2021 Professional Learning Journal

KING’S

“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use”.

- Galileo Galilei -

DIRECTOR OF THE KING’S INSTITUTE

Dean

Dudley, CF PhD (UW), M.Ed – Research (UW), CAEL (Harvard), Grad Dip Ed (UWS), B.HSc (UWS)

The 2021 Professional Learning Journal (PLJ) of The King’s Institute is our last publication of the School’s 2019-2021 Strategic Triennium. It allows us to close one metaphorical chapter of The King’s Institute whilst bravely and faithfully proposing what its next chapter will entail.

The 2021 wave of the COVID-19 pandemic once again dealt us a disruptive hand with which to toil in the profession of pedagogy. That said, teachers have again emerged in the long line of heroes that have united our society in a period when we have felt anything but united. The King’s School’s commitment to the critical work of our teachers within our community is celebrated throughout the pages of this year’s Professional Learning Journal.

It is a celebration because whilst the times were challenging and the learning disrupted, many of our teachers and staff have participated, learned and created new forms of knowledge. The King’s Institute serves to empower teachers and staff of The King’s School to build individual and collective wisdom.

We increase our chances of success in any range of intervention strategies which the School pursues in the next Strategic Triennium by tapping our collective wisdom. This refers to the wisdom of our own school community, of other implementers of the same program, and of the wider implementation world. Collective wisdom allows each of us to benefit from the experience of many of us. Success is in the ongoing process, in being able to adjust to the inevitable and numerous deviations from the plan that will befall any school-based intervention attempt, even with the best evidence-based program.

The King’s Institute’s challenge now is to translate our collective wisdom into a collection of reasoning. In other words, we seek to promote cooperation among people who often have conflicting commitments using cooperative ways of reasoning together.

Please enjoy the collection of professional learning activities and articles contained within this year’s PLJ as an opportunity to embrace fresh thinking, controversy, and collective achievement.

Contents

The King’s Distinctives: 6 Academic Excellence 7 Learning by Design 7 Young People in Science 8 Character Development 13 Character Continuum Development Workshop 2021 13

Christian Community 17 A Christian View of Vaccinations 17 Christian Reflection of Bob Dylan’s “The Times they are A-Changin” 20

National Boys’ Education Conference 23

• Failing, to grow! 23

• Power of Y in Schools 24

• Academic Buoyancy and Self-Assessment 29

• The Benefits of Culturally Diverse Leadership in Schools 33

• FUNdamentals of Maths 35

• Just DOIT – Directly and Objectively Capturing Learning at The King’s School 37

Reflection on International Coaching Conference 2021 40

The Future Project 42 • Summary of The Future Project activities 42 • UNSW Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project 45

Selected Staff Essays

• Practical policy proposals to reverse declining academic standards in Science by allowing all NSW students equitable access to qualified and experienced teachers 46

• ‘Service Learning: “Are we doing this right?” 48

The King’s Distinctives –Selected Essays:

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

COMMUNITY

Academic Excellence Learning By Design

The UTS ‘Designing for Learning’ course is an introduction to different theories, models and processes that have been conceptualised to foster the understanding and enacting of learning design. We examined the development of different theories of instruction and considered how these have contributed to the development of various models of learning design. We then developed a learning design solution, following a brief based around Year 8 Information and Software Technology.

Initial perspectives on instructional theory had been based mostly on memories of university more than ten years ago, along with snippets of PD days throughout the years. These sessions used the basics of Bloom’s taxonomy and newer models such as SMART. Recently, the constructivist instructional design method has been the most prominent, through the development of STEM, makerspaces and the incorporation of computing as a transdisciplinary subject.

This course has refocused our understanding of learning design and its importance to teachers. This will now become central to the Computing Studies department at King’s and will become a springboard for all course and unit content. The wide sample of options provided helped to reconnect with past concepts and practices and showed us new models with which we were unfamiliar.

Modules 1, 2 and 3, which looked at specific theories and models of instruction, have provided a range of resources and thought-provoking discussions and ideas to take back to our staff. The models of UBD and constructivism will be targeted specifically by us. Further research will ensure our blended learning models have been set up to maximise effectiveness for staff and students.

The main assessment task has had the greatest impact. The ability to work together to delve into the Understanding By Design (UBD) model and critically think about utilising it in the creation of a specific unit of work for students was invaluable.

Learning Design has the potential to help teachers explain highly effective instructional theories, readily shared with, and applied by, other teachers. Effective teachers must be well-versed in the critical thinking and evaluation skills that accompany designing learning theories and instructional plans. This course has shown that there is a need for teachers and others who are instructional designers to unite to identify relevant problems, design appropriate instructional strategies, analyse the learning processes and design teaching methods that address these problems. Our focus should also be on designing instructional plans that have clear validity and are aligned with the School’s objectives.

Department

Ben Lum Computing Studies

Michael

Ienna Head of Computing Studies

“Our focus should also be on designing instructional plans that have clear validity and are aligned with the school’s objectives.”

Young People in Science Finding and Implications Report: The King’s School

In 2021, The King’s School participated in the Young People in Science study. The overarching aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between individual and social factors and students’ intended Year 11 and 12 Science subject selections. By determining which factors influence adolescents’ decisions to study Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth and Environmental Science, it may be possible to design interventions to increase the uptake of these subjects in future years.

Students in Years 8, 9, and 10 participated in the study in Term 2, 2021. Study participation involved students completing a 25-minute online survey in class time.

Parents were notified about the Young People in Science study in writing and were given a two-week period to indicate that they did not consent for their child to participate in the study if they had previously given standing consent for their child to participate in research projects approved by the school. Parents could also opt in to the study if they had not previously given permission for their child to participate in school research projects. Students were also asked to indicate whether they wanted to participate in the study, with a question included in the online survey that allowed them to withdraw from the study if desired.

We examined the relationships (correlations) between social and psychological variables and students’ intentions to study Science subjects in Years 11 and 12. Table 1 shows (i) the strength of the relationship (identified by the cell colour) and (ii) the direction of the relationship (positive or negative).

Prof. Kathryn Holmes Professor of Education (Science, Mathematics and Technology) Western Sydney University

Dr. Nathan Berger Lecturer - Education Western Sydney University

Dr. Erin Mackenzie Lecturer - Secondary Science and STEM Western Sydney University

Project Variables

Intentions to study… Biology Chemistry Physics

Self-efficacy: Biology + + +

Self-efficacy: Chemistry + + +

Self-efficacy: Physics + + +

Growth mindset + + +

Investigating Science

Fixed mindset Academic buoyancy + Mastery approach goals + + + Performance approach goals + + + Performance avoid goals Mathematics anxiety Enjoyment of Science + + + + + Valuing of Science + + + + +

Teacher support

Peer support

There are a number of findings of interest in Table 1 that should be highlighted:

• Valuing and enjoyment of Science were the variables that were most strongly related to intentions to study Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. These were also the only variables that were positively related to students’ intentions to study Earth and Environmental Science and investigating Science.

• Self-efficacy to learn Biology, Chemistry and Physics was also moderately to strongly related to intentions to study these subjects.

