EDUCATORONLINE.COM.AU ISSUE 2.3
THE BIG INTERVIEW Graham Eather, Callaghan College LEGAL INSIGHT Your ‘duty of care’ obligations explained BRINGING SCHOOL BRANDS ALIVE How to engage staff, students and the community
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS The change merchants shaping tomorrow’s leaders
Special Report: Master of Education Guide 2016
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EDITORIAL www.educatoronline.com.au AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 EDITORIAL Managing Editor Iain Hopkins Editor Tim Garratt Journalist Brett Henebery Production Editor Roslyn Meredith
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IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED… A RECURRING theme of this year’s Innovative Schools list – The Educator’s second annual guide to the most forward-thinking schools in the nation – was the ‘design to fail’ philosophy. Already used by leading schools in the US and UK, the philosophy encourages students to evaluate possibilities and seek their own solutions through the shortcomings of initial designs with the aim of developing an ethic of personal excellence tinged with resilience. The process encourages students to overcome challenges, think of possible solutions, handle failure, rethink/regroup, and try something new. In short, it’s a recipe for innovation. To provide just one example of this ‘design to fail’ philosophy in action, St Paul’s School in North Brisbane has, in the past 12 months,
The process typically embraces overcoming a challenge, thinking of possible solutions, handling failure, rethinking and regrouping, and trying something new provided students with a brief to ‘build a usable cardboard chair’. Students then sought to gain an understanding of the problem, consider different possibilities, and prototype solutions. The prototypes will more than likely ‘fail’ to meet the brief ’s demands, but the process opens up a world of possibilities for the students to seek alternative design methods and answers. It’s more about the ‘thinking’ journey than the final destination. With the significant, disruptive changes occurring in Australia’s workforce right now, the ability to think ‘outside the square’, to be agile and flexible, will become increasingly important for the workforce of tomorrow. Let’s hope more schools follow the lead shown by those on this year’s ‘most innovative’ list and allow students the freedom and creativity to fail. Iain Hopkins, managing editor
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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016
CONNECT WITH US
CONTENTS
Got a story, suggestion, or just want to find out some more information? twitter.com/TheEducatorAU www.facebook.com/TheEducatorAU
UPFRONT 01 Editorial
Why learning to fail is a critical life skill
36 FEATURES
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COVER STORY: 2016 INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS LIST
THE CHANGE MERCHANTS
In our second annual Innovative Schools list, The Educator once again profiles the schools leading the charge in transforming Australia’s educational framework
PEOPLE
LEADING THE WAY FORWARD
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LEGAL INSIGHT
Your duty of care responsibilities explained
04 The data
How technology will shape education by 2025
06 Technology update
One principal is embarking on an ICT infrastructure ‘game changer’ program
08 Learning & development update
The Educator looks at how a principal swap program is offering a fresh perspective
10 News analysis
A spate of negative news headlines has highlighted the importance of social media usage policies in schools
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SPECIAL REPORT
THE EDUCATOR’S M.ED GUIDE 2016
Looking to heighten your skills as an education leader? The Educator presents its inaugural guide to Master of Education (MEd) programs
FEATURES 38 Bringing school brands alive
One company is taking care of the marketing and communication needs of schools so that busy principals can get back to teaching and learning
PEOPLE 12 Head to head
Should schools introduce genderneutral bathrooms?
63 Career path
Callaghan College principal Graham Eather talks about innovating in education to provide students with a host of exciting new opportunities
Loretta Piazza, Meadowglen Primary School principal, outlines her professional road to now
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64 Other life
Bernard Cheng shares his passion for playing in jazz and rock bands
FEATURES
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Braemar College is on a mission to ensure its students are the creators of technology, not just the consumers
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FEATURE THE DATA / BROKER EDUCATION
SEPTEMBER 2016
THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
US & Canada
52%
A new report has highlighted how technology will change learning by 2025 IN 2015, laptops and in-classroom learning were the key methods by which students engaged with material and content. In 2025, the key methods will evolve to be real-time video collaboration and mobile devices. That’s the prediction of Polycom’s 2025 Education Technology Innovation Survey. The report’s findings revealed key areas that educators and school leaders want to see improvement in. Globally, respondents envision
40%
of the world’s population – almost three billion people – are online
60%
of Australian jobs are at risk of automation in the next 20 years
that teachers will eventually share resources through online environments and become more independent in identifying their own professional learning needs. With the aid of technology, a greater collaboration between schools and corporations, and defined career pathways (partnerships, virtual internships and e-mentoring) will be likely scenarios in 2025. Here are some of the key insights from the report.
40%
believe parents and students alike are demanding more mobile and remote access to services
6 to 1
will be the ratio of connected devices to humans by 2020
A GLOBAL SNAPSHOT What percentage of educators believe parents and students alike are demanding more access to content and lectures/classes online? Globally, 47% of respondents feel that both students and parents are demanding more access to content and lectures online from their institutions; North America and the UK made up the majority of this group. Respondents from Australia and New Zealand feel that students and parents are demanding mobile and remote access to services instead.
Source: Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY: THE STATE OF PLAY Over 700 educators from Australia and New Zealand responded to the 2025 Education Technology Innovation Survey. Outlined below are some of the key findings: 58% feel the government is not keeping up with education innovation 27% of those surveyed think improving the quality of teacher learning should be the primary focus 23% feel the priority should be personalised and contextual learning, opting for a more student-centric approach 51% feel that Australia is not maximising the potential of technology to support meaningful learning in the classroom
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FUTURE-GAZING Where do educators see the future of learning heading? Here’s a snapshot of where survey respondents believe school learning priorities should be: 27%
27% believe improving the quality of teacher learning should be of primary focus amid deregulation and revised compliance standards
24%
24% highlighted accessibility for all who want to learn as the theme that will be most important to the future of education success
22%
22% believe schools should be investing more in analytics and measurement tools. The same percentage said schools should be investing more in virtual learning environments
17%
17% of respondents said an inhibitor to a more positive education future was the curriculum not keeping pace with future workforce needs
16%
16% saw school funding levels as a major inhibitor to a more positive education future
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HOW TECHNOLOGY WILL CHANGE LEARNING UK
Global
53%
47%
Respondents identified four examples of how integrating technologies will affect education communities:
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Collaborative, team-based learning will engage students. The right technology – flexible media, highquality connections – will enhance students’ experience to the level of 'I’d hate to miss this' learning.
2
Faculty members will be able to readily connect face-to-face with one or with many participants. Subject matter experts, community resources or colleagues will be included through desktop or mobile devices by using a rich interactive toolset.
3
Teaching staff will become part of something larger than one standalone school. They will share innovations and best practice – such as developing flexible strategies and collaboration techniques – within a growing community of interest.
4
Managing content will be a priority and lectures/classes will be captured for live on-demand viewing.
India
43% Australia/ New Zealand
40% ENGAGING FUTURE LEARNERS In your opinion, what can institutions do to facilitate a change in coursework to support creativity, active learning and engagement? Australia Global
Professional development on latest technologies
32% 33%
Interactive content Global collaboration with students, industry and experts
27% 26%
Peer-supported learning and review
More accessibility to technology for online learning 19% 18%
Learning analytics to personalise the experience 16%
Easy access to subject matter experts
Intuitive technologies – eg motion sensing cameras and touchscreens
35%
30%
24% 24% 25% 23% 25%
Change from lecture/classroom setting to short modular courses
More MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses)
40%
6%
25%
8%
5% 5%
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UPFRONT
TECHNOLOGY NEWS BRIEFS Playing video games boosts outcomes A new study has found that students can improve their academic outcomes by playing video games, and has suggested they be incorporated into classroom activities. The study – by the International Journal of Communication – used PISA results and information on the amount of time students spend online to measure how video games and social media impact on maths, science and reading among 15-year-olds. “It is argued that although both activities are associated with a high opportunity cost of study, video games potentially allow students to apply and sharpen skills learned in school,” the report states.
Students with ‘licence to hack’ called upon The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) – which operates out of the Department of Defence and is tasked with intercepting foreign communications – is offering high school students a “licence to hack” to “catch Australia’s phishing foes”. The directorate is in the process of distributing brochures in public and private secondary schools and is even advertising work experience placements for school students from Years 9 to 12. More than 100 high school students have been given placements over the last three years, and a number have subsequently joined the ASD as cadets or later as graduates.
More students going online for help with homework An NBN Co survey of 1,000 students has found that 75% use the internet to assist them with school courses at home, and 51% use online videos to help research the subjects they study. Jack Goodman, founder of YourTutor,
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told The Educator that this preference was being driven by the demands of a changing world, especially in terms of technology. “The world is changing fast, and students and their learning behaviours are no different,” Goodman said. “Students nowadays expect help on demand, and don’t expect days of frustration between challenge and resolution.”
Online competition for schools bridges learning gaps Word Mania 2016, a free online competition for schools run by LiteracyPlanet, kicked off in August, involving more than 250,000 students from 2,000 schools around the country. The exercise involves phonics, spelling, vocabulary, word recognition and word knowledge. Deborah Blair, literacy coordinator at Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School in Beverly Hills, NSW, said her students participating in the competition learnt and practised spelling skills, including adding word endings and making rhymes. “I’m excited to watch this great learning happening in my class,” she said. The final round of the sixweek competition closed on August 24.
Is your school protected against cyber threats? A cyber-safety expert has warned that too many schools are unprepared to guard against increasingly complex cyber threats. Susan McClean, director of Cyber Safety Solutions, told The Educator that when ICT is outsourced – or even when it’s handled by an internal IT manager – there must be ongoing conversations about risk, perceived and/or real; processes to prevent this risk; and what to do if there is a security issue. “Running a problem on the fly won’t work. Principals need to have a known process in place in case of an issue,” she said.
PRINCIPAL EMBARKS ON ICT ‘GAME CHANGER’ ICT infrastructure that allows access to any device and almost any type of software seems like a dream come true – yet it’s a reality for one forward-thinking school Inaburra School in Sydney is an independent, co-educational K-12 school that has 1,000 students and 100 staff. On the outside, it is just like any other school. But what’s happening within its walls is something rather special. Currently in the works is an ICT overhaul that promises to be every bit as revolutionary as its goal – to allow any device to access almost any type of software. The school’s deputy principal, Dave Collins, says this represents a “game changer”, not just for his own school but for broader issues plaguing other schools’ ICT infrastructure and students’ access to innovative software. Collins, who was formerly the school’s head of technology and director of innovation and learning, told The Educator that transitioning the school’s administrative infrastructure to the Nutanix platform had also freed up significant time for staff. “Our team looks for anything that can streamline the school’s day-to-day processes and minimise the amount of work going to the ICT support team, and Nutanix has made this possible,” he explained. Nutanix – a virtual storage system – makes infrastructure invisible, allowing ICT staff to focus on the applications and services that power the school. Inaburra’s ICT manager, Tim Pinnock,
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said that for now the system is confined to streamlining the administrative work, but once it is rolled out into classrooms it will overhaul the way students access important learning software. “When this happens, programs such as Adobe Creative Cloud Sweep, Photoshop and specialist music software can all be accessed on any device via Nutanix – similar to a student accessing a Web browser,” he said. “Nutanix is also very simple to scale into the future, in that you don’t reach ceilings of
Nutanix – a virtual storage system – makes infrastructure invisible, allowing ICT staff to focus on the applications and services that power the school capacity where the school either needs to buy a new appliance or extra bits and pieces. When you run out of storage space, you simply buy another node, plug it in and it expands everything for you.” Earlier this year, the school took its Year 12 students on a study camp to Nowra, and there was no internet access where they stayed. Collins said Nutanix allowed the school to get around this issue in an innovative way. “Before we left, we made a copy of our server using Nutanix. We took a wireless access point and a computer to the camp and we fired that up so students could access all of the digital resources as if they were back in the classroom,” he said.
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT Simon Webber Marketing and finance manager BRIGHTER IMAGE
Fast fact The New Media Consortium’s K-12 technology predictions report indicates that over the next two years (2017–18), 3D printing and rapid prototyping will be hot. The NMC report indicates that sales of 3D printers are projected to grow by more than 300% between 2013 and 2018.
What are some important factors principals should take into consideration before implementing a new technology in their schools? In terms of individual interface devices, such as computers and tablets, make sure the platform is suitable for the grade level of the students. Tablets and cloud-based laptops provide an inexpensive solution for tight budgets and system manageability, and while they are suitable for the younger grades they also have limitations as to software, applications and input. In reality, using the technology itself is part of the education process, so getting kids started on full-function laptops or PCs early is going to broaden their scope and provide freedom and flexibility as both they and technology grow together. For large-format presentation devices, like touchscreens and projectors, look for reliability, service back-up and useful features such as a user-friendly interface and inbuilt annotation tools. What advice would you give principals who are struggling to produce improved outcomes through a given technology? The technology is only going to be effective if it is the right technology for the desired outcome. If the technology is computerbased, then the next question is whether you have effective hardware, software and applications. Then it’s a matter of whether teachers are getting the most out of it; often it’s a case of them not having the time to learn how to use the programs. Appoint a lead person to learn the software first and then bring the teachers up to speed quickly and directly with the concise points on its operation. If they get a grasp on the basics easily they will be more comfortable using it, getting results and then have the confidence to progress further with it later. Is there a particular technology model you’ve seen/heard of a school rolling out that has been successful in improving learning outcomes? A study of high school students in Texas found that they learned significantly more using an interactive instructional environment to study quadratic functions than those in a control group who studied the same concepts via traditional lecture, note-taking, and practice drills. Interactive programs are helping students to explore concepts from different viewpoints using various representations. One interesting tool I have seen is the Technology Integration Matrix from the Arizona K12 Center in the US. It shows technology integration throughout K-12 by plotting characteristics of the learning environment against levels of technology integration, providing teachers with meaningful models of how technology can be used. How can schools keep up to date with technology without blowing the budget? As with any study, do your research, talk to some experts and get several opinions, and look for flexibility, freedom and scalability in system infrastructure. The technology should be able to grow and change with the school’s and student’s needs. Start with a small-scale implementation and test the technology first; that way you can see it in action and evaluate before committing to an expensive and potentially regrettable rollout.
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UPFRONT
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
PRINCIPAL SWAP OFFERS FRESH PERSPECTIVE Student exchange programs are nothing new, but can the same experience benefit principals?
