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iOnTheFuture6 Conference – Review

“If you drive all day looking in your rear vision mirror, you’ll crash.”

Young Rusty, came up with this profound analogy while sitting in the truck on another road trip. A routine trip that would have seemed so far from reality without Backtrack Boys. Rusty openly admitted that he would probably be dead without this amazing program that focuses on its core principles on the Circle of courage – belonging, independence (own your own s**t), generosity and mastery. Bernie Shakeshaft, Rusty and James Knight sat on stage to cap off an inspiring day of high-quality professional development. Continue reading “iOnTheFuture6 Conference – Review”

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Learning = Superpower

Image of a young boy reaching for the sky in a dress up super hero outfit.

A lot of focus in education is put on the curriculum, teaching methods, the ability of the student and behaviour management. However, what is often neglected is teaching kids how to actually learn. We go straight into teaching the content, without thinking about how the students are actually going to learn.

Learning is the infinite superpower that we all have. Amazingly, our brain is able to continually absorb new information, no matter how old we are. We can learn even better when we put the magic COAT on! Every year there are different buzz words in education – critical thinking, 21st-century learners, pedagogy, grit, agile, bloom’s taxonomy, high-order thinking. All of those phrases have worked in various ways, I have tried to condense many of those aspects into COAT. The acronym that I have put together that will guide my teaching in order to ensure that my students learn! Continue reading “Learning = Superpower”

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Every child should have every chance, but they don’t

Promise me you'll remember, you are BRAVER than you believe, STRONGER than you seem, SMARTER than you think.

Think back to a time in your life when you were a starry-eyed youngster with all the hopes and dreams for your future. You had goals and aspirations and believed that anything was possible. Hopefully, you were able to get onto a pathway that led you to achieve success. However, for the majority of us, we somehow ended up in a real-life version of Groundhog Day! Due to the monotonous nature of life, sometimes we lose touch with what really matters and to me, that’s the kids.

How can we ensure that today’s generation of young people, not only hold onto those hopes and dreams but gain an education that gives them the skills needed to succeed in life? Does that mean being able to ace an exam and then forget everything that was in it? Or does it mean they have the leadership skills that can inspire their team to achieve their goals? Would you be more proud of your child if they became a lawyer because it’s what you wanted for them or if they became a train driver because that is what they had always wanted to be since watching their first episode of Thomas the Tank Engine? Continue reading “Every child should have every chance, but they don’t”

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Why I cannot wait to return to teaching (this time in a primary school)

Dr Seuss quote - KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! TODAY IS YOUR DAY! YOUR MOUNTAIN IS WAITING. SO GET ON YOUR WAY

Teaching’s in my DNA, I am a teacher with almost 10 years’ experience. Also, my mother is a Deputy Principal, my wife is an early childhood educator and my sister is also a teacher. I have worked with many inspiring and dedicated teachers. I love teaching – when you have one of those great “teaching moments,” there aren’t many better feelings than knowing that you are actually having an impact on a young person’s life.
Continue reading “Why I cannot wait to return to teaching (this time in a primary school)”