• Endorsing a mastery approach orientation was also moderately related to intentions to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Endorsing a performance approach goal orientation was moderately related to intentions to study Chemistry, and also had a small but significant relationship with intentions to study Biology and Physics.

• Growth mindset was positively related to intentions to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Fixed mindset was negatively related to intentions to study Biology and Chemistry.

• Mathematics anxiety was negatively related to intentions to study Chemistry and Physics.

In summary, these findings suggest that enjoyment, valuing, self-efficacy and mastery goal orientation should be key targets of intervention efforts to increase enrolments in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Taken together, the findings above suggest that there are multiple psychological factors that can contribute to students’ intentions to study Science subjects in Years 11 and 12. In this section of the report, we offer suggestions

Table 1: Relationships between project variables and students’ intentions to study Science subjects in Years 11 and 12

Strong relationship Moderate relationship Small relationship No Relationship + Positive relationship - Negative relationship

EES

for teaching practices that can influence these factors, with the aim of increasing enrolments in senior Science subjects.

They are:

1. Consider ways to enhance students’ enjoyment and valuing of Science

Students’ enjoyment and valuing of Science were the variables most strongly related to their intentions to study Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Thus, to increase enrolments in these subjects, teachers can employ pedagogical strategies that have been shown to enhance student interest and enjoyment. Relatedly, a specific focus on increasing students’ valuing of Science is likely to support enjoyment

and continued engagement with Science (Ainley & Ainley, 2011). Such pedagogical strategies may include:

• Implementing inquiry-based learning (Attard et al., 2021)

• explicitly linking content learnt in Science with students’ everyday lives and contexts (Holmes et al., 2021)

• enabling student choice in scientific tasks and designing learning tasks around student interests

• educating students and parents about the importance of Science for future study and careers in STEM and non-STEM fields (Rozek et al., 2017).

2. Implement teaching and learning practices designed to enhance self-efficacy in Science

As self-efficacy reflects students’ sense of being able to complete a task effectively, it is unsurprising that students are drawn to subjects in which they feel capable of succeeding. Self-efficacy is a malleable construct in educational settings, and Figure 1 identifies the four factors that shape our sense of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997).

3. Implement teaching and learning practices designed to support the development of mastery approach goal orientation

It is important to recognise that student motivation is underpinned by perceptions, beliefs and goals rather than stable personality traits (Urdan & Kaplan, 2020). This means that teachers and schools can influence student motivation through classroom reward structures that emphasise individual progress rather than competition. School policies, practices and procedures should aim to create an environment which emphasises mastery goals and de-emphasises performance goals (Berger & Archer, 2016). Research suggests that the combination of mastery and performance approach goals can be adaptive, in comparison to an emphasis on performance goals alone. This means that competition in the classroom may not be problematic when there is a primary emphasis on mastery of content. Teachers can also focus more on learning than achievement by providing honest, helpful feedback that includes advice on future learning strategies. Many of the strategies suggested for supporting students’ growth mindsets (see the next recommendation) are also relevant to developing mastery goal orientations.

However, while researchers have been able to demonstrate that situated achievement goals can be easily manipulated in laboratory settings, results from interventions in schools and classrooms have been more modest. This is because “classrooms are embedded within larger systems that include the school, the home, the community, and broader society” (Urdan & Kaplan, 2020,

p. 4). In other words, students are also influenced by their individual dispositions and messages from their peers and family, and cultural contexts. Even if individual teachers emphasise mastery goals, students are still likely to encounter messages emphasising social comparison and competition in these other contexts. Nevertheless, schools can exert some influence over these external factors. For instance, emphasising the school’s motivational climate to family members, and demonstrating the value of mastery orientations through research evidence, may help in aligning the motivational messages students receive from the school and their families.

4. Implement teaching and learning practices designed to support students’ growth mindsets in Science

Formal school-based mindset interventions have had some success in altering students’ mindsets (Yaeger et al., 2019), although the success of such programs is not universal and they have been strongly critiqued in recent years (for example, Macnamara, 2018). These interventions tend to teach students that the brain has the capacity to develop (for example, by comparing the brain to a muscle that needs to be exercised to get stronger). They also challenge ideas about mistakes being problematic and encourage students to say that they are not able to do something yet, rather than they are not able to do something at all.

“Research suggests that the combination of mastery and performance approach goals can be adaptive, in comparison to an emphasis on performance goals alone.”

Young People in Science

Finding and Implications Report: The King’s School CONTINUED

Aside from formal mindset interventions, teachers can also implement simple strategies in the classroom to help support the development of growth mindsets, for example:

(i) Focus on praising effort and process rather than ability. Research has shown that children are more likely to develop fixed mindsets if they receive praise focused on ability (eg. “You are so smart”) rather than effort (“You must have worked hard at this”) (Yaeger & Dweck, 2012). Refocusing praise on effort can also demonstrate to students that mastery is valued over performance in their classrooms.

(ii) Praising effort alone is not helpful when the student is stuck, does not understand content, or is not making progress. Teachers can coach students in the use of simple strategies for overcoming roadblocks or barriers to learning such as:

• Ask a classmate or teacher for a hint or suggestion for how to move forward

• Use self-evaluation strategies to determine where there may be areas of error or misunderstanding

• Try a different approach to solving a problem rather than re-using an approach that is not working (Yaeger et al., 2019).

(iii) Teachers can reflect on their own mindset and challenge thinking that reflects a fixed mindset (eg. “I have never been good at …”). Similarly, it can be useful to reflect on how student mistakes are handled in the classroom; if teachers (or parents) respond to student errors as though they are damaging or harmful, students are more likely to endorse a fixed mindset (Patrick & Joshi, 2019).

Finally, it is useful to note that mindsets are domain-specific, which means that a student might display a growth mindset in one subject and a fixed mindset in another. Given that Science requires the application of Mathematics, it may also be useful to examine and focus on reducing fixed mindsets in Mathematics to increase Science enrolments (especially in Physics and Chemistry).

Character Development Character Continuum Development Workshop 2021

As a community at The King’s School, we believe that a child’s education is more than academic outcomes. The character that our boys develop and with which they graduate is a significant and important outcome and motivator for us as staff and for the families who entrust us to coach them. This leads us to the questions:

1. What does Character mean to us at The King’s School and Tudor House?

2. How do you articulate and celebrate Character?

Other provocative questions that drove this character continuum workshop and informed our practice and strategy included:

1. What do we mean by Character?

2. Do we have a uniquely King’s School understanding of Character?

3. How do we know if our students are in fact growing in character?

4. How do we help our whole community gain a stronger understanding of what we do and why?

5. How can we help our parent body have a stronger understanding of the processes linked to Character Development and thus support the extra and co-curricular space?

All teachers at King’s and Tudor House are passionate educators who understand that the vision we aspire to for our graduates occurs through an intentional and thoughtful process, a process we all know well: Academic Excellence with Character Development in the context of our Christian Community, in order to produce Global Thought Leaders.

David Idstein Director Character Development and Leadership

Greg Blackman

Deputy Head - Co-curricular, The King’s School Preparatory School

“All teachers at King’s and Tudor House are passionate educators who understand that the vision we aspire to for our graduates occurs through an intentional and thoughtful process.”