The Principal Exchange Program was designed to acknowledge the commitment and contribution of the principals involved and provide valuable learning opportunities for the principals themselves, as well as teachers, school staff and the wider school communities. The principals participating in the program are from Australia and New Zealand, and they see it as a unique opportunity to gain more experience from one another’s curricula and to be inspired with new ideas. The program involves one principal from each country transferring overseas and taking responsibility for the management and
NEWS BRIEFS
leadership of their ‘adopted’ school for an entire term. Kiwi principal Steven Berezowksi told SBS that despite his 20 years of experience as a principal, the first day of the exchange made him nervous. He is currently in his first week at Richmond Primary in Adelaide. “Coming here it’s a new curriculum, there are different levels of authority and it’s harder, much harder,” he said. The principal of Richmond Primary, Tracey Davies, has taken Berezowksi’s place at his school in New Zealand, heading Te Wharau Primary in the North Island city of Gisborne.
Is hope the key to better performance? A recent Gallup Poll has found that students’ levels of hope can mean better outcomes. The poll measured ‘non-cognitive metrics’ of students from Years 5 to 12. It found that hope, engagement and wellbeing were key factors driving students’ grades, achievement scores, retention and future employment. “This data can be used by principals and teachers for strategic planning, benchmarking, pastoral care programs and leadership development,” said Anne Lingafelter, Gallup’s learning solutions consultant for Australia and New Zealand.
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Jayne Johnston, the chief education officer at South Australia’s Department for Education and Child Development, said the concept of the exchange program was developed after conversations with her counterparts in New Zealand. “It is very new. We’re very keen for our leaders to have a global view [and] to put themselves into challenging situations,” she said. Johnston added that she hoped Davies’ exposure to a foreign education system would be fertile ground for new ideas. One area the department is hoping to examine is cultural inclusion. “Maori children in New Zealand learn very well, almost as well as the whole population, so we believe there is something there that we need to learn from,” she said. At Richmond Primary, Berezowski received a warm welcome, with students putting on a special performance. He plans to return the favour before the term is up by teaching students the Haka. A similar program called Leading Educators Around the Planet (LEAP) is also giving principals the opportunity to network with their peers overseas. The initiative, which was founded in Ontario by NSW educators in 2011, allows principals to explore new ways of improving both the quality of their leadership and their professional networks. The program has since spread to New Zealand, the US, the UK, Ireland and Finland.
Exercise for better memory, says study Hitting the gym or playing a sport after learning will help boost memory. The catch is that it must be around four hours after the learning has taken place, according to researchers at the Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Their results found that people who exercised four hours after learning new material retained information better two days later than those who exercised either immediately after learning or not at all. The results suggest the potential for exercise to improve long-term memory in educational, corporate and clinical settings.
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BEING A LEADER IN LEARNING Sue Buckley General manager – teaching and school leadership AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR TEACHING AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (AITSL)
Fast fact Queensland teachers will soon undergo an intensive professional development program aimed at boosting their knowledge in STEM education. The $3m professional development program, delivered online by Griffith University and the Queesland University of Technology, is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia.
What do you see as the key L&D must-do’s for contemporary school leaders? The principal’s role is crucial to the performance of students, teachers and the school. Accordingly, the quality of school leadership has a profound impact upon the teaching and learning that is cultivated in schools. Central in a principal’s multilayered role is being a ‘leader in learning’ for students, teachers, aspiring principals, peers and the wider community. Implicit in this role is a relentless emphasis on cultivating evidence-based teaching practices that have maximum impact on student learning. Many principals are time-poor. What advice would you give those who feel they don’t have enough time to sufficiently monitor staff L&D? In its various guises, school leadership is a demanding role. It both requires and benefits from the Australian Professional Standard for Principals – an AITSL-devised framework that provides structure and guidance to define progress and success. The standard is supported and supplemented by a range of standardreferenced tools and resources, such as the Interactive Leadership Profiles. These resources assist principals to contextualise, organise and maximise the effectiveness of their professional practices. With technology playing an ever-increasing role in schools, should principals be taking a more blended/active role in ICT, or do you feel these two areas are best left to carry out their respective duties? Principals do not necessarily need to be operational experts in the area of ICT – but they do need to be competent professional users of ICT; they need to appoint key staff who are operational, tactical and
Calls for further principal training Stephen Breen, president of the Western Australian Primary Principals Association, has warned that the amount of red tape involved in principals’ day-to-day work can have serious legal implications, both for themselves and their schools. Australia remains the only country in the industrialised world that does not have a mandated professional learning qualification to become a school leader. Breen said most multimillion-dollar businesses would have a compliance officer, an accountant and legal help to assist with the amount of compliance principals must cope with.
educational experts in educational applications of ICT; and principals need to be tactically and strategically aware of the pedagogical benefits and limitations of existing, new and emerging technologies. Statistics have shown that a quarter of new teachers consider leaving the job in their first five years. To what extent do you see professional L&D (or rather a lack thereof) contributing to this issue? Building the professional capacity of others is a key part of the principal’s role. High-quality induction into the profession is a crucial element in ensuring that newly appointed staff feel valued and confident in their new roles as graduate teachers. While the Australian
“The principal’s role is crucial to the performance of students, teachers and the school” Professional Standards for Teachers clearly state the knowledge, practice and professional engagement required of teachers throughout their careers – including the graduate stage – it’s highly desirable to supplement the standards with resources that support and give shape to individuals’ induction. At a high level, AITSL has worked successfully with authorities across Australia to develop a national approach to induction. At the individual level, AITSL is currently developing an induction app that will provide multiple levels of support for graduate teachers; six video case study examples of successful induction approaches across a range of contexts; and an animation to help promote the importance of effective induction.
All trained up with nowhere to go NSW universities are producing more teaching graduates than the state’s school system is able to accommodate, figures show. The number of non-permanent teachers has grown by more than 3,000 in just two years, according to a report by the NSW Education Department. However, it is estimated that there are currently 47,000 qualified teachers in NSW who are unable to secure a permanent job in the state’s schools. Concerns have been raised that the lack of experienced teachers may be hurting the state’s education quality.
Where are the world’s best teachers? The World Bank has named Shanghai as home to the world’s best public schools. The reason for this success, according to the World Bank, is the standard of teaching, which includes a system of constant teacher training and upgrading of skills. Teachers in Shanghai spend only a third of their time teaching – with most of their time being spent on training, preparation and working with mentors. In addition, there are “stringent” requirements to enter the teaching profession, which is seen as a prestigious job.
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION UPFRONT
NEWS ANALYSIS
STUDENTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA: A LEGAL TIME BOMB? Australian schools have made negative headlines more than half a dozen times in the last year for social media related incidents. Brett Henebery investigates how principals are tackling this increasingly complex issue
SOCIAL MEDIA is proving as much of a challenge for schools to navigate as it is an opportunity for them to maximise its benefits – as a spate of negative news headlines have demonstrated In August, a 16-year-old student from an elite Melbourne school, St Michael’s Grammar, was investigated by police for allegedly sharing naked images of girls as young as 15 with other students. Less than a month earlier, another top school – Brighton Grammar – made headlines for all the wrong reasons after two Year 11 students set up an Instagram account and described the illicit sexual acts they would participate in. The principal of Toronto High School, located in the Hunter Region of NSW, suspended 50 students for their involvement in a Facebook game that involved posting negative and abusive comments about other students. The students received short suspensions of up to four days and a small number were given long suspensions of up to 20 days. However, it’s not just students that have been reprimanded for how they’ve used social media – parents and former staff members are also causing a headache for schools by taking to social media to vent their anger. In June, the principal of The Peninsula School in Melbourne sued his former marketing director who had set up a Twitter
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account to ridicule him. According to a Supreme Court document, the account, created last year under the handle @TanPersonSays, used the fake name ‘Mr T’ to accuse The Peninsula School principal, Stuart Johnston, of nepotism, bullying and financial mismanagement. The same month, Tamborine Mountain High School principal Tracey Brose alleged that eight people had posted defamatory comments
Not aware enough, says Alex Kohn, partner, education law and dispute resolution, Makinson d’Apice Lawyers. “The education sector has slowly started to educate students and parents about the risks, but I feel that more regular and rigorous training should be offered,” Kohn says. “Digital citizenry education should be a compulsory part of the curriculum these days because social media is now the norm for
“We are seeing more and more totally inappropriate, disrespectful behaviour online. People think it is harmless fun, but it can ruin a teacher’s life, and what kind of message is it sending to their children?” Susan McLean, cyber safety expert on social media pages, prompting her to sue those involved for $150,000 each.
children, and I don’t think they fully appreciate the legal risks they face by making malicious or even careless comments online.”
Legal ramifications The message here is clear: the complex issues that social media presents for schools are not going away any time soon. So just how aware are students – and parents – that broadcasting insults and threats against educators on social media can have serious legal consequences?
Digital citizenry Many schools currently teach students about digital citizenship, which entails being responsible when accessing, sharing or posting online material. However, this also means understanding the consequences of
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WHERE YOUTH ARE BEING BULLIED Some 70% of Australians access social networks with their smartphones. This widespread use has led to sharp increases in online bullying % of teens who have witnessed online bullying 54% on Facebook 39% on YouTube 29% on Twitter 22% on Instagram 22% Source: Cox 2014 Internet Safety Survey – The Futures Company
acting outside the law when it comes to using the internet. “The main thing students should be aware of is that posting comments online means that those comments can be seen by a very wide audience,” Kohn says. “Online comments are no different from paper-based comments in that the laws of defamation apply. Therefore, all of us who post online need to be mindful not to defame someone else or breach their privacy.” In April, Australia’s leading cyber safety expert, Susan McLean, told the Herald Sun that a Melbourne primary school she advises wrote a legal letter to parents asking them to stop abusing its teachers on social media and online forums. “They were talking about the quality of teaching, defaming people, using obscene language,” McLean says. “We are seeing more and more totally inappropriate, disrespectful behaviour online. People think it is harmless fun, but it can ruin a teacher’s life, and what kind of message is it sending to their children?” McLean warned that this scenario was
“Digital citizenry education should be a compulsory part of the curriculum because social media is now the norm for children, and I don’t think they fully appreciate the legal risks they face by making malicious or even careless comments online” Alex Kohn, Makinson d’Apice Lawyers becoming increasingly common, and many parents were now lashing out on forums like Facebook rather than through the proper channels. McLean said some parents had even set up Facebook pages and websites in order to publicly name schools and teachers they had grievances with.
Quick action required In situations where a social media firestorm has erupted, author Pete Burdon, who trains school leaders in Australia and New Zealand,
says schools should have media statements ready to send out on serious issues before they are needed. “This is often the only way of getting yourself into the story, even if it’s just saying you are aware of the situation and are doing everything to resolve it,” Burdon says. “If you don’t comment quickly in these scenarios, you look incompetent or uncaring. Many schools have been hit by this over recent years and are likely to be hit more if they don’t take action to protect their reputations from media scrutiny.”
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UPFRONT
HEAD TO HEAD
Should schools introduce gender-neutral bathrooms?
David Rhodes
Phil Lewis
Meredith Peace
Senior lecturer Edith Cowan University
Principal Nazareth Catholic Community
President, Victoria branch Australian Education Union
The concept of gender-neutral bathrooms in schools has been so polarising because it challenges some people’s preconceived ideas of gender. What scares many people about gender-neutral bathrooms in schools is not the toilets themselves but the idea that children may have their own beliefs about their gender and/or sexual identity. The issues that surround the rights of young people who may be transitioning gender in school have been reduced to a base level in this debate. This diminishes the issues to that of excrement disposal, stigmatises transgendered people, and reinforces old stereotypes. While some significant gains have been made in the rights and visibility of LGBTIQ Australians, it is time to demonstrate that these rights are extended to some of society’s most vulnerable LGBITQ people – children and youth.
Any response will likely depend on the context, culture and values of that school. In a multifaith and multicultural Australian society there needs to be a strong sense of understanding and compassion for all members of a school community. How a school community acts on a particular issue should be determined by a deep sense of justice in regard to the issue and the people involved. The values of a school should determine the response to an issue. Lastly, in regard to the specific bathroom issue, there are a number of other structural options in buildings that could be considered in addition to declaring them gender neutral. Hence, there is no one answer to this issue. There are many options that will need to be considered to determine which option will be congruent with the values of the school.
Any measure at school to promote awareness and understanding about the issues faced by same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students and staff is a step in the right direction. The introduction of gender-neutral bathrooms would be a symbol of acceptance for many students and would help build understanding. Students who experience homophobic abuse, bullying or marginalisation are educationally disadvantaged. Schools have a role and obligation to address these issues to ensure every child has equal opportunity and respect in their learning environment. The AEU will continue to advocate and promote the discussion about tangible action school communities can take to make schools safe and more inclusive for LGBTIQ students and staff.
COMPLEX CHALLENGES OF AN INCREASINGLY DIVERSE SOCIETY An increasing number of children are reporting a gender that differs from their gender assigned at birth. For example, on the world’s biggest social network, Facebook, there are now more than 70 gender options for its users. However, studies have shown that transgender students can be harassed, sexually assaulted or subjected to other physical violence when they are required to use a gendered bathroom. One survey, commissioned by the Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA, found that 68% of participants were subjected to homophobic slurs while trying to use the bathroom. Nine per cent confronted physical violence. Can gender-neutral bathrooms help improve the situation?
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THE BIG INTERVIEW
GRAHAM EATHER
LEADING THE WAY FORWARD Callaghan College principal Graham Eather talks about achievements amassed through collaborative work, and innovating in education to provide students with a host of exciting new opportunities
GRAHAM EATHER has spent almost a decade as a secondary school principal, joining Callaghan College in the Newcastle area in 2014. An education leader who is passionate about innovation, Eather recently oversaw the introduction of a course providing the opportunity for Callaghan students to become skilled in the use of drones and even obtain a qualification in the industry while still at school. And according to Eather, equally exciting innovations at Callaghan are in the pipeline. The Educator spoke to Eather recently to find out more about his career in education and the innovations at the college, and to get his thoughts on the direction in which education in Australia should be moving. THE EDUCATOR: Can you provide an overview of your career as a principal? GRAHAM EATHER: I was six years as principal at Hunter River High School in Raymond Terrace before being selected as college principal at Callaghan College, where I am currently in my third year. Prior to that, I’ve been lucky enough to have a variety of senior roles inside the Department of Education in Leadership, Curriculum, Professional Learning and School Improvement in both Sydney – where I worked for 10 years – and Newcastle. I believe these roles enabled me to develop a strong sense of the big educational picture, and offered the opportunity to see what
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schools are doing in a range of contexts to improve student outcomes.
