Education Matters Secondary October 2017 by Prime Creative Media

A content rich, comprehensive, buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide for schools. www.educationmattersmag.com.au

7 - APR

NOV 201

2018

LEAVING A LEGACY Principally Speaking: Capalaba State College How useful are mixed reality applications in the classroom? Proudly supported by the Australian Secondary Principals Association

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FREE INCURSIONS For students: Mock-elections For teachers: Professional development session at your school Through Passport to Democracy, students: • connect government and politics to their own lives • understand elections • find new ways to participate in their democracy as active citizens

Free preparatory resources are aligned to: • Civics and Citizenship, 5-10, Victorian (and Australian) Curriculum • PDS and Literacy, VCAL, Senior • suits cross-circular subjects (inquiry, politics, economics, humanities, geography, history, and more).

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Some notable discussions have opened up in education in the last few months, in a bid to strengthen the classroom readiness of teachers. In September, we heard that all new teachers will need to pass a performance test before they can graduate in 2018. While it remains to be seen how stringent the tests will be, helping teachers gain the practical skills and confidence to provide the best outcomes for students should always be a priority. The news followed with the release of the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) Report Card, which is breaking new ground in its goal to develop reports next year on the teaching workforce. According to the report card, the impact of these reports will be for the government-appointed group to develop a robust supply and demand model of Australia’s 600,000 practising and preservice teachers, to be used by employers, sectors and providers. At the same time, it’s important to foster the ongoing development of educators in the profession, which remains at the forefront of this edition of Education Matters. Leadership has been a consistent focus of our publication, and our regular columnists continue to inspire in their advice to improving Australia’s current and future principals, department heads and managers. On page 12, Rob Nairn of the Australian Secondary Principals Association, returns with recommendations for the industry, to ensure leaders are supported and not deterred by heavy workloads. One salient point Rob notes is that being a secondary principal dramatically increases a principal’s sphere of positive influence. Maintaining this sphere of influence while managing a colleagues expectations can be challenging, which is why regular columnist Bronwyn Johnstone, Principal of Capalaba State College, has highlighted her thoughts on how to lead others while also leading oneself on page 36. Teacher health and wellbeing also remains on the agenda. Earlier this year, the Hunter Institute of Mental Health released the findings of its 12-month survey which found that almost half of new teachers are walking out on the job due to heavy workload and stress. On page 56, Dr Gavin Hazel, the organisation’s Mental Health and Research Manager, responds with a thought-provoking discussion of how schools can foster supportive work environments. It’s an honour to join you for this edition of Education Matters Secondary. These print productions can be large undertakings and we are always looking to improve, and for that reason I’d love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to pass on any comments or questions to me directly via email toli.papadopoulos@primecreative.com.au. The latest news can also be found on our website, at http://educationmattersmag.com.au

Publisher: John Murphy john.murphy@primecreative.com.au Chief Operating Officer: Brad Buchanan brad.buchanan@primecreative.com.au Managing Editor: Robbie Parkes robbie.parkes@primecreative.com.au Editor: Toli Papadopoulos toli.papadopoulos@primecreative.com.au Art Director & Production Coordinator: Michelle Weston Designers: Blake Storey, James Finlay Group Sales Manager: Terry Wogan terry.wogan@primecreative.com.au Advertising: Chelsea Daniel-Young chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au 0425 699 878 Client Success Manager: Justine Nardone Education Matters is a division of Prime Creative Media Pty. Ltd. 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne 3205 Ph: (+61 3) 9690 8766 Fax: (+61 3) 9682 0044 Subscriptions Education Matters is available by subscription from the publisher. The rights of refusal are reserved by the publisher. Ph: (+61 3) 9690 8766 E: subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Articles All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to adjust any article to conform with the magazine format. Cover Image Capalaba State College

Toli Papadopoulos Editor

Copyright Education Matters is owned by Prime Creative Media Pty. Ltd. and published by John Murphy. All material in Education Matters is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information retrieval systems) without the written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequenses arising from information published. The opinions of the magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated. All photographs of schools (including students) depicted in feature articles and advertisements throughout this magazine have been supplied to the publisher (and approved) by the contributing school. All material supplied by schools is done so with the understanding that such images will be published in Education Matters and may also appear on the our website: www.edumatters.com.au.

education matters secondary

Bringing Thermal Imaging Into the Classroom THERMAL IMAGING IN A CLASSROOM FLIR thermal cameras give students the opportunity to learn about heat and temperature in an interactive and engaging way. Instead of reading about friction, they’re able to see how it works in real life. Rather than explain insulation, they can see firsthand the rate and speed of heat loss. FLIR’s EDU Kit is a tool for discovery in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math.

MAKING DIFFICULT CONCEPTS EASIER TO UNDERSTAND Many concepts that involve heat and heat transfer are very theoretical and not always easy for students to understand. Using the FLIR infrared camera, difficult theory and equations come to life as colorful thermal images, making them easy for teachers to explain. A few concepts that can be easily visualized with a thermal imaging camera include: • Thermal properties of materials and objects • Heat conduction, convection, & radiation • Heat insulation • Friction • Energy transformation • Phase change FLIR also provides educational resources to assist with using thermal infrared in the classroom as part of your existing curriculum. These resources include downloadable lesson plans, white papers, application notes, and training videos to aide in students’ exploration of STEM. Thermal images from the FLIR C3™ can be easily downloaded to a PC, Mac or tablet for viewing and analysis.

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contents

SECONDARY NOV 2017 - APR 2018

DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Note 4

Advertisers’ Directory

Foreword

Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham, Minister for Education and Training

Secondary Column

Rob Nairn, President, Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA)

Principally Speaking

Bronwyn Johnstone Principal of Capalaba State College

12 15

SPECIAL FEATURES 28

Computers aren’t about to replace teachers

The current generation of artificial intelligence isn’t really as intelligent as the media might have us believe, writes Byron Scaf, CEO of Stile Education.

30 Pedagogy before technology

Central Queensland University Senior Lecturer, Dr Michael Cowling, breaks down the factors schools should consider when incorporating mixed reality into the classroom.

Leading the self

An investment in the future

A day in the life

Bronwyn Johnstone, Principal of Capalaba State College, discusses her new platform, which enables educational leaders to understand the reasons behind their decisionmaking. By fostering supportive workplace environments we can create experiences that assist those who may be in need, writes Dr Gavin Hazel, Mental Health and Research Manager, Hunter Institute of Mental Health. Pip Thomas explains the day-to-day challenges of being a school business manager.

66 Australia’s three-dimensional curriculum

How does the Australian Curriculum prepare our students for a complex and uncertain future world? ACARA’s Tracy Zilm explains.

education matters secondary

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For more information visit renault.com.au National recommended drive away price $62,990. †Three (3) year/200,000km warranty offer and 3 year Roadside Assistance both apply. Warranty and Roadside Assistance valid for 3 years or 200,000km (whichever comes first) for new and demonstrator Master Bus models. Roadside Assistance terms and conditions apply. Call our Customer Service Team on 1800 009 008 or view the Terms and Conditions statement at www.renault.com.au/drivingpeaceofmind for details. ^First 3 scheduled maintenance services capped at $349 per service on new and demonstrator Master models, based on standard scheduled servicing from new and on normal operating conditions. Scheduled maintenance services required every twelve (12) months or up to 30,000km (whichever occurs first). However, Master is subject to adaptive servicing requirements, as determined by the Oil Condition Sensor, and may require servicing prior to the standard twelve (12) months or 30,000km service interval. If vehicle is not presented within three (3) months of when the scheduled service is required, right to that capped-price service under the program is forfeited.

FOREWORD

Needs-based funding in action SENATOR THE HON. SIMON BIRMINGHAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING, DISCUSSES THE IMPACT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S EDUCATION REFORMS, WHICH PASSED PARLIAMENT EARLIER THIS YEAR. Schools funding in Australia is turning a corner. As you probably would have seen, earlier this year the Turnbull Government’s Gonski needs-based funding reforms passed the parliament. In the white noise of chatter about funding levels, SES measures, resourcing standards, loadings, percentage increases, it can be hard to hear the message of what this significant reform really means: that students will now get the support and quality education they need to succeed. For many of the school administrators reading this, I can also assure you our plan delivers long-term funding certainty. Ultimately our reforms are a big win for our kids. They will get funding based on the specific needs they have. It will no longer matter which school system they’re in or where they live. And for the first time, the support for students with a disability will be informed by the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability. This well ensure that need and the expert opinions of the educators working with those children day-to-day drives funding allocation, rather than the different definitions of disability that exist between jurisdictions today. Schools with the greatest need get the fastest funding increases. So schools currently getting less than their fair share from the Commonwealth will move to the right level within six years. And the pool of Commonwealth money they’ll be drawing from is larger than ever – an additional $23.5 billion. That is a record amount of money for Australian schools. However, while we all understand how vital a strong level of needs-based funding is for our schools, we know that what’s more important is how that funding is used. That’s where David Gonski, often referred to as the “architect” of the Gonski funding reforms, comes in. With needs-based funding in place, his new focus is how we spend that funding to improve student achievement and school performance. Like all parents, I’ve been disappointed by recent

international data, undertaken by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which found that our kids are falling behind their peers across the globe. NAPLAN results for reading, writing and literacy have also stagnated. Over the next nine months David Gonski, alongside a team of educators and policy experts, will make recommendations on practical measures and initiatives that are proven to work to boost student outcomes. The Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools will draw on best-practice examples around Australia and beyond and will kickstart our efforts to reverse those declining results, and to boost the preparedness of students for the challenges of life after school in an ever-changing modern economy. That’s not to say that there aren’t great initiatives already underway in our schools that are making a big impact. For example, the National Innovation and Science Agenda is a $48 million commitment to help foster students’ passion to engage with Science, Mathematics and digital technology, while at the same time preparing them for the jobs of the future. The federal-government funded ‘digIT’ summer school program is already getting great results by allowing students from regional, rural and disadvantaged backgrounds to expand their critical thinking, programming and problem-solving skills. Other programs like ‘Curious Minds’ are encouraging students, particularly girls, to enrol in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects at school and university, as well as in vocational education and training. Ultimately, we want students in secondary school to not only enjoy school and learn in diverse ways, but to have a lasting connection with their education. We want the classroom to be the place where a love of learning can transition into a future career path. Our additional funding, distributed fairly, alongside recommendations from the new review, will ensure that students become the best they can be and have the support they need.

education matters secondary

Simon Birmingham has served as a Liberal Party Senator for South Australia since May 2007 and in September 2015 was appointed to position of Minister for Education and Training. Simon grew up near Gawler in Adelaide’s north on his family’s small horse agistment property. Simon was educated at government schools before going on to study at the University of Adelaide where he completed a Masters of Business Administration. Prior to entering the Senate, Simon worked for a number of industry bodies, establishing particular experience in the wine, tourism and hospitality sectors – industries that are critical to South Australia’s prosperity. After less than three years in the Senate, Simon was appointed to the Shadow Ministry, serving as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the MurrayDarling Basin and the Environment until the 2013 election. Following the change of government in 2013 Simon served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, with responsibility for water policy, including the Murray-Darling Basin, National Parks and the Bureau of Meteorology. In 2014 Simon was appointed to serve as the Assistant Minister for Education and Training, with specific responsibility for vocational education, apprenticeships, training and skills. He is now Minister for Education and Training. He is married to Courtney and has two young daughters, Matilda and Amelia. Simon is an active supporter of the Parliamentary Association for UNICEF and a proud, but sometimes frustrated, Adelaide Crows fan.

ASPA COLUMN

Why become a secondary principal? AS A PROFESSION, PRINCIPALS MUST DO MORE TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES AND THE IMPORTANT ROLE THEY PLAY, WRITES ROB NAIRN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY PRINCIPALS ASSOCIATION.

education matters secondary

Quality education is essential to national future growth. “The quality of schooling in a country is a powerful predictor of the wealth that countries will produce in the long run.” (Hanushek and Wössmann, 2015). Strongly supported school leadership is crucial to driving sustained improvement in educational outcomes and innovation for the future. The Federal Government has invested significant funding to improve the quality of teaching, yet we continue to slide in international rankings. According to 2015 research by the Centre for Education Statistics & Evaluation Research, principals have the second biggest in-school impact on student outcomes after classroom teaching. Good leadership is therefore essential to get the best from our teachers so we can maximise student learning. Our challenge is to build sustainable leadership for the future. Evidence indicates that potential applicants are deterred by the heavy workload of principals and the fact that the job does not seem to be adequately remunerated or supported. Uncertain recruitment procedures and career development prospects for principals may also deter potential candidates. Strategies to attract, recruit and support high-performing school leaders must be identified. Our profession urgently needs a targeted conversation between major stakeholders (governments, associations, university sector) to develop a sustainable plan for the future. The basis of the conversation should be recognition that: • The role of the school leader has changed. • The skills and abilities required for school leadership have changed. • The current selection practices must change. • Ongoing support for school leaders is

essential. Our ageing demographic means that many of our school leaders will be retiring over the next few years. With a notable decline in the number of people applying for leadership roles, what are you doing as a school leader to promote our profession? We have identified five reasons why being a secondary principal is an inspirational job. 1. The moral purpose is so compelling. By challenging and supporting every adolescent and young adult to reach their potential, principals make a big difference to the lives of others. 2. The role involves advanced problem solving and strategic navigation. There is a real depth and breadth of challenge, complexity and diversity in this role. 3. The role of principal is edupreneurial. It is creative, educative, innovative, imaginative and dynamic, so that Australia needs to continue to produce the enterprising graduates we require to shape our nation’s socio-economic fabric. 4. The role involves multiple collaborations. Working with likeminded people towards a common goal is such a richly rewarding orientation for any vocation, but particularly so as a principal. 5. B eing a secondary principal means that your sphere of positive influence is scaled up. A secondary teacher commonly influences 150 students a year, while a secondary principal commonly influences all students at the school (sometimes as many as 2000). This is a huge responsibility, but one filled with joy and fulfilment.

References: Hanushek and Wössmann, 2015, Universal Basic Skills: What Countries Stand to Gain Centre for Education Statistics & Evaluation Research, 2015, Effective Leadership, Learning Curve, Issue 10

education matters secondary

ROB NAIRN BEd, Dip Teach, MAICD, MACEL Rob Nairn is Executive Director of the Australian Secondary Principals Association (ASPA Ltd) and Adjunct Associate Professor at Edith Cowan University. He has extensive experience in metropolitan and regional senior high schools in Western Australia, particularly in low socio-economic areas. Rob is passionate about developing exemplary leadership to provide high quality secondary education to all young people, regardless of their geographic, social or personal circumstances. Rob is a Director of Principals Australia Institute (PAI Ltd), Director of Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), Chair of Edith Cowan University Applied Health Research Centre Advisory Board, Director of the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) Advisory Board, Executive member International Confederation of Principals (ICP) and member of The Smith Family Principal Advisory Board.

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

Leaving a legacy REGULAR COLUMNIST, BRONWYN JOHNSTONE, PRINCIPAL OF QUEENSLAND’S CAPALABA STATE COLLEGE, SPEAKS TO EDUCATION MATTERS ABOUT HER APPROACH TO INSPIRING STUDENTS.

HOW DOES THE COLLEGE’S PHILOSOPHY AND ETHOS GUIDE IT TODAY? Our college motto “live, love, learn, leave a legacy” is reflected in the evolution of the college and holds true today. The original Capalaba State School has a history of more than 100 years and over that time has seen many students live out the motto. This ethos guides our interactions and unites our spirit. We encourage our students to live, to get involved and not let life pass by, to stand up and be counted and contribute. Our students are an extraordinary group of people who are talented and excel at sports, music and academic pursuits. Love is important in our world. We encourage our students to share their love through being kind and generous with their talents, time and words. Being kind is a way of living that keeps giving long after the kind thoughts, words, and actions have taken place. Kindness is a force without force, it goes well beyond manners, to the heart of how people respect and treat one another. Being kind is a vital way of making our own lives, and the lives of others, meaningful. Kindness is not a weakness, but the strength of a leader. Learning is the heart of our agenda. The ability to learn is the one trait that will prepare a student for whatever the future holds. Life, technology and occupations are constantly changing and to be able to stay relevant you must be able to learn. Students at our college are challenged daily to think, problem solve and analyse. Part of the motto, leave a legacy, is a challenge to inspire, create or participate in such a way that your influence is felt in a positive way long after your time here at the college. We challenge every student to achieve their personal best and espouse the college values of being respectful, responsible, positive, safe and a learner. Staff and students are proud of the college’s history and continue to contribute to its evolution

while holding onto tradition. One tradition that has grown over time is our connection to the college animal emblem, the possum. The possum now represents our sporting excellence with our sporting teams proudly wearing the possum logo. HOW DOES CAPALABA STATE COLLEGE DIFFER FROM OTHER SCHOOLS? Capalaba State College differs from other schools in its structure, offerings and approach to innovation. We are the only state Prep to Year 12 college in the Redlands. As a college, we are able to provide a seamless education and culture a family feel. We are proud of our strong connection with the community and there are substantial feelings of ownership of the college among students and their families. Many families have generational connections with Capalaba State College. We pride ourselves on being leaders of innovation. Over the last four years, the college has introduced a Health academy, scholars program, high performing sport program and digital technology. The Health academy provides opportunities for students in this fastest growing employment industry, with connection to Health partners who provide hands-on experience and articulation of student learning into school-based traineeships. The scholars program recognises and challenges academic students through goal setting, study skills and a targeted curriculum. Students are inspired to aspire to reach higher. Our high performing sport program allows students to receive specialist coaching and training in volleyball, basketball or football. The program is complemented by connection to Volleyball Australia, Brisbane Bullets and Logan Thunder QBL players. All Health and Physical Education teachers are also qualified coaches in their chosen sport. The digital technology space is constantly

education matters secondary

emerging and is always exciting. Students on the junior campus are developing their skills with patterning and have begun to write in code. This work is extended on the senior campus, where students design and develop computer games and apps. We have also introduced 3D printing which connects across so many subject areas. IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE COLLEGE EVOLVED OVER THE PAST 10-20 YEARS? Capalaba State College has a history of evolution. The college was the first school in the Redlands. Initially, just a primary school, Capalaba State School opened on Mt Cotton Road in July of 1880 with 22 pupils and one teacher. The college

PRINCIPALLY SPEAKING

has grown to serve the needs of the booming residential developments in Redland City. In 2005, Capalaba State School amalgamated with Capalaba State High School to form Capalaba State College. It now offers a complete education from Prep to Year 12, with invaluable opportunities to foster community and ownership. The college has evolved as the surrounding city has evolved. Its relationship with the wider community has created diverse and numerous opportunities. The most significant way the college has changed has been our approach to meeting the needs of senior students. While completing their school subjects, students are studying TAFE courses and completing apprenticeships, alongside students completing work placements and university subjects. This flexibility allows every student to personalise their education. We will continue to evolve in the future with staff and student’s input. It is our commitment to one another that allows collective ownership to shape our future. HOW DO YOU PROVIDE SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP TO YOUR STAFF? Leading oneself and others is central to the work of a principal. I am best positioned to serve my team by building capacity through coaching and mentoring. I work closely with the middle management team to set up the structures for professional learning teams. Each team use the cycle of inquiry to understand their data and drive student performance. Team leaders participate in further collaborative inquiry, interrogating practices and looking for opportunities to grow and develop. Teaching is a profession of learning. At Capalaba State College, we ensure our beginner teachers are mentored with the support of their head of school. All staff engage in an annual performance development process, which allows for personalisation of professional development needs alongside the college’s targeted training programs. I believe every member of the college staff is a leader of self and others. Our professional development program includes annual leadership inspiration for all staff members. Additionally, I conduct an aspiring leaders program for staff members motivated to pursue promotional opportunities. Participants review leadership theory and apply their learnings to schoolbased projects. I foster a commitment to learning and collaboration.