Character Continuum Development Workshop 2021

The purpose of a Character Continuum

What are the non-negotiable elements of a successful, well-rounded and supportive Character Development? The International Boys School Coalition (IBSC) suggest there are five important elements:

• A shared consciousness of a common purpose

• Demonstrable student and staff outcomes

• Clear reporting and communications

• Strategic clarity and connection

• A shared and reflective professional practice

In consultation with the Deputy Heads –Co-curricular across the three campuses: Greg Blackman, Wesley Dunne and Sam Goodfellow, the focus moving forward was to build intentional and explicit practice within this Character domain, which is traditionally dominated by spontaneous and implicit mentorship.

These five key elements give the Character Development space objectives and are achievable to work towards and have helped inform our strategy moving forward. Thus, the priority was placed on building a Character Continuum which

would form the foundation of articulating qualitative outcomes based on our School values, and which would develop in complexity as our young students embark on their journeys here at King’s and Tudor House. This Character Continuum would work towards several of these objectives in that it would allow for a greater shared understanding of the journey and growth our students undertake; it builds language around potential student outcomes; it creates opportunity to report on these outcomes and it encourages staff to share and reflect on their practice in Character Development.

• Breaking down our School mission and values to determine how and when these characteristics develop

• Building a macro-continuum, which will refine and articulate the journey and mentoring which our young men undertake in their time at King’s and Tudor House

• Generate a common understanding about our approach to Character Development and then share this with our community.

Staff

input and outcomes of the continuum workshops

Important steps in developing the objectives listed above and ultimately a King’s Character Continuum is to seek staff input, share current practice and plan a framework around our School’s mission and values. Thus, workshops at the Senior School, Preparatory School and Tudor House were held over the last year with the objectives of:

Two important resources were used to inform the group’s thinking on how the growth of character may develop and grow. The first was the macro-continuum using the Jubilee Centre’s virtues progress as a starting point:

Value literacy - Value knowledge - Value reasoning - Value practice - Value reflection.

The second resource was Bloom’s Taxonomy: The Affective Domain

As educators, we are all familiar with Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain. However, Bloom’s work across the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains allows for a more holistic approach and understanding of growth. Thus, the increasing complexity of language used by Bloom helped develop our group model of the character continuum.

Our cross-campus group workshopped these progressions which slowly morphed into an increasingly appropriate, studentfriendly language:

• The What

• The Why

• The When

• The Doing (How well?)

• The Transfer of Behaviour.

We have now started the process and created interest and buy-in from a range of staff and mentors. The groups were able to produce a King’s/Tudor House adaptation of Bloom’s Taxonomy and identified that there may in fact be three discrete components of character development: The thinking – The Head, The emotional-The Heart and The behavioural – The Hands. These have been written as “I statements”. This adaptation is shared below:

I am unsure how this virtue builds character

I don’t understand the value

I want to be a person of better character

I would like to lead a good life for my own sake

I let my emotions get the better of me

My emotions carry me away

I know what the right thing to do is I want to do the right thing

I understand consequences of my actions

I can give expression to virtues in certain situations

I know what I need to do to be a better person

I am not sure why I should be virtuous all the time

I feel remorse and regret when I do the wrong thing

I don’t always apply the virtuous behaviour

My actions don’t always reflect my best self

I act in ways I know I shouldn’t

I try to do the right thing

I understand and can describe virtuous behaviour

Personal disappointment prevents me from bad acts I usually do the right thing

It pains me to do the right thing

I don’t always do the right thing

My emotions occasionally carry me away I aim to practice virtuous behaviour

I am committed to becoming a better person I am able to reason with my emotions I have some self-regulation

I know which actions bring down my character

I am able to apply virtuous judgement in many circumstances

I am able to connect virtuous thoughts with virtuous actions

I understand why virtuous actions are important

I have virtuous emotions

It gives me pleasure and joy to do the right thing

I do the right thing for the sake of it

I have virtuous actions in certain situations

I can perform virtuous actions without thinking

I act virtuously even when no one is looking

Cognitive - The Head Affective – The Heart Behavioural – The Hands

Character Continuum Development Workshop 2021

Where to from here?

This three-pillar model of character development has informed an early draft of a Character Continuum centred on our School values and mission. This continuum will start to inform and support student outcomes in the mentor and co-curricular space. Mentors and teachers in careful discussion, and potentially student self-reflection, will be able to align these hierarchical statements to students as they move through their school journey; this will form the basis for reporting. Likewise, this Character Continuum will give sports coaches, music teachers and extra-curricular coaches and mentors a values framework of outcomes to help guide our students in their individual journey of challenges, reflection, selfawareness and character development.

With an ability to map and monitor student growth in character development, our community will be able to fully appreciate students’ growth in areas they need to focus on. Importantly, the character continuum gives a framework against which we can start to report on students’ journeys in this space, which will lead to more meaningful mentor reports and potentially live reporting and meaningful individual dashboards.

Christian Community A Christian View of Vaccinations

Introduction

Some people of the Christian faith are hesitant or suspicious of COVID-19 vaccinations, not because they are medically “contra-indicated,” but because of their own understanding of the Bible. It raises the question as to what Biblical principles we can use as a Christian Community at King’s, to navigate our way through the controversy. For we note

Christians who affirm the Biblical ideal of the preciousness of all human life as God’s creation—along with others of different religious backgrounds or none—may see this as an opportunity to stand for the right to life and so avoid COVID-19 vaccines like AstraZeneca as a result. However, given the cell lines used have a distant, indirect relationship to the original

that the Bible nowhere says, “Thou shalt have/not have a vaccine.” Further, we do not seem to be dealing specifically with any central doctrines or practices of the Christian faith. However, the production of individual vaccines and the community impact of vaccination might involve important Biblical-ethical considerations. We therefore might use a Biblical wisdom as we consider the issue.

The Ethics of the Production of COVID-19 Vaccines

Firstly, what might the Christian faith have to say about the production of our current vaccines? The vaccines that have generated the most controversy for Christians are those that use foetal cell lines to help multiply the material used in the vaccines (e.g., AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson). These cell lines are linked to two aborted foetuses (1973 and 1985). The cell lines were genetically changed and multiplied many times over, soon after the abortions to produce the lines used in today’s vaccines. They are thus very many generations apart from the foetuses and, therefore, have a more distant and indirect relationship to them.

abortions and that we know very little about the circumstances of the original abortions, it is worth being somewhat cautious before making that decision. It is possible to hold to the preciousness of all human life—including in the very earliest stages of pregnancy—and still be comfortable to have the Astra Zeneca vaccine, for example.

The story of Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis might serve as a useful comparison. His brothers treat him cruelly, seek to kill him and eventually sell him into slavery. Many years later, Joseph ends up in a position to rescue his brothers and father from famine. Joseph reflects with his brothers, “What you meant for evil, God meant for good and the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20). He does not excuse his brothers’ behaviour but recognises that God, in his providence, can turn horrendous acts into life-saving ones. Similarly, the current vaccines using foetal cell lines that are indirectly and distantly related to aborted foetuses can still be used ethically for enormous good despite, in some people’s minds, their original unethical provenance.