ED: What would you single out as having been your greatest accomplishments as a principal? GE: It’s hard to single out individual accomplishments because the role of the principal as team leader, coach and mentor means success depends so much on other people, so achievements become our achieve ments, not my achievements. I would like to think that our achievements across my two principalships have been based on a clear framework of high expectations, opportunities to learn, personalised learning, and encouraging personal excellence through collaboration, innovation and determination. At Hunter River High School, the shift in school culture was brought about by teams of people working together. We improved attendance, increased student commendations, increased workplace learning opportunities by 18%, embedded the ‘Lesson Study’ program as part of our professional practice, and improved value added to our HSC students. Personally, all of these pale in comparison with my reception from students when I returned to HRHS for a meeting after leaving for Callaghan College. As I walked through the playground the students came to see me and say hello and I ended up being mobbed. It was certainly overwhelmingly powerful, and I admit to
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From left: Dana Fuller, principal, Callaghan Waratah Technology campus; Paul Tracey, principal, Callaghan Wallsend campus; Graham Eather, college principal, Callaghan College; Allen Littlewood, principal, Callaghan Jesmond senior campus
“There can be no doubt that the future of society is inextricably linked to STEM education. Technology, in particular, is changing the world at an increasingly rapid rate, and changing both the way we interact and the way we think� www.educatoronline.com.au
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PROFILE
GRAHAM EATHER becoming a little emotional because the welcome from students went straight to the heart of teaching – it’s about building positive personal professional relationships and creating the environment for people to succeed. When you’re here for the kids, every teacher actually loves it when we see past students in the street or shopping centre or wherever and they want to stop or say hello. You know you made a difference there.
ED: Conversely, what do you think have been the greatest challenges you’ve faced as a principal? GE: The greatest challenges I believe are threefold: firstly, time – every teacher’s nemesis is sufficient time, to get it done and done right; secondly, school turnaround requires a huge amount of emotional energy and time and can take a huge toll on personal relationships; and thirdly, keeping up with the pace of educational reform at both
state and national levels. The National Partnership program allowed many schools the opportunity to innovate school structures, curriculum organisation and pedagogy – and that’s why Gonski funding remains critically important to maintaining the momentum of change and achievement.
“We need to look to Canada. We are culturally very similar, and their philosophy of education is very much akin to ours” ED: Talking specifically about Callaghan College, what do you think are the key aspects of the school and the education it offers that distinguish it from many other secondary schools in Australia? GE: Callaghan College is a multi-campus government comprehensive college catering for the needs of around 2,400 students from
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST SCHOOL DRONE COURSE TAKES OFF In 2016, Callaghan College, working with a private sector company, has developed and co-implemented a nationally certified Certificate III in Aviation – Remote Drone Piloting course. The course has been made possible by the school’s collaboration with Vocational Education and Training (VET); Regional Development Australia (RDA), Hunter branch; and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Classes are being delivered at the school’s senior campus by teachers and trained professionals from UAVAir, a company that offers drone piloting courses. Studies will encompass 240 hours of face-to-face training spread across four units. Graham Eather is quick to praise campus principal Allen Littlewood and industry coordinator Leigh Lillian for the initiative. Eather tells The Educator about the context in which the course has been developed and rolled out. “Drones are being used more and more right across society,” he says. “From aerial photography to aerial observation, they’re being used by the New South Wales Fire Brigade, in terms of spotting bushfires, they’re being used in photography, they’re being used by engineers to survey long stretches of lines or pipes. Drones can go anywhere; they can give you a different view and a different perspective very quickly. “CASA actually assess the students as part of this course, and then kids can take that Certificate III in Aviation, go straight into industry and be pilots in whatever industry needs…” As Eather explains, offering the course today is all about preparing students to meet the needs of an industry of the future. “The really important thing is that we’re developing kids now at the beginning of the industry. So it’s not as if there’s a big drone industry out there and they’re crying out for pilots and this is a course to meet that need. We’re actually ahead of the curve in meeting the needs of what will become a boom industry.”
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the low SES western corridor of Newcastle. The college has a history of innovation and success across its three campuses: in 2013, the college was placed in the top three schools in the world by Pearson Education in 21st Century Learning; in 2015 the college was named as one of the Top 40 Innovative
schools in Australia by The Educator magazine; and in 2016 students and staff from the Jesmond senior campus have taken out all three school-related sections of the Hunter Region Apprentice and Traineeships Awards: VET School Teacher of the Year; VET School-based Trainee of the Year; [and] VET School-based Apprentice of the Year. At Callaghan College we are collaborating to empower learners. The great work going on at Callaghan College is reflected in our booming enrolments: Jesmond senior campus has over 800 students for the first time in 20 years; Wallsend campus has almost 1,100 students and is closed to non-local enrolments because it is full; and Waratah campus has over 600 students for the first time in a decade. This is because of the outstanding work being done by teachers and, in particular, the campus principals: Dana Fuller, Allen Littlewood and Paul Tracey. As a whole, the college is a leader in future learning, being the first government school in New South Wales to invest in the Canvas Learning Management System, providing all students and staff with access to the world-class Lynda.com learning platform, and in 2016 the internationally renowned educationalist Yong Zhao worked exclusively with Callaghan staff. Callaghan College Jesmond senior campus is the largest provider of School-based Apprentices and Traineeships in NSW; in 2015 it won the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge; and in 2016 it introduced the first
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PROFILE
GRAHAM EATHER Certificate III in Aviation – Remote Drone Piloting course in Australia. Callaghan College Waratah campus is a state-wide leader in PBL and is achieving outstanding academic value-added; and
skills of teamwork to lead, manage, challenge and collaborate with people … We’ve been using a 21st century learning framework as the basis for developing both those soft, subtle skills – the ability to communicate and
“It is through the arts that students learn the soft or subtle skills of teamwork to lead, manage, challenge and collaborate” Callaghan Wallsend campus is a Stronger Smarter Hub and a leader in the integration of technology-based pedagogies. Finally, the Callaghan Education Pathways [CEP] is our community of 15 partner primary schools working together as one with the college to provide smooth transitions and additional learning and community opportunities. When we first started our Digital Media Festival, where students at each school produce a short film that is shown at a public event, we did not anticipate the 1,000-plus members of the community who attended. In 2015, over 2,000 members of the community attended. We also have significant projects across the CEP in Aboriginal education, sport and creative arts.
ED: How important do you think STEM education is for school students in today’s world? GE: At Callaghan College we have been working with Regional Development Australia [Hunter] through the ME Program to enhance STEM education in the curriculum. Students are engaged in developing solar-powered cars, F1 in Schools, RoboCup, and the Quberider program, which teaches students to code for a specific project that will be launched into space. We teach the specific iSTEM syllabus in Stage 5, our software design students have achieved outstanding success winning the Australian Video Game Challenge, and we are the only school/college in Australia delivering the Cert III Aviation Drone piloting course. At the same time, we are very much about a STEAM approach, because it is through the arts that students learn the soft or subtle
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collaborate, the ability to make decisions, the ability to relate to others, the ability to problem-solve.
ED: Can you tell us about anything happening at Callaghan College in times ahead? GE: We are currently exploring virtual reality in the education space with researchers from the University of Newcastle. ED: What do you think educators and governments should be looking at, focusing on and/or doing in order to best equip students with the tools and knowledge they require to survive in the world of the future? GE: My personal professional opinion is that we are currently looking in the wrong directions for school and systems improve ment. Educationally, we are being encouraged to look to Finland and Asia to mimic their success in PISA – but both of these areas are significantly culturally different to Australia. Also, our politicians are trying to adopt accountability and funding structures based on failing American and British models. It is almost as if we are getting the worst of both worlds. I was in England two years ago as part of an educational exchange, and am really concerned by what I saw, both educationally and administratively. The system of paying teachers according to their results is seriously flawed, and I was able to experience first-hand the educational devastation caused by an OFSTED [Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills] inspection. We need to look to Canada. We are culturally very similar, and their philosophy of education is very much akin to ours. Excellent
educational research is being conducted there, and the changes they are making in their educational systems, structures and schools are showing improvements in student outcomes.
ED: In your career can you pinpoint something you are particularly proud of ? GE: My proudest moment as a principal came in 2014 when I was able to speak at the combined Education Week assembly as Callaghan College principal at Jesmond campus with my youngest niece, Georgia Hernando beside me as College captain. This was the same campus where my brother Jeff and sister Cheryl and I were captains of the school, and Georgia’s older sister Alexandra was also captain.
LESSONS FOR ASPIRING LEADERS IN EDUCATION “I’ve been lucky enough to have been exposed to lots of great leaders in education,” Graham Eather tells The Educator. “My time in the state leadership unit allowed me to consider more deeply the issues around leadership and to come into contact with a number of international educational leaders.” Eather says he’s received his most important lessons in leadership first-hand. Among those lessons, he cites the teaching that the role of principal is ‘first among equals’; the need to consider the impact of change on emotional wellbeing by ‘putting people first’; and the importance of the ‘three Rs’ of educational leadership – ‘Relationships! Relationships! Relationships!’ Eather also mentions a former colleague who showed him that “the role of the principal educator in a school is to balance care and compassion for each individual (student, staff, community members) with the spine to set and maintain professional standards. “It changed my leadership style, I believe, for the better – and that has made all the difference.”
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016
THE CHANGE MERCHANTS
In our second annual Innovative Schools list, The Educator once again profiles the schools leading the charge in transforming Australia’s educational framework 20
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Sponsored by
SCHOOL INDEX NAME
PAGE STATE TYPE
Aitkenvale Public School
22
QLD
P
All Hallows School
31
QLD
I
Aspect Hunter School
22
NSW
P
Bendigo South East College
22
VIC
P
Bethania Lutheran School
24
QLD
I
Brighton Secondary School
35
SA
P
Callaghan College
32
NSW
I
Catholic Regional College, Sydenham
23
VIC
C
East Hills Girls Technology High School
23
NSW
P
Giant Steps
25
NSW
P
Grace Lutheran College
30
QLD
I
Hale School
28
WA
I
Hastings Secondary College
35
NSW
P
Humpybong State School
22
QLD
P
Immanuel College
25
SA
I
Inaburra School
24
NSW
I
Knox Grammar School
24
NSW
I
Lomandra School
25
NSW
P
Mabel Park State High School
26
QLD
P
Mallacoota P-12 College
24
VIC
P
Mentone Girls' Grammar School
28
VIC
I
Mount Sinai College
29
NSW
I
Schoolbox and Digistorm are proud to support the Innovative Schools report for 2016. This is a fantastic opportunity to recognise innovative educators who use technology to improve teaching and learning outcomes. Technology continues to prove its ability to drive improvements in student outcomes, whilst supporting schools to move away from traditional methods. Schools are being challenged to review the impact and use of new technologies, whilst improving how parents are engaged throughout their child’s learning journey. Technology presents real challenges for educators and only those prepared to embrace change and embody innovation in a variety of forms and try new approaches to teaching and learning will shape the educational landscape of the future. It is great to see that again this year many of the schools showcased are both Schoolbox and Digistorm clients who are at the cutting edge of applying creative and innovative practices. We extend our congratulations to these clients and all the entrants that made this year’s Innovative Schools list – well done! We encourage all schools to draw upon this year’s examples, share initiatives, and reflect on the stories about educators on the edge and their big ideas for change and innovation through technology. A big thank you to The Educator for pushing the education industry forward and for the opportunity for Schoolbox and Digistorm to be a major contributor to this initiative.
Murringo Public School
32
NSW
P
Nossal High School
28
VIC
P
Oakleigh State School
30
QLD
P
Ormiston College
29
QLD
I
Parkmore Primary School
31
VIC
P
Penola Catholic College
29
VIC
C
Pulteney Grammar School
26
SA
I
Quakers Hill Public School
34
NSW
P
Rooty Hill High School
25
NSW
P
Saint Stephen's College
31
QLD
I
Scotch Oakburn College
23
TAS
I
Snowy Mountains Grammar School
35
NSW
I
St John's College
26
VIC
I
Tenison Woods College
34
SA
C
Trangie Central School
34
NSW
P
Wellers Hill State School
30
QLD
P
Sean Richards, Co-founder, Schoolbox Tim Oswald, Managing director, Digistorm Education
Woniora Road School
32
NSW
P
32
VIC
P
WELCOME TO The Educator’s second annual Innovative Schools list. Following the exceptional response we received to our request for submissions for our inaugural list, we were overwhelmed again this year by the number of entries from schools right across the country, telling us about the impressive initiatives they’ve employed to optimise their students’ educational experiences. Given the volume and quality of entries, it was a challenging task to compile a
shortlist, but we’re now proud to be able to highlight the work of 40 schools whose endeavours deserve special recognition. Over the following pages, we recognise these exceptional schools, with 12 of them being spotlighted in greater detail. Read on to discover how these schools have introduced an innovative edge in everything they do, from pedagogy to technology and all aspects of K-12 education.
MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS
Yarram Secondary College TYPE
P – Public
I – Independent
C – Catholic
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016 BENDIGO SOUTH EAST COLLEGE Bendigo, Vic
AITKENVALE PUBLIC SCHOOL Aitkenvale, Qld
Programs have been implemented targeting behavioural issues in the culturally diverse school population. The programs have helped the school make significant gains. Notably, over two terms a drop of 60–70% has been observed in the number of student suspensions.
This college of over 1,450 Year 7–10 students is located in regional Victoria and works hard to offer its students opportunities and experiences to match or exceed its non-government, metropolitan and global counterparts. It has launched programs to offer eager artists and athletes avenues to grow expertise in their chosen field while also maintaining a high level of academic excellence. The school’s Athlete Development Program represents a significant investment in building an athlete-friendly elite training facility, creating a new level of opportunity for young athletes in country Victoria. The Academy of Creative Arts provides specialist learning facilities, high-performance workshops and production studio environments that enable participating students to have contact with elite professionals as role models and mentors, and to have the opportunity to perform at competitions and other performance events, as well as to attend camps and partake in other practical experiences. And then there’s The Inn, Bendigo South East’s refurbished library space, which has been designed to foster innovative learning contexts (collaborative workspaces with digital displays, independent workspace settings and reading places). It hosts the school’s Professional Discussion and Engagement Program, the goal of which is to focus staff attention on discovering and discussing contemporary strategies for improving learning and the level of curriculum delivery.
ASPECT HUNTER SCHOOL Thornton, NSW
Aspect Hunter School for Children with Autism has received international recognition for developing a new learning resource, ‘Explore Everything with Pokemon Go’, the first learning program in the world to utilise the enormously popular app for the social, health and academic benefits of its students.