WHAT ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES OF THE COLLEGE STUDENTS? For me, education is the most powerful tool to change lives. Our role in schools is to equip students as confident, capable, ethical members of society. My role as principal is to shine the light on our success to inspire staff and students to do and achieve more. Highlighting success builds momentum and Capalaba State College has produced the strongest tertiary entrance ranking and exit results in the Redlands. I believe the principal’s role is to be the leader of learning. I enjoy an active role across the college, regularly visiting classes and working with students. I conduct academic reviews with senior students and provide feedback on their progress. I meet regularly with the college captains, inviting their feedback and sharing in their ideas to foster school spirit. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE CRITICAL ISSUES FACED BY EDUCATORS TODAY? The most significant issue faced by Queensland schools today is the change in senior school processes. The change in entry ranking processes will challenge our pedagogical approach and relationship with assessment. While it is an exciting time for schools, it also a time of significant change and learning. Alongside the move to the ATAR system, the senior curriculum has been rewritten and new subjects have emerged. Now is an important time for schools to work together to assist teachers in adopting the changes. It is also important for schools to invest in professional development for teachers to support the required changes in pedagogy. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT, EITHER AS A TEACHER OR SPECIFICALLY IN THE ROLE OF PRINCIPAL? I have enjoyed so many wonderful moments over my career, from swimming on the Great Barrier Reef with extension Science students, to walking on the Great Wall of China as part of a study tour. The moments that resonate with me most however, are the senior formals. On that night, we have a small glimpse of the amazing young men and women of the future. It is a night of celebration of past achievement but equally a night that holds the hope of the future. I am immensely proud of all the young men and women who I have had the opportunity to work with over my career.

education matters secondary

WHAT TRAITS MAKE FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL LEADER IN EDUCATION TODAY? Workplace communities and organisations that are focused on success and learning are not built overnight. They are “products of carefully cultivated attitudes, commitments and management processes that have accrued slowly and steadily over time” (Garvin, 2009). There are observable characteristics of the lived culture such as trust, collaboration and direction. Culture is built on trusting relationships, the relationships people have with each other in the workplace exerts a powerful influence on the behavior of the working group. Research shows that working groups built on trusting relationships are more effective and efficient. Trust builds momentum, as people want to work with you, they feel empowered and motivated to be their best. Equally, collaboration and vision support the success of a school. Collaboration is important as education is not an individual pursuit. We need to work together to improve and grow. By working together we gain perspective, we develop respect and consideration and acknowledge individual strengths while celebrating the team’s achievement. A clear vision empowers teachers to be proud of their work and want to contribute to the success of the school. The leader needs to provide an unambiguous direction. CAN YOU DESCRIBE ANY SPECIFIC WAYS IN WHICH THE DIGITAL ERA IS BEGINNING TO DISRUPT THE EDUCATION FIELD? Technology is an important part of our lives, however, I don’t see it disrupting education in the same way that Uber has disrupted the taxi system. This speaks to the care and concern we have for our children. Attending school is an important way that we can ensure our children are looked after in their formative years. What technology has done is open access to knowledge and create connections. Capalaba State College students travelled to Athens in July this year to compete in the World Scholars Cup. All preparation for the competition was completed online. It is this type of connection that will create opportunities for our children now and in the future. Technology allows us to be more innovative and to work with students’ creativity across curricular engagement which aligns to the working profession. It is important not to undervalue traditional skills, and always view technology as the complement to learning that takes place in schools.

Australian Council for Educational Leaders

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HOT TOPIC

Measuring heat in the classroom FLIR’S EDUCATIONAL KITS ARE TEACHING SCIENCE STUDENTS THE EXTRAORDINARY CAPABILITIES OF HEAT ACROSS CORE CURRICULUM LESSONS SUCH AS PHYSICS AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE.

When the new study design was developed for the Victorian Certificate of Education curriculum in 2015, Education Officer Anthony Fernando saw an opportunity. Anthony, who works for Ecolinc’s Science and Technology Innovations Centre, needed an updated physics program for the sustainable learning facility, and discovered the hands-on practice of thermal imaging technology. To help provide students with an engaging lesson, Ecolinc purchased FLIR’s C2 Educational Kit, which includes a thermal imaging camera and software, as well as a range of practical science exercises. The Department of Education and Training Science Specialist Centre runs Science programs for primary to Year 12 schools, and is based at Bacchus Marsh College, located northwest of Melbourne in the town of Bacchus Marsh. Students from Victorian schools can visit the centre for field trips and they also provide outreach and online programs. “When we viewed the technology at the

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2015 annual conference of the Science Teachers’ Association of Victoria at La Trobe University, I immediately thought it would be perfect for our centre,” Anthony explains. Thermal imaging allows heat levels to be detected by measuring infrared radiation, producing images of that radiation called thermograms. Because human beings can only feel heat rather than seeing it, infrared radiation is measured through thermal imaging technology. Anthony says the technology is predominately being used by Year 11 students to help students understand how heat flow is managed in building design, including the insulation of glass and rooms. It is also being used for several sustainabilitythemed programs from Years 9 to 12. “Previously, we had a set of point and click temperature reading devices, but I thought with thermal imaging we could give students a more detailed picture of how the technology is used in the real world,” he says. Anthony says that FLIR’s 60x80 pixel image allows for up to 4800 temperature readings, compared to one reading in a standard temperature test. The system is capable of measuring readings from -40 to 150°C. A colourcoded temperature scale shows the distribution of temperatures from the hottest to coldest spots in view. The scale allows the viewer to quickly assess hot from cold regions on a thermogram based on the colour. The thermogram can be analysed in more detail by placing one of various tools, such as a spot meter or an area onto the image. “When used within a building or enclosure, FLIR cameras can identify gaps in insulation, drafts and see where that heat is being dissipated,” he says. Anthony says students use the cameras to explore Ecolinc’s Environmentally Sustainable Designed (ESD) building, and are able to verify that the building is doing what it should do, or identify places where it may not be functioning as designed. The students are also looking at model

housing kits, and the heat sources and transfers inside and outside of the model, he adds. “There’s an almost limitless number of simple experiments you can do and they all tell students about the heat transfer process, so it’s a way of visualising how heat is being transferred,” Anthony explains. “An example of one of the many experiments designed includes tapping two pieces of wood together to teach students friction and the transfer of kinetic energy – the principle behind the famous hotspot system used in cricket.” As well as qualitative experiments, the cameras can be used to make accurate temperature readings. “Part two of the Year 11 Physics program is actually calibrating the reading. Students conduct some quantitative measurements, such as the temperature of an ice bath which should be 0°C. They are then asked to measure it, to ensure it is 0°C, and then perform a similar experiment for boiling water.” Ian Scollay, Head Teacher (Science) at Baulkham Hills High School, an academically selective high school located in Sydney’s Hills District, is using the FLIR system in Physics and Biology. The system is being used across the school’s science lessons from Years 7-12. Ian purchased the kit 18 months ago and says one of his favourite experiments is using the technology to measure heat sources within motors and generators in Higher School Certificate Science. “One of our experiments in Physics involves looking at the efficiency of an immersion heater and looking at how the heat flows into, and through, the water. In this experiment, students are able to look at some of the conduction currents that are associated with the heating of the water from a coil carrying an electrical current,” he says. Ian says FLIR’s C2 Educational Kit has been an eye opener for students, allowing them to observe the infrared end of the electromagnetic spectrum and see how materials operate at different temperatures, as well as how fast heat is being transferred. He says students can examine the heating of different materials, such as copper and zinc, and compare that to a piece of glass, for example, and visualise the heat travelling through the material. Ian says the camera permits the collection of quantifiable data which forms the basis of good discussion afterwards. He says he is then able to go back and ask students to investigate how they can reduce friction and heat loss, modifying the experiment to yield greater efficiencies. The physics

of the infrared spectrum can also be applied to biological sciences, by demonstrating to students how airport security might use infrared to measure the temperature of passengers as an indicator of possible infection. This was highlighted by a classroom lesson that explored the recent control of infectious diseases, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), spread during overseas travel. “We have students who are quite gifted in critical thinking, so we are able to apply the kit across the Science curriculum. It is a highly cost-effective and versatile device.”

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Sean Towner, Sales Manager at FLIR Systems Australia, says that with the school curriculum being slanted heavily towards Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), thermal imaging technology is becoming a staple item in many classrooms. “FLIR recognises the learning perspectives that an infrared thermal imaging camera can bring to a classroom and we hope to advance the STEM skills of students nationwide. We recently released FLIR’s C3 Educational Kit, featuring WiFi, which further augments the use of this device in the classroom.”

HOT TOPIC

A passion for digital technology BRETT HOUGHTON, HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION AT ST IGNATIUS’ COLLEGE, RIVERVIEW, EXPLAINS HOW IMAGING COMPANY CANON INSPIRED THE SCHOOL TO EMBRACE THE LATEST IN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES.

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Expanding a school’s digital offering is one that requires complex planning and the right level of support. Two years ago, St Ignatius’ College, Riverview, decided to improve its online learning and administration portfolio. Located in the northern suburbs of Sydney, the boys school caters for Years 5-12. Brett Houghton, Head of Technology and Innovation, says the school has been improving its digital technologies since 2007, but two years ago looked to optimise its platforms and inspire students to embrace digital imaging. It led to the school rapidly expanding its photography curriculum and incorporating advanced timelapse photography on construction projects. In a bid to upgrade its reprographics contract, he explains the school went out to tender two years ago, replacing its printing centre with a fleet of new devices. Prior to this, the school had consistently faced a problem where hundreds of printed classroom exercises were going uncollected each year. A key component in its tender, Brett explains, was to lower the school’s printing costs and reduce its environmental impact. “We asked all vendors to supply a solution that would allow us to understand what jobs students were printing and where,” Brett says. Another issue, Brett says, was extensive double handling within the organisation. For years, teachers were supplying students with print out copies of their class work, while also providing a digital version. But other areas of the business such as school fees and reports were print only. The lack of a digital record often meant reports would go missing or damaged in school bags, causing teachers to have to resupply their content. Leading imaging company Canon provided not only the solution, but went above and beyond to help the school implement its digital transition. Canon’s extensive experience

Canon has really been a part of our change process within the organisation. For the last three years, we’ve been trying to change the organisation to be more digitally focused and less paper focused, but we really needed to have systems in place to enable that transition to happen.

working with other schools allowed the company to assess the challenges of instilling cultural change, developing a strategic plan with the school. “Our aim is to prepare our students for the next phase of their life and we all know that is going to heavily involve digital technology, both in their work life and professional life,” Brett explains. “Canon has really been a part of our change process within the organisation. For the last three years, we’ve been trying to change the organisation to be more digitally focused and less paper focused, but we really needed to have systems in place to enable that transition to happen.” Representatives from Canon met with Brett to discuss the challenges of moving towards a digital only model of reports, school fee information and homework tasks. Canon outlined the benefits of its uniFLOW software, which provides an integrated print, scan and device management platform to monitor its entire fleet. It was also able to provide a layout of where the fleet would be located across the school. The entire set up was achieved with minimal downtime over a four-day period, with Canon providing a seamless transition through the provision of its service staff. Using a combination of Canon’s multifunction

devices, students now print their jobs and swipe their ID cards before the content is printed off. It means Saint Ignatius’ College has now been able to reduce its fleet of photocopiers and traditional printers from 84 devices down to 62, a win for the environment and productivity within the school. “Just by introducing that concept alone, we’ve saved four wheelie bins per week in our student printing area of wasted, uncollected jobs a week and that’s just what the kids have access to,” Brett says. “We also introduced a follow me print model so you can print effectively to a virtual printer and go to six devices in the school to collect the work. This has significantly improved productivity when printers aren’t available.” Brett says that once the contract started, the school began to discuss its digital imaging curriculum with Canon, including its photography classes. Canon took a proactive step to offer its photographic experts, running a photography competition with the school each year. “We asked Canon if they’d like to be involved, supply judges, and offer prizes to the boys. “Their team of photography experts now come along and speak at our assemblies, and talk about

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the different aspects of digital life. Canon really jumped at the opportunity, they’ve really involved themselves with the boys,” Brett says. He says Canon have continued to engage with the school’s head of digital photography on how to incorporate digital media into their classroom lesson plans. Brett says the company’s inspiring talks led to more than 400 entries in the school’s photography competition, compared with an average of 90 beforehand. But the company’s passion for helping schools embrace digital technology goes a step further, with Canon also supporting the school in the planning phases of their latest building project. Canon helped the school explore time-lapse photography, providing it with five cameras which takes a still of the construction process every five minutes. The school is able to publish the videos to its social media channels, allowing parents and the community to observe the progress of the project. “Canon’s support in the whole step of our digital transition has been an educational journey for all of us at the school. Since they started working with us, student’s interest in digital media and photography has increased significantly.”

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Mathematics

Achieving the light bulb moment QUEENSLAND’S REDCLIFFE STATE HIGH SCHOOL HAS SIGNIFICANTLY LIFTED STUDENT INTEREST AND RESULTS IN MATHEMATICS THROUGH A UNIQUE LEARNING MODEL.

One of the rewards of being a Mathematics teacher is seeing that “light bulb moment”, as students finally begin to understand a problem. That’s according to Michelle Fry, Acting Head of Department Mathematics at Redcliffe State High School, who is championing the Maths Pathway teaching and learning model at the Queensland school. The hands-on program has led to a dramatic increase in enthusiasm in Mathematics across the school, Michelle explains, with the journey beginning last year. Michelle says that she and numeracy coach Lauren Martin-Gaskell were looking for a Mathematics program that centred on targeted learning and instruction, collaborative group work and one-on-one feedback. As part of her role on the Head of Department discussion group, Michelle was invited by Maths Pathway founder Justin Matthys to hear about the program. The discovery led Michelle and Lauren to participate in an engaging two-day presentation last year, where they learnt about the program’s tailored and personalised approach to Mathematics.

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The model means that students can work at their own pace, whether they are advanced, behind, or on par for their year level, unleashing their full potential. Maths Pathway caters to each student’s individual level by identifying their knowledge, as well as any gaps in their learning, across the F-10 curriculum. No assumptions are made of student knowledge based on their age, meaning a Year 5 student could be learning Year 10 algebra. Diagnostic, formative and summative assessments provide data that feeds into an online platform, which provides students with work in their zone of proximal development. When you consider the classic learning model, and the way many of us were educated, teachers have typically been required to teach all students the same curriculum level content. For years, standardised testing and whole-class lectures have been the norm for most Australian students. The outcomes of this approach can create major obstacles to progress. Maths Pathway is driven by the belief that all students should be able to learn Maths in a way that allows them to thrive. Through its program, student learning is supported with content tailored to the Australian and state curriculums and a model which encourages independent learning alongside peer collaboration. Students complete fortnightly tests to check in with their progress and as they demonstrate mastery of the concepts, the content that they are ready for next is automatically generated for each student. Phillip Morrison, Maths teacher at Redcliffe State High School, is pleased with the results. “The biggest challenge with being a teacher is manipulating the curriculum so each student identifies with it and they can all engage and learn,” Phillip says. “In the past, understanding the knowledge your students have on what you are teaching was sometimes like guesswork. “With Maths for example, if you’re teaching Year 7 fractions and the student has missed something in Year 5 or 6, you often don’t know at what point they stopped understanding. Was it multiplication tables or highest common factor?