The class of mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna, prove much less of an ethical issue from a Christian perspective. We know a lot about the behaviour of mRNA. Our mRNA vaccines provide our body’s own cells with the instructions to build only a specific part of the virus—the spike protein in the case of COVID-19 that does not harm us in and of itself but rouses our body’s defences to recognise it, remember it and so destroy the live COVID-19 virus. Since the mRNA in the vaccine enters only the “factory” part of our cells, it does not alter the nucleus and so will not change our DNA. All vaccines may have some short-term side effects and, extremely rarely, those side effects can be serious. However, the prevalence of these side effects is very substantially lower than the rate of serious infections from COVID-19 in unvaccinated people. There are then no Biblically moral or ethical objections involved in the production of mRNA vaccines that would warrant further comment.

Rev Dr Jason Hobba Director of Christian Community –School Chaplain

“What you meant for evil, God meant for good and the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

A Christian View of Vaccinations

Even if there are no substantial ethical reasons to reject current COVID-19 vaccinations, do Christians need to have them at all or does God promise to protect miraculously from diseases like Covid19?

i) Does God Promise Miraculous Protection?

The public health response of restrictions and lockdowns impacted families and businesses, leading frustrated and anxious people into public demonstrations which, ironically, increased further COVID-19 outbreaks and stricter public health responses. It was puzzling to see among

from sickness. However, even Jesus in his earthly ministry does not heal everyone all the time. On more than one occasion, Jesus heals selectively in order to unpack who he is as the Son of God (see John 5) and his mission ultimately to conquer sin, disease, and death in his own atoning death and life-giving resurrection (see John 11:25-27). “The blood of Christ”—that is, his blood shed in his death on the cross—is entirely, finally and uniquely sufficient for forgiveness of our sins for all time. Nothing else is needed. Nevertheless, there is nothing that God promises in Jesus’ death, in the magnitude of our faith in him, or in

a. “Love your neighbour as yourself” and Leviticus 19

the images of the demonstrations those who seem to be Christian professing, for example, that “The Blood of Christ is My Vaccine.” Beyond protests, there were reports that some Christian people thought that taking Holy Communion would be protective against the virus.

Is it a legitimate Christian expectation that God would miraculously protect Christians from illnesses like COVID-19?

A quick scan of the New Testament very rapidly dispenses with that notion. The miraculous healings of Jesus in the Gospels might suggest that God promises miraculous protection or healing

taking Holy Communion that means he will keep us miraculously from the ravages of COVID-19. Indeed, we know around the world that many faithful and decent Christian people have suffered and died, and are still suffering and dying, from COVID-19. Is there something wrong with their faith or with God? Of course not. So then, what might be a way forward?

ii) A Christian Response of Wisdom

In a Christian framework, the Bible is the authority for matters of life and faith. But there are no Bible passages that directly deal with vaccines because they simply did not exist at the time. We must, then, exercise a Biblical wisdom to arrive at a conclusion on the issue.

When Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment in the Old Testament Law, he replies that the first is to love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength; and the second is like it—to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22:3440). Indeed, Jesus describes his own love as self-sacrificial service, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13; see also Mark 10:45). The letter of 1 Corinthians similarly affirms the supremacy of love and its nature to act for the benefit of others: “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:7). It seems reasonable to argue, then, that getting vaccinated can be seen as an act of self-sacrificial love given that the extremely small risk of side effects is far outweighed by the more severe, even fatal, impacts of the COVID-19 virus for adults over 40, and especially for the elderly. The larger the number of unvaccinated people, the greater the risk of transmission and so the higher the chances of serious illness and death.

”Is it a legitimate Christian expectation that God would miraculously protect Christians from illnesses like COVID-19?“

Next, when Jesus says, “love your neighbour as yourself,” he is essentially quoting from Leviticus 19:18 in the Old Testament. But a few verses earlier in Leviticus 19, the idea of loving one’s neighbour is given a very crisp statement that is also wide-ranging in its ethical implications.

“Do not do anything that endangers your neighbour’s life. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:16b).

If we knowingly or carelessly put our fellow human beings’ lives at risk because of something we do, or something we fail to do, then Leviticus 19:16b seems to say that there is culpability in God’s eyes. We could apply this verse to matters as diverse as driving behaviour, poor workplace practices, and even Government Health Orders and health advice, such as getting a COVID-19 vaccination. In other words, if love “always protects” and does nothing to endanger the lives of our neighbours, then getting vaccinated can be seen as an outworking of love.

b. Governing Authorities Instituted by God—Romans 13

In addition, we might point to the Christian understanding that God ultimately puts our governing authorities in place. Therefore, when they call us to abide by health orders and/or to be vaccinated, then we ought to be vaccinated unless we have a substantial medical reason to avoid it.

Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Paul applies being subject to governing authorities to paying taxes, punishment for wrongdoing, and giving honour to officials when it is due. They are acts of Christian obedience that commend the message of Jesus. There are examples throughout history of Christians rightly standing against unjust governing authorities or unjust systems and practices. The irony in Australia at the moment is that a number of our elected politicians and officials have a Christian heritage and are calling people to be vaccinated not based on tyrannical rule, but on the best health advice in

developed by using cell lines derived from two aborted foetuses may raise issues of Christian conscience. However, we have argued above that the cell lines currently used in producing vaccines were changed soon after the abortions and are now very many generations distant from the original cells. To receive a vaccine that has used these re-engineered foetal cells in no way participates in or approves of abortion but can contribute to “the saving of many lives”. What, then, do we do when, after all is said and done, Christians still disagree passionately? It is not the path of ridicule or rejection, but to be completely humble, gentle, and patient, “bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.

The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

order to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Yet some Christians have uncritically rejected those calls in favour of their own opinions.

c. A Matter of Conscience?

Should we then simply agree to disagree with those whose opinions on vaccines are different from ours? Is it a matter of Christian conscience? Appeals to Christian conscience are strongest when they deal with matters central to the Christian faith and practice, or involve explicit commands of God, particularly in the Old Testament and how these are to be understood in light of Christ. Given vaccinations, especially mRNA vaccinations, involve no core Christian truths or practices and no explicit commands being compromised, they are not the subject of an appeal to Christian conscience. The case of vaccines

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are no convincing reasons for Christians to refuse mRNAbased vaccines. Other vaccines that use altered foetal cell lines can in God’s grace be used for a great deal of good. It does not justify or even excuse how the original cells came to be available. Nevertheless, “the saving of many lives” has come from what many might originally regard as morally repugnant. Finally, we argued that self-sacrificial love and the command to obey earthly authorities may be seen as compelling reasons to be vaccinated. Whatever our conclusions, the wonderful freedom we have in Australia is that the choice is ours to make. It may not be free of consequences, but we are free to make it.

Christian Reflection of Bob Dylan’s

This is part of a paper recently submitted as part of my graduate studies in theology. In it I examined the song ‘The Times they are A-Changin’, by Robert Allen Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, explaining the Christian dynamics that it contained.