HUMPYBONG STATE SCHOOL Margate, Qld
Humpybong’s Step-Up (Schools Transition Experience into Prep) program focuses on properly preparing children for school life during the six months before they commence prep. Both parents and children gain valuable readiness skills through teaching and support.
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Sponsored by
EAST HILLS GIRLS TECHNOLOGY HIGH SCHOOL
CATHOLIC REGIONAL COLLEGE, SYDENHAM
Panania, NSW
Sydenham, Vic
East Hills provides students with rigorous teaching programs online. Year 7 students access their learning on the iTunes U platform. Digital feedback, assessment and communication between student and teacher are delivered via the Showbie app, and assessments allow students to address learning criteria by using iMovie, iBooks Author and App Smashing.
A highly varied VET curriculum is delivered in an environment where no one academic, vocational or technical stream dominates. Instead, a mix is offered to provide better engagement and pathway outcomes. There are 930 students in Years 11 and 12, plus another 700 students a week coming across from up to 19 other schools in the region to access the college’s programs.
SCOTCH OAKBURN COLLEGE Newstead, Tas
The college continues to strengthen its links with Asia and Asian education on the basis that its students live in a country where relationships with Asia are increasingly important. Currently, it’s developing a virtual collaboration between classes at the school and a school in Beijing, which will involve students Skyping and emailing in order to work on projects together, while in their respective classrooms, with the intention of fostering cultural understanding and real-life learning opportunities for everyone.
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016 INABURRA SCHOOL Bangor, NSW
Innovations at Inaburra have impacted on its pedagogy, built environment, the curriculum, and use of ICT for learning. With respect to its pedagogy, the school has developed and is now implementing a school-wide design approach to teaching and learning. That shared framework was created through an iterative design process.
KNOX GRAMMAR SCHOOL Wahroonga, NSW
Knox Grammar’s efforts to innovate are focused on enabling students to develop their creativity, critical problem-solving skills and the ability to work collaboratively, to prepare them to face the challenges of the future with confidence and a growth mindset. Knox has implemented programs attracting both national and international recognition. Its Total Fitness model holistically connects students’ physical, spiritual, social and academic fitness. The model is grounded in positive psychology and was this year presented in France. Knox is a founding member of the Positive Education Schools Association, working with schools across Australia, New Zealand and Asia that are considered key pioneers in implementing positive psychology. Knox’s Years 7–10 Da Vinci program challenges students in all subjects and includes mastery programs promoting creative thinking. The school’s Da Vinci Decathlon is a regional, state, national and international academic event that involves students competing in 10 disciplines, including ideation, cartography, engineering and science. Over 10,000 Australian students and 1,500 students in the US, UK and India today participate. Knox students also undertake innovative cross-disciplinary tasks, challenging them to use design thinking and prototyping to solve problems and develop original solutions. Its Year 9 students have recently worked on a STEM biomechanics project with the University of Sydney.
MALLACOOTA P-12 COLLEGE Mallacoota, Vic
The 16 teachers at this small school are driving improvements in teaching quality by collecting and analysing data on their effectiveness in their classrooms by adopting Pivot Professional Learning’s student survey approach. This then allows school leaders to allocate learning resources where they’re most needed.
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BETHANIA LUTHERAN SCHOOL Bethania, Qld
The school has eschewed the concept of static classroom desks as outdated, instead opting to create completely agile learning spaces. In order to promote the needs of individual learners, each learning space features standing desks, movable soft furnishings, stable tables for floor work, adjustable tables, fit balls and stools, as well as a range of writeable surfaces and digital technologies. Children have been given a voice in how the furniture in their rooms is used, and where it is positioned, in order to assist them in maximising their learning experience. These learning environments include purpose-built outdoor spaces where students enjoy fresh air and natural light, and Wi-Fi facilitates seamless learning between indoor and outdoor areas. All of Bethania Lutheran’s teachers have been professionally educated on contemporary agile learning spaces and the pedagogy necessary to successfully teach in these environments. Additionally, the school’s kindergarten and Year 1 students engage in phenomenon-based learning, with the ‘phenomenon’ being a real-life experience that occurs within the student’s learning space. Makerspaces have also been developed in each learning space, allowing students to engage with learning experiences that require them to design, reflect and refine solutions in a relevant and meaningful way.
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Sponsored by
IMMANUEL COLLEGE Novar Gardens, SA
The college has opened a new senior school building, but it’s more than just bricks and mortar. The new facility includes studio spaces, an open plan learning hub, a conference facility and a 200-seat lecture theatre, and aims to prepare students for life and learning beyond Immanuel. Its design endeavours to allow students to make responsible decisions as to how they study, and to assist in preparing them for the less structured world of tertiary study as well as the workplace.
LOMANDRA SCHOOL Campbelltown, NSW
Lomandra is a Year 5–12 school for students exhibiting severe and challenging behaviours and/or suffering from serious mental health conditions. The school’s ‘Outside Classroom’ approach involves every student engaging in learning activities off-site each week. These include travel training, surf and water safety programs, visits to worksites, work experience, participation in TAFE courses, excursions to city museums and art galleries, and volunteering at aged care facilities. Students are taken outside school grounds not necessarily because they’re ready to go but because their behaviour demonstrates their need to go, and to develop their social emotional capabilities so that when they leave school they’re better placed to be confident and successful members of the community. Lomandra is the first behaviour school in NSW to have taken students overseas. In 2013, it took five students to walk the Kokoda Track. The trip was repeated in 2015 and plans are now underway for a 2017 trek. Last year, the school commissioned Western Sydney University to research the effectiveness of its Outside Classroom approach. The findings reflected the outcomes Lomandra seeks for its students – a greater sense of belonging, higher levels of resilience, and an increased sense of achievement and success.
GIANT STEPS Gladesville, NSW, and Kew, Vic
Giant Steps educates children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therapists work alongside teaching staff in classrooms across the full school day, and together those professionals combine their expertise to enhance the support offered to young people dealing with complex issues that include not only ASD but also intellectual delay and mental health issues.
ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOLL Rooty Hill, NSW
Rooty Hill High School continually works to ensure every student achieves their best. The school is one of eight across NSW and Victoria identified as ‘Powerhouse Schools’ by Social Ventures Australia, recognising their commitment to innovation. In 2014 and 2015, the school hosted visits from school leaders from all sectors across NSW wanting to adopt or adapt one or more of the approaches currently used at Rooty Hill. This year, the school was featured in the AEU report, Getting Results: Gonski Funding in Australian Schools, for its efforts to ensure students have the literacy skills and support needed to achieve academically. When the current Year 10 group (approximately 220 students) started high school, only 10% of those students were at or above grade level. That year group was the focus of a program and, thanks to new programming and pedagogical approaches, at the end of last semester 70% of those students were at or above grade level and only 9% still require intensive intervention. Rooty Hill High School is the lead school in a partnership with 11 other schools, the Mitchell Institute and Professor Yong Zhao from Harvard University, which was formed to develop 21st century skills in entrepreneurship and collaboration.
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016
Sponsored by
MABEL PARK STATE HIGH SCHOOL Slacks Creek, Qld
PULTENEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL Adelaide, SA
Mabel Park State High School is situated in an area confronted with a high youth unemployment rate (15.2%). Its leaders were determined to provide students with viable pathways into the workforce or into further study upon leaving school, and were cognisant of the fact that the health industry will suffer critical workforce shortages over the next two decades as a result of the growing, ageing population. Additionally, the area is said to have a shortage of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) providing health qualifications. As a result, the school has collaborated with local industry to establish a health training facility, the Health Hub – the first of its kind to be founded on school grounds in Southeast Queensland. Careers Australia is the RTO and delivers a Certificate II in Health Support Services, providing students from all schools in the area with an opportunity to pursue a pathway to the health sector. At present, 65 students from nine schools are enrolled in the course, and a number of other schools have shown interest in duplicating Mabel Park’s Health Hub concept.
Pulteney’s new senior learning centre is an ‘adult space’ characterised by flexible furniture options, shared breakout spaces, ubiquitous technology, and small pods for reflective work. Its aim is to promote multimodal learning and to ‘de-privatise’ the classroom, so that learning becomes more transparent and dynamic. As part of the design, a conscious decision was made to remove traditional hierarchies associated with teacher desks and private offices. Staff have thus been co-located into a communal space.
ST JOHN’S COLLEGE Preston, Vic
St John’s has worked hard to improve learning outcomes for its senior students. In 2013, it introduced its three-year Strategic Directions program designed to improve VCE results. It has seen the median study score increase by eight points over three years, and the school has improved its overall ranking from 424 (in 2011) to 66 out of 528 schools (in 2015).
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016
NOSSAL HIGH SCHOOL Berwick, Vic
The school has worked to heighten emphasis on learning growth and productive collaboration by implementing a range of assessment and reporting practices, including descriptive assessment and group feedback (where students receive written feedback on work but no marks, and work in groups with other students to identify how to improve their understanding of particular aspects of the assessment). Nossal has also implemented peer and self-assessment, aiming to improve critical thinking and metacognitive capacity.
HALE SCHOOL Wembley Downs, WA
Hale School has implemented a range of initiatives, both technological and social. The teaching approach and curriculum design for maths for Years 7 and 8 have been completely transformed by using Microsoft OneNote and Office 365 to support a problem-based blended learning paradigm. Students access problem sets designed by teachers and are required to find solutions to those problems without any teacher input in the first instance. Students must be able to justify their answers to each problem. Subsequently, the teacher formalises the learning through sharing of student responses and direct teaching, and students then make effective entries in their learning journals. This develops each student’s ability to summarise learnings in their own words, and provides great references that students can use for their revision. ‘Service learning’ is integrated into Hale’s curriculum from Years 1 to 9 (becoming voluntary in Year 10). The school has partnered with the Path of Hope Foundation, which provides mentoring programs for women and children who’ve been victims of domestic violence. That partnership involves Hale boys visiting the women’s refuge and mentoring, playing with and assisting children with homework. For many of the children it will be their first experience of a positive male role model. Over half of Hale’s students continue volunteering in their senior school years, and the culture of ‘giving back’ has meant many ex-students have even formed their own alumni to continue giving back to the community.
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MENTONE GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL Mentone, Vic
Enterprise is an intrinsic part of the school’s curriculum and is fostered from a young age. In July 2016, Mentone Girls’ Grammar officially opened its Enterprise Academy to harness enterprising culture and facilitate collaborative, hands-on, experiential teaching and learning.
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Sponsored by
ORMISTON COLLEGE Ormiston, Qld
Ormiston College is recognised as a leader in its transdisciplinary approach to implementing STEM in the mainstream classroom. In 2016, the college has continued building on its STEM initiatives via project-based learning. It has also received global recognition, this year becoming one of only nine fully fledged Microsoft Worldwide Showcase Schools in Australia. Ormiston students were invited to present projects and deliver workshops for delegates attending Griffith University’s Digital Technology Summit, the Australian Council for Educational Research STEM Conference, and Microsoft Australia’s Redefining Learning Conference. At these events, students demonstrated how they built and coded their own 3D robotic hand, created and coded short stories, and how they designed their own hydraulic system. Today, one third of Ormiston College’s teaching staff are members of its Learning Innovations Leadership Committee (LILC), which meets regularly (both face-to-face and online) to examine new and emerging technologies, share classroom best practice, and collaborate on how to effectively lead improvement, innovation and change in 21st century schools. LILC members also engage in action research, with a view to obtaining insights into innovative approaches in teaching and learning, and developing reflective practice.
MOUNT SINAI COLLEGE Sydney, NSW
Based on Dr Reuven Feuerstein’s theory on the malleability of intelligence, the college has implemented a cognitive learning program that aims to help students process information more effectively. It focuses on how children learn, rather than just what they learn.
PENOLA CATHOLIC COLLEGE Broadmeadows, Vic
The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programs provide students studying foreign languages with additional exposure to skills needed to learn, decipher, read and write in another language. At Year 9 level, the school integrates history, geography and religious education with Italian. The content for each of these subjects for CLIL students is the same as that taught to mainstream students, except that it’s delivered and assessed in Italian.
FEBRUARY 2015 | 29 www.educatoronline.com.au
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016 OAKLEIGH STATE SCHOOL Ashgrove, Qld
GRACE LUTHERAN COLLEGE
Last year, the school embarked on a community consultation process that led to design and implementation of the Young Innovator Program. The program caters for around 100 students in an after-school capacity, utilising the skills and expertise of teachers, parents, industry experts, a ‘Code the Future’ volunteer, university students, the area’s local library, and commercial organisations. It assists students in finding their own learning niche. Workshops have included Digital Game Design, Arduino Coding, Media Production, Young Engineers, Junior Coders, Junior Entrepreneurs, Kerbal Space Program, Girls Tech and Electronics Project Design. Coming up, the program will provide the opportunity for parents to partake in workshops so that their own learning and outlook supports that of their children. Additionally, the program is playing a role in ongoing development of the curriculum, with teachers considering students’ skills when they design the curriculum as a means of ensuring accommodation of their developing skills and mindsets.
Rothwell, Qld
Grace College has rolled out STEM initiatives that often focus on robotics, with a view to heightening student engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics on various levels, complete with an appropriate set of values and ethics. Students learn to program LEGO® NXT robots and more-advanced EV3 robots. They have also competed in the Asia Pacific FIRST® Robotics Competition – the only team from Southeast Queensland at the event, which features teams from over 12 countries.
WELLERS HILL STATE SCHOOL Tarragindi, Qld
In 2014, a Japanese Bilingual Program was launched with the goal of enhancing students’ learning ability through neurological brain development. From Year 1, students spend 50% of their school week studying the Australian curriculum in English, and the remaining 50% is spent studying the same curriculum in Japanese. It’s expected that students will be conversationally fluent in Japanese by the end of Year 3, and technically fluent by the end of Year 6 in both spoken and written Japanese.
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Sponsored by
SAINT STEPHEN’S COLLEGE
ALL HALLOWS SCHOOL
Coomera, Qld
Brisbane, Qld
The college has implemented an organisation-wide change to technologyenhanced learning for over eight years. Last year it hosted the inaugural FlipCon Conference, focused on flip learning and associated teaching and learning paradigm changes, and will again host the event this year, with 14 members of its own faculty presenting.
All Hallows utilises cloud-based technologies and stylus devices to deliver more meaningful feedback. Typed, drawn, audio and video-recorded feedback is provided to students, who can asynchronously access, review and respond to that feedback, helping them to more easily recognise mistakes and devise strategies to address the issues.