“I then had to differentiate for them so they understand it, all the while making it harder for those at a different level.” Michelle says the state high school, of more than 1300 Year 7-12 students, introduced Maths Pathway in 2016. Before Maths Pathway, students were placed into groups based on their individual capability. She explains that Maths Pathway’s focus on personalised tests has been key to each student’s personal development. The regular assessment enables teachers to obtain instant data on each student and allows teachers to plan more effectively for individual learning needs. She says this would otherwise have been difficult, and not to mention time consuming, in a traditional classroom setting. “Maths Pathway is an incredible program. It is designed in a way for a student to achieve success at their level. The curriculum is so large and there’s so many iterations but Maths Pathway has it all there,” Michelle says. Maths Pathway has documented high results in its 2016 Impact Report, which found that Year 7 students grew an average of 218 per cent faster than they were before they started using the program. Maths Pathway attributes this to an individualised learning platform that allows teachers to know exactly how their students are understanding and learning their lessons. After students have completed a diagnostic test, the program creates modules to build on their knowledge and fill in any gaps in their learning. Michelle says that because teachers are aware of the levels and growth rates of each of their students, they are able to provide informed, targeted feedback. “We have found our students are keen to get feedback from their teachers. Even if it’s the fourth lesson in the day, students are insisting, as they’re so motivated to grow. These students are not what we’d typically call ‘high achieving’,” Michelle says. “In terms of the growth, if they have a minimum of 133 percent all year, that means that they are achieving more than one year of growth in a year. “Under the old model, we’d only achieve half a year of growth. The ability to observe instant data is truly phenomenal.” Phillip says the school runs a bring-yourown-device program, which ensures students are familiar with their devices and can work on their program at home. “I had one student last cycle who had completed 17 modules and had 467 per cent growth in their learning. They could see the gaps in their learning and

wouldn’t have been able to complete so many modules at school.” Phillip says that each week, he will have at least three students achieving more than 400 per cent growth and another five around the 300 mark, and only two to three achieving less than 100 per cent growth. Students love a competition, he says, which bolsters results. Most importantly, it demonstrates to students that they can determine their own path and breaks down the fallacy that they are either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at Maths. It’s not all computer based, Michelle adds, as the model offers a healthy balance of book-work, rich tasks, and longer projects. Students are encouraged to develop their independent learning skills, while teachers are there to assist them with targeted instruction and one-on-one feedback should they encounter any difficulties. To further strengthen their independence, Michelle adds that this contemporary teaching and learning model encourages students to constantly justify their thinking, allowing them to reflect on the reasons for their decisions. Teachers also plan for students to be involved in small focused learning groups, as well as incorporating rich learning tasks that promote investigative and collaborative learning. It all returns to Carol Dweck’s theory of the growth mindset. The critically-acclaimed author theorised that our intelligence is not a fixed trait, but can be developed through effort, quality teaching and persistence. The results are documented in her 2007 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

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“If students have a growth mindset they know that they need to develop. Before Maths Pathway, some students did have a fixed mindset and they hated Maths. If students don’t understand it, they’re simply not going to engage,” Michelle says. “Under Maths Pathway, students have quickly discovered pleasure from the subject without any of the leftover unhappiness or confusion from before. It’s really important students find their love of Maths as it’s the higher Mathematical subjects that will solve the problems of today’s world.” Michelle says that teachers who warmly embrace mistakes, praise effort and strategies, and avoid labelling their students as either good or bad at Maths have the best chance of fostering a growth mindset. Year 8 student Isabelle Costello says her strength was once in English, but thanks to Maths Pathway, her interest in Mathematics has increased greatly, providing her with a well-rounded education. “Maths is a lot more enjoyable now because it focuses on my individual requirements. The most challenging part of learning before Maths Pathway was I felt some areas of my lesson were rushed. Now I can finally focus on the areas I need to improve on.”

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Mathematics

reSolve: Promoting a spirit of inquiry THE AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF AN EXCITING PROJECT THAT AIMS TO FOSTER STUDENT CURIOSITY AND A DESIRE TO KNOW WHY IN MATHEMATICS, PROMOTING WHAT THEY REFER TO AS A SPIRIT OF ENQUIRY.

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In his 2010 speech to young researchers in Mathematics at Cambridge University, renowned mathematician, Fields medallist and Abel Prize winner Sir Michael Atiyah looked back on 60 years of Mathematics. Upon reflection, Atiyah referred to the “views I have seen from the heights” and the “challenges [that] lie ahead for the next generation” (Atiyah, 2010). He suggested there were many more “mountain ranges” to explore in Mathematics, and talked about what motivates mathematicians: understanding, curiosity, exploration and ideas. These concepts lie at the heart of an exciting new Australian government-funded project, managed by the Australian Academy of Science in collaboration with the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers. The project, reSolve: Maths by Inquiry, produces classroom and professional resources to promote a spirit of inquiry in school Mathematics from Foundation to Year 10. But what is a spirit of inquiry? The reSolve team describes it as a desire to know why an answer has been developed and a curiosity for this, as opposed to simply understanding the methodology behind each individual problem. It will also develop the knowledge and skills of more than 240 teachers across Australia who will become the champions to take the messages of the project out into the world.

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THE PROTOCOL The guiding principles behind the project are described in what the reSolve team has called the Protocol – a vision for the teaching of Mathematics and numeracy that emphasises mathematical purpose, challenge and access, and a collaborative knowledge-building culture. The three principal elements of the Protocol stress that Mathematics is more than covering content, that if we design tasks well, everyone can be part of a rich mathematical experience, and that classrooms are learning environments focused on developing deep understanding. Here is one example of how the reSolve resources promote a spirit of inquiry in school Mathematics. ADDITION CHAIN Addition Chain is an algebra activity aimed at the early years of secondary school. It commences with a “trick” that students are invited to explain. Students write down any two numbers, add them to make a third number, add the third to the second to make the fourth and so on. They complete an Addition Chain 10 numbers long, such as: 5, 7, 12, 19, 31, 50, 81, 131, 212, 343.

They then add the 10 numbers, which in this case is 891. Before they even add the numbers, the teacher can tell them the answer, which is 11 times the seventh number. The explanation, of course, lies in algebra. If the first two numbers are a and b, the seventh is 5a + 8b, and the sum of the 10 numbers is 55a + 88b. This is by no means an original activity, and is shown on a number of websites and YouTube clips. But what the reSolve lesson does next is invite students to find and explain other relationships, such as if you add six numbers, you get four times the fifth number, or if you add 14 numbers you get 29 times the ninth number. When reSolve developed the activity it looked at the sequence of relationships, which are: s2 = 1t3 s6 = 4t5 s10 = 11t7 s14 = 29t9 s18 = 76t11

direction that is new and exciting. THE RESOURCES reSolve: Maths by Inquiry is developing three types of resources that capture the spirit of inquiry in Maths, exemplify the Protocol and promote fluency, deep understanding, strategic problem solving and mathematical reasoning. More than 88 exemplary lesson plans will highlight key ideas in every strand of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics, at every year level from Foundation to Year 10. Each lesson plan is carefully designed to develop a progressive understanding through tasks that promote a spirit of inquiry. The special topics are significant resources that address the needs of 21st century learners. They provide imaginative opportunities for creatively using

The reSolve team said it had never seen these results anywhere, and were curious about the sequence of numbers (1, 4, 11, 29, 76). They typed them into the Online Encyclopaedia of Integer Sequences and found that they are the even numbered terms in the Lucas sequence: 2, 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 18, 29. The Lucas sequence is an integer sequence named after 19th century mathematician François Édouard Anatole Lucas. reSolve have since managed to explain why the relationships work and what the link is with the Lucas sequence. Students can start with Mathematics that everyone can do, and then move in a

INQUIRY AND EXPLICIT TEACHING: The word explicit comes from the Latin words ex (out) and plicare (to fold). To make something explicit literally means “to unfold”. This is in line with reSolve’s view of inquiry, which focuses on unpacking important Mathematical ideas, such as coming to understand how algebra helps to explain arithmetic results. The reSolve resources are designed to help the teacher lead students to a deep understanding of purposeful Mathematics. Students learn through the teacher’s active intervention, such as the use of enabling prompts, which reduces cognitive load. The resources do much more than reproduce an approach demonstrated by the teacher, they understand the Mathematical concepts underpinning the method and appreciate why it is accurate and efficient.

new technologies in real-world contexts such as coding, modelling and engineering. The professional resources provide the link between the Protocol and the teaching and learning resources. They are designed to inform individual teacher and whole-school change. CONCLUSION The example above captures the spirit of inquiry that reSolve hopes will permeates all its resources. The resources do not eliminate the need for carefully constructed intentional teaching, nor do they eliminate the need for activities that will sustain the learning. But like the young mathematicians addressed by Sir Michael Atiyah, through activities such as these, reSolve hopes that students begin to find their own mountain ranges to explore, motivated by understanding, curiosity, exploration and ideas. It hopes that they too, can experience the joy and delight of mathematical discovery. reSolve invites you and your colleagues to join us in the exciting venture that is reSolve: Maths by Inquiry. Visit our website at www.resolve.edu.au or email us at mbi@science.org.au. References Atiyah, M. (2010). A Panoramic View of Mathematics. Retrieved from http://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/753316;jsessioni d=30C071FEDDCBD0EBBE3014FB9797C443 OEIS (2017). Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences. Retreived from https://oeis.org/

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TECHNOLOGY

Helping students go digital EDUCATION MATTERS SPEAKS TO DIGITAL LEARNING AND TEACHING VICTORIA PRESIDENT MELINDA CASHEN ABOUT HER VISION FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN AUSTRALIA.

BRIEFLY EXPLAIN A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? My career began in 2000. I started off as a teacher working in regional New South Wales. My first school had a total of 30 children in it. From 2005-2009 I went on to work for a primary school in Essex, in the United Kingdom. This was just as they were starting to put computers in and they were further ahead than Australia at that time. The school I worked for had rolled out students hubs, which included interactive whiteboards and trolleys of computers, so that’s where my interest in digital technologies began. HAT IN PARTICULAR INSPIRED YOU ABOUT W THAT SCHOOL’S USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY? I was not necessarily inspired about the technologies themselves, as they were in their infancy, but the possibilities and endless opportunities. We weren’t working with advanced technologies, so it was really about making those first mistakes and learning from those. This was essentially the catalyst for change.

When I came back to Australia in 2009, we were just starting to put interactive whiteboards in classrooms and technology hubs. The Ultranet in Victoria was another catalyst for change. The online learning management system was developed for the Department of Education and phased into schools between 2006-2010. Each student received a login where they could access curriculum content and learning activities. The system provided a reporting system for teacher and student, staff and school records. While this technology failed to take off, it was an opportunity for teachers to experiment and instilled a sense of urgency that change was on its way. WHERE ARE YOU WORKING NOW AND WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR THE SCHOOL? I am currently working at Princess Hill Primary, located in Melbourne’s north. We have 450 students and work a little bit differently to most public schools. We run a full inquiry program, which is focused on posing questions,

problems and real life, rather than presenting an established path to knowledge. Our school looks for ways to incorporate digital technologies all throughout the curriculum into rich learning tasks – focused on fostering student creativity and critical thinking. Students are discovering how they can present their work not just as a piece of artwork or writing, but digitally. Because we focus on larger projects, we often look at the systems of digital technology and adopt this into our thinking. This holistic approach to analysis means we focus on the way that a system’s various parts interrelate and work over time. Last year, our Year 3/4 students were building museum at school. When we started to look at how students engage visitors, we looked to digital technology to provide an engaging experience. The students honed their creative skills to develop audio guides and augmented video realities. They developed a program that allows visitors to place their iPad up to a row of pictures – a video pops up and explains what the monument is and its history. In this way, our students are looking at how digital systems fit in real life and how they can be used. HOW DID YOUR ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL LEARNING AND TEACHING VICTORIA COME ABOUT? In 2014, I won the outstanding educator of the year award award with VITA, which used to be one of two organisations for digital technology

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associations in Victoria. VITA was secondary-teacher focused and ICTVE was a junior-focused association, they both merged in 2014. After that I got talking to people and they suggested I be on the committee. I was still in regional Victoria at the time so I used to Skype into the meetings. The ability to meet with people who shared the same passion and drive for digital technologies was exciting and I took over as president in May 2015. WHAT’S BEEN YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN THE TWO YEARS OF BEING PRESIDENT? The biggest thing we’ve been able to do is set some direction for our members and for our organisation to progress, so those strategic drivers have really been the deciding factor. Taking that opportunity to look at who our members are and what do they want has been enlightening. It’s put us in a position to partner with the state government and offer back to the community. One of the projects we’re working on is with the Department of Education Victoria, delivering $10,000 grants to secondary schools, and working through a professional learning program about using different digital technologies. OW DO YOU SUPPORT EDUCATORS IN THEIR H PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES WHEN IT COMES TO DIGITAL LEARNING? We offer a few different levels of support. For example, we hold monthly webinars for teachers and our next one is on special education and digital technologies. It’s really easily accessed by anyone no matter where you are. We’re also trying to develop a regional workshop this year, so we’ve been visiting cities such as Sale, Bendigo, Warrnambool, trying to get out to areas where they don’t have the same professional development opportunities. We also host DigiCon, our annual conference which features more than 600 delegates over a two-day period. It’s an opportunity to showcase and highlight the great work happening in Victoria, but we also have keynote presentations which discuss

areas such as STEM, the Digital Technologies Curriculum and more. We put a lot of work into the network and community feel of the event. ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO TEACH DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS? For a lot of teachers, digital technologies are new and they’re still learning. Its pleasing to see teachers starting to reach out with questions. Each time you run a workshop with teachers, you see significant improvements. That being said, I think there’s some different challenges for primary and secondary teachers. We find primary schools teachers are taking more risks, which allows them to learn what works and what doesn’t at a faster rate, but they also don’t face the same challenges as secondary teachers. Many secondary schools are tackling how the Digital Technologies will look in their school and incorporating digital technologies into subjects across the curriculum. Different schools will have their own teaching methods, but in my experience cross-curricular digital education is of great benefit and we are starting to see great examples of this in secondary schools. While having a standalone subject for digital technologies can be effective, I think digital technologies have a role to play across the entire curriculum. WE UNDERSTAND YOU’LL BE ATTENDING NEXT YEAR’S NATIONAL FUTURESCHOOLS CONFERENCE. WHAT WILL YOUR INVOLVEMENT BE THERE? I’m chairing the Teaching Kids to Code conference. I’ll be looking for examples of systems thinking and systems in action, as well as design thinking. I think they’re two highly relevant areas we forget about, so I’m looking forward to seeing the work there. HAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT LIE W AHEAD FOR VICTORIA AND THE NATION? I think we’re stuck in this space where we think of digital technologies and we go straight to coding. We’ve got this vision in our heads of kids

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putting out code. Our challenge at the moment is to incorporate digital technologies into our lives on a greater scale, we need to be more big picture about it. Digital technologies encompass more than coding. There’s problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and design thinking. Sometimes we get caught up and don’t move with the times, so we need a balance of taking calculated risks, while keeping our students safe. Meet Melinda at Australia’s largest education event for schools – the National FutureSchools Expo. Held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre over 21-22 March 2018.

Digital Learning and Teaching Victoria is a professional teachers’ association that provides leadership and innovation in digital education to an extensive membership group. The organisation aims to provide support to teachers, working across the breadth of curriculum offerings, including Digital Technologies (P-10) and ICT capabilities. Its members include primary and secondary teachers, principals and school leadership teams, specialist information and multimedia teachers.

TECHNOLOGY

Computers aren’t about to replace teachers THE CURRENT GENERATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ISN’T REALLY AS INTELLIGENT AS THE MEDIA MIGHT HAVE US BELIEVE, WRITES BYRON SCAF, CEO OF STILE EDUCATION.

Byron Scaf is the CEO of Stile, an Australian education start-up that creates STEM curriculum resources used by over 100,000 school students. Born and educated in Melbourne, Byron studied neuroscience and engineering at Melbourne University before joining Better Place, an electric car infrastructure start-up, where he built and oversaw the Australian technical operation. Byron then transitioned from a focus on renewable energy to one of education. In 2012, he developed a learning platform for the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering’s STELR program, an online STEM resource for Australian schools. Shortly thereafter, Byron was brought on to lead Stile where he continues to head a team of passionate teachers and engineers. Byron’s vision for Stile is to a create a thought-leading education organisation that works collaboratively with teachers, students and school leadership to create resources, professional development opportunities and industry partnerships that best prepare students for the future.

Picture this. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, the classroom is redefined. Rather than a human teacher, artificial intelligence, or AI for short, is now in charge. Rows of students, bound to their laptops, are being watched over by Al, their artificial teacher. Students are being told off when they’re not working on the right thing, and given easier or more difficult problems based on their previous answers. Al has worked out which resources in its collection seem to best engage its students. AI does all the marking, writes report cards, and disciplines students for poor performance. Human teachers worldwide have been made redundant in their millions. The last few years have brought some exciting advances in artificial intelligence and with it, many conversations about how it might render large swaths of the workforce, including teachers, redundant. There is no doubt that recent developments in AI represent a significant advance in computing, allowing us to solve problems with computers in a way that was unimaginable just a few short years ago. It’s also true that these new capabilities will replace some jobs, or perhaps more likely, increase productivity, as computers have done for the last few decades. But AI isn’t human – not even close. And teaching is a far more human pursuit than the dystopian vision illustrated above. Replacing teachers with AI is premised on the fact that a teacher’s main job is to disseminate information and correct work. That of course, couldn’t be further from the truth. The current generation of AI isn’t really

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as intelligent as the media might have us believe. While it’s feats have been impressive - from beating grandmasters at chess, and Go (the much more difficult ancient Chinese board game), to helping diagnose cancer and generating eerie (yet oddly intriguing) artwork. Yet in all of these cases, these AIs are only smart in a very specific domain – the AI that beats humans at chess, can only play chess. To understand why, let’s explore for a minute how modern AI actually works. Let’s say we want an AI that can recognise whether or not there is a cat in a particular video on the internet. In order to do this, we have to “train: our AI. To do so, we provide the AI - a computer algorithm - a so-called “training set”. In this case, a set of videos that are known to either feature, or not feature, cats. During training, we then give a virtual reward to the AI when it correctly predicts the cat, not unlike training a dog to sit. That reward mechanism gives the AI (remember, it’s just a computer program, no voodoo here), a hint as to whether or not it is on the right track in its cat predictions. If the training was successful, it should be able to identify cats in any video it subsequently watches. Note that the AI isn’t actually aware of what a cat is and isn’t – it simply has an algorithm (or pattern) for determining the visual cues of a cat. So if you later gave it a hand-drawn abstract image of a cat, it would struggle. Also note, importantly, that it has no concept of a dog, whether the video was shot insight or outside, or whether or not it’s funny or cruel. This is a specific

Can it build a meaningful, trusting relationships with students? Nope. Can it empathise with those students? Nope. It simply doesn’t have the tools, the general intelligence. to understand the human condition, and use it to motivate, persuade and inspire. intelligence. It is intelligent in one specific domain – the presence of cats. Now let us apply this same concept to your students’ latest essays. Let’s say we train an AI on tens of thousands of essays from around the world, and give it an idea of which of those are good or bad. Put aside for a moment the sticky problem of good or bad being a fluid concept. Think about what this artificial intelligence actually knows. It knows only essays, and some arbitrary set of rules, which it has defined itself, about what makes them good or bad. It doesn’t have a general understanding of the context, or the nature of the story. It can’t feel the emotion, and most importantly, it can’t detect creativity. So what if a student comes up with a truly creative or unique response? If the AI hasn’t seen anything like it before, it will probably assess it as bad, because it doesn’t match any of its known patterns. In other words, it will reward mediocrity. It takes general intelligence, a nuanced, interconnected understanding of millions of concepts, to comprehend, appreciate and appropriately respond to something creative. And that’s just the simple case of an essay. A more open-ended, constructivist approach to the lesson would pose an even greater challenge for our fledgling AI teacher. What else isn’t AI all that great at?