For centuries people have experienced God through paintings, music, poetry, photography, in fact through any artistic expression. Christians believe that God has used popular culture to communicate meaning and purpose where even the author or creator is unaware of its existence (Cobb, 2008).

of Psalms is largely made up of songs and poems. The word ‘Psalm’ is defined in the Cambridge dictionary as, “a holy or religious poem or song” (Cambridge, 2021). Psalms were written on a range of themes including, praise, protection, provision, and warning.

An example of a Psalm written with warning is Psalm 1. Verse 4 – 6, which states, “Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of

”Both Jesus and Dylan were instruments of change. In the shadow of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, ‘I have a dream’, Dylan sang of social change where discrimination and inequality would be no longer tolerated. Jesus also spoke about the importance of loving our neighbours.“

Bob Dylan is a poet, folk songwriter/ musician, and Nobel Laureate who burst into prominence in the early 1960’s, a time when there was considerable tension within mainstream North American society. During this time the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, agitating for change to the legalised discrimination and segregation of Afro-Americans across the United States. Dylan wrote the song ‘The Times they are A-Changin’ as a deliberate warning and provocation to create change for the world he and others were experiencing.

Dylan, however, was not the first to present warning in a song. The Bible has many examples where songs and poems are used in this way. The book

the wicked leads to destruction” (NRSV, 2008).

Dylan starts his song with a request for people to ‘come gather’ and hear his message. Jesus also gathered people together to hear his message. Luke 8:4 says, “When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable” (ibid). In Matthew 13:2 it is written, “And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.” One of the most well-known examples of Jesus gathering people was when he delivered the Sermon on the Mount. It was during these gatherings that Jesus taught the people and delivered his

message of love, hope, forgiveness, and tolerance.

There are parallels between Dylan and his song to deliver a warning and the warnings delivered by the prophets from the Bible. God used prophets throughout the Bible to deliver warnings to the people. Amos, Elijah, Joel, and Jonah all delivered warnings on behalf of God. When the people took heed of the warning, they were spared, but when they ignored the warning there were consequences. These prophets were regarded as messengers from God. Through his song many people recognise Dylan as a messenger of hope for a better world.

Both Jesus and Dylan were instruments of change. In the shadow of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, ‘I have a dream’, Dylan sang of social change where discrimination and inequality would be no longer tolerated. Jesus also spoke about the importance of loving our neighbours. When the Pharisees tested Jesus asking him which was the most important commandment, he said to them in Mathew 22:37-40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the

Rodney Wood Computing Studies Department

“The Times they are A-Changin”

first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (ibid).

Dylan’s use of the line, “And admit that the waters around you have grown” is used to get the attention of the people to look and recognise what was happening around them. There are similarities between this and the prophets foretelling the coming of Christ. In Matthew 3:2 John says, “and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’” (ibid). This prophecy is confirmed by Jesus in Mark 1:15 when he says, “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (ibid). There are dire consequences for those who choose to reject both Dylan’s and Jesus’ message.

As Dylan delivered a message to prepare the people for change, similarities can be drawn with the message from John the Baptist as he prepared the people to receive Christ. Mark 1:1-3 states, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way, a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him” (ibid).

One key difference between the song and the message brought by Jesus however is the attitude conveyed about the role of parents. Where Dylan takes aim, blaming parents for the social imbalance, suggesting that their children were ‘beyond their command’, Jesus’ message

was for children to always show respect for their parents. Mark 10:19 Jesus says, “Honour your Father and mother” (ibid).

The America in which Dylan wrote ‘Times’ and the society in which Jesus moved were characterised by governments that were not particularly popular with those who were seeking change. But they both recognised the role of the government in applying and enforcing the ‘laws of the land’. Through his song, Dylan was petitioning the government to make changes in the law and not to stand in the way of progress. Jesus recognised the

sin that separates us from God, and it is only through the grace of Christ that we are made acceptable. Dylan’s line “The curse it is cast” reminds us that the outcome of disregarding Christ’s message is death. That outcome has been predetermined for all who fail to accept God’s grace through his son.

Lines two, three, four and five are reminiscent of themes found in the parable of the Banquet in Luke 14:15-24 and the parable of Workers in the Vineyard in John 20:1-16. These parables teach that all are welcome in the Kingdom of heaven.

importance of government as well, which is evident in Mark 12:15-17 when the Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap him regarding the paying of tax. Jesus said, ‘Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.’ They brought the coin, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’”

The final verse has several theological implications. Line one, “The line is drawn” is reminiscent of Jesus drawing in the sand when the woman was to be stoned for adultery. Jesus’ response in John 8:7 was, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

We all like to think that we are ‘good people’. But in truth we are all sinners. Is our sin less serious than others? Maybe. But irrespective of the sin’s severity, it is

They have universal application. They also indicate that worldly riches, power, and personal status mean nothing to God. In striking similarity to the lyrics from the song, Matthew 20:16 states, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (ibid).

Both Dylan and Christ are voices of change. The change that Dylan was promoting was associated with the moral corruption of society yet the change that Christ came to bring was a change to one’s inner most being, one’s soul. Dylan sang about change that would make life better for people here on earth; the change that Christ preached is hope of a better life, and the promise of eternity.

”One key difference between the song and the message brought by Jesus however is the attitude conveyed about the role of parents.”

National Boys’ Education Conference (NBEC)

This year’s NBEC theme got me to thinking that no human (dead or alive) ever became interesting without some experience of failure in their lives. There seems to be an incredibly strong correlation between frequent recovery from failures and the quality of one’s character and intellect.

It made me reflect on people who always have everything work out for them with little to no struggle or failure. My reflection led me to believe that these people either do not exist or, if they do, they have the depth of a tea saucer.

spectrum. These presentations covered a range of case-studies, experiments and evidence that showcased teachers and researchers using ‘failure’ as a pedagogical means of growing the next generation of young men.

We were fortunate enough to secure four exceptional keynote speakers who challenged our thinking, behaviours and biases as educators of young men. Our first keynote presentation however was described by many attendees at NBEC as one of the most powerful talks they had experienced. Rabia Siddique had undertaken humanitarian aid work in Asia, South America, Europe and the Middle

Our other keynote speakers included renowned Australian economist Saul Eslake, who articulated many of the glaring failures occurring in Australian political discourse that were inhibiting us from growing and learning as a society. We also heard the heart-warming and successful life story of Professor Munjed Al Muderis. His pioneering achievements in osseointegration and human rights activism since arriving in Australia as a refugee in the late 1990’s serve as a living testament to human leadership through humility. Finally, we heard from the highly decorated Brigadier Mick Garraway who spoke about the necessity for using and embracing failure as a means of preparing young men to make difficult decisions in time of adversity and whilst under duress.

The 2021 NBEC conference was about giving teachers and students permission to fail and by doing so, simultaneously giving permission for people to be exceptional. It was not simply about sharing our triumphs in teaching and education publicly, it was about sharing the journey of failure it took to do the exemplary. The goal at the end of the conference was to have the capacity to celebrate those who were able to connect that sentiment through their work.