PARKMORE PRIMARY SCHOOL Forest Hill, Vic
The school’s social and emotional learning program, ‘Positive Education’, is integrated into student learning. Students engage in social and emotional learning at the point of need (for example, mindfulness prior to NAPLAN assessments or exploring character strengths, such as perseverance, during challenging tasks) on the basis of research demonstrating that this has the greatest effect on building competencies for learning and emotional regulation.
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016
YARRAM SECONDARY COLLEGE
Sponsored by
WONIORA ROAD SCHOOL Hurstville, NSW
Yarram, Vic
Yarram is a remote, rural community with no public transport to or from the town. This challenge meant that exposing students to new technologies and their associated career paths was near impossible. To bridge that gap, the school now offers VET Game Design and Year 10 Multimedia, and for the first time Yarram students are considering courses in software engineering and digital design.
MURRINGO PUBLIC SCHOOL
Woniora Road caters specifically for secondary students with internalising emotional disorders and other mental health issues. It offers a mainstream curriculum, as well as several engagement programs, adapted to meet student interests and incorporate the latest in mental health research. The programs aim to increase mental health literacy and directly teach cognitive behaviour therapy principles to enhance students’ sense of self-worth, belonging and purpose.
CALLAGHAN COLLEGE Newcastle, NSW
Murringo, NSW
A small rural school of only 26 students, Murringo Public has led a STEM initiative in the Southern Tablelands for small schools over the past two years. It has created online courses for gifted and talented students across 18 schools and led integrated STEM unit training for teachers from 10 schools. The school teaches integrated units of work, incorporating all key learning areas and involving higher-level thinking skills and a problem-solving approach.
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In 2016, Callaghan College continues to embrace the innovation we spotlighted in our inaugural Innovative Schools list. It’s establishing the first course in Certificate III Aviation (Remote Pilot – Visual Line Sight) in schools in Australia. Currently delivered to Year 11 students at one of Callaghan’s three campuses, the course represents the culmination of two years of collaboration between the college, UAVair, BASAIR, the Regional Development Australia Hunter office and its ME Program, the NSW Department of Education, and the NSW Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards. Students undertake assessments conducted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and, on completing the course, receive their commercial radio licence, in addition to their Certificate III. There are already plans to double the number of students engaged in the course in 2017. On top of innovations on the drone front, Callaghan College has entered into a research and development partnership with the University of Newcastle to explore the use of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies in education – another Australian first.
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COVER STORY
INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS 2016
TENISON WOODS COLLEGE Mount Gambier, SA
In recent times, Tenison Woods has gone above and beyond on the sustainability front. Not only has a sustainability coordinator position been created on staff, but the college has created Indigenous garden spaces, improved paper and container recycling by 200%, designed solutions to green waste and food waste issues, created a formal Sustainable Futures Policy, and imbedded sustainability in the curriculum.
TRANGIE CENTRAL SCHOOL Trangie, NSW
Nine years ago, Trangie Central School was in a vastly different position to the one it’s in today. There were 45 secondary and 60 primary school students, its student body lacked motivation, no Year 12 students were enrolled, and no high-level senior courses were offered. It was decided to utilise the power of the creative and performing arts to develop student self-esteem and enhance learning outcomes. The thinking was that if a student could find success in one endeavour they would have the confidence required to succeed elsewhere. Since then, a school improvement program has been implemented – a program of change that is ongoing. Actions taken include extensive professional development for staff, employment of teachers to provide music lessons and dance opportunities, and the establishment of interest groups allowing students from different years to work together on self-defence, Aboriginal art, cooking, LEGO robotics and community mural projects. Today, enrolments have grown to 110 secondary and 105 primary students, all science and extension subjects are available, the majority of students are engaged in one or more extra-curricular activities, student/teacher relationships are strong, and students are taking leadership roles in the school and community.
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QUAKERS HILL PUBLIC SCHOOL Quakers Hill, NSW
The school has developed an innovative speech and language program to address difficulties faced by some students entering kindergarten and the impact of those issues on their learning. It has also rolled out the Warami Community Engagement Program, specially designed to engage and enhance student outcomes for its members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
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Sponsored by
SNOWY MOUNTAINS GRAMMAR SCHOOL Jindabyne, NSW
SMGS is facilitating a range of opportunities for students to engage in the areas in which they love to learn. The recently introduced Academies of Excellence program for all students in Years 7 to 12 sees the traditional timetable suspended one day each week, when students attend their ‘academy’ of choice, learning with students across all year levels. The 18 academies include drama and theatre studies, engineering, innovation and design, equestrian and early childhood education. Students apply their skills and knowledge to solve real-life challenges. In the School of Invention, students are designing and building a fully automated and wirelessly controlled remotely operated vehicle capable of airborne and underwater exploration via manual control, pre-programmed instructions or basic artificial intelligence. “Some of the best ideas and designs have come from Year 7 students challenging the Year 12 students who bring experience to the challenge,” says Craig Moore, head of the School of Invention. The school’s #GlobalU program invites Year 9 and 10 students to enrol in any massive open online course (MOOC). Students study courses such as forensic science, psychology of criminal justice, bioethics and palaeoanthropology with universities such as Princeton, Harvard and London, as well as local universities including Macquarie and Sydney.
HASTINGS SECONDARY COLLEGE Port Macquarie, NSW
In 2015, Hastings Secondary College contemplated how to better tailor its educational offerings to its diverse community, investigating innovative approaches adopted both locally and abroad, and developing a range of flexible learning opportunities. For Year 7 and 8 students, it has developed sports, STEM and creative industries academies for students. It also offers Personal Interest Project classes for students across a range of interest areas, linking learning to real-world experience. There’s also the LEAP Academy for Year 8 to 10 students who benefit from more individualised learning in a smaller group setting, and then there’s the Zenith program for high-achieving and gifted and talented students in Year 7, in which staff and students work together on authentic, real-world projects.
BRIGHTON SECONDARY SCHOOL North Brighton, SA
Brighton Secondary has a strong, challenge-based STEM program based around participation in the F1 in Schools Competition. Three years ago it won the world championship and, on top of that, has had three other teams representing Australia. Right now it has a team preparing for the upcoming world event in Austin, Texas.
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FEATURES
LEGAL
THE BEGINNING AND END OF RESPONSIBILITY Principals and schools have a responsibility to reasonably safeguard their students from harm. A legal expert discusses the scope of that duty
UNDER THE law of negligence, school principals have a duty of care to take reasonable steps to prevent a foreseeable risk of injury to students. And if that duty is breached, a student may be entitled to legal compensation for loss or damage arising from the negligent act or omission. But how well do principals appreciate the extent of that duty of care? “I think they do appreciate the concept in general terms,” says Alex Kohn, partner, education law and dispute resolution at Makinson d’Apice Lawyers. “I think it’s something that’s ingrained into the school system and has been now for the last 10 or 15 years, maybe a bit longer, and there’s lots of in-service training that all the principals get.” However, Kohn finds that principals are sometimes surprised by the circumstances in which courts have determined that a duty of care exists. “There are … a whole range of factual situations under which judges find that there has been a duty of care and there’s a breach of that duty,” he says.
Beyond the school gates Kohn emphasises that the duty doesn’t begin when the child enters the school’s front gate and end when they exit at the end of the day. “It’s far broader than that,” he says. “It definitely extends to sporting activities outside the school, even weekend sporting
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activities. It extends to school excursions, taking a group of children to, say, PE classes or activities held at external facilities. You often see situations where part of the PE curriculum is to take the children, say, to a rock climbing facility on a Wednesday afternoon as part of the PE program. All of those situations … only arise because the school has organised the activity and is supervising and controlling the activity, therefore there’s still a duty of care that arises in those situations, even though it’s outside the school gates.”
Handling bullying Kohn also highlights where issues frequently arise with respect to the handling of bullying claims. “The thing I find most with bullying claims is that schools and school principals are over emphasising whether they’ve got a policy or not, whether the policy’s up to date, and whether it’s the most cutting-edge policy,” he says. “That’s not what principals should be concerned about, in the sense that I’m not aware of any case relating to bullying where a
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judge has said that [a] particular school’s bullying policy is not up to scratch and [they’re] dealing with something that’s outdated or which is incompetent or doesn’t cover the field. The bullying cases I’ve been involved in and those that have gone to court
is when I explain the before-school and afterschool liability situation,” he says. “They often don’t appreciate that their liability doesn’t necessarily end five minutes after the bell goes at the end of the day, or when teachers are rostered on to playground
“The thing that I find most with bullying claims is that schools and school principals are overemphasising whether they’ve got a policy or not, whether the policy’s up to date and whether it’s the most cutting-edge policy” Alex Kohn, Makinson d’Apice Lawyers through other lawyers … [have] been lost … because whatever policy the school had wasn’t being implemented properly by the school at that particular time. “What in fact happens is that the clever plaintiff ’s lawyers then subpoena the school’s policy on bullying and they see what the policy says is meant to happen, and then they compare it to what actually happened in their client’s case and they see … the school … haven’t complied with their own policy. So that’s where most of these cases come unstuck.” Kohn continues: “What I’m always telling principals is when you get these reports of bullying, make sure that your staff go back and have a re-read of the policy, because it may have been some months or years since they last saw it … and take the time to follow it. If you follow it, and you do the things that you promised you would do under the policy, you’re very unlikely to come unstuck – certainly not in a legal sense anyway.” In bullying cases, there’ve been substantial awards of damages by the courts. Kohn says he’s aware of some exceeding the $800,000 mark. “You’re not talking small bikkies by any means.”
Knowing your limits Are there any particularly unappreciated liabilities Kohn has identified in his dealings with principals? “The one that seems to surprise them most
supervision in the morning.” Kohn cites a case his firm was involved in several years ago, in which a child was injured on his way home from school. “It was 20 minutes after the bell sounded and 400 metres down the road at a bus stop that wasn’t outside the school. It was outside another school … The child got injured at that other bus stop … and the school was found liable for not providing adequate supervision of that bus stop,” Kohn explains.
Understanding the duty Kohn says there’s an abundance of training provided for school principals nowadays as to
their legal responsibilities, but it’s hearing reallife case examples that really brings home to many principals the extent of their duty and the risks they face. “When the Department of Education or the Catholic sector call me in to give these talks, I don’t talk in terms of theory. I talk in terms of illustrating the problem by reference to some decided cases, and that gets their attention really quick because they obviously think to themselves, ‘This is probably a bit similar to what I’m doing at my school’ or ‘This could’ve happened to me last week on a school excursion’.” Kohn is also keen to emphasise that it’s not all bad news; that this isn’t an insurmountable hurdle that principals can’t possibly overcome. “The duty of care is not a guarantee against harm,” Kohn says. “The duty is only to take reasonable steps to prevent a foreseeable risk of injury. There’s no court that has said that a school guarantees that the child will come home unharmed at the end of the school day. No one can provide that sort of high standard. “The emphasis is only ‘reasonable’ rather than ‘absolute’.” To hear about this topic and learn more about your legal obligations, attend the Education Law for School Principals Masterclass, proudly supported by The Educator. The event will be held at The Mercure, Sydney, on 27 October. Visit law.educatoronline.com.au for further information.
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL: A CASE STUDY According to Alex Kohn, a case several years ago highlighted the liability schools and principals may find they have at the beginning and end of the school day. “A principal … was aware there were lots of working mums in the school community and they often needed to drop their child off on the way to work,” Kohn says. “So the school principal thought he was doing the right thing and decided to open the school gates early to allow the mums to drop their children off to school … Despite the fact that he knew that a lot of children were coming to school quite early in the morning – at 7:45 to 8:00 – he only rostered teachers on supervision from … 8:45 or 9:00, quite some time after he was aware children were coming onto school grounds. “A child got seriously injured … before supervision had actually commenced for the day. The school was held liable, even though formal supervision hadn’t started at that time, because the Court held the school principal had unwittingly created a duty of care by opening the school gates earlier, thinking that he was doing the right thing, but unfortunately it backfired and resulted in a liability that he didn’t appreciate.”
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FEATURES
SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
BRINGING SCHOOL BRANDS ALIVE One company is taking care of the marketing and communication needs of schools so that busy principals can get back to teaching and learning
IT’S NO secret that being a contemporary principal involves wearing many hats and juggling multiple tasks. Not surprisingly, this myriad of duties can distract principals from their core job of delivering quality teaching and learning, which is why one organisation has set out to remove a complex and often time-consuming task from principals’ to-do lists: managing their school’s marketing and communications. Roberto Omozusi is the director of Principal Creative Communications (PCC), a boutique consultancy established in January 2014. PCC comprises of communications experts helping schools develop their own unique brand to ensure they stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive environment. Omozusi, a chartered marketeer, knew that he was on to something when principals approached his agency for help in this area – one that many school leaders are simply too busy to manage on their own. “On the whole, principals are quite savvy; however, I think technology is a real challenge for them – not technology per se, but the opportunities that are inherent in technology to help them save time, improve the outcomes they deliver, and save money,” he says. Omozusi adds that the environmental factor that is driving the need for more effective school
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marketing is technology, but that in itself is not the problem – or the solution. “What we focus on are the issues, the challenges and the problems schools are facing. Sometimes technology will solve it, but other times it’s as simple as the school redeveloping its brand,” he says. “We help schools come up with a plan that they can execute over a period of time which helps them evolve from the school they are to the school they want to be.”
Navigating an increasingly competitive marketplace Omozusi points out that principals recognise they’re faced with an increasingly competitive and dynamic environment – and school audiences are constantly changing. He adds that Gen Y parents in particular are not only digitally literate and able to access information more quickly but are also consistently on the hunt for the ‘right fit’ school for their children. “The way we benefit principals in this respect is that we help them identify their schools’ values, develop a brand and then communicate that brand out into their community,” he explains. “Schools on the whole are very traditional organisations. We’re here as communications experts so that principals don’t need to be.”
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Brought to you by
TIME TO INVEST The Educator’s 2016 Education Report asked readers: What will your school do in the next 12 months to achieve your business objectives? Based on 170 responses, these are the key focus areas:
35% of principals will invest in marketing and communications for their schools
47% will engage external consultants for specialist advice
The third-largest focus area for principals over the next 12 months will be introducing or upgrading technology used to facilitate communication between teachers, parents and students’ Of particular note was the lack of interest in using marketing and communications to increase enrolment numbers (this was deemed least important of six options to boost enrolment figures). Omozusi says that while many schools have successful learning programs and strong cultures, they may lack the marketing and communication expertise to leverage this level of excellence. “Schools are very good at helping create inspired students who want to make a better Australia, but one thing they’re not is marketing and communication experts,” he says.