Well, as it turns out, pretty much all of the things a teacher actually does. Can it build a meaningful, trusting relationships with students? Nope. Can it empathise with those students? Nope. It simply doesn’t have the tools or the general intelligence, to understand the human condition, and use it to motivate, persuade and inspire. But modern AI isn’t useless in the classroom. Far from it. In the next few years, AI will become the ultimate personal teacher assistant. It will make it quicker to mark, help identify patterns in the work students do (and have ever done), and compare that with millions of other data points from around the world. It will provide useful advice and insights that will save teachers time, time that can be spent applying their uniquely human talents. Real-life human teachers aren’t about to be replaced by computers. We should all be thankful for that. Perhaps one day, artificial general intelligence will come up to par with human intelligence, but not anytime soon. Besides, if and when it does, our intelligent computer overlords may have alternate plans for us anyway. In the meantime, the best teachers will be the ones that take full advantage of their new semi-intelligent personal assistants to combine the best of what AI can offer with their uniquely human edge.

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TECHNOLOGY

Pedagogy before technology CENTRAL QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY SENIOR LECTURER DR MICHAEL COWLING BREAKS DOWN THE FACTORS SCHOOLS SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN INCORPORATING MIXED REALITY TECHNOLOGY INTO THE CLASSROOM. All the way back to the 80s, it’s easy to find articles promising that virtual reality (VR) will rapidly change classroom teaching. These discussions range from allowing students to disappear into a virtual world, to developing skills and practising with digital objects. But the reality is that for most schools, a technology has to be consumer grade, which means private use of this technology becomes widespread before it is integrated into the classroom. While we often have thoughts about how our classrooms will have specialist technology straight out of the research lab, it’s often the case that a technology has to be commercialised before a school can adopt it. It’s only over the last few years that VR technology has truly become available to the average consumer, and also available to our students. On top of this, newer related technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) have also begun to become available, providing different combinations of digital objects and the physical environment that students can interact with. According to US entrepreneur Keith Curtin (The Mixed Web, 2017), mixed reality will be most important technology of 2017.

CHALLENGES IN CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS In this nascent space, it becomes quite difficult to work out which of these technologies are the best fit for the classroom. Through our work in the Mixed Reality Research Lab, Dr James Birt, of the Gold Coast’s Bond University, and I are often asked to recommend mixed reality hardware and software solutions for the secondary school classroom. The Mixed Reality Research Lab has been set up in association with Queensland’s Bond University and Central Queensland University. It provides a space for researchers across the nation to perform work in the applied use of mixed reality. MAKING THE CHOICE With a plethora of mixed reality options from the major companies, including Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and others, teachers are often overwhelmed with choice. With some devices costing many thousands of dollars, the choice becomes even harder.

WHAT IS MIXED REALITY? Mixed Reality is a broad term first proposed by (Milgram & Kishino, 1994) to describe a continuum between the real world on the left hand side (real reality) and the virtual world on the right (virtual reality). In between these two extremes are two other possibilities – augmented reality, where the real world is augmented with digital objects, and augmented virtuality, where the virtual world is augmented with real world objects (or representations of them).

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When asked to give advice about this space, Dr Birt and I often share several points. The first is that we should strive for technology-enabled pedagogy, not pedagogy-enabled technology. I often represent this with the mantra ‘pedagogy before technology’, which reminds teachers that their use of technology should always start with a pedagogical problem to solve. Based on the problem – the right technology can be selected. A strength of AR is that it adds digital objects to the physical world within the context of the environment. Any pedagogical problem that you are looking to solve should take this into account. Perhaps AR could be used to place digital objects in contextually relevant parts of the school for students to find. For example, this could include a lesson on nature that incorporates objects placed in trees and gardens, as this uses context and also the digital objects. Conversely, if the AR system you are envisioning does not require context, such as putting dinosaurs on a table in the middle of the

classroom, then perhaps VR would be a better solution. If you start with the problem, then you can choose the technology that suits it best, but if you start with the technology, you’ll often find yourself searching for a problem, or even using the technology inappropriately. USING THE TECHNOLOGY Once you’ve determined the pedagogical problem and the right technology, you need to consider what hardware suits your problem best. Having determined what type of technology you wish to use will have narrowed the list, but there will still be several choices in each space. For instance, in the current VR space, devices such as Oculus Rift from Facebook, HTC Vive from HTC, or headsets from Microsoft are all popular. In the AR space, Meta 2 from Meta, HoloLens from Microsoft and Apple’s recent foray into AR via their ARKit toolkit are all possibilities. And for each of these spaces, it’s also possible to use a mobile mixed reality solution, where a standard smartphone is put into a plastic or cardboard headset and used to allow a VR or AR experience. LOOK AT THE FEATURES When making this choice, consideration needs to be given to the features of each device. For instance, in the VR space, HTC Vive provides world-positioning functionality through wall sensors that are not currently provided by the Oculus Rift. Similarly, in the AR space, the Apple solution uses a non-immersive mobile phone view, whereas the Microsoft HoloLens uses an immersive view with holograms projected right in front of your eyes. Cost is also a factor, with Mobile Mixed Reality solutions being the cheapest (around $20 for a plastic headset with an existing mobile phone), moving through more expensive options in the HTC Vive and Oculus (around $500-$1000), to the large cost of HoloLens (at around $4000). When considering the need for these devices to be used by an entire class, this means that often the cheaper solutions are the most useful. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR When making recommendations, however, Dr Birt and I often find ourselves recommending that a variety of different technologies be bought

by a school. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is often the case with MR hardware, and while devices like HoloLens are more expensive, they also provide a complete experience. It is, however, hard to go past a whole class set of MMR headsets for $600. This further strengthens the need to balance and also understand your problem before making a decision. Finally, we are often also asked about what software is needed to make this all work. At this stage, the software question needs to be addressed after the hardware question, as software is often dependent on a particular hardware, especially given the different characteristics of mixed reality hardware. Within this limitation, many software solutions are available, with the important consideration being that the pedagogy be considered first when selecting software. Sometimes a simple piece of software best suits the pedagogical situation, and it’s worth thinking outside of the box when selecting software. With this in mind, it’s also worth noting that, unlike finished software, development environments are much more flexible. In particular, Unity offers plugins for many mixed reality environments, and allows compilation across many different environments. This provides the opportunity for some more unique user-created content from students. Rather than finding a pre-built app, students in secondary schools can propose a design to build their own app to solve a pedagogical problem. This also matches well with the Digital Technologies curriculum and the focus on development in later years. Mixed reality is an emerging and exciting field that is only just starting to break into education. When you consider the variety of hardware and software available, and the ability of students to develop user-generated content, a focus on “pedagogy before technology” becomes important. When applied to the classroom appropriately, mixed reality solutions can make a positive difference to student learning. References: The Next Web, 2017, Keith Curtin: https://thenextweb. com/insider/2017/01/07/mixed-reality-will-bemostimportant-tech-of-2017/#.tnw_hH1fKgxS Milgram, P., & Kishino, F. (1994). A taxonomy of mixed reality visual displays. IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information and Systems, 77(12), 1321-1329.

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Dr Michael Cowling is an information technologist with a keen interest in educational technology and technology ubiquity in the digital age, with respect to the use of mixed reality in skills training, the changing technology culture in education, and the specific needs of students from non-English speaking backgrounds. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering & Technology at CQUniversity Australia. Dr Cowling is a partner in an OLT Innovation and Development grant and is the recipient of three CQUniversity Learning and Teaching grants related to teaching technology. He is a recipient of an Australian Government Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, is a three-time recipient of a CQUniversity Learning & Teaching Award, and gained a CQUniversity Student Voice Commendation for his teaching practice in 2014. He is a regular contributor to the media outlet, The Conversation, and is also a regular contributor in Australian radio and print media on the topics of educational technology and technology ubiquity. Dr Cowling has a passion for the practical application of technology in the classroom, with a focus specifically on not just bolting technology onto a classroom setting, but instead investigating how technology can be weaved into the pedagogy of a classroom setting. Living by the mantra “pedagogy before technology”, Dr Cowling works to help teachers and academics innovate with technology, improving student motivation and learning outcomes, and leveraging technology as a tool to improve the overall education process.

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TECHNOLOGY // Interactive Learning

The brighter side of learning EPSON’S ULTRA-SHORT THROW PROJECTORS ARE HELPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DIGITAL LEARNERS, AND THE STUDENTS OF ST LUKE’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL ARE REAPING THE BENEFITS.

In today’s bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment, a generation of students have grown up with handheld devices. With the proliferation of mobile devices, interactive projectors have become a staple item in every classroom, catering for collaborative learning spaces which support visual and auditory learning. iPads, laptops and tablets are now commonplace, and aid the experience through digital note-taking, audiobooks and video lessons. To keep pace with this digital revolution, St

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Luke’s Grammar School, in northern Sydney, is constantly looking for the latest technology. Andrew Longhurst, Director of IT, says the school recently installed four Epson EB-695Wi interactive projectors to augment its existing devices across two campuses, which cater for pre-kindergarten through to Year 12. Andrew says he has been working with Epson for more than four years and their reliable projectors were installed for the school’s new stateof-the-art library renovations, the Learning Hub, an open plan space.

TECHNOLOGY // Interactive Learning

“Our school offers a BYOD iPad program in our junior school for Years 5-6 and a laptop program in our senior school through to Year 12,” Andrew explains. “BYOD fits in with our new Learning Hub because we’ve changed from a traditional and rigid learning space to an open plan. This flexibility allows for students and teachers to work remotely with a range of multimedia apps, including YouTube videos, interactive flip charts and PowerPoint presentations.” Andrew says the school installed the EB-695Wi because of the technology’s capacity to project a larger image than usual. The ultra-short throw projectors provide a 100” image from as little as 28cm away with virtually no shadow interference. The end result means students can take in and read information from all sides of the room. “Size of image and price per size of image was the overall factor in our decision-making. We’re using them predominately in two types of spaces. One of which is our two new music rooms, which have fairly wide dimensions so size of image is crucial. “The Learning Hub is a bright room so the larger images help reduce glare in a room with glass windows. The projectors have been paired with the Epson Cable Management & Connection Box, which allows us to simplify the use of each projector for users in a shared space, so we don’t have remotes that go missing.” Andrew explains that a key consideration was the brightness of the projector. Using the company’s powerful 3LCD technology, Epson says the projectors provide an image three times brighter than their leading 1-chip DLP competitors, with equally high colour brightness and white brightness. Andrew says the colourful effect leaves student’s feeling more

engaged with their learning, as the brighter images display colours of up to 3,500 lumens. All Epson projectors are based on 3-chip LCD technology. One chip processes each primary colour continuously (red, green and blue), which adds to the realism of the image. Colour brightness is also particularly important in classrooms where ambient light is overbearing. “We specifically use the Epson projectors because of the 3LCD technology. LCD provides equal brightness across the colour range. After seeing the results, we’d never go anything below 3200 lumens,” Andrew says. He says the projectors have been paired with Apple TVs which allows BYOD students to share images from their iPads and laptops in a collaborative learning space. “A BYOD projector is really powerful for students who want to share what they’ve learnt with their peers and also lead other students in their own learning, whether that be lesson plans in the form of movies, images and websites – or their own creations.” Finger touch and dual pen capabilities allow multiple students to annotate their learning on a whiteboard, Andrew adds, and supports an engaging and flexible learning environment. It also caters to those who learn visually, he adds. “We pair our Epson projectors with standard whiteboards. One of our music teachers makes use of interactive flip charts. But we also have teachers who prefer to use that more tactile whiteboard marker approach so having an interactive projector means that we can cater to both teaching styles.” The projectors can also be seamlessly installed with a flexible wall mount function, reducing the need

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for third party installations. Andrew says a number of Epson models have been installed in-house by school staff in a simple and quick relocation. He adds that another crucial factor schools consider when purchasing any technology is its reliability. As schools often find themselves time poor and budget conscious, minimal maintenance issues are just as important as an effective product. Epson’s lamp and filter share the same 10,000 hour replacement schedule when run in eco mode. This saves schools money and time by having only one replacement cycle. Power is also conserved through eco mode and light optimiser mode, which adjusts the lamp brightness and standby audio. “The replacement lamps and the cost of those make them a really economical unit. I’ve got older units up to five years old that are still going strong.” And as school’s increasingly move towards collaborative and flexible learning spaces, today’s BYOD learner will increasingly look to mobile technology that can be used in a variety of areas. “Most of our spaces we are building now align with a view that they will be flexible and used in a different way in five years’ time. Those classrooms with desks all facing forwards have gone by the wayside.” St Luke’s Grammar School’s Learning Hub is a multi-modal environment which allows students and teachers to access a range of intentionally designed learner-centred spaces, as well as carefully collected and curated resources. With access to interactive technology, students will learn to use their devices responsibly and in consideration with others.

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MAKING THE GRADE

Leading the self BRONWYN JOHNSTONE, PRINCIPAL OF CAPALABA STATE COLLEGE, DISCUSSES HER NEW PLATFORM, WHICH ENABLES EDUCATIONAL LEADERS TO UNDERSTAND THE REASONS BEHIND THEIR DECISION-MAKING AND DEVELOP ON THEIR OWN SHORTCOMINGS.

Bronwyn Johnstone is the College Principal at Capalaba State College, a P-12 College in the Redlands, Queensland. She also leads an Early Childhood Development Program, a Positive Learning Centre and Alternative Education Provision – amounting to a total of five schools under her leadership.

Leadership is a multifaceted construct with an important component being leading oneself, intentionally influencing your thinking, feelings and behaviours to achieve your goals (Bryant & Kazan, 2012). It is a practice that requires deliberate consideration and structured self-reflection and is essential for growth (Nesbit, 2010). But there’s one key aspect to leading oneself and that’s developing a leadership platform. Leadership platforms are based on theoretical underpinnings of self and coupled with structured self-reflection, aim to demonstrate one avenue for personal development. My leadership platform is designed as a flow chart of concepts that guide the user through a self-reflection process to allow a deep exploration of the issue at hand. It is derived partly from the self-structured Branson (2009) exercise and the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). This approach to leading the ‘self’ aligns with Jackson’s (2013) suggestion that, “once you realise that great influence is not personality driven, but rather, the results of choices you make to shape your style, you will be well along the path to new opportunities”. This framework can be applied to many scenarios

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in life and I have found it particularly useful when considering leadership development. PLANS RESULT IN ACTION According to Ajzen (1991), the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) has become the most influential model of predicting human behaviour. The model is based on the notion that, “if we plan to do something we are more likely to do it”. A person’s intention or attitude toward carrying out the behaviour is a central factor in the individual’s intention to perform a given behaviour” (Ajzen, 1991, p.181). This concurs with Gilbert (2014) who claims “intentions as the best prediction of behaviour”. The theory of planned behaviour outlines three fundamental elements that affect the ability of a person to undertake a challenge and be successful: behavioural attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (Downey, 2015). The first element, behavioural attitudes, consists of two aspects: affective attitude and instrumental attitude, and these directly reflect enjoyment and the likelihood of success in undertaking an activity. The second element, subjective norms, also consists of two aspects:

BRONWYN’S LEADERSHIP PLATFORM

Key questions to explore personal choices: What are the events in your life that stay with you as a lasting memory? What has been a key event in your leadership journey? What is a critical choice you have had to make or are going to make?

How you feel impacts on self-esteem Personally evaluate a specific event or a critical choice and the value you place on yourself. What did you say to yourself about the event or choice? What are the thoughts you generally have about yourself?

Life Experience

injunctive norms and descriptive norms. These norms reflect the level of support an individual will require for success from close relationships and associates. Finally, the third element, perceived behavioural control, is the extent to which the person feels capable and confident to adopt the behaviour and is influenced by previous success with similar activities. Ajzen (2011) reports that “past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour” and furthermore, contributes to “people’s perception of the ease or difficulty of performing the behaviour of interest” (Ajzen, 1991, p.183). Factors such as confidence, past experience and familiarity with the circumstances all influence a person’s response and likely success with the task. The theory of planned behaviour highlights the power of our thoughts. Self-reflection and thinking through issues is the only way clarity and leadership development can be achieved (Nesbit, 2010, Gilbert, 2014, Branson, 2009). It is the initial thoughts that shape and lead to action. Equally interesting to me is Dan Gilbert’s comment that “human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they are finished”. Again, this highlights for me the importance of being conscious of our thoughts, words, and actions as overconfidence can hinder progress and self-doubt can inhibit action (Branson, 2009). We think we are at our best and discourage the type of self-reflection that will lead to personal (improvement) development. Furthermore, my leadership platform guides the user

Belief Thoughts How does this situation affect your self-esteem? How does the situation or choice affect your core needs?