NBEC 2021 consisted of over 50 presentations from the Australian academic, public, and educative

East for over 25 years, for which she was decorated by Queen Elizabeth II. Rabia’s best-selling memoir Equal Justice: My Journey as a Woman, a Soldier and a Muslim” was published in 2013. Whilst she shared her deep and personal connection to boys’ education (she is the mother of 12-year-old triplet boys), especially about quality, holistic and life shaping education for boys, she also shared her journey from personal abuses, misogyny and perceived failure to human triumph. This meant that Rabia was well placed to speak about the need for our education system and learning environments to adopt a focused approach to building resilience, challenging accepted beliefs and addressing the holistic development of boys and young men.

“It was not simply about sharing our triumphs in teaching and education publicly, it was about sharing the journey of failure it took to do the exemplary.”

Associate Professor Dean Dudley, CF Director of The King’s Institute

Failing, to grow!

The

of Y in Schools

This paper provokes thought about the purpose of education in an age of genderism and sexualisation in schools. While some may take a reductionistic view of education as simply inculcating students with sufficient knowledge and skills to gain entrance to a university or employment, as evidenced in the annual league tables of schools, others take a more expansive view of education as the formation of people, of gifting each student with an identity. Certainly, this identity includes a student’s passion for particular kinds of knowledge and skills that will inform their ongoing studies and career choices. However, a person’s identity is more than the sum of the

The King’s School is committed to, and passionate about, boys’ education. For some this may seem a rather antiquated idea, as opponents of single-sex schools assert that gender equality has made single sex schools obsolete. Others argue that the new age of gender fluidity heralds an age of trans-gender, non-gender, multigender and any-gender that necessarily renders single-sex education as irrelevant. The social media platform formally known as Facebook, it is claimed, recognises more than 70 different genders, rendering gender effectively meaningless. Gender, sex and sexuality have become terms that not only confuse but have become increasingly confusing. In 2005, the

being increasingly used as an ideological weapon. Poor behaviour, including criminal behaviour, is being attributed to things such as “toxic masculinity”. Even notions of “consent” and “victimhood” are being framed as sexualised malaises. The age of sexual liberationism in the 1960’s has been replaced 50 years later with sexual totalitarianism, where nearly every problem is about sex, gender or sexuality.

knowledge and skills gained during their schooling. It includes their physiology and culture, their spirituality and gender, their hopes and aspirations, their wisdom and discernment, and their values, beliefs and attitudes, to mention but a few.

Identity is a complex concept and develops uniquely for each person within the context of their community. Yet, whenever one speaks of identity today, the discussion invariably turns down a cul-de-sac that is heavily gendered and sexualised. This paper discusses a potential way to reverse out of this cul-de-sac.

Journal of Applied Physiology took effort in its editorial to remind its readers of the need for clarity when using the terms ‘sex’, ‘gender’ and ‘sexuality’ (Journal of Applied Physiology 99: 785-787, 2005), as many authors were using these terms interchangeably in the scientific literature, adding to the confusion. The Journal of Applied Physiology made the assertion that sex is biological, gender is cultural, and sexuality is behavioural as the interplay of our biology and culture.

At The King’s School, our view of education is far broader than merely that of knowledge and skills. However, society’s confusion over sex, gender and sexuality has contributed to the sexualisation of identity with

gender

“At The King’s School, our view of education is far broader than merely that of knowledge and skills.”

Tony George Headmaster

Power

The Purpose of Schools

Schools are supposed to be happy, inviting, and adventurous places where we learn about ourselves, each other and our world. Schools are places where we find and form ourselves. The gift of education is the gift of identity. How sad it is, that identity today has become all about sex, gender and sexuality. For surely there is more to identity than sex! Whether I am a man, a husband, a father, are all important alongside being an Australian, a Christian, a scientist, a musician, a sportsman, a teacher and so on. But to limit my identity to my sex, gender, or sexuality is a travesty of education and of my humanity. The sexual totalitarianism of modern society should be considered a malaise on our humanity. We need to rescue our schools and education from the gender extremism that has sexualised our world.

Schools as communities are essential for identity formation. For almost all of human history, our identity is something

Consequently, much of our quest for a modern sexualised identity could be considered as a self-indulgent, western, affluent fetishism.

For starters, do we really think that sex, gender and sexuality should be dominating our thinking and experience in schools? Let kids be kids and stop sexualising them and their identity. For most kids it’s not an issue and for those for whom it is an issue, it’s the exception not the norm. So, let’s not normalise the exception. This is not to say that this is not an issue for some. It is to say we should not normalise or generalise the exception. To be inclusive is to create a safe place where people can be themselves. While we need to accommodate and respect the needs of vegans, for example, we don’t need to make everyone vegan. Let vegans be vegans and those who aren’t, aren’t!

The increasing emphasis on education as delivering knowledge and skills neglects

the development of wisdom and judgement. Thus, schools are communities of meaning and significance that gift identity to their students. It is this process of ‘gifting identity’ in schools that warrants further consideration.

To start, it is important to acknowledge that identity is first and foremost a biological phenomenon. As much as we might like to think of ourselves as independent beings with free will, the fact of the matter is that we are very much biologically determined. That is the reality of our genetics. Genetically, we are born human. We may want to identify as a goat, a lion or mosquito, but our genetics determine our species and our sex. As humans we are born male or female. Certainly, there are genetic abnormalities such as Kleinfelder’s Syndrome, but this is the exception and not the norm. Our genetics determine our biological identity as an evolutionary reality.

that has been formed in the context of the community into which we were born and in which we lived. It is only a recent phenomenon of modernity that we can now “choose” our identity. This modern choice is one that is the privilege of the developed world. It is predominantly the domain of the western affluent and certainly not that of the developing world, such as the Sudanese farmer struggling to put food on the table for his family.

the more important purpose of education in developing wisdom, discernment and judgement through a consideration of meaning and significance. These constitute the essential educational recipe upon which identity formation depends. Identity doesn’t result from the teaching of knowledge and skills, as important as they are for a productive life. Rather, identity forms within the community context of meaning and significance that encourages

The evolution of modern science has given people greater access to altering their biology and their genetics. Whilst this may be the case, the reality is that although we can dive to the depths of the ocean and launch ourselves into space, we still need to respect our biological identity and dependency by taking our biological life-support system with us. While there is no limit to our imagination, there is an ever present genetic, spatial and temporal limit to our biology. We defy nature at our own peril.

The problem of biological identity arose evolutionarily as a fundamental issue of being able to move. As animals, we move. This creates issues of both safety and reproduction. We need to stay away from things that might eat us and find mates with which to reproduce. A goat that identifies as a lion doesn’t do so for long.

“The problem of biological identity arose evolutionarily as a fundamental issue of being able to move. As animals, we move.”

The Power of Y in Schools

For not only does it fail to find other goats with which to reproduce, it inadvertently ends up as a lion’s meal. The finding of one’s self in a world of selves is of fundamental importance for one’s survival and reproduction. Further, this principle of finding one’s self in a world of selves is why identity is not about our uniqueness, but about similarity. Identity is about recognising those with whom we identify, with whom we are similar. Identity has become increasingly misunderstood as something unique. The absurdity of this position is that a truly unique being has no-one with whom they can identify or reproduce. So, identity is about finding one’s herd, not merely one’s self.