Servicing a growing demand So far, more than 90 schools across Sydney have signed up for PCC’s services, but Omozusi expects many more to follow. “Lately, we’ve had schools approaching us from other areas, such as outside Sydney, and what we’re finding is that we have to do some initial consultancy work before we can propose any solutions,” he says.
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Brought to you by
FEATURES
SCHOOL COMMUNICATION “We help schools come up with a plan which helps them evolve from the school they are to the school they want to be” Roberto Omozusi, Principal Creative Communications IDENTIFYING YOUR SCHOOL’S BRAND What is at the heart of your school’s mission? Principals should first establish their school’s unique identity and values. Who is your audience? By understanding the demographic of your school community you can ensure your messaging is more effective. Involve the representatives of your executive, community and student body in any decision-making about your school’s image. Don’t be afraid to seek external advice. Very few schools can fix their communications problems on their own.
BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BOOSTING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE What is your school’s brand? Ensure that your posts are consistent with your school’s image. A school is a two-way communication channel. It is important to engage with your audience and reply to comments. Is your school doing something different than the others out there? Stand out by posting interesting content. Time poor? Automate your posts using tools such as HootSuite and SuiteDeck so your posts can be scheduled in advance.
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“Principals have approached us and told us that their school needs a marketing and communications plan that gets them from A to B, but they weren’t sure how to do this.” To meet this need, PCC organises workshops – held either at the school or in its office, depending on the principal’s preference – and discusses the ways in which these goals can be achieved. Omozusi says his organisation’s model involves helping schools build upon their foundation, culture, authenticity and values. “Once you have a well-branded school, you want to engage with your students, staff and community. We have developed solutions that have allowed schools to do that – and once you have a culture, it becomes authentic; a story schools can tell on a weekly, monthly or yearly basis to reinforce that brand,” he says. “The great thing about this is that the audience sees an integrated school when it comes to its communications, online presence and how the school engages with its staff, community and its students.”
Progress is being made PCC might have only been operating for a little under three years, but Omozusi is confident the company’s expertise in communications, combined with the need for schools to improve in this area, makes for a growing enterprise. “We might not have all of the answers, but we’re developing quite a few of them. I’m confident that we can develop all of the answers because they are there,” he says. “What we’d like is for schools to come to us with their communications issues, problems and challenges they face when trying to develop the kids at the school, develop capacity in their staff to help these students, and also when they’re trying to communicate and engage with their community. “If we know these problems, we’re confident that we can come up with workable solutions
that are specific and measurable which address and solve those challenges.” Omozusi says that while most businesses have their own website, the only place principals will find PCC is on Facebook – and for good reason. “The reason why we do not – and cannot – have a website is that a lot of the work we do involves children. This obviously has child protection ramifications,” he says. “Consequently, what we decided to do from day one is to encourage schools to build a community. We must practice what we preach, and this also lets us solve the issue we face involving having kids across our work. Those who want to view our work have to realise that we do not have a publicly accessible website. “Our social page is our online portfolio, but it is also a closed user community. In order to view our work you have to send a request to join. When we receive the request we do the necessary checks to confirm the individual is a school employee, and then we let them in.” Omozusi adds that in this way PCC is able to give people “a window into the company’s digital soul”, but in a way that protects children as well as his clients. “This is of the most paramount importance to us. We live and breathe this, so we have to think about these things.” Omozusi says the increasing importance of strategic communications in today’s digitised world is one of the reasons why Australia is seeing the emergence of consulting firms like his. “Times are changing and there are many things schools have to compete with on top of ensuring they’re delivering good outcomes for their students – and strategic communications plays a big part in managing all of this,” he says. “I’m very sympathetic towards principals because they’re building our future, so we’re morally duty-bound to help them.” Principal Creative Communications is a Sydney-based consultancy launched in 2014 to help principals establish a communications plan for their schools. It has 90 schools in its network so far. PCC believes principals need to be more aware of the importance of ‘school branding’, and works with them to enhance the effectiveness of all aspects of school branding.
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EDU LA
Confused by marketing and communications for your school in the digital age?
We make it child’s play. You know your school needs an effective and easy-to-use communications strategy to empower your staff, students and community. But do you have the time and expertise to implement it? Leave it to Principal. Principal has vast experience working with Australian schools to build their brands and bring their marketing and communications into the digital age.
www.principalcomms.com.au Email us at getcreative@principalcomms.com.au or call us on +61 (02) 8294 4165 to discover the great things we can do for your school.
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SPECIAL REPORT
MASTER OF EDUCATION
ADVANCING IN EDUCATION THE EDUCATOR’S M.ED GUIDE 2016 Looking to heighten your skills as an education leader? The Educator presents its inaugural guide to Master of Education (MEd) programs
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SPECIAL REPORT
MASTER OF EDUCATION THE FUTURE Looking ahead, how will Master of Education courses continue to evolve? Aside from the continuous evaluation of course content to ensure delivery aligns with market expectations, here are some developments our experts expect to see occur in the MEd space at some future point:
Increased partnerships between universities and schools and early childhood centres, with a view to helping leaders of those institutions meet their professional learning needs
More cross-collaboration between Australian and international universities to facilitate opportunities for students to study overseas
Virtual reality technologies and enhanced reality will, at some point, impact on the manner in which course content is delivered
A review of the way formal qualifications, like a Master of Education, are interwoven with and connect with other types of non-accredited learning that teachers undertake
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A MASTER of Education (MEd) degree is a highly desirable qualification for all leaders in Australian school settings, according to Rebecca Saunders, academic chair of the MEd program at Murdoch University. “It is typically expected in the international schooling sector,” she tells The Educator. Associate Professor David Geelan, the deputy head of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University,
and from education more broadly is to develop skills in enquiry and being able to read, interpret and understand research, and to conduct research … too. This is also really important because being able to understand, to ask questions [and] to investigate is at the core of being able to drive change, to be creative and to drive innovation, and all of those sorts of things that we would expect leaders, who do these higher-level specialist
“We are always thinking about and trying to develop new courses that are going to be responsive to the needs of the profession” Michele Simons, Western Sydney University says an MEd from a high-quality program provides evidence that a potential school leader has paid concentrated attention to rethinking and informing their educational practices. “This kind of commitment is definitely one of the factors that will inform selection panels as they consider candidates for promotion to school leadership roles, including as deputies and principals,” Geelan says. Professor Michele Simons, dean of the School of Education at Western Sydney University, says an MEd qualification is valued for a range of key leadership positions in education: “So, for example, for head teachers or leaders of faculty in schools, but also for people who work outside of school settings in vocational education or higher education – a range of areas where you need people to be able to lead learning and education,” Simons explains. “The school sector, in particular, realises the importance of having leaders who do have really good understandings of teaching and learning but also have the expertise in management and also being able to lead and develop teams of people. And they’re the sorts of capabilities that are cultivated in master’s level programs.” Simon adds: “The other things master’s level programs do for people from schools
types of qualifications such as the MEd, to be able to possess.”
Evolution in education Geelan talks about how the content of MEd courses has developed in recent years to keep pace with changing ideas about the delivery of education to children. “MEd programs have evolved to become highly flexible and adaptive, with the ability to focus on specific current emphasis areas such as digital coding and the use of technologies in education, while maintaining a commit ment to the broader bodies of theoretical understanding that inform practice,” he says. “The combination of a core that focuses on how to read and interpret research reports in order to inform practice with the best available evidence, with pathways that focus on specific issues, offers a rounded educational experience.” Professor Lindsey Conner, dean of the School of Education at Flinders University, says the content of the university’s own MEd is reviewed externally every five years and the recommendations are implemented. “In addition, the MEd underwent a total review in 2011, and again in 2014, so that topics and assessments are aligned with evolving ideas about education, and especially contemporary issues related to working
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SPECIAL REPORT
MASTER OF EDUCATION “This kind of commitment is definitely one of the factors that will inform selection panels as they consider candidates for promotion to school leadership roles, including as deputies and principals” David Geelan, Griffith University
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with children,” Conner says. “National trends have contributed to the experience of ongoing change in the School of Education, and created the background context within which the master’s program operates. The 2015 MEd review provided an opportunity to determine how we have addressed change requirements and, at the same time, developed courses to meet the demand and diverse needs of our postgraduate students and subsequently the broader local, national and international community.” Conner says new topics and specialisations have been developed to accommodate trends and the needs of the education sector – for example, a specialisation in wellbeing and positive mental health, which was developed relatively recently. She says Flinders is consulting with educators more directly to determine future specialisations. Simons says Western Sydney University’s MEd programs are developed through a consultative process that includes university academics, as well as leaders, educators and teachers from the profession. “We are always thinking about and trying to develop new courses that are going to be responsive to the needs of the profession,” she tells The Educator. “An example of that would be our recently redesigned Master of Inclusive Education. That was transformed to align with the changing practices in the field … but also the changing role of what we used to know as ‘special educators’ in school.” In recent years, many tertiary institutions have offered more flexibility with respect to how and where MEd candidates can complete their studies. Professor Merrilyn Goos, head of the School of Education at the University of Queensland, says its students can complete their degrees externally, with no requirement to attend classes on campus at all. “Instead, they interact online with lecturers and fellow students, or view videos of internally taught classes that are recorded and made available online,” says Goos. “The other flexibility our students have is
that they can undertake research projects in their area of interest, so the master’s degree comprises a blend of coursework and research – breadth and depth.” Saunders says Murdoch University’s MEd has always offered a mixed-mode or blended learning option, including internal/external enrolments, offshore programs and site-based, cohort-specific programs in situ, or intensive modes (metro, non-metro, international, summer/winter). Flinders University offers many of its master’s topics 100% online, according to Conner. “Many of our students in the MEd are part-time, but it can be completed as a fulltime course, which is attractive to teachers who have gained scholarships,” she says. Western Sydney University runs its MEd courses in ways that recognise the complex lives of its students, Simons says. “The way that we do that is we have a minimal amount of on-campus time, which is usually compressed into what we call fourday mini-conferences at two key times in the year … and the remainder of the course is delivered through online interaction and support from tutors throughout the semester,” she says. “We’re also developing and offering many more fully online courses, too, to provide that added flexibility, although I must say that a lot of our colleagues do like to have some face-to-face interaction. “So it’s a matter of trying to find that balance, but also we’re using a lot of contemporary Web 2.0 tools, video technology, social media [and] synchronous online platforms to help us develop communities of practice amongst the students, and that also helps us to create more creative spaces and to really leverage those advantages that you can gain from learning online.” Similarly, Geelan says that while Griffith University has increased its online offerings of MEd courses and programs in recent times, many students also value the learning experience of discussing educational issues face-to-face with groups of fellow professionals.
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SPECIAL REPORT
MASTER OF EDUCATION “That can be achieved in evenings and on weekends around full-time work on education, as well as by complementing face-to-face learning with different kinds of online experiences,” he says. “Flexibility
“Benchmarking and comparison to similar courses is carried out regularly and influences the content offered in the MEd. Some staff have been invited to participate as external reviewers for postgraduate courses in other universities” Lindsey Conner, Flinders University means offering more options, not simply making a switch from one mode to another.”
The courses The Educator asked some of the universities to tell us more about the features of their MEd programs. “The MEd program at Griffith University offers three strands: Leadership, Policy and Social Transformation; Young Children, Early Childhood and Identity; and Youth, Digital Culture and New Learning,” Geelan explains. “These combine core courses on research methods, understanding research, teaching within global communities, and curriculum/ pedagogy/assessment with specialist courses offered by nationally and internationally renowned scholars in the specialist strands. The master’s is offered both on campus and online, and courses have been developed with extensive support from learning design experts to enhance the interactive and engaging nature of the online learning experience.” Professor Christine Ure, head of the School of Education at Deakin University, says Deakin’s MEd provides a rigorous research pathway to a PhD in Education. “The suite of courses is delivered by experienced and highly recognised staff who
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are active researchers in the field. Deakin staff have also developed strong partnerships with education communities, governments, systems and research institutions,” says Ure. “Students benefit from these partnerships by gaining industry-relevant experience and professional contacts for work placements and future employment.” Ure adds that, because Deakin’s MEd courses are delivered online, participants can study in their own time, in any location, without sacrificing the quality of their learning experience. “They are able to view lectures online, contribute to class discussions in online forums, chat with lecturers, and access all the support you need using the latest digital tools.” She also mentions that Deakin University has three study periods per year. “This gives participants more choice about when to start their degree; you can fast-track your study by taking extra units throughout the year, or take a trimester off and catch up later.” Saunders says the School of Education at Murdoch University “continues to maintain its world-class ranking” in educational research. “Murdoch offers a wide and varied range of elective choices specific to most local, national and international educators’ needs and interests. “Our flexible learning options allow us to teach anything, anytime, anywhere.” University of Queensland students have the opportunity to work with award-winning educators and researchers who are national and international leaders in their fields, Goos says. “The UQ School of Education has been consistently ranked the best research school in Australia for the past five years and was awarded ratings of ‘well above world standard’ in the Excellence for Research in Australia evaluations in 2010, 2012 and 2015,” she adds. At Flinders University, Conner says there’s no doubt from student evaluations that they highly value the expertise of the staff.