What do you think is true based on your experience?

What rules do you make to guide your response?

How does the critical choice or situation align with your values?

What was the outcome of an event and how does it relate to your views?

How did you act during the event or critical choice?

Motivation Needs

to dabble in the detail of challenges and events to understand ones’ self. I adopted the theory of planned behaviour to develop my leadership platform because it is a theory underpinned by motivation and action – which are key concepts to my leadership approach. The theory of planned behaviour has enabled me to utilise the study of self, which fundamentally states that if you think it and devise a plan around it, then you will do it. Additionally, if the key to successful leadership is in knowing yourself (Bryant & Kazan, 2012, Branson, 2009) then I suggest in my platform that you must first want to know yourself and make a plan to know yourself, as this mirrors the stages of the theory of planned behaviour. Furthermore, in seeking to understand self it is important to undertake critical reflective practices (Cunliffe, 2004), to understand yourself and your decision-making processes. My leadership platform invites the user to develop an understanding of self by cycling or navigating forward and backwards to explore how an event influences motivation and behaviour. SELF-ESTEEM’S EFFECT ON LEADING Five dimensions of self have been employed in the platform. They are identified in the illustration on page 45 as life experience, self-esteem, needs, thinking and behaviours enacted and explained. Life experience relates to the key memories of your

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Behaviour Enacted

life, which according to Branson (2009), “are those many important memories from your past that you carry around with you” (Branson, 2009). In my role as a leader there are two significant categories of life experiences: those events that have occurred throughout my life that influence my values, and those life experiences which affect my current position. The latter includes present and future challenges which have the potential to have some influence on my leadership journey. The second element in the illustration is selfesteem. Self-esteem is the opinion you have of yourself (Fennell, 1999). This reflects how you feel and the dialogue you have with yourself (Cleghorn, 2002). Positive experiences are likely to elicit positive feelings towards yourself and vice versa for negative experiences. Your self-esteem is reflected in your language and behaviour and permeates all that you do. Needs or motives “enable you to operate effectively regardless of your level of self-esteem” (Branson, 2009). They are the rules you live by and often we are unaware of these key motives. Our core needs drive our actions and attainment influences our selfworth. “Developing an ability to become conscious of your motives is at the heart of authentic leadership” (Branson, 2009). This requires patience, practice and a commitment to understanding your self. Belief is what you think is true and right based on your experience, values, needs and thoughts. Your

MAKING THE GRADE

I initially designed the leadership platform to support aspiring leaders to unpack a key experience in their journey. Through critically reflecting on an experience, the individual can become more selfaware and better able to respond in challenging times. Increased pressure on leaders makes it “more important to develop different ways of thinking, organising, managing, and relating to people” (Cunliffe, 2004). The platform asks the user to identify a leadership experience. The process then enables reflection on the experience in terms of self-esteem, needs, beliefs and behaviour. Each layer requires deep reflection and consideration of the personal driving forces behind the key elements. The design of the platform allows the user to move forward and backwards along the tool guiding reflective analysis. “Reflective analysis can be both retrospective – making sense of something that happened in the past and examining reasons why we made a decision or acted in a particular way – and anticipatory – planning our future actions” (Cunliffe, 2004). beliefs greatly influence your actions and are cemented over time based on your experience, while you are often unaware of your underlying values. “As such, your personal values play a key role in guiding your actions” (Branson, 2009). This can lead to conflict between your actual values and what you want others to believe you stand for (espoused values) or what you personally would like to commit to (desired values) (Branson, 2009). Authentic leaders maintain integrity by knowing what they believe and acting in line with their beliefs (Jackson, 2013). Behaviours are an enacted and observable product of the internal process of making meaning of life’s experiences. They are “formed through the interplay of your self-esteem, motives, values and beliefs” (Branson, 2009). DuFour’s (2012) work on positive learning teams suggests that behaviours can influence belief, as practitioners see reward for effort with a given strategy. I adopt this mindset when working with staff on a collective agenda.

CRITICAL THINKING The platform enables the leader to reflect on a critical event and deconstruct the thoughts, feelings and actions that played out. “By thinking more critically about our own assumptions and actions, we can develop more collaborative, responsive and ethical ways of managing organisations” (Cunliffe, 2004). I have used the platform to reflect on a difficult conversation with a member of my middle management team. The conversation, while at times uncomfortable made me feel positive as I was pleased with the way I engaged. I was motivated to build a positive relationship and to work through the issues. The event continued to reinforce my thinking and beliefs that clear and direct communication is essential in positive relationships. The behaviours I observed were open, conciliatory body language, clear and direct dialogue and

solutions-focused outcomes. These behaviours in turn encouraged me as a leader and reinforced my selfesteem and overall was a positive experience, all be it, in a challenging situation. The platform for me provides the structure for self-exploration and analysis of present and potential challenges. Additionally, I have used my leadership platform with my aspiring leaders group. They have found the tool useful regardless of where they are on their leadership journey. Professional growth occurs when the leader is able to “look beyond their own selfinterests to focus on larger mutual interests” (Graen, 1995). However, the potential of the platform may be diminished when the leader does not make the time to engage in the practice fully. All leaders are busy and the latest principal wellbeing survey reflects the challenging times principals face. This data only serves to reinforce the importance of understanding self to allow leaders the inner confidence to act and serve their community. Branson (2009) also recognises the dynamic nature of the educational climate, where principals need to make moral decisions every day. These decisions cannot be solely cognitive assessment, not just a problem solving perspective. To find true solutions, the leader is driven by their morals and makes decisions that they truly own. Contemporary leadership frameworks which guide school systems in the development of their leaders refer to the importance of the self in leadership. Now is the time to engage fully in the development of our leaders. The latest principal wellbeing survey serves to signpost the change in times and the importance of systems to invest in their leaders’ development. Nesbit, (2010) proposes that self-directed reflective practices are a cost-effective method of leadership development. Similar Ben Jenson (2017) acknowledges that the inquiry cycle is the best driver of adult learning that leads to behavioural change. I recommend that schools invest in their leaders by developing their skills in selfreflection.

References: Branson, C. M. (2009). In search of authentic leadership. Brisbane: Australian Catholic University . Bryant, A., & Kazan, A. L. (2012). Self-Leadership: How to Become a More Successful, Efficient, and Effective Leader from the Inside Out. Sydney: Mc Graw Hill. Cleghorn, P. (2002). The secrets of self-esteem: Make the changes you want in your life. London: Vega. Cunliffe, A. L. (2004). On becoming a critically reflexive practitioner. Journal of Management Education, 28(4), 407-426. Downey, A. (2015). Introduction to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Theory+Planned+Behavior+YouTube+Video&&view=detail&mid=65474B11EC3 9D2024DF665474B11EC39D2024DF6&FORM=VRDGAR DuFour, R., & DuFour, R. (2012). The school leader’s guide to Professional learning communities at work. Victoria: Hawker Brownlow Education. Fennell, M. (1999). Overcoming low self-esteen. London: Constable & Robinson Ltd. Gilbert, D. (2014). The Psychology of your future Self. Retrieved from Youtube: V Graen, G. B. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-levle mulit-domain perspective. Leadership quarterly, 6(2), 219-247. Group, C. L. (2014). Locating yourself the key to conscious leadership. Retrieved from www.conscious.is: https://youtube/fLqzYDZAqCl Jackson, D. (2013). The Leader who Inspires. Brisbane: Dan Jackson. Jenson, B. (2017). 2017 Principals’ Conference: Every student, every school: lighting the path for innovation, equity and impact. Brisbane. Nesbit, P. L. (2010). The Role of Self-Reflection, Emotional Management of Feedback, and Self-Regulation Processes in Self-Directed Leadership Development. Human Resource Development Review, 11(2), 203-226. Principal Wellbeing Survey. (2017). Retrieved from Principal Health & Wellbeing: http://principalhealth.org/au/index.php

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IMPROVING ROUTCOMES FO STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS

Peer Support Australia works together with hundreds of Australian schools each year to enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of their students. The unique peer-led format provides a platform for a smooth transition to secondary school and authentic leadership opportunities. The Peer Support Program for secondary schools is underpinned by the concepts of resilience, sense of self, connectedness, and sense of possibility. Peer Support Australia provides your school with a dedicated Wellbeing Education Consultant who can provide invaluable advice/consultation regarding the application of the Peer Support Program including planning, best practice model of implementation addressing your specific school needs, and deliver awareness-raising talks for staff, students and parents.

BE INVOLVED Learn more about how Peer Support Australia can work with your school to further enhance the mental health and wellbeing of your students. Email or call our helpful Wellbeing Education Consultants today.

education@peersupport.edu.au

1300 579 963

PEERSUPPORT.EDU.AU CONSULTANCY

WORKSHOPS

RESOURCES

MAKING THE GRADE

Applied behaviour Applied behaviour analysis is a scientific discipline that systematically analyses and applies principles of learning theory to bring about positive changes in behaviour. Monash’s new Master of Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis will give you an understanding of the major theoretical and professional debates in education. You’ll also gain knowledge and expertise in: • The principles of behaviour modification and their application • The identification and assessment of behaviours • Evidence-based practices for behaviour analysts • Experimental design for research into behaviour analysis • Professional ethics in behaviour analysis The Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. has verified the above course sequence as meeting the coursework requirements for eligibility to take the Board Certified Behavior Analyst Examination. Applicants will have to meet additional requirements to qualify. For further information on BCBA requirements visit: bacb.com/bcba/ For more information on the Master of Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis visit: monash.edu/education/edaba

Great teachers strengthen their own wellbeing

Register Now - Teacher Wellbeing Workshops Principals Australia Institute’s (PAI) Teacher Wellbeing Workshops enable teachers and school staff members to positively, proactively address current health and wellbeing issues. The workshops provide a quality, evidence-based approach to achieving a resilient mindset in and out of the classroom. To find out more, contact PAI on 08 8394 2100 or visit our website pai.edu.au.

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MAKING THE GRADE

In discussion with ACEL EDUCATION MATTERS SPEAKS TO AASHA MURTHY, CEO OF THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERS, ABOUT THE ORGANISATION’S VISION TO STRENGTHEN EDUCATIONAL LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

WHAT IS ACEL? The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) is the largest professional association for education in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. We have more than 7000 members and a 45,000-strong network of educators from all sectors and all levels of education. Our strength lies in the fact that we are independent and cross sectoral with a national reach. We have branches in all states and territories and a strong governance structure with a national board of directors and a professional operations team at the national office. ACEL also collaborates with other education-focused organisations in Australia, to further extend our support for educational leadership. WHAT IS THE VISION BEHIND ACEL? Our stated purpose is “to inspire, support, recognise and advocate for excellence in educational leadership.” We cultivate a collaborative learning community of educational leaders by: 1. E nhancing leadership capacity through delivery of high quality programs, events and publications 2. Elevating the standing of educational leadership by recognising excellence 3. Representing, supporting and advocating for the education profession 4. Sustaining strong ACEL state, national and international networks

Our underlying approach across all our areas of endeavour is to be evidence-based, profession-led and positive. WHAT DOES ACEL PROVIDE? We offer a wide portfolio of conferences, seminars and workshops, leadership and mentoring programs, in-house publications, online learning resources and a comprehensive list of titles in our bookshop. We host several events, including four conferences, and annually more than 100 professional learning events and networking forums for members and the wider education community. We recognise excellence in educational leadership through state and national awards and fellowships. Our New Voice Scholarship program launched three years ago provides new voices in educational leadership and researches the opportunity to attend our flagship national conference and to contribute to our publications and other activities. WHAT HAVE BEEN RECENT HIGHLIGHTS FOR ACEL? We have experienced growth in all areas in the past few years, extending our reach, adding richness to our portfolio of resources and have ensured that everything we do is relevant to the current and future needs of educational leaders in all settings. A few key highlights from the last few months includes - The Well Being Conference – This inaugural event held in Darwin

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was successful and attracted more than 300 participants from across the country. The theme focused on the power of confidence and strengths-based perspectives and the need to focus on the positive aspects of education - The Disability Leadership Summit – Held in Sydney for the fifth year in a row, this event draws attention to leadership’s role in delivering outcomes for students impacted by disability. The sector has recently undergone significant change and reform and the summit provides a powerful platform for experts to share their research, policy and best practice - Online learning – The ACEL Resource Centre is an online database containing more than 700 articles, podcasts and videos. It is a new benefit for ACEL Members and provides learning opportunities, particularly for educators in regional/remote areas. This curated library sets out resources set against AITSL professional standards and will be updated regularly

-N etworking forums – our branches in all states and territories have hosted several events in the past few months bringing into sharp focus emerging issues facing schools and the wider community HOW CAN EDUCATIONAL LEADERS GET THE MOST OUT OF ENGAGING WITH THE ACEL COMMUNITY? We are a profession-led association initially established to provide an opportunity for educational leaders to engage with their peers and share their knowledge and experience. Through our conferences, events and publications, we provide a diverse range of platforms for educational leaders to provide insights, share their successes and reach out to their peers for support and advice. For example, ACEL Perspective is just one of our many avenue for educators to share their research in a series of journals published six times a year, from wideranging issues such as graduate readiness to the government’s role in education.

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HOW DOES ACEL SUPPORT POSITIVE DISCOURSE IN EDUCATION? ACEL considers itself to be a forward thinking, relevant and responsive agent of change and innovation. It is a learning organisation that is continuously improving its practices to harness national and global opportunities. We would like to make this a watershed year for our sector’s “narrative of optimism”. ACEL is no pollyanna in its championing of the sector’s cause. It recognises that there are improvements needed to make the sector’s performance exemplary. However, it heeds the poet Kahlil Gibran’s stricture: “You have been told that, even like a chain, you are as weak as your weakest link. This is but half the truth. You are also as strong as your strongest link. To measure you by your smallest deed is to reckon the power of the ocean by the frailty of its foam.”

MAKING THE GRADE

How to proactively strengthen wellbeing GREAT LEADERS FOCUS ON THEIR OWN WELLBEING, WRITES PAUL GEYER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF PRINCIPALS AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE.

With World Mental Health Day having just passed on October 10, it’s timely to talk about the wellbeing of school leaders, teachers, school staff and students. As educators, we are aware of the importance of the social and emotional learning (SEL) we facilitate for the children and young people within our schools – but we must also be conscious of continuing our own SEL too. This includes looking after our own wellbeing, and that of our colleagues. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID Principals Australia Institute (PAI), the national professional services organisation supporting principals and school leaders, has accredited instructors to deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid, a two-day workshop authored by Mental Health First Aid Australia. Participants learn how to assist adolescents who might be developing a mental health problem, or are in a mental health crisis. Research points to wellbeing-focused programs as being an important part of the solution to student discipline problems, improving students’ mental health, and creating better behavioural outcomes for schools. Students experiencing mental health problems are less likely to engage with school work, and more likely to behave antisocially. Conversely, students who are mentally healthy experience fewer emotional, social or behavioural difficulties, and this has positive effects on their school work. In a nutshell, good mental health is a prerequisite to good learning. It’s no wonder PAI’s Youth Mental Health First Aid courses have been in so much demand this year. TEACHER WELLBEING Teaching is a positive and meaningful career choice – it can be one of the most rewarding professions in the community. Despite the rewards, more than one in four Australian teachers suffer from emotional exhaustion after starting their careers, and researchers estimate that 30 to 50 percent of new career teachers are leaving the profession in their first five years. What is driving them away? Stress. Teacher burnout is an all too familiar feature of contemporary education. Cited reasons for burnout include: tougher emotional conditions than expected; an absence of support for their wellbeing in the workplace, and poor preparation for the rigours of the profession during their degree. As well as damage to a teacher’s wellbeing, the morale of other staff, public perception and community cohesiveness can all suffer too. Participants in PAI’s Teacher Wellbeing Workshop will develop a shared understanding of what wellbeing really means, and strategies to support them to take immediate action, as well as plan for the long term. The Teacher Wellbeing Workshop continues to tour capital cities until the end of November, along with some regional centres in several states.

PRINCIPAL WELLBEING PAI has identified principal wellbeing as a major concern requiring immediate attention. The breadth and magnitude of responsibilities of principals can weigh heavily on a school leader, from student wellbeing and discipline, to staffing issues and teaching evaluation. That’s not to mention budgeting and resource allocation, legal responsibilities, change management, family engagement and public relations. It’s an immense workload for one individual, and many principals are reporting that they feel stretched to the limit. To address this, PAI developed the Principal Wellbeing Workshop, the first round of which is currently being delivered in capital cities across Australia. This one-day, face-to-face workshop addresses current health and wellbeing issues for principals, which have also been raised in recent research and media reports. It takes a quality, evidence-based approach to achieve a resilient mindset and developing problem-solving strategies, particularly targeted at principal health and wellbeing. Participants will devise their own wellbeing plan and identify supports and stress management strategies, as well as contemplate ideas for organisational wellbeing at their workplaces. Great leaders focus on their own wellbeing. While important work is underway by schools, associations and education departments to improve the broader issues that impact on a principal’s job, PAI is focused on working personally with principals to help support their wellbeing. REGISTER NOW THROUGH PRINCIPALS AUSTRALIA INSTITUTE As well as this suite of scheduled workshops, PAI can help you implement tailored, whole-of-school wellbeing through its consulting services. To find out more, please visit the events calendar at pai.edu.au. You can also contact PAI on 08 8394 2100 or via contact@pai.edu.au

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MAKING THE GRADE

Deakin University – Dedicated to developing specialised skills and knowledge Ever thought about broadening your horizons? Gain a languages specialisation with Deakin’s Master of Languages Teaching or Graduate Certificate of Languages Teaching. The course is designed to broaden the skills of those working as registered teachers in primary and secondary schools, by adding a VIT-endorsed specialist teaching method area in languages teaching to their existing teacher registration. A Masters-level qualification in Education additionally

offers relevant professional learning, to teachers who seek to move into, or already occupy, leadership, coordination or specialist positions in school systems. At Deakin, you will learn from experts in the industry who are highly experienced, engaged in contemporary research and working to improve the quality of learning to make a positive impact on education in Australia and around the world. Deakin’s unique trimester system also provides

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students with an incredible amount of flexibility and the option to fast track your degree allowing you to complete your studies while you work. Find out more Deakin.edu.au/tlote Talk to us: 1800 693 888 or email artsed-pg@deakin.edu.au

MAKING THE GRADE

Opening the door for career growth YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT GREAT TEACHING MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR STUDENTS, BUT RETURNING TO STUDY CAN ALSO TRANSFORM YOUR TEACHING CAREER, ACCORDING TO OPEN UNIVERSITIES AUSTRALIA.