Identity is also based on the principle of mutual recognition. Species are able to reproduce because individuals mutually recognise each other. Goats recognise each other, as do lions. But a goat that identifies as a lion depends on lions also recognising him as lion rather than lunch. This principle of mutual recognition also

For boys who are born as human males, there is the genetic reality of being born with a Y-chromosome. This results in human males being born with an onboard Steroidal Testosterone Pump which is ever ready as an anti-inflammatory that assists in building physical strength, among other things. Generally speaking, boys are stronger, faster and bigger than their female counterparts. This is clearly evident in the separation of the sexes in sport and athletics. Boys tend to be more physical, active and energetic. This is a generalisation. Boys are not smarter, more intelligent or better in other ways. It’s just that they have the biological ability to produce more testosterone. This in turn means that biologically boys are different with a different biological identity to that of girls. This is a biological thing, not a cultural thing. It has to do with genetics, not thoughts.

There is also a modern problem that sees some people claiming that they have the right mind in the wrong body, as though

“Generally speaking, boys are stronger, faster and bigger than their female counterparts. This is clearly evident in the separation of the sexes in sport and athletics.”

applies in terms of human institutions such as bank accounts and citizenship.

As much as I might identify as Bill Gates in order to access his bank account, I depend on the principle of mutual recognition by the bank in order to do so.

their identity is somehow independent of their biological reality. This problem owes much to Cartesian Dualism and the Mind/ Body Problem, which was a philosophical disaster of the seventeenth century. The idea is simply that as a person I am

made of a mind and a body, which can be separated. While Cartesian Dualism has been largely discredited by both philosophers and scientists, it still holds sway with much of the general population. A philosopher by the name of Thomas Nagel conducted a thought experiment on what it might be like to be a bat (Thomas Nagel, The Philosophical Review, Vol 83, No.4, 1974). Nagel’s conclusion was that in order to know what it might be like to be a bat, we would need to know what “batness” was like with respect to certain batness qualities. Needless to say, these qualities are beyond our knowledge, just as our qualities of humanness, or maleness, or femaleness, or Caucasianness, or Christianness, are beyond clear and succinct definition. The implications of Nagel’s thought experiment are quite profound, in that I can barely know what is to be myself, let alone know what it is to be someone or something else. Consequently, biological identity is something that is a genetic given, and yet is also something that I am unable to experience outside of myself. Biologically, I only know what it is to be me.

Human identity is not only a biological phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon and as a cultural phenomenon, we get to choose. While historically our choices may have been limited, due to the family occupation and village religion we were born into, in our modern world we get to choose our profession, our beliefs and attitudes, our preferred place to live. Yet even though it seems we live a life of choice, much

of it is determined linguistically by the memetics of our cultural identity. For many of us, our culture was chosen for us by our family upbringing, and the strength of our enculturation should not be underestimated. This was the insight of Critical Theory, which subsequently contributed to the politicisation of identity. The idea of Critical Theory is simply that we are all shaped, if not enslaved, by the culture into which we were born and grew up. Further, we can liberate ourselves and others by exposing the presuppositions that exert such influence over us. However, the significant limitation of Critical Theory is a kind of one-sided Cartesian Dualism that rejects any notion of a biological reality by defining everything as cultural. In seeking emancipation from cultural bondage, Critical Theory risks disrespecting our biological reality. Thus, the modern self becomes pure invention (Note: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self – Carl R Trueman, 2020).

The loss of meaning and significance has contributed to the loss of our humanity. While meaning and significance are culturally bound and contextualised, it is meaning and significance that tether us to each other, as our bodies tether us biologically, both spatially and temporally. As persons, we depend on trusting others and being trusted by others and it is this being tethered within a scaffold of trust that grounds us relationally, it gives us our identity. We

know who we are because we know those with whom we identify and who, in turn, identify with us – our identity is situated within the hermeneutics of trust, and it is here we find our security. Thus, school communities need to be hermeneutic communities of meaning and significance, and not just epistemic communities of knowledge and skills. While we live as biological beings, we are secured as cultural beings.

The scientific reality of biological sex is not something to be questioned or doubted when it comes to the biological world, even when it seems as though humans have somehow transcended their biological reality and can identify as anything they like. This is an important issue when considering the purpose of school-based education, particularly in terms of whether education merely concerns knowledge and skills, or whether it extends to wisdom, meaning, significance and identity formation. This paper sought to have us think more broadly about education and to embrace the semantic importance of sex, gender and sexuality when considering personhood and identity formation in our boys.

“The scientific reality of biological sex is not something to be questioned or doubted when it comes to the biological world.“

Academic Buoyancy and Self-Assessment

What is academic buoyancy?

strategy which facilitates metacognitive functioning and sense of achievability.

Academic failure can originate from poor self-efficacy and an inability to self-identify specific areas for skill development. A student’s perception of their competence to complete tasks has legitimate potential to inhibit their success in any given subject of study. It is also common for us as teachers, to exaggerate the parameters of their success without initially targeting narrow areas for their growth and adjusting our teaching accordingly. This is where it becomes necessary for teachers to encourage academically buoyant behaviours. The overarching and longterm objective of this is the development of valuable life skills that extend beyond schooling environments and aid intrinsic motivations for growth in spite of momentary failure.

Academic buoyancy refers to one’s capacity to successfully overcome academic setbacks, difficulty, and adversity (Martin & Marsh, 2020). It has been described as a key attribute assisting students to deal with areas of potential academic risk, such as lack of enjoyment of school, class participation, task-completion and general self-efficacy. Further, academic buoyancy has been identified as a factor that teachers can promote to help students constructively navigate academic difficulties, such as meeting deadlines, coping with assessment pressures, practically implementing feedback and regulating negative emotions as they arise.

When students attain a high level of tenacity and do not let negative educational experiences take control of their school lives, they cope more effectively with daily academic challenges. Therefore, academic buoyancy is an important factor to be considered by us as teachers. To aid the development of ‘buoyant’ behaviours that lead to students’ academic success, teachers must promote self-assessment as a key

Academic Buoyancy versus Academic Resilience

It is vital to acknowledge that academic buoyancy is a different construct from what is commonly referred to as ‘academic resilience’. Resilience is typically defined as the capacity to overcome ‘acute’ and ‘chronic’ adversities that are seen as ‘major assaults’ on the developmental processes (Martin et al., 2010). Research on resilience in educational settings tends to focus on:

• minority groups situated in adverse conditions (eg. socio-economic factors)

• the interaction of ethnicity and underachievement

• chronic underachievers

• learning impairments.

“It is vital to acknowledge that academic buoyancy is a different construct from what is commonly referred to as ‘academic resilience’...”

Tamara Dabic English Department

Academic Buoyancy and Self-Assessment

Academic Resilience

Academic Buoyancy

Thus, the traditional conceptualisation of resilience refers to a very particular cohort of students who experience marked and chronic adversities. Whilst it is clearly vital to assist these students, it is also important to recognise that they are not the only students at school experiencing academic challenges.

Academic buoyancy, therefore, promotes the action of supporting a broader assortment of students who are faced with setbacks, challenges, and pressures that are part of ‘everyday’ academic life and are distinct from the chronic academic adversities relevant to traditional paradigms of resilience.