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SPECIAL REPORT
MASTER OF EDUCATION STUDENT TESTIMONIAL: DEAKIN UNIVERSITY “This course has transformed my thinking about educational leadership, contributing to valuable growth in my role as deputy principal of a small school in Adelaide’s disadvantaged northern suburbs. My assumptions about leadership have been challenged and broadened, my research and communication skills have been strengthened, and my ability to build the leadership capacity of others has been enhanced”
She says research project supervisors are “internationally recognised and internationally renowned in their respective specialisms”. “The flexibility of the structure of the degree and the number of specialisations that we offer provide extensive choice for customising what teachers want,” Conner says. “Students are very pleased to know that there is no time limit for completion of the master’s, because their availability to study changes over the years.” Simons talks about the currency and
in education, and many attend international conferences to present their own research. Collaborative research with universities and individuals from other countries positions Flinders University’s School of Education staff as making a difference to education globally.” Geelan adds that “the scholarship of teaching and learning is a field that informs best practice in higher education teaching and learning internationally, and it certainly informs the development and design of the
“The suite of courses is delivered by experienced and highly recognised staff who are active researchers in the field” Christine Ure, Deakin University relevancy of the skills and knowledge that students develop as part of Western Sydney University’s courses. “It’s really geared towards their professional practice and being able to make a difference in the classrooms and the schools where they work and will work in the future. That connection to practice is a very strong one,” she says. Simons also mentions the expertise of Western Sydney University staff, as well as the volume of student referrals. “Many of our students come to us through word of mouth, and I think that’s a strong testament to the quality of what we offer.” The institutions The Educator spoke to also agreed that the content of their courses was influenced by teachings in postgraduate courses in international institutions, as well as international developments in relevant fields of research. “Benchmarking and comparison to similar courses is carried out regularly and influences the content offered in the MEd,” Conner says. “Some staff have been invited to participate as external reviewers for postgraduate courses in other universities. Staff are required to be aware of international trends
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Griffith MEd”. Western Sydney University’s courses are designed with an appreciation of international trends, Simons says, but also take into account thinking around equity and diversity and Aboriginal perspectives. Talking about the international reach of the university, she mentions its Master of Education and Social Ecology. “This is actually a highly distinctive course, and in fact we believe there’s no other course offered like it,” she says. “And that actually attracts students not only from across Australia but also from across the world.”
The response So, what kind of feedback are course providers receiving as to the value of their MEd programs? “Our alumni have reported that they have found their study in the MEd valuable in offering them new perspectives on their work,” Geelan says. At Murdoch University, the “alumni continually inform us about the usefulness and appropriate ness of our MEd program”, Saunders says. “Many have used their MEd to further their careers nationally and
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MASTER OF EDUCATION STUDENT TESTIMONIAL: UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND “I would recommend the program for the commitment of lecturers; I would recommend it because lecturers provide a critical analysis of education” “This program opened my eyes more to the many layers behind education and educational leadership”
internationally, particularly those that focus on the International Baccalaureate and leadership.” Simons reports that one of the most consistent pieces of feedback that Western Sydney University receives is about the relevance of the students’ studies to their professional work. “We have many instances where alumni have told us that as a result of their study the way they work has changed. They’ve seen improvements in their classrooms, greater
“Alumni continually inform us about the usefulness and appropriateness of our MEd program. Many have used their MEd to further their careers nationally and internationally, particularly those that focus on the International Baccalaureate and leadership” Rebecca Saunders, Murdoch University achievement from their students – and others that they work with have noticed similar positive change.”
Making the choice It’s patently clear that prospective students have a myriad of choices before them when considering the educational institution at which they’ll undertake their MEd programs. The question is, what factors do our pundits think should be key in the candidate’s decision-making process? “International and national reputation, accessibility, support and quality of teaching,” says Ure. Goos adds: “Academic reputation should be one of the most important factors to be key to the candidate’s decision when investing in their professional development at master’s level.” Conner mentions flexible delivery options and course content that allows for further educational and leadership development,
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such as pathways to a PhD or a Master of Teaching). Saunders believes that candidates should be looking for “world-class researchers teaching a wide range of contemporary future-focused fields of enquiry that reflect a strong commitment to social justice and sustainability.” Geelan says issues of quality should be central to these decisions, both in relation to the reputations and achievements of the academic staff developing and teaching the
MEd program, and in relation to the program itself. “When choosing among high-quality programs, the issue of ‘fit’ is also important,” he adds. “Does the program fit the other commitments in your life, your goals and aspirations, and your most-effective learning style? Do you prefer more online learning or more face-to-face learning? Is the program focused on the topics that you will need to fulfil your learning and career goals? “It is often valuable to take these kinds of questions, think about your own answers, then go and sit down with someone at the universities you are considering and discuss the fit between your own needs and the course.” Simons also comments on the importance of fit between a student and their course. “At this level of study, students should be looking to study [from] people who are leaders and experts in their field, people who have a combination of experience and also the knowledge gained through research,
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“Academic reputation should be one of the most important factors to be key to the candidate’s decision when investing in their professional development at master’s level” Merrilyn Goos, University of Queensland I think, and who are capable of being able to mobilise what they know into meaningful learning experiences – courses that, in fact, are going to give real outcomes and help students to advance the goals they have, whether they be personal, in terms of developing their own personal capacities, or to further their career.” Simons also talks about flexibility in terms of course content.
“Even though you might have a broad area of interest in educational leadership because you’re a principal, you might want to combine, for example, studies in pedagogy and leadership and curriculum with business studies in, say, human resources or finance, because the job of a principal often combines those two areas. Looking for those courses that are responsive to those sorts of realworld needs, I think, is very important.”
STUDENT TESTIMONIAL: FLINDERS UNIVERSITY “The flexibility in allowing me to choose topics that were of my interest and relevant to my area of work had a positive impact on my motivation to learn as I was able to see the value of learning. The course provided me with authentic learning where I was able to apply content knowledge to existing challenges which I face in my professional life… I was motivated to invest time and effort in my learning”
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SPECIAL REPORT
MASTER OF EDUCATION M.ED GUIDE 2016 Department of Education and the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) for meeting the Specialist Area Guidelines for Special Education for already-qualified teachers. The Master of Languages is endorsed by VIT for special teaching in combination with an approved pre-service education qualification. Location: Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood
Skills mastered: Refer to specific course details at deakin.edu.au/teaching
Website: deakin.edu.au/teaching Official name of MEd program: • Master of Education • Master of Education (Leadership and Management) • Master of Education (Special Educational Needs) • Master of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages • Master of Languages Teaching
Flinders University School of Education
reflection, and develop in-depth knowledge of: • thought and analysis on matters of educational policy and practice; • theoretical and practical matters to improve professional decision-making; • the variety of educational research methods and their application; • local and global, social, cultural, political and economic perspectives and practices associated with the education of children, young people and adults; • curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, policies and practices designed to improve learning outcomes and wellbeing for children, young people and adults; and • methods for fostering interdisciplinary and intercultural partnerships.
Location: Flinders University Website: flinders.edu.au/education
Part-time or full-time? Refer to specific course details at deakin.edu.au/teaching Duration: Refer to specific course details at deakin.edu.au/teaching Intake date(s): Refer to specific course details at deakin.edu.au/teaching Strengths & emphasis: Deakin University’s Master of Education courses provide professional education with strong research pathways, which can lead to a PhD. Learn from experts in the industry who are highly experienced and engaged in contemporary research and teaching. Choose to specialise in a number of areas, including Professional Education and Training, Inclusive Education, Leadership and Management, Special Educational Needs, TESOL, Languages Teaching and International Education (including recognition from the International Baccalaureate Organisation of the IB Graduate Certificate of Teaching and Learning (Research)).
Official name of MEd program: Master of Education
Location: Mt Gravatt campus and online
Part-time or full-time? Part-time and full-time
Website: degrees.griffith.edu.au/Program/5601
Duration: Progressive Entry Level – 1.5 yrs full-time Basic Entry Level – 2 yrs full-time
Official name of MEd program: Master of Education Part-time or full-time? Part-time (3 yrs) and full-time (1.5 yrs)
Admission criteria: Refer to specific course details at deakin.edu.au/teaching
Strengths & emphasis: Students may choose one of the specialisations listed below, or may complete a range of topics across these areas within the generic Master of Education. • Master of Education (Cognitive Psychology and Educational Practice) • Master of Education (Educational Research, Evaluation and Assessment) • Master of Education (Gifted Education) • Master of Education (International Baccalaureate) • Master of Education (Languages Education) • Master of Education (Leadership and Management) • Master of Education (Special Education) • Master of Education (Wellbeing and Positive Mental Health)
Cost: Refer to deakin.edu.au/fees. However, applicants may be eligible for credit for prior learning based on previous experience and/or qualifications.
Admission criteria: Applicants for the Master of Education will qualify for either a basic or a progressive entry level, dependent on their approved bachelor’s degree
Weekly time commitment: Refer to specific unit/course details at deakin.edu.au/teaching
Cost: $14,400 (2016 domestic fees) and $23,800 (2016 international fees)
Weekly time commitment: 40 hrs/wk full-time or 20 hrs/wk part-time or equivalent, across online and face-to-face (for on-campus students) contact
Accreditation: The Master of Education (Special Educational Needs) is an externally accredited program endorsed by the
Skills mastered: Each course topic provides students with the opportunities to critically examine literature, engage in debate and
Skills mastered: Reading and interpreting educational research to develop evidence-based practices in education
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Duration: Part-time (3 yrs) and full-time (1.5 yrs) – 1 yr full-time with advanced standing Intake date(s): Trimester 1 (February) and Trimester 2 (July) Strengths & emphasis: Leadership, Early Childhood, Digital Culture Admission criteria: Bachelor of Education or equivalent, or bachelor’s degree plus 3 years’ school teaching/leadership experience, or Grad Cert/Grad Dip in Education Current number of students undertaking MEd: 43 Cost: $19,000 per year
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Skills mastered: Graduates will be skilled educational leaders capable of addressing a wide variety of critical issues in educational practice, policy and research. Location: Murdoch University, South Street Campus, Murdoch, Perth
Location: Penrith Website: westernsydney.edu.au/education
Website: handbook.murdoch.edu.au/courses/ details/?us=EDM2 Official name of MEd program: Master of Education (Coursework) (MEd) Part-time or full-time? Full-time and part-time Duration: 1.5 yrs full-time or part-time equivalent
Location: Brisbane Website: education.uq.edu.au/study-area/ professional-development
Official name of program: Master of Education (Social Ecology) Master of Education (Leadership) Master of Inclusive Education Part-time or full-time? Part-time Duration: 2–3 years
Official name of MEd program: Master of Educational Studies
Intake date(s): January, July
Intake date(s): February and August Part-time or full-time? Full-time and part-time Strengths & emphasis: Our flexible multimodal course caters for the professional learning needs of educators, administrators and aspiring leaders seeking to extend and deepen their expertise in education, or those professionals carrying out educational duties in other relevant fields. The Master of Education (MEd) offers a wide choice of electives allowing individuals to build a highly personalised learning program tailored to their specific professional needs and interests. We have authorisation from the International Baccalaureate (IB) to deliver a Certificate of Teaching and Learning or Advanced Certificate of Teaching and Learning within the MEd. Our MEd electives and short course offerings are continually changing to address contemporary issues in education. They include Inclusive Education; Literacy; Numeracy; International Education (IB); Contemporary Issues in Ed; English as a Second Language; and Mentoring. Graduates have the option to continue into an individualised Doctor of Education program. Admission criteria: A recognised bachelor’s degree or higher and a graduate-entry course in education. OR a 3-year Bachelor of Arts in Education, OR individual applications to be considered on a case-by-case basis Current number of students undertaking MEd: 77
Duration: From 1 to 2 years depending on program Intake date(s): 1 January & 1 July (Semester 1 and 2) Strengths & emphasis: Courses taught by award-winning educators and researchers. Significant professional advantage to educators interested in career advancement or broadening career options. Some pathways offer specific qualifications (i.e. Guidance and Counselling). Admission criteria: Minimum entry requirement to all Master of Educational Studies programs is an approved bachelor’s degree, with other requirements depending on the degree chosen. See Courses and Programs website for further details (uq.edu.au/study/) Current number of students undertaking MEd: 151 Cost: Up to $18,720 per year full-time Weekly time commitment: Approximately 32 hours (8 hours per week class time plus 24 hours of study time) Accreditation: Career Industry Council of Australia (Career Development field of study)
Cost: $19,620; $1,365.00 per 3-point unit Weekly time commitment: Equivalent of 10 hours per week per unit Accreditation: AQF accredited; International Baccalaureate authorisation
Skills mastered: Strengthen expertise in educational practice, policy and/or theory through conducting an educational research project; gain knowledge and skills in areas of specialisation; knowledge in the use of technology and blended learning
Strengths & emphasis: SOCIAL ECOLOGY – Our Social Ecology program explores the dynamic interrelationships between the personal, social, environmental and ‘spiritual’ domains, particularly as these apply to learning and education. INCLUSIVE EDUCATION – Our program is offered via flexible online learning combined with limited on-campus teaching sessions so students can connect with a community of learners while still being able to complete their studies at their own pace and location. The School of Education has joined with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance to build a joint facility on the Kingswood campus. This partnership provides additional opportunities for staff of both organisations and students to engage in research and teaching. Our program considers individuals with a range of disabilities and needs across the lifespan and a range of settings (eg early childhood intervention, inclusive settings, and supported settings). EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP – Educational Leadership at Western Sydney University offers development opportunities for people seeking to play a leading role in emerging educational practice within a range of social, environmental and educational contexts. Cost: Commonwealth-supported places Weekly time commitment: Flexible learning. Intensive face-to-face workshops combined with flexible online delivery Accreditation: Qualified primary or secondary teachers who complete the Master of Inclusive Education are recognised as Special Education teachers for K-12 by the NSW Department of Education and Communities
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
BRAEMAR COLLEGE
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS One year on from Braemar College being hailed by The Educator as one of Australia’s most innovative schools, Brett Henebery chats with its principal about its mission to ensure that its students are the creators of technology, not just consumers
LOCATED IN the serene bushland setting of Mount Macedon in Woodend, Victoria, is Braemar College. The palatial campus of this co-educational, independent day school – which has 820 students enrolled from Years 5 to 12 – is shaded by the green canopies of giant timber trees that flank its sprawling grounds. While students eat lunch or talk among themselves outdoors, it’s not unusual for wombats, exotic birds or even snakes to cross their path. Nestled in this natural world, one could say Braemar is a school very much disconnected from the hustle and bustle of suburbia. The school’s principal, Russell Deer, says this makes for a unique environment for the students. “The school is very unique because of its environment. It’s literally embedded in the forest, and that sense of being surrounded by nature is something that students are very aware of. There is almost a feeling of the forest inculcating the school’s environment,” he says. However, inside the school’s classrooms, this earthy and serene environment gives way to a world buzzing with high-tech activity such as 3D printing, robotic Sphero
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balls and maker spaces where consumers are transformed into creators, or ‘makers’, as they’re now commonly called. With its hands-on approach to the exploration of science, technology and mathematics, and the utilisation of a vast range of technologies, perhaps it’s not surprising that last year Braemar College made The Educator’s Innovative Schools list. With this accolade, and being one of the first schools in Australia to issue iPads
“Schools often have a ‘whiz-bang’ cycle where new technologies come into the classroom. In a day and age where the cycle is moving so quick, having young people think about what is in front of them and how they can best use it is crucial” to students, Braemar College is clearly a school ahead of the curve – but there is more to its journey of becoming an educational leader in innovation than just
the early adoption of technology, says Deer. “Our school’s strategic plan has the student experience at its core. The planning process of Braemar was around having
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BRAEMAR COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Braemar College has 820 students from Years 5 to 12
Technology programs include 3D printing, 3D pens and robotic Sphero balls
students experience technology in a very personalised way that allows them to be the makers of – rather than just the consumers of – technology,” he explains. “As principal I wanted to create an environment where all students had access to the things that would help them become better collaborators and problem-solvers, because these are the skills that are really driving the workforce of the 21st century.”