Teachers who study at a postgraduate level develop the skills to influence the curriculum, modify established teaching methods and take on leadership roles. Beyond guiding your students to succeed, a Master’s degree can increase your salary and expand your career opportunities. Through Open Universities Australia, you can study a Master of Education from Curtin University

online. By studying online, you can fit study into your lifestyle and graduate with exactly the same qualification as on-campus students. “Economies of the future require people who are going to be highly skilled in STEM and people who are highly-skilled in critical thinking, problem solving and creative thinking,” says Dr Brad Gobby, Course Coordinator/Lecturer at Curtin University.

“We’re looking to attract teachers who want to build and develop their professional knowledge with contemporary and relevant theory and literature, and to really make a difference.” Hone your abilities and become an expert educator with a Master of Education. Start today at www.open.edu.au

UNI ON YOUR TERMS

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MAKING THE GRADE

Discovery Melbourne Discovery Melbourne knows school accommodation. Planning a camp can be stressful but they make it easy. If you want a stress free, easy and educational camp, that most importantly, is full of fun – then Discovery Melbourne should be your number 1 choice. They’re the premier provider of school group accommodation in Melbourne. Ideally located in the heart of the city and right on the doorstep of everything the city has to offer. Take advantage of the free tram zone to get to all of Melbourne’s major attractions or make your way by foot through Melbourne’s famous laneways. School camps are what they do with free itinerary planning, onsite catering and numerous facilities such as a conference room and cinema. Expert groups consultants will help you every step of the way and make sure your camp goes off without a hitch and that you get to see the most that Melbourne has to offer. Discovery Melbourne has you covered. W: discoverymelbourne.com/group-accommodation/ P: +61 3 9329 4012

Education Matters Premium School Suppliers Directory educationmattersmag.com.au is a leading source of breaking industry information. The website is updated daily with news, policies, governance, curriculum and editorial from leading authorities, industry experts and ministerial decision makers. This is your one stop shop for anything your school or learning facility may require. You can browse any category or use our search function to find what you require.

All advertisers in Education Matters Magazine are given the opportunity to have a premium profile page in the Premium School Suppliers Directory. The Premium School Suppliers Directory has a user-friendly interface making it easy for educational professionals to search for products and services they may require for their school.

for further information, contact: Chelsea Daniel-Young Mobile 0425 699 878 Email chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au education matters secondary

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // Teacher Resources

Civics and citizenship education brought to life

Photo credit: Nils Versemann / Shutterstock.com

THE VICTORIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION EXPLAINS HOW ITS TAILORED, FREE AND FLEXIBLE RESOURCES ARE HELPING TEACHERS PROMOTE STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN AUSTRALIA’S DEMOCRACY.

With the Victorian Curriculum now effective in primary and secondary schools across Australia, Civics and Citizenship Education has been mandated for delivery in all government schools across Victoria. Civics and Citizenship Education (CCE) promotes student participation in Australia’s democracy by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions of active and informed citizenship. It helps students familiarise themselves with Australia’s democratic heritage and traditions, political and legal institutions and the shared values of freedom, tolerance, respect, responsibility and inclusion. So in what ways can we support our teachers to ensure that the CCE curriculum is adequately addressed? How can we ensure that students are at the centre of engaging, inquiry-based and practical units of CCE study? James Fiford, Education and Electoral Inclusion Officer at the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), notes that teachers are often time poor, which can

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affect their ability to plan comprehensive units of work. Furthermore, teachers are sometimes asked to work outside the areas of their specific curriculum knowledge and financial limitations can preclude expensive external consultancy or commercial solutions. This is why the VEC has developed a series of tailored, free and highly flexible CCE resources. As an independent and impartial statutory body, part of the VEC’s role is to run education programs to ensure that young people in Victoria understand the electoral process. James notes that for young people, elections may not be a particularly exciting subject, which is why the VEC has taken an issues-based, student-driven approach in its Passport to Democracy program. This active civics and citizenship program aims to develop critical thinking skills in students. It prompts them to consider how they can make an impact on issues they care about and ultimately, how they can engage with the community and participate

meaningfully in the democratic process. AEC’s research tell us that providing young people with a positive experience of democracy in a school setting can set them up for a lifetime of civic participation. HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK? Passport to Democracy is divided into four modules: Decide, Research, Activate and Vote. Each module has a lesson plan containing learning activities with detailed instructions, online content and activity sheets. It can be delivered over six to eight weeks, or a smaller version is available if required. VEC Education Officers support teachers through on-site professional development sessions. They also offer a mock election for students as part of the Vote module. 1. DECIDE The lesson plans in Decide expand on students’ existing knowledge of community issues. In groups, students choose an issue they care about and an aspect stemming from this issue that they want to change. Before deciding, they are supported to understand the complex notions of issues, communities, power and influence, rights, government, responsibility and points of view. Students should ideally be supported in selecting their own issues to enable genuine student-centred inquiry learning. If teachers are delivering course content in upper primary or lower secondary, focusing on school-based issues is a good starting point. Middle secondary schools can focus on Victorian state-based issues, and in senior classes on either national or global issues. Any combination of these can, of course, work at any level if well supported. 2. RESEARCH The Research lesson plans guide students to understand the social context of their issue, to discover what others have done about it and to test their own assumptions and possible solutions. Student research into an issue can have multiple goals. The activities in this unit elevate students to complete the entire research process, and assists them to develop critical literacy skills, while considering how their local political representatives might help. 3. ACTIVATE The aim of the Activate lesson plans is to support students to choose actions that are achievable, appropriate and can have an impact on their chosen issue. These lessons contain many examples of active

citizenship for inspiration, and they guide students to delegate tasks and campaign for awareness and support. Students can then use their research findings to plan and carry out an effective action. 4. VOTE The Vote lesson plans allow students to evaluate the impact of their action and reflect upon any change it has sparked, as well as their own active citizenship learning. Students also experience the electoral process through a complete sequence of electoral activities including candidate nominations, party platforms, campaign speeches, how to vote cards, a mock-election (including printed ballot papers) and a preferential vote count. Teachers completing a Passport to Democracy unit can request a free mock-election incursion run by the VEC (statewide, including metro and rural areas) to demonstrate and celebrate students’ democratic participation. Vote lesson plans can also be used independently of the Passport unit, if teachers wish to focus only on elections and campaigns. All lesson plans that comprise the Passport to Democracy program are aligned to the Victorian Curriculum and the Australian Curriculum for the teaching of Civics and Citizenship content across Years 5-10. In addition, the Passport to Democracy website (passport.vec.vic.gov.au) offers summative and formative assessment resources. It includes assignment instructions, a submission checklist and curriculum-aligned rubrics, plus a list of assessment for learning Passport activities. Passport to Democracy also contains an additional resource, Partner Up, which has specifically been designed to be used in VCAL classes. The VCAL unit of work covers all outcomes for Unit 2 Personal Development Skills, and five outcomes pertaining to Literacy Skills. The program’s four phases support

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HOW TO BOOK By completing a booking form (available online at http://passport.vec.vic.gov.au/teachers/ bookings/) teachers can order resources and/ or book a VEC education officer who can deliver teacher professional learning, and/or a mock election session to their class. All of the resources, and school visits by a VIT registered education officer, are offered free of charge by the VEC. For more information about Passport to Democracy, please contact the VEC via email education@vec.vic.gov.au or by telephone on (03) 8620 1184.

VCAL students to form a partnership with a local organisation and take practical action on an issue in their community. The Partner Up resource includes quality assurance templates, teacher guides, student workbooks (available free from the VEC via online download and/or hard copy) and supporting video resources.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // Transport

A school master that keeps the kids quiet RENAULT EXPLAINS WHY ITS 12-SEATER MINIBUS IS KEEPING STUDENTS BUSY, ALL WHILE IMPROVING SAFETY AND COMFORT ACROSS THE BOARD.

The Renault Master 12-seater minibus is an ideal companion for children of all ages, thanks to its ability to allow them to keep their personal electronic devices fully charged on a long school excursion. While this could mean an end to raucous renditions of the old school song, for the teacher or assistant behind the wheel, it could spell some welcome bliss. With decades of experience building people-friendly vans in Europe, Renault says the Master minibus cossets the driver, which in turn reduces fatigue during a long day behind the wheel, enhancing safety. “The Renault Master Bus is designed on the platform of an award-winning van, which is sold in 370 forms across Europe,” says Lyndon Healey, Senior Model Line Manager for Renault LCV. Lyndon says the popularity of the Master van and the myriad uses to which it is routinely put, means that for some, a full working week leads to 40 or so hours behind the wheel. This is why the driving position has to be comfortable, wellthought out and safe, he says. “For teachers, or the occasional assistant or parent who has to transport pupils out to the suburbs or local footy game, driving the bus is a pleasure rather than a chore,” Lyndon explains.

“We have put a lot of thought and care into the seating comfort and safety for the other 11 occupants, with full three-point seat belts at every position, a seat with a headrest, and a reclining feature available at most positions. “Fold out armrests are fitted to the easy aisle seat. The roof is also higher than usual, giving a spacious feel to the interior and allowing even the tallest pupils to enter and leave the bus without the need to stoop.” The company has worked with a number of specialist converters to provide the bus with wheelchair accessibility, further expanding its multi-purpose role within the school. Behind the last row of seats is a cavernous luggage bay that can be fitted with a rack to house a suitcase from every occupant, and which may obviate the need to tow a trailer, thus removing another potential headache for the driver.

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And with a sliding door electrically controlled from the dashboard available on some models, the safety and security of the passengers remains in the hands of the responsible adult. “Renault’s long factory warranty for the Master Bus has been extended from October 2017. It is now available for five years or 200,000km, whichever comes first, while the first three scheduled services are $349 each,” Lyndon says. “With up to 30,000km possible between servicing, that is a lot of outdoor adventuring between oil changes. Furthermore, the premium look of the Renault Master provides it with a contemporary look and feel.” Renault Australia has more than 50 authorised dealers conveniently located around Australia so there’s one near your school. Contact us directly on 1300 055 100 or visit www.renault.com.au to find out more.

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY Every two weeks you will receive... • The Latest news in education • Discussion of key issues • Innovative products and resources • Videos • Rich content that is highly valuable to education professionals CONTACT: Chelsea Daniel-Young at chelsea.daniel@primecreative.com.au or (m) 0425 699 878

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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM // Cleaning

Carpet Care DEEP CLEANING CAN BE A HEADACHE. BUT WITH A TENNANT READYSPACE CLEANER, YOU CAN HAVE CARPET THAT’S CLEAN, DRY AND READY FOR FOOT TRAFFIC IN JUST UNDER 30 MINUTES.

Spring cleaning season is well and truly upon us which means it’s the ideal time to treat your carpets to a ReadySpace cleaning. This complete carpet solution features advanced, patented technology and includes optional wet/ dry options. The end result means a faster, and more effective and frequent clean, while maintaining a fresher, healthier environment and vastly minimising odours and moulds caused by excess water. Tennant’s ReadySpace deep cleaning machines use unique soil transfer rollers to grab dirt from carpet fibres and lift it into the machine. Sprayers rinse the soil from the rollers, not the carpet which is left dryer, cleaner and revitalised. The controlled amount of water effectively removes dirt and debris, leaving a sharper carpet appearance. With the increase in Workplace Health & Safety audits, it’s critical to utilise equipment and processes that keep staff, cleaners and others safe from physical hazards and elements that can be detrimental to health. Tennant explains the enhanced productivity and cost savings delivered by these

cutting-edge cleaners makes ReadySpace the obvious choice. “Anything that reduces cleaning and drying time and returns a room to billable service faster is ‘money in the bank,” says Cameron McKean, National Account Manager, Distribution ANZ.

At Woods, we believe that education is of the utmost importance – not just for the children of today but for our world tomorrow. This belief has driven our team, for over half a century, to study how children learn – from a behavioral, ergonomic and cognitive perspective – to develop furniture that is flexible, adaptable and stimulating. It’s this philosophy that inspired our ergo-dynamic PantoFlex chair. Designed by one of the world’s greatest furniture designers, Verner Panton, the PantoFlex chair promotes correct posture, improves blood and oxygen circulation, assists the developing musculo-skeletal system and most importantly contributes to an increased attention span. And that’s only half the story. To find out more about our innovative range of educational furniture visit woodsfurniture.com.au or call 1800 004 555. We’re for flexible learning

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT

Saving teachers time TIMETABLING CAN BE A TIME-CONSUMING AND CHALLENGING EXERCISE, BUT WITH A LITTLE CREATIVITY, EDVAL IS GIVING SCHOOLS BACK THE CONTROL THEY NEED TO MAXIMISE EFFICIENCY.

number of school students, as well as advice on the number of rooms they’ll need to run programs, whether that’s Science rooms, Art rooms, or Physical Education spaces,” she says. As an ex-teacher, Moira says what Edval brings in complex situations is exactly what she would want from a classroom if she were working there. “We look at things like the foot traffic within the school, what impacts the layout will have on teacher movement and if it could lead to congestion.” “If it’s a multi-level school with lifts, we’d be asking questions such as: what is the capacity of a lift moving students between lessons? This ensures the school runs efficiently.” TIMETABLE CONSTRUCTION Moira says many schools aren’t in a situation where they need a timetable master plan. Instead, what many are looking for over and above the initial implementation of Edval’s timetabling software is basic assistance with timetable construction. “Sometimes, the personnel in a school don’t have enough time to outline the timetable. They are often time poor, and if the construction is quite complex, it can take a bit of time to find the right way to put the puzzle together.” In addition, there can also be a skills gap for teacher’s understanding the methodology and its associated software. “If you use software all the time you become proficient, but timetables are only done once a year. Many schools don’t have the advantage of working on it all the time like we do at Edval.” Edval’s timetable construction service meets this need by allowing schools to effectively employ a team of experts, rather than a single staff member. When Moira Toohey, Edval’s State Manager Victoria, looks at a school timetable, she sees more than bell times, classroom numbers and teacher’s names. Instead, she sees a chance to give schools control through creative problem solving. “Our core values at Edval is to empower school leaders to reach better outcomes through quality, creative solutions. This is what we feel timetabling can do,” Moira says. Edval’s master planning service is one example of its creative solutions. The service is regularly used by new schools that are yet to be built, and Moira says this gives school’s the control they need right from the very beginning. “We work closely with architects and managers on their building plans in these situations, taking into account factors such as the predicted

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“Sometimes, the personnel in a school don’t have enough time to outline the timetable. They are often time poor, and if the construction is quite complex, it can take a bit of time to find the right way to put the puzzle together.”

“We have a larger base of expertise and experience in a range of different scenarios,” Moira explains. “Because our staff have come out of state schools in Victoria and NSW, and have some experience in the private sector, as well in different school sizes and handling different programs, we bring a wealth of experience to the table, compared to school’s who choose to assign a single role within a school.” TIMETABLE CONSULTATION Moira says that some schools need a more holistic timetable overhaul. For example, Edval is working with a couple of schools that recently built their own timetable and subsequently identified problems, in the goal of discovering why they are occurring. “Using Edval’s consulting services, schools experiencing difficulties can analyse their timetable and we can provide advice on what they could do differently, or how they could improve their timetable,” she says. Edval’s consulting service is also on hand to assist teacher’s in selecting the right timetable for them. Often, schools who want to introduce a new program call on Edval to make the idea a reality.

“Schools may want to see what the effect of a program will be on the timetable before they have committed to it. “For example, they may wish to turn a sixperiod day into a four or five period day, turn a one week cycle into a two-week cycle, or change the structure of a year level. Edval can model these and other changes in their timetable to see what it would look like and the effects will be.” The means schools avoid regrets by locking themselves in for a 12-month timetable. “A common problem we see is that some schools spend so much time getting a timetable done, and then find a problem they didn’t know about until it is up and running. Then, they may be stuck with it for the next school year.” In one modelling example, Edval helped a school reduce a large number of shared classes, where two teachers taught the same class. “They couldn’t fit it into the timetable without causing problems, so they asked us to investigate, and we provided advice. I’ve heard back from that school, and they have managed to reduce that number significantly by implementing some of that advice.” MASTER PLAN Moira says a complete overhaul of a timetable, or construction of a timetable from scratch, is required by some schools, including new schools that are yet to open. That’s when Edval’s timetable master planning experience comes to the fore. “Teacher’s assigned to develop timetables in schools are often busy with other roles, such as administration, or they are teachers without classes to teach, and they don’t have the time to sit there and model something as effectively as they’d like,” she says. Since Edval has seen hundreds of different timetables and ideas, Moira says she says the organisation is a resource schools can use to gain more control over outcomes. “We know what structures work and what won’t work. In the end, it’s our creative approach that gives schools the quality and control they need.”

