A monthly overview of the top things that I have read, listened to, seen on social media and learnt about teaching and education.
Category: School Leaders
It’s not the footballers’ fault they make dumb decisions
Why do we continue to see young footballers making such poor decisions off the field? This article looks at why it is happening and what we can do to support them better.
Teacher attitudes towards professional learning
Teachers are passionate about learning, but not necessarily good at it. School leaders need to create the right culture and environment that enables teachers to learn. This article looks at how cognitive biases affect us all and where we sit on the Dunning-Kruger curve. How can we get The Personal Trainer, The Chef, The Train Driver, The Carpenter and The Card Collector all collaboratively working towards school improvement?
How I am teaching with more purpose and meaning this year – Part 1: Curriculum design for the whole person
In schools, we can fall into the trap of working in silos. That might be individually, only as Stage groups or in faculty teams. If this is the case, it is even more important that as a school, every teacher knows what the end goal is. What sort of person does our school want to have walking out the doors on their last day as a student? Importantly, do the school’s goals align with what the students want? Too often I have seen school leaders pushing for academic results when it is quite clear that the majority of the students are not that way inclined.
Why we need systems to optimise learning
When you sign up to become a teacher, no-one ever tells you that one of the most important things you need to teach students is how to enter a classroom! Every teacher joins the profession to make a difference in the lives of young people. Teachers want to inspire and motivate! They definitely do not dream about how exciting it’s going to be putting their class into a seating plan! However, if you can get your routines, structure and organisation right, you might just be able to teach that amazing lesson that you prepared!
How the Dunning-Kruger Effect continues to get me!
Have you ever walked into a cafe and been disappointed with the service and overall experience? You look at the costs of their products/services and think, “How hard could it be?” That’s basically the Dunning-Kruger effect. It’s been described as “a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific…
Bring the cafe to the classroom
My happy place to go to is the cafe. I love sitting down with my strong flat white, ordering the most outrageous meal on the menu and chatting with friends and family. However, we can’t go out to a cafe at the moment, so bring the cafe to the classroom! Our students need to feel…
Why Australian education needed COVID-19
Despite most people having devices that can (literally) answer any question asked of it within a couple of seconds, many schools in Australia have still been handing out worksheets and working from textbooks older than I am! COVID-19 is the disruption that education in Australia needed. Without a doubt, it is terrible what COVID-19 has…
How to make every minute meaningful
If you are not spending your time increasing your resources, then you are spending resources and losing time. So, spend your time on the things that matter.
Why Project-Based Learning should be used in every class
Project-based learning is a way of developing students’ learning through having them “engage in a real-world problem or answering a complex question,” as stated by PBL Works. Many disengaged students struggle to find a connection with what they are learning in the classroom, to the outside world. I recently attended the iOnTheFuture 6 Conference and John Larmer and Suzie Boss from PBL Works and they spoke about allowing young people to feel like “real-citizens.” Project-based learning is an awesome way of bridging that gap and allowing students to develop their skills that are vital for any job in the 21st Century.