The high-tech journey Recognising the challenges inherent in turning an isolated school into a connected and high-tech teaching and learning hub, Deer embarked on a plan to ensure that
Braemar’s executive and ICT department became a close-knit team who worked together at every opportunity. Regular meetings mean the major issues and initiatives are discussed and rolled out in an orderly fashion. He adds that since the initial planning sessions the school’s staff have worked together as a single collaborative unit, which has helped both teachers and students gain access to the teaching and learning tools they need to improve how they work. “My business manager and I regularly sit down with our ICT manager and e-learning coordinator and talk about everything from
The college is celebrating its 40th anniversary in October
Braemar was one of the first Australian schools to issue iPads to students
The school is part of a University of Melbourne network of 19 schools
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FEATURE / BROKER EDUCATION SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT
BRAEMAR COLLEGE PD FOR A PRINCIPAL Principal Russell Deer occasionally attends a professional development workshop program, which comprises of 19 school heads and is held at the University of Melbourne. Braemar College was in a trial group, hosted by professor Patrick Griffin, who worked with the online version of PISA testing. Principals who want to get involved must apply and make a three-year commitment to attend the workshops. During these workshops, principals observe one another’s teaching practices in order to reflect on their own practices and be inspired to develop new ones. The team that Deer is in focuses on measuring and understanding data as well as how staff can use it to inform and improve teaching and learning outcomes. Another school in the University of Melbourne’s network is Kambrya College, which was recently featured in a four-part ABC TV series called Revolution School. Deer says one of the things he loves seeing is staff being “enthused and engaged by observing their teaching practices”. Deer adds that such professional development programs are a welcome distraction from his administrative and managerial duties. “It takes my head away from all of the responsibilities regarding planning, finances and staffing, and allows me to purely focus on teaching and learning, which is what I love to do,” he says.
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the amount of paper being used all the way through to downtime and help desk tickets,” he says. “We use these metrics to get a sense of where we might need to redirect our efforts on the campus.” One area in Deer’s sights is technical skilling for students, which he says will better prepare them for their post-school experience.
Turning consumers into ‘makers’ Deer says that while technology is flowing into schools at an unprecedented rate, the challenge for principals is not just how to tailor that technology to the specific learning
which is the next logical step before coding. “Our kids are also using the robotic Sphero balls, which helps them think about coding in a different way, but we’re also focusing on ‘making’ in a way that is empowering students to create technology and find solutions they never thought were possible.” One example Deer shared was how the school is helping its students understand how to create an outcome through a hands-on way of coding. “It’s been an interesting design feature to go through, because at our upper year levels I’m seeing young people do things like
“It’s not about one particular technology. It’s the idea of the design cycle; how a student works to solve a problem, and them knowing that there is something out there that will direct their thinking towards creating a solution” needs of certain students, but to ensure it will be of practical use once they leave school for the workforce. “As an independent school we’re reasonably well placed to encourage students to think about how they can be best prepared. Students are looking to take their outcomes from the school and generate further enterprise from it – whether it’s a social or hard technologybased enterprise,” he says. “Schools often have a ‘whiz-bang’ cycle where new technologies come into the classroom. In a day and age where this cycle is moving so quick, having young people think about what is in front of them and how they can best use it is crucial.” Deer adds that in the coming two years Braemar will focus on assessing how this technology can work best for its staff and students. “There are some cool little extras that we’ve added for our Year 6 and 7 students, like snap-together LEGO mindstormers –
bringing coding and 3D printing together in some very innovative ways,” he says. Some of these ways, Deer says, include making movable hands or joints – a skill that could be very useful in industries such as robotics or medical prosthetics. As the demand for such skills grows, alongside calls for improved science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education, Braemar College is a school that is certain to produce future creators, networkers and entrepreneurs.
Design thinking levels the playing field While Braemar has rolled out a range of cutting-edge technology across its campus, Deer says the school’s real strength lies in its culture of problem-solving and design thinking. “It’s not about one particular technology. It’s the idea of the design cycle: how a student works to solve a problem, and them knowing
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Russell Deer with college captains
that there is something out there that will direct their thinking towards creating a solution,” he says. “For example, we tried getting our Year 8s to use some Arduinos and Raspberry Pi’s [microcontroller-based kits] and some really baseline input/output computing. “If you picture that bell curve of the class … you have some characters cheering it on and others at the end saying ‘What does a one and a zero have to do with this?’” Deer says students who struggle in this area are common in all schools and a key challenge for all educators is how to teach them these skills in a way that they can easily understand. “This is a personalisation process we can use, meaning that we have technology which helps students understand technical concepts more easily. “We can say, ‘A blue block is a power block, a green block is an input block and the purple block is an output block, and when you put
them together, the light goes on,” Deer says. “All of the sudden, the kid that had trouble getting the hang of it is saying ‘I can understand colours, so this is easy’. We’re trying to find the things that switch the kids on to that level of thinking, knowing that if they start with something, they can create something else.” Deer says in terms of outcomes he has seen his students work through the problemsolving process seamlessly; they’ve then achieved learning outcomes through design thinking. “I’ve seen kids move from ‘I can’t do this’ to ‘I can do this’ and ‘I’ve done this’ – and I think that’s one of the hardest things for educators to do,” he says. “While there’s no guarantee it will make our VCE or NAPLAN results go through the roof, our kids will certainly be more engaged and have access to the technology they need to achieve what they want to – both in and outside of school.”
“These professional development programs take my head from planning, finances and staffing to purely focus on teaching and learning, which is what I love to do”
FEBRUARY 2015 | 59 www.educatoronline.com.au
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PEOPLE
CAUGHT ON CAMERA EDUTECH 2016 EduTech, the largest education event in the Southern Hemisphere, kicked off at the Brisbane Convention Centre in May, running for three days. The event brought together 8,000 attendees, including education thought leaders, principals, teachers and exhibitors, to discuss the role and impact of technology in the classroom.
A free professional development seminar being held in the EduTech exhibition hall
Keynote speaker John Vamvakitis, international director of Google for Education
TOURNAMENT OF MINDS Tournament of Minds is a problem-solving program and competition aimed at helping students boost science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills, as well as their ability to collaborate and solve problems. This year’s event kicked off in July, involving 17,000 students across Asia-Pacific. A science technology team presenting their solution to a three-hour lock-up challenge
St John’s Primary School’s maths engineering team, winners of the Australasian Pacific Final Awards 2015
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REVOLUTION SCHOOL
From left: Assistant principal Nalini Naidu; principal Michael Muscat; assistant principal Keith Perry and assistant principal Joanne Wastle
ABC launched its four-part Revolution School series in May. Focused on Melbourne public school Kambrya College, the series was an in-depth exploration of how the school has managed to achieve impressive academic results against daunting odds by using educational research from renowned professor John Hattie.
Kambrya’s teaching staff
Berwick Primary School students preparing for last year’s Word Mania competition
WORD MANIA 2016 LiteracyPlanet runs Word Mania, Australia’s biggest literacy competition for schools. Word Mania 2016 began in the first week of August. In 2015, 105,000 students in Years 1 to 6 from 1,300 schools around Australia participated in Word Mania. Similar numbers are expected in 2016.
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EXPERT INSIGHT
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CREATING A CULTURE OF FEEDBACK Effective and timely feedback is critical to the success of any organisation, and schools are no exception. Ken Wallace, CEO of Educator Impact, outlines how to create a culture of feedback
EDUCATOR IMPACT (EI) – a consultancy that has launched an innovative feedback tool for teachers and principals – helps schools open up the classroom, increase collegiality, enhance collaboration and create a culture of feedback. To do this, it guides the 150 schools in its client base in areas such as behaviour change methodology, 360-degree peer observations and evidence-based goal-setting. While these concepts are not new, they are by no means a walk in the park for principals to implement. EI’s CEO, Ken Wallace, provides his tips. What are the key challenges facing principals who want to create a culture of feedback? There are a number of challenges, but a major one is that of commitment. Feedback is something schools need to create a framework for, but that can take time, so principals need to commit to ensuring the most appropriate framework gets rolled out in their schools. The second biggest challenge is finding the time to establish that culture of feedback. Principals are already overwhelmed by the requirements of their job. However, embarking on this is an important step towards streamlining communication within their schools and making sure everyone is on the same page. What have you learnt since the early days of EI? We’ve seen some interesting developments in schools since starting out, and one of those is
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how big an impact classroom observation can have on teaching and learning. It has also been nice to see that the feedback has become very succinct over time. Schools gradually become more comfortable with their culture of feedback as it gets incrementally rolled out. As principals and teachers get used to the process, more changes become apparent.
What are the key elements that make the program successful for schools? Building a culture of feedback has both tangible and intangible benefits. Some of the tangible benefits I’ve seen include schools being able to improve their practice, student outcomes and identify school-wide trends. As for the intangible benefits, schools see a culture of
“Schools gradually become more comfortable with their culture of feedback as it gets incrementally rolled out” Ken Wallace, Educator Impact What advice would you give to school leaders who are thinking about utilising feedback in their schools? It’s important that schools commit to the long haul. Creating a culture of feedback can take time. However, how much time principals might need depends on where their school currently is in its journey of feedback. Some schools already have systems in place but might be looking to formalise them, whereas other schools might not have any feedback culture. In this instance, it’s best for the school to start with some informal classroom observations and not burden the school with too many processes. The important thing is to keep it simple. For example, look at ways to get a process and framework up and running, and then look at how to adapt and perfect it over time and work out how it’s going to best suit your school.
feedback created, develop a common language and enhance students’ voice. Why is EI different to other professional development programs? Our mission as a business is to provide quality feedback to every teacher in Australia, regardless of where they are. We built an online platform so we could facilitate the process of feedback to a school, whether it’s a big school in Sydney or a school in a rural town in the Northern Territory. The main point on which we differ from other professional development programs is that schools can engage with us without requiring a lot of face-to-face, additional costs and time. Schools can get up and running quickly without us having to fly in and conduct workshops. For a participant, it takes about four to five hours over a term, so it’s not a time-consuming process.
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PEOPLE
CAREER PATH
THE HEALTH & WELLBEING ADVOCATE
Loretta Piazza, principal of Meadowglen Primary School, is more than your average principal; she is a powerful voice for principal health and wellbeing LATE
1988
A PROMOTION SHOWS THE WAY FORWARD
1970S TEACHING CAREER COMMENCES
Piazza begins her teaching career at Ruthven Primary School in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, along with eight graduates from Coburg Teachers College. “I’m not sure how effective I was as a teacher, but I loved turning up every day and having fun with the kids!”
2000
Piazza is promoted to a ‘Band 2’ position at Thomastown Meadows. “This was the turning point in my career; my principal, Charlie O’Connor, encouraged me to aim for the principalship”
FIRST SENIOR APPOINTMENT – AND FRESH CHALLENGES In 1999, Piazza completed her Graduate Diploma and Master’s degree in Educational Administration at the University of Melbourne. Her first principal appointment was at Pascoe Vale North Primary School. As the only female principal in the Coburg-Pascoe network, she felt the pressure to prove herself.
“The males had a smooth, calm style, and I soon learned that I could relax without compromising the high expectations I had of myself and others” 2013
FURTHER EDUCATION – AND A TRAGIC LOSS
Piazza and her friend and fellow principal colleague, Mark Thompson, completed a Doctor of Education degree at the University of Melbourne. She says it was their unique friendship that enabled them to survive this long and arduous eight-year journey. “When Mark took his own life due to work-related issues in December 2014, it rocked the whole education community”
2015
GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH SHEDS LIGHT ON NEGLECTED AREA
Thompson and Piazza had continued researching the career aspirations of assistant principals, and when their paper was published following Mark Thompson’s death it gained enormous media attention. “We had found that assistant principals were not applying for principal jobs due to the lack of support from the Education Department and high levels of stress associated with the job. The co-author took his own life due to lack of support and high levels of stress associated with the job. The irony was not lost”
2004
LEADERSHIP SKILLS ARE HONED Piazza says her move to Meadowglen Primary School is when she “morphed into the leader I am today”. Meadowglen, along with its 750 students and tough clientele, posed enormous challenges. “Thirteen years later, thanks to a strong leadership team and dedicated staff, we have a school culture that is underpinned by order and high expectations”
PRESENT
PRINCIPAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING BECOMES A PRIORITY Piazza has today become a strong voice and advocate for principal health and wellbeing. She maintains links with the numerous University of Melbourne experts who have helped to build her research acumen, and she has developed an interest in the ‘positive psychology’ movement. “My current research project involves translating its philosophy into tangible classroom practice. When I achieve this, it might be my time to really start living life to the fullest!” www.educatoronline.com.au
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PEOPLE
OTHER LIFE
22
Number of years gigging
671
Number of gigs … and counting
2,000
Biggest audience – at the main hall of the Sydney Opera House
3
Smallest gig – three people at 2am at the Harp Hotel, Tempe
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE As an active member of Sydney’s arts community, Seaforth Public School principal Bernard Cheng has played in a range of jazz and rock groups with many of Australia’s pre-eminent musicians IN HIS professional life, Seaforth Primary School principal Bernard Cheng has infused his passion and love of music into his principalships at Australia Street Infants School in Newtown and Seaforth Primary on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Cheng is a strong advocate for music education. However, by night, he is also continually exploring and evolving as a professional musician in Sydney’s jazz and
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rock scenes, playing saxophone in the Bernard Cheng Trio and guitar in heavy metal band The Y-Fronts. Quite a contrast of styles, yes, but each is as technically disciplined as the other. One of his biggest passions has been the establishment and production of an interschools parent rock band competition. Since 2007, Cheng has run an annual Battle of the Bands competition in schools across Sydney, in which parents form rock bands
and battle it out for rock supremacy. “It is important that we find ways to infuse these things into the role of the principal because we are in a unique position to share these other life passions with teachers, parents and students in our schools. We can make a difference and enrich the lives of our community. This is a major joy of the profession and something that is unique to education,” Cheng says.
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