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Edval’s timetabling software will be used by almost 150 Victorian schools this year, up from 17 in 2013. As a former teacher, Moira says she knows how hard it can be to take on timetabling without assistance. Moira previously developed timetable’s as a teacher at Victoria’s Mooroolbark College in 2006. She taught senior Maths and Physics while organising her class’ daily timetables. “When we went from a six to four period day, I took on the restructure without external advice or assistance. It was challenging to work out how we were going to do it, see through and work out any problems,” Moira says. Although her efforts proved successful, looking back, Moira says it would have been much easier using Edval to model the timetable before it was up and running. “I later helped other schools with how they could apply a similar methodology, so they were modelling change in the early stages, rather being in the situation I was in.” “I was lucky I had an excellent principal who had advised making the change so that was really useful, and the timetable itself was an easier timetable, as it had less variables to watch out for. Even then, it still took an extensive amount of time.”

HEALTH & WELLBEING

An investment in the future FOSTERING SUPPORTIVE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENTS CAN CREATE EXPERIENCES THAT ASSIST THOSE WHO MAY BE IN NEED, WRITES DR GAVIN HAZEL, MENTAL HEALTH AND RESEARCH PROGRAM MANAGER AT HUNTER INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH.

Dr Gavin Hazel is dedicated to creating and sharing knowledge that helps children, families and the professionals who support them. Gavin’s work focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of resources, practices, and professional education. Gavin holds an honours degree in Education, a master’s degree in Educational Studies and a PhD in Educational Psychology. He is an experienced education and capability development professional, specialising in child and youth mental health, wellbeing and resilience. Gavin is well regarded for his in-depth knowledge and understanding of learning and development, mental health promotion, knowledge translation, resource development and research. Gavin has worked as a lecturer in teacher education, a research academic, a senior research scientist and a mental health projects manager. He holds a conjoint appointment with the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. Gavin leads a multidisciplinary team who work on building the capacity of professionals through practical programs, resources and polices to support children and families. He is responsible for the strategic development of research and mental health areas at the Hunter Institute of Mental Health.

The mental health and psychological wellbeing of early career teachers is a consideration for education systems both locally and internationally. Concerns have been raised about teacher burnout, mental ill-health, and the rate of attrition among early career teachers. Although there is not conclusive evidence to suggest that mental ill-health among teachers is higher than other professions, it is clear that teachers are exposed to highly demanding and at times, stressful situations (Gardner, 2010). Safe Work Australia’s (2013) report on mental stress compensation claims identified school teachers, along with police officers and general clerks, accounting for the majority of “work pressure” claims. Our understanding of early career teacher wellbeing is emerging. There is a growing body of literature on key dimensions such as stress, resilience, retention, the development of professional identity, and the role of social support and mentors (Gibbs & Miller, 2014). What has typically received less attention is evidence informed recommendations about how things can be done differently to better support early career teacher wellbeing. In response to this gap, the Hunter Institute of Mental Health has released the outcomes of its Start Well research project conducted in New South Wales with more than 450 graduate teachers to better understand their experiences and to make recommendations to help them start and stay well. Start Well provides a snapshot of NSW teachers within the first five years of their careers. They were asked about what it’s like to be an early career teacher, what’s rewarding and what’s challenging about their jobs, what impacts on their wellbeing and what support

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they could use. Key leaders and influencers in the education sector were also interviewed to provide complementary perspectives to the direct experience of the school and classroom contexts. This was combined with a literature review of evidence on early career teacher mental health and wellbeing. The responses revealed that early career teachers have many positive and rewarding experiences as part of starting their employment, but they are also challenged. Some of the key challenges cited in the research include a lack of work-life balance, managing their workload and responsibilities, and difficulties finding the time needed for planning and collaboration. To help meet these challenges, most early career teachers reported turning to their family, friends, colleagues, mentors and peers for support. The findings of this study suggest that good peer and social support, alongside formal processes like induction, is critical for early career teachers’ resilience and coping mechanisms, and was associated with plans to stay in teaching long-term. Start Well identified the key aspects of perceived workload, work-life balance, and levels of peer/social support as providing modifiable features of the early career teaching experience that could be targeted for both professional and health benefits (Bennett, Newman, Kay-Lambkin, & Hazel, 2016). So what are the implications of to teachers, schools and the overall system? SYSTEM LEVEL There are opportunities to enhance the support of workplace mental health and wellbeing of the education community in a more intentional and targeted way at a system

Schools can start with a focus on valuing respectful interactions, encouraging care and concern for others, and promoting a sense of belonging. These ideas are already in school communities, but it’s about ensuring that they are as relevant for the teachers as they are for the students.

level. We know that well-coordinated integrated and systemic programs and approaches used in the workplace can improve mental health and wellbeing and reduce mental ill-health. Start Well recommends the adoption of strength-based approaches that emphasise wellbeing and collegiality as a mechanism to build and support teachers’ capacity to give and receive support. Digital strategies should also be considered for their capacity to work in a mutually reinforcing way with both existing and future strategies to support teacher wellbeing. The development of a blueprint for wellbeing of the education community would be a good first step in this direction. The application of a clear framework about mental health promotion, the prevention of mental-ill health and early intervention (Hunter Institute of Mental Health, 2015) would provide a way to build a sector-wide strategy.

SCHOOL LEVEL Workplaces can have both a positive and negative impact on mental health and wellbeing. The culture of the school, and indeed the community, including its induction and mentoring procedures, can clearly help support wellbeing. Successful uptake of wellbeing and resilience innovations in the workplace context requires more than one-way communication or one-off training events. Strategies that target the whole school community, that are multi-dimensional, and are sustained over time, are more likely to help drive change. A key challenge faced in the implementation of wellbeing programs in the workplace is that success cannot occur without change, and change is difficult. Key ingredients include: obtaining buy-in from critical stakeholders within the workforce, fostering a support climate for up-taking change, building capacity, providing support, process evaluation and feedback.

INDIVIDUALS Supporting teachers can start with simple strategies such as asking the right questions at the right time. Some of the most critical moments for improving the wellbeing of people can occur in their day-to-day contact with people in the workplace. These conversations and informal support strategies provide an opportunity for us to build the capacity of mentors, supervisors and school leaders to support early career teacher wellbeing. We can prepare people to actively listen, provide information about wellbeing and support their colleagues. This is not about making people clinicians, it is about strengthening their capacity to support and assist their colleagues by providing them with evidenceinformed strategies, practical information and paths to connect people to other kinds of support. By fostering supportive workplace environments, we can create experiences that assist those who may be in need, as well as strengthen the teaching profession. A WAY FORWARD The Start Well project calls for the application of a strength-based approach, potentially leveraging technology as either an enabler or enhancer of active intervention strategies, to build teachers’ capacity to give and receive psycho-social support. These approaches should be designed to work in a mutually reinforcing way with both existing and future strategies to support teacher wellbeing and retention. We need to help all teachers start well, be well, and stay well in their profession. The Start Well research was supported by the Teachers Health Foundation. For more information visit: www.himh.org.au/startwell

REFERENCES: Bennett, G.A., Newman, E., Kay-Lambkin, F., Hazel, G. (2016) Start Well: A research project supporting resilience and wellbeing in early career teachers – summary report. Hunter Institute of Mental Health, Newcastle, NSW. Gardner, S. (2010). Stress among prospective teachers: a review of the literature. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 35(8). Gibbs, S., & Miller, A. (2014). Teachers’ resilience and well-being: a role for educational psychology. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 20(5), 609-621. Hunter Institute of Mental Health (2015). Prevention First: A Prevention and Promotion Framework for Mental Health. Newcastle, Australia. Johnson, B., Down, B., Le Cornu, R., Peters, J., Sullivan, A., Pearce, J., & Hunter, J. (2010). Conditions that support early career teacher resilience. Paper presented at the Australian Teacher Education Association Conference, Townsville, QLD. Safe Work Australia (2013). The Incidence of Accepted Workers’ Compensation Claims for Mental Stress in Australia. Safe Work Australia, Canberra.

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HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Improving outcomes for students and schools PEER SUPPORT AUSTRALIA EXPLAINS HOW IT PROVIDES SCHOOL COMMUNITIES WITH THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO IMPROVE THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, LEADERSHIP AND TRANSITION SKILLS AND MENTAL AND SOCIAL HEALTH.

For more than 34 years, Peer Support Australia has been the go-to-organisation for Australian primary and secondary schools looking to enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of their students. Peer Support Australia provides support and resources to primary and secondary schools, most notably through its Peer Support Program. For secondary schools, the program has helped students transition, while also providing older students authentic leadership opportunities. The organisation estimates that more than 500,000 young people in hundreds of schools across Australia participate in the program each year. THE PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM The Peer Support Program is an evidenceinformed program that centres on peer-led interaction. The program promotes a whole-

“The fact that you make those friendships and there’s that absolute level of trust, is something so special you wouldn’t get otherwise.” - Year 10 Peer Support Leader, Redlands School, NSW, on what the Peer Support Program means to them. school culture, in addition to transition skills, leadership, positive relationships, resilience, and mental and social health. The Peer Support Program helps students entering secondary school life to feel supported. These students are connected with peer leaders

FACT BOX Peer Support Australia provides a dedicated wellbeing education consultant for your school who can provide: • Specific advice/consultation regarding implementation of the Peer Support Program: including planning • Recommendations regarding a best practice model of implementation for the Peer Support Program which addresses specific school needs • Awareness-raising talks for staff, students and parents • Video conferencing and ongoing communications • An evaluation package designed to measure satisfaction with the program

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from higher grades, who are able to draw on their experience and knowledge from their own transition process, which helps inform their mentorship. The program opens up channels of communication where members of the school student community are given license to engage with others, become aware of those around them, value their peers and know that they exist in a mutually and active supportive community. In a 2016 survey by Mission Australia, young people were asked to indicate from a number of sources where they would go for help with important issues in their lives. The survey showed 83 per cent of respondents indicated they would turn to friends – the highest indicated source of help. Peer Support Australia believes it stands to reason that young people need to be equipped with the necessary skills to provide support to other young people. The Peer Support Program provides this opportunity. Through the process of leadership training, peer leaders explore invaluable skills such as communication, relationship building, empathy and decision making. Students develop leadership skills, connections, facilitation and an understanding of roles and responsibilities, prior to conducting peer-to-peer sessions with students transitioning to secondary school. These sessions provide a platform of support which aims to help students to boost their sense of connectedness with their peers, teachers and community, and increases their self-efficacy. Furthermore, the Peer Support Program is enabled by a supportive school staff community as all teachers provide support through briefing, debriefing, and supervision during the sessions. It is envisaged that content covered during the sessions is utilised by teachers and students, allowing them to work through everyday scenarios as they arise, and helping students to practice the skills and strategies they have learned. SUPPORTING SCHOOLS Peer Support Australia views the work they do with schools as more than just the provision of a program. Greg Cantwell, Peer Support Australia CEO, explains that the program complements and builds on existing practices at a number of schools across Australia to enhance wellbeing, noting the importance Peer Support Australia places on maintaining ongoing relationships with schools.

“Peer Support Australia places an emphasis on working together with members of the school community, including administrators, teachers, students, and parents to develop a culture that is cohesive and supportive,” Greg says. Greg says Peer Support Australia offers schools the support they need with dedicated wellbeing education consultants placed across Australia who provide direct support. Sara deVries, Education Services Manager of Peer Support Australia, explains how schools and Peer Support Australia work together. “Initially, a core group of teachers from a school are trained by a Peer Support Australia wellbeing education consultant at an Implementation Workshop. It’s a highly informative and effective training which builds capacity within the school to initiate and sustain an effective peer support program,” Sara says. “Our wellbeing education consultants provide schools with continued support beyond the workshop to ensure wellbeing is embedded across the life of the school. “This valuable advice and expertise can be accessed through such services such as school visits, in-school workshops, and video conferencing.” Peer Support Australia says this personal touch from supportive, resourceful, and knowledgeable professionals has contributed to the organisation’s longevity and their ongoing relationships with hundreds of schools across Australia.

FACT BOX In a survey of more than 200 primary and secondary principals: • 91 per cent indicated that the Peer Support Program was beneficial in building positive relationships • 80 per cent said it was beneficial in developing peer connections across year groups • 79 per cent believed it to be beneficial in developing and enhancing students interpersonal, communication and decision making skills

BE INVOLVED There are places available at the remaining 2017 Peer Support Australia Implementation Workshops across Australia. Student Representative Council Workshops are also available. Peer Support Australia has also released its full 2018 workshop schedule, which can be seen on their website: www.peersupport.edu.au Learn more about Peer Support Australia and how your school can work together with them to enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of your students at www.peersupport.edu.au or by emailing their education team at: education@peersupport.edu.au

Reference V. Bailey, A-M. Baker, L. Cave, J. Fildes, B. Perrens, J. Plummer and A. Wearring, Mission Australia’s 2016 Youth Survey Report, Mission Australia, 2016.

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HEALTH AND WELLBEING

What can you do to combat stress? TEACHER STRESS AND BURNOUT CONTINUES TO CAUSE CONCERN ACROSS THE COUNTRY. JESSICA TAYLOR, TRAINER AND CONTENT DEVELOPER FOR THE INSTITUTE OF POSITIVE EDUCATION, SHARES HER TIPS ON IMPROVING WELLBEING.

Psychologist and author Dr Maria Sirois eloquently surmises that “as teachers, you have chosen to steward the lives of other human beings. With that choice comes joyous wonder and endless, heartfelt struggle.” Teacher stress and burnout within Australia continues to cause concern for teachers, school leaders, and parents, often impacting the entire school environment. As more research surfaces identifying the negative consequences related to teacher stress – the need for greater efforts to understand and reduce this is increasingly important. Stress is aroused when demands are greater than an individual’s (perceived) ability to meet them. The consequent issues arising from stress are generated at both individual and institutional levels and can result in a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, mental-health disorders, emotional exhaustion, lower self-efficacy, absenteeism and poor performance (Cooper & Marshall 2013; Allen et al., 2000; Gastaldi et al., 2015; Schaufeli, 2003). Prolonged stress is an attributing factor, where one in four new teachers are reporting a state of burnout within the first eight months of entering the profession, inevitably leading to increased attrition rates on a global scale. Stress is often attributed to external factors, and sometimes, they are the cause. However, researchers interested in the evolutionary origins of stress have found that most stresses in modern life arise not from physical dangers or deficiencies, but from our tendency to

Jessica Taylor is currently completing her Masters of Applied Positive Psychology. Having completed her Bachelor of Education and a graduate diploma in French, she has extensive teaching experience across all school levels, both within Australia and internationally. She is passionate about the application of Positive Psychology in education, supporting the whole school community to flourish. Jessica is a co-founder of an international network that connects teachers to Positive Education practice, driven by her interest in the benefits of Positive Education on transient communities.

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overcommit ourselves to numerous, unrealistic and unattainable personal goals. This then leads us to ruminate about why we cannot achieve them all. When we are unable to pursue all of the goals at once, or our efforts to do so are thwarted, the stress response system (SRS) is activated (Nesse and Young 2000). We then often become reactive and our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing is compromised. Those of us who are teachers know allto-well the pressures that are impinged upon us, including attending to the diverse needs of students, behaviour management, report writing, extra-curricular activities, and ongoing multitasking. Many of us have experienced times where we feel so overwhelmed that paralysis sets in, and uncertainty looms as to whether you can even manage the first step toward a solution. It is not that we don’t like our profession, we just wish that we had more control over these stressful aspects of our work, and the ability to navigate its demands with more ease and flow. So what if I told you that you do in fact have more control than you might think? Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian, is well-known for his serenity prayer which states: “…grant me the serenity for the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” This helps us to reframe the stress and take a new perspective by looking at these external and internal stressors in relation to what we can control versus what we can’t. So, what do we have influence over? There

are parts of teaching we can change and indeed these elements should be changed, but much of what we have direct influence over is in the domain of our minds, our emotions and our values. Research conducted on primary school educators in the UK found that teachers experience an increase in stress if there is a disconnect between their personal values, and that of the education institution. This awareness enables teachers to seek employment with workplaces that are more aligned with their own personal values. In a study exploring contributing factors of stress, researchers found that having a prescribed curriculum can also create unwanted stress, if teachers value the ability to negotiate the curriculum (Jeffery & Woods 1998). Equally stressful is the culture of the school, where the value of collegiality is preferential to a competitive culture. Teachers

who connect to values that increase relationships, collegiality, self-regulation and interdependence, are more resilient, less reactive and less stressed (Bachkirova, 2005). Similarly, teachers with the ability to connect with their values and accept their emotions show higher levels of resilience and a greater ability to combat unwanted stress. Montgomery and Rupp (2005) found that the biggest predictor of teacher burnout was the experience of negative emotions. However, the issue is not with the negative emotion itself, but rather our struggle with that emotion. Struggling with our emotions, or rigidity leads to narrow-mindedness, exhaustion and reactivity. Acceptance of our emotions helps build flexibility, opens our minds, energises us, and helps us to logically think through decisions. With experience comes wisdom, and as we experience stresses and challenges in our lives,

we have the capacity to learn how to change our reactions and attitudes towards these stressors, by leaning into our values and accepting our emotions. Dr Brene Brown, author and researcher, provokes us to think not only of the struggle, but rather focus on what we do after the struggle. When faced with a stressful situation, are you someone who typically beats yourself up, ruminates, or even isolates yourself having not handled the situation as you would have liked? Or, are you someone who is aware of your emotions, accepts your situation, leans into your values and chooses to focus on what can be changed, to assist in overcoming such challenges? To explore Values Based Stress Management theory and application further, please visit our website or contact the Institute of Positive Education.

References Allen, T. D., Herst, D. E., Bruck, C. S., & Sutton, M. (2000). Consequences associated with work-to family conflict: a review and agenda for future research. Journal of occupational health psychology, 5(2), 278. Bachkirova, T. (2005). Teacher stress and personal values: An exploratory study. School psychology international, 26(3), 340-352. Cooper, C. L., & Marshall, J. (2013). Occupational sources of stress: A review of the literature relating to coronary heart disease and mental ill health. In From Stress to Wellbeing Volume 1 (pp. 3 23). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Gastaldi, F. G. M., Pasta, T., Longobardi, C., Prino, L. E., & Quaglia, R. (2015). Measuring the influence of stress and burnout in teacher-child relationship. European Journal of Education and Psychology, 7(1). Jeffrey, B., & Woods, P. (1998). Testing teachers: The effect of school inspections on primary teachers. Psychology Press. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1987). Transactional theory and research on emotions and coping. European Journal of personality, 1(3), 141-169. Montgomery, C., & Rupp, A. A. (2005). A meta-analysis for exploring the diverse causes and effects of stress in teachers. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ĂŠducation, 458-486. Nesse, R. M., & Young, E. A. (2000). Evolutionary origins and functions of the stress response. Encyclopedia of stress, 2, 79-84. Schaufeli, W. B. (2003). Past performance and future perspectives of burnout research. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 29(4), 1-15.

SUSTAINABILITY

Kitchen garden learning for the secondary years KITCHEN GARDEN PROGRAMS CAN COMPLEMENT CLASSROOM TEACHING WITH ENGAGING LESSONS THAT DIRECTLY LINK TO THE SECONDARY YEARS CURRICULUM.

Secondary schools interested in developing a kitchen garden program have a broad range of options when it comes to how they choose to implement the program. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation offers resources to meet the needs of secondary schools, including those specifically developed for Years 7–10. Steph Davies, Kitchen Garden Foundation Education Advisor, says a kitchen garden program offers practical hands-on learning related to real-world concepts. She says a program could be run as a specialist elective targeting a specific year level, or it could aim to include a student cohort. “An elective subject can offer students learning experiences in the garden, such as developing and designing productive garden spaces and growing and harvesting food crops,” Steph says.

“From the garden, learning moves directly to the kitchen, where students develop and design recipes and cook dishes using seasonal produce they have grown – all the while considering its impact on health, wellbeing and nutrition.” Steph says this approach can enhance learning in food and health subjects. A kitchen garden program can also support other areas of learning in the secondary setting, including wellbeing programs; cross-age tutoring; inquiry learning; project or problem-based learning; and interdisciplinary approaches such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). Steph says schools could start off small, with a year-level teaching team, allowing teachers to share the load and look at the program from an interdisciplinary angle. “You can also share tasks across the different learning areas and subjects. You might decide to use your program as the basis of an inquiry learning method or you could implement problem or project-based learning tasks for a

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set class or subject,’’ she says. “Perhaps there is an opportunity to run a specialist elective for a particular year level, where students have dedicated learning time to explore and participate in garden and kitchen learning experiences.” A kitchen garden program can also help educators reinforce learning in specialised senior secondary subjects such as Food Technology, Agriculture, Health, and Geography. When looking to establish new teaching and

learning approaches such as STEAM, a kitchen garden program allows for applied and hands-on learning to support integrated teaching approaches. Once established, teachers can consider extending their kitchen garden program to adopt a whole-school approach, encouraging students and teachers across the entire school community to benefit from pleasurable food education. “The principle focus of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation’s approach in the secondary years is to use a kitchen garden program as the lens through which educators can meet many learning outcomes, as well as to encourage and support collaboration between students and staff,” Steph says. Steph says kitchen garden programs also offer learning pathways for senior students to consider careers in areas such as food and fibre, health, horticulture and the environment. The Kitchen Garden Foundation recently released its first dedicated resource for secondary educators, Kitchen Garden Education for the Secondary Years: Connecting to the Curriculum (Book 1). The book includes a range of engaging student learning tasks for Years 7–10, and shows how to link a secondary school’s kitchen garden program and curriculum-integrated classroom learning. The book’s eight chapters are organised according to the main learning areas of the Australian Curriculum. They

reinforce subject-specific learning with a kitchen or garden theme. Steph says the resource is a great starting point for a secondary school looking to start a kitchen garden program. In the Arts, students learn to make ceramic apples and sushi plates. In English classes, they design a recipe template; and in Health and Physical Education, students learn how to eat for health and wellbeing. In the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area, they develop an irrigation plan and climate map. In Languages, they translate kitchen garden words and terms and make bilingual signs and in Mathematics they learn how to run a stall at a farmers’ market. Science students learn how to identify and classify plants, and in Technologies they investigate taste and recipe design. Each task has been specially designed to give students the opportunity to apply hands-on learning gained in the kitchen and garden to real-world scenarios, whether it’s debating food production issues, learning how to shop economically for pantry ingredients or studying plant cells under a microscope. Each chapter has been developed to provide a continuum of learning across Years 7–10. Each learning task comes with teaching notes, providing educators with all the information they need to prepare students to achieve the relevant curriculum outcomes. Details: www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au

A groundbreaking resource for the secondary sector! For the first time, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation offers a direct link between a secondary school’s kitchen garden program and curriculum-integrated classroom learning. Kitchen Garden Education for the Secondary Years: Connecting to the Curriculum (Book 1) offers a range of fun and challenging student learning tasks for Years 7–10 that are linked to the main learning areas of the Australian Curriculum.

Shop online for a 10% discount Use the discount code CARROTS when you shop online to get 10% off

www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au Working together to grow healthy kids

SCHOOL BUSINESS & ADMINISTRATION

A day in the life PIP THOMAS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATORS, OUTLINES THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR AND THE SUPPORT AVAILABLE.

Pip Thomas is an FCPA with 30 years accounting experience. She has worked across commerce, foreign currency and treasury accounting, owned her own tax firm and been an independent school business manager for six years before becoming the CEO of ASBA Limited in August 2014. Pip’s goal is to help ASBA members to be the best business managers they can be with the support of the ASBA network.

Being the sole accountant and chief financial officer among a school of educators can be quite intimidating and sometimes lonely. This is why more than 1300 business managers/bursars of independent schools across Australasia have joined the Association of School Business Administrators (ASBA). Our efforts have continually supported school-specific professional learning, networking and collegiality. Being the business manager of an independent school requires great skill in a wide range of areas, including finance, governance, risk, project management, compliance, leadership and management. Many independent schools require their business manager to be an ASBA member, ensuring they are well-trained, supported and up to date. Many business managers join independent schools from private practice or commerce, and are surprised by the immense variety of the role. Before taking up the role of CEO of ASBA three years ago, I was the business manager of a large independent girls’ boarding school

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in Queensland for many years. My working week (and weekend) was filled with diverse activities, interactions with a diverse range of stakeholders and exciting challenges. A day might be filled with: • Accounting (my happy place) • Dealing with staff issues (a staff of 100+) • Negotiating catering, laundry or maintenance contracts • Talking with my grounds staff about oval/lawn health • Speaking to architects about a multi-milliondollar building project • Meeting with the school solicitor about child protection issues on behalf of the principal • Arranging and attending a school board meeting, preparation of board papers, updating one of the school’s 72 policies • Helping the school parents and friends committee arrange the annual fair • Meeting the kindergarten children in my office as they undertake a school incursion to the business office – the highlight of my year

Not surprisingly, an independent school business manager is in need of custom training and support and this bespoke training is provided by ASBA across Australia and New Zealand. ABOUT ASBA For 30 years, ASBA has been the peak body for independent school business managers/bursars and has eight chapters (state and territory groups) across Australia and New Zealand. Members join each chapter as individuals, rather than the school, to ensure that all members fit the criteria. Professional learning and networking events are held each term at the regional and chapter level. The chapters each hold a conference each even calendar year, which includes a sponsor exhibition and high-quality speakers and social events. In the odd calendar year, ASBA Limited hosts the national conference, where approximately 800 delegates and 100 exhibitors/ sponsors are in attendance. This event usually runs for three days and is at a minimal cost. Membership to ASBA provides access to the website which includes a rich resource of personal development documents, an increasing number of webinars for viewing and event registration capability. Members receive a quarterly technical update covering issues relating to funding, management, leadership, governance, compliance and much more, and receive the twice-yearly hard copy magazine, Associate. Later this year, ASBA is beginning a new mentoring program, where experienced business managers will receive certified mentor training, and then be paired with voluntary mentee business manager members. We hope this will allow a cross population of ideas, skills and knowledge between our greatly experienced members and newer ones. In late September 2017, our ASBA2017 National Conference will be held at the Sydney International Convention Centre over three days with around 850 delegates and more than 100 exhibitors. This will be a great opportunity for members and non-members to learn about the latest in finance, governance, leadership and management along with many networking opportunties. By providing a network of support, ASBA can help business managers with the challenges and daily pressures that lie ahead while reaping the rewards. If you are interested in what we do or in joining ASBA, visit www.asba.asn.au or ring (02) 9431 8682. To register as a nonmember for the ASBA2017 conference, visit www.asba2017.ptly.com

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MODERN LEARNING

Australia’s three-dimensional curriculum HOW DOES THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR A COMPLEX AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE? ACARA’S TRACY ZILM EXPLAINS.

Tracy Zilm is the Curriculum Specialist, Health and Physical Education, at the Australian, Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. She manages ongoing development, monitoring, research and stakeholder engagement in order to support the implementation and enhance the effectiveness of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education. Tracy has more than 40 years’ experience within a variety of settings and leadership roles across Australia and overseas. She has taught in city and country high schools, held a national leadership role with MindMatters (the national mental health in schools initiative) and lectured at universities and tertiary institutions in South Australia and England. She has spent years developing, presenting and monitoring professional development tools and training activities that encourage educators, school communities and other organisations to reflect on and plan how they support learning.

How well do you remember 2005? Internationally renowned burns specialist Dr Fiona Wood was named Australian of the year, England won the Ashes for the first time since 1987 and a videosharing website called YouTube was launched. For the high school graduates of 2017, 2005 also marked the start of their secondary education. The world has changed a great deal since. Students who began their first year of schooling in 2017 will graduate from high school in 2029. They will enter a workforce full of occupations and opportunities that don’t exist. The education they receive over the next 13 years will need to equip them with the skills to thrive in and shape that unknown future world. In 2008, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) commenced the development of the latest iteration of the national curriculum for Australia. The process that followed involved thousands of educators drafting, writing, trialling and refining what students were to learn in schools across the country. Last year, ACARA completed the first iteration of the Australian Curriculum for students in Foundation to Year 10 – the Auslan and Classical Languages curricula. The national web-based curriculum can be accessed by teachers, parents, students and educators across the country and internationally. It sets the expectations of learning for all Australian students, regardless of their location or background. Countries and organisations around the world are working to design curricula that are deliberate, comprehensive and systematic in supporting and developing young people. The Australian Curriculum, with its three-dimensional structure, is leading the way. A three-dimensional curriculum means that it must be an evolving product. If we accept, as the evidence all around us indicates, that students need to be creative, critical thinkers and responsible citizens who can manage

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rapid technological and social change, then our curriculum design needs to reflect this and should continue to be updated. Part of this three-dimensional structure is an understanding that international educators and governments are emphasising 21st century skills as essential to curriculum design. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is one of many international forums leading the exchange of research and ideas, and ACARA is contributing on Australia’s behalf. More than 30 countries around the world are participating in this project to explore curriculum design and its implementation. Key to this is defining the learning priorities and objectives that educators and policymakers must consider during their curriculum development process. “So how does a national curriculum prepare Australians for a globalised world that is complex, uncertain and volatile?” (Taguma, 2016). The Australian Curriculum was developed with a three-dimensional approach to learning: it integrates eight learning areas, seven general capabilities and three cross-curriculum priorities. General capabilities equip students to engage effectively with global, national and local issues. Cross-curriculum priorities give a focus across subjects on priorities critical to Australia’s future. Learning areas focus on the inclusion of staple topics such as English, Science and the Arts. The Australian Curriculum is both structured and agile. Teachers can adapt its content to the needs of their communities and students. For example, teachers in a regional school community may focus a unit of work on local geography, agriculture, sustainability, and critical and creative thinking. An inner-city school may focus on the impact of urbanisation on the environment, with a focus on sustainability and personal and social capability, while accessing the same curriculum dimensions.

“There is general acknowledgement around the world that to equip young people for success we need to shift from a knowledge-only based education towards incorporating skills such as creative problem solving, collaboration and character skills such as resilience, agility, compassion and respect. These elements are central to the new success.” Charles Fadel, Center for Curriculum Redesign Founder, 8 May 2017 Teacher Magazine ACER A CLOSER LOOK AT THE AIMS OF THE THREE DIMENSIONS The learning areas (Mathematics, English, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Technologies, the Arts, Languages, and Health and Physical Education) are widely recognised as the basis of teaching, learning and timetable structures in schools. Each learning area outlines the knowledge, skills, understandings and values of successful learners, as described in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians in 2008. The general capabilities aim to develop the skills of young people to: • be critical and creative thinkers who are innovative, enterprising and adaptable • have a strong ethical understanding, and can reason, investigate, evaluate and reflect • be confident, competent and safe information and communication technology users and creators • be empathetic, responsible young Australians with intercultural understanding, and respect their own and others’ cultures • have the personal and social capability to effectively communicate and collaborate, and display resilience and leadership • be literate and numerate, and be able to develop a deep understanding of subject content Cross-curriculum priorities include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, and Sustainability.

These priorities each give students the tools, values and language to engage with, and better understand, their world. They are developed through learning area content, which specifies what is learned in a topic. Incorporating the priorities in teaching and learning also encourages conversations between students, educators and the wider community. NAVIGATING THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM ACARA produces a number of online tools and resources to support schools and teachers in engaging with the Australian Curriculum. ACARA works with schools, industry, and states and territories to develop the ‘curriculum connections’ – resources that demonstrate ways to organise and deliver content in the Australian Curriculum. Resources are available in the areas of consumer and financial literacy, food and fibre, food and wellbeing and outdoor learning. Each curriculum connection has been designed to demonstrate how content can be organised: • within and across subjects or learning areas • across one or more of the general capabilities • across one or more of the cross-curriculum priorities • to support connected and personalised learning The Curriculum connections can be accessed at: resources.australiancurriculum.edu.au/curriculumconnections

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ACHIEVEMENT STANDARDS AND WORK SAMPLES From Foundation to Year 10, the Australian Curriculum’s achievement standards show the expected breadth and depth of learning that students should typically demonstrate by a particular age or stage. The achievement standards are accompanied by portfolios of student work that illustrate this, allowing educators to make judgements about whether students have achieved the standard. Schools can use these work samples as a basis for moderation conversations or professional learning activities. Work samples contribute to a shared understanding of standards, and build consistency and confidence in making judgements about students’ CREATE A LEARNING PROGRAM USING THE AC RESOURCES A Year 4 teacher who wants to focus on the topic of food and nutrition can: • find relevant content descriptions from across learning areas and links to general capabilities in the food and wellbeing curriculum connection • see what Year 3 and 4 student achievement looks like in the food and nutrition work samples • gather ideas about how to integrate aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander food and nutrition by viewing the Medina Primary School illustration of practice video • consider strategies to differentiate teaching for a student in the class with additional needs

progress and performance. When teachers have a solid understanding of the design and intent of achievement standards they can make connections to the other dimensions of the curriculum. The student work samples can be accessed at: resources.australiancurriculum.edu.au/worksamples

skills. They are another demonstration of how the three dimensions of the Australian Curriculum work together. STEM illustrations of practice explore the experiences of five Australian schools and can be accessed at: resources.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ stem/

ILLUSTRATIONS OF PRACTICE ACARA has developed illustrations of practice to support the implementation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures crosscurriculum priority. The illustrations of practice have been gathered from a diverse group of Australian schools that have shared their stories of innovation

STEM CONNECTIONS Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education has recently become the focus of considerable political, industry and media commentary in Australia and overseas. ACARAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s STEM Connections project presents a cross-disciplinary approach to the teaching of STEM subjects. The resources illustrate how schools can increase student interest in STEM-related learning, while improving studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; problem-solving and critical analysis A REFRESHED WEBSITE The Australian Curriculum website has been refreshed with a new look and feel to enhance its functionality and usability. The new platform reflects contemporary design and has the flexibility to accommodate future additions and enhancements to the Australian Curriculum. www.australiancurriculum.edu.au

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MODERN LEARNING

“Australia is a vast country, with a small, diverse population. From the bush to the beach, young Australians are living and learning in an incredibly wide range of contexts, and each one of them deserves the best educational opportunities that states and territories can deliver.” Fiona Mueller, Director, Curriculum, ACARA and inclusion. Illustrations of practice cover a range of learning areas such as Science, Work Studies, HASS and Technologies, demonstrating how the three dimensions of the Australian Curriculum can work together in any classroom setting. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student enrolment varies across the schools. Educators can be inspired by the creative and effective approaches used by these schools. DIFFERENTIATING THE 3D CURRICULUM FOR ALL STUDENTS Student Diversity materials guide school leaders and teachers on how they can use the threedimensional design to differentiate curriculum for all students. Teachers are guided by a flow chart which outlines the process for personalising learning for all students. Additional advice is available to help teachers plan programs for students with disability, gifted and talented students, as well as English as a second language students. Illustrations of practice show authentic examples of how schools are using the flexible design of the Australian Curriculum to meet the diverse learning needs of students. While the world was a vastly different place in 2005, ACARA’s development of the Australian Curriculum as a multifaceted and flexible framework will remain relevant for decades to come. The design of the curriculum ensures that teachers and students can understand, adapt to and take action within the ever-changing reality of their lives, regardless of whether YouTube remains in the fold.

REFERENCES: ACARA. (2012). Curriculum Development Process, Version 6. Sydney: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. ACARA. (2012). The Shape of the Australian Curriculum version 4. Sydney: Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). ACARA. (2013). Curriculum Design Paper v3.1. Sydney: ACARA. Ministerial Council for Education, E. C. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. Canberrra: MCEECDYA. OECD. (2013). Synergies for Better Learning, an International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment. Paris: OECD publishing. Taguma, M. &. (2016). E2030 Conceptual Framework: Key competencies for 2030 (DeSeCo 2.0). Paris: OECD, Directorate for Education and Skills.

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