Self-assessment as a strategy that supports metacognitive functioning

At a most basic level, intrinsic motivation underscores the spirit and substance of academic buoyancy. Research has shown that when students are able to cope effectively with regular setbacks at school, such as challenging assignments or failure in examinations, they function optimally and achieve better outcomes in the long term (Aydin & Michou, 2020). The ability to ‘float on academic water’ seems very important for students to perform well. As suggested by the self-determination theory, students’ cognitive and behavioural functioning and sense of achievement can be energised by psychological needs such as self-governance and autonomous motivation (Aydin & Michou, 2020).

The requirement for effective selfassessment strategies now becomes evident. It is our responsibility as teachers to ensure that our pedagogy promotes autonomous learning and metacognitive functioning for students if academically buoyant behaviours are going to be developed. Research indicates that students’ motivation, scholastic achievement and conceptual understandings are further enhanced when their teachers support their autonomy rather than consistently control their learning (Reeve, 2002). Therefore, by enabling opportunities for students to engage in evaluative and reflective practices regarding the quality of their own work, we are allowing our students to develop self-regulatory life skills and alleviating their hesitancies to confront their failures.

“It is not uncommon for students to be overwhelmed by the feedback they receive regarding the quality of their work.”

The interrelationship between self-assessment and academic buoyancy

Assessment of student achievement and development is a fundamental aspect of the teaching and learning process. Whilst feedback and grading can be helpful, they can also lead to sentiments of disappointment and distress. Accordingly, by teaching students metacognitive and self-assessment strategies, teachers are able to optimise learner outcomes by enabling students to feel in-control of their own learning.

It is not uncommon for students to be overwhelmed by the feedback they receive regarding the quality of their work. Students often struggle with:

• pin-pointing key areas of skill-development if feedback is overwhelming and/or unclear

• understanding the metalanguage used by their assessor

• understanding the terminology of rubrics and assessment criteria

• identifying steps for improvement.

Therefore, to scaffold students’ independent learning and effectively support academic buoyancy, there is arguably a need for a better understanding of:

1. what students find most and least useful in their assessment feedback

2. how students use feedback to approach future assessments

3. how students respond to feedback in terms of what they think, feel, and do, moving forward.

Academic buoyancy consequently relies on the establishment of a ‘feedback loop’ in which student responsibility is emphasised. Ultimately, the purpose of feedback should be to empower students to become self-regulated learners. If the source of feedback consistently lies with those in a teaching capacity, students are unlikely to develop necessary selfregulation skills. A study by Carless (2006) supports this notion by reaffirming that students who achieved higher grades tended to be those who were more successful in using their feedback to develop self-regulated learning skills and were more autonomous learners.

Sample Self-Assessment Strategy

In order for effective self-assessment to occur, students need:

• awareness of the value of selfassessment

• access to clear criteria on which to base the assessment

• a specific task or performance to assess

• models of self-assessment

• direct instruction in and assistance with self-assessment

• practice

• opportunities to revise and improve task performance. (Andrade & Valtcheva, 2009).

The need for this self-assessment strategy was first identified through the observation of secondary English students, who consistently demonstrated the gaps in their learning despite receiving copious amounts of feedback. The necessity arose for students to self-recognise one specific skill to develop which would gradually increase their results in assessments. It is therefore vital to communicate to students that this is a skill-based self-assessment strategy, which seeks to target and refine particular areas of their individual learning weakness. This will prompt students to recognise that their academic outcomes are fundamentally a reflection of their skills, rather than simply an indication of how well they understand the content. Once singular areas of student ‘failures’ are improved, the overall quality of their work will be enhanced.

The method of this strategy is firstly to provide students with sample criteria and have them grade themselves according to the measured standards before they complete the set task. Through questioning, teachers inquire why students graded themselves accordingly to prompt and engage students’ metacognitive functioning. Students then complete the task and are graded with the

Academic Buoyancy and Self-Assessment

same criteria by their teacher as a means of validating the value of their work and noting a key area for improvement.

As students become familiar with this process and are able to self-identify key

pertaining to self-assessment strategies. These include:

1. An internal locus of control (rather than exhibiting an emotionally fuelled response to poor grades)

monitor their progress tend to learn more and do better in school than students who do not (Andrade & Valtcheva, 2009). Self-assessment is a core element of selfregulation because it involves awareness of the goals of a task and checking one’s progress toward them.

areas for improvement, it is possible for teachers to then extend the ‘feedback loop’ by enabling room for peerassessment within this model. This will further enhance students’ confidence in evaluating the quality of work produced and understanding how to effectively apply academic skills when composing their own responses.

The overall goal of this strategy is to prompt students to collect information about their own performance or progress, compare it to explicitly stated criteria, goals or standards and revise accordingly. A key element of self-assessment is therefore the aspect of involving students in the process of thinking about the quality of their own work, rather than relying on their teacher as the sole source of evaluative judgments.

Research by Ahmed Shafi et al. (2018) asserts that there are five clear indicators of academically buoyant behaviour

2. Understanding the grade

3. Being forward looking (and able to identify links between assessments)

4. Being improvement focused (which aids the development of self-efficacy)

5. Being action orientated.

These indicators also provide teachers with clear parameters to evaluate the success of the self-assessment strategies that they implement with their students. The primary purposes of engaging students in careful self-assessment are to boost learning and achievement and to promote academic self-regulation or the tendency to monitor and manage one’s own learning.

Ultimately, it has been firmly established in the literature that self-regulation and achievement are closely related constructs. Students who set goals and make flexible plans to meet them and

Results from this strategy indicate that students develop the ability to independently recognise and chart common areas of their weakness. This in turn assists both teachers and students to isolate key areas for development with the intention of narrowing skill focus to maximise long-term academic success by achieving ‘academic buoyancy’. Through this strategy, educators can inspire students to embrace their ‘failures’ and use them as a conquerable platform for intellectual advancement.

“A key element of self-assessment is therefore the aspect of involving students in the process of thinking about the quality of their own work...”

The Benefits of Culturally Diverse Leadership in Schools

is evidence to suggest that this may be due to educational institutions investing in leadership models that tend to favour “fixed identities”, which unfortunately can narrow leadership opportunities for leaders of different cultures and ethnicities.

Jason Orellana English Department

When we think of Australian schools, we often think of a melting pot of various cultures and diversity, of many peoples from many different backgrounds. This change in demographic is not new, and as of 2018, 49% of people living in Australia were born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. Australia is not alone in this growing trend towards diversity in their student populations, and across the western world diversity has increased within all sectors and facets of life, with the United States and the UK leading the pack, having had diversity in school leadership for over 30 years. Yet, unlike other Western countries, Australia is taking much longer to achieve diversity within its leadership structures across the nation. Although it is unclear why there is a lack of cultural diversity in leadership, there

Thus, this article dives into the issues that arise from homogenous leadership and, using up-to-date research, presents the benefits of having cultural diversity in leadership that reflects the changing representation of the students those institutions lead.

Culturally Diverse Leadership in Australian Schools:

According to a paper written by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) on Diversity in Schools (2016), of the 19,713 school leaders working in Australian schools, less than 8% were ethnically diverse. This lack of ethnic diversity in leadership is in stark contrast with the almost 25% of school students who speak a language other than English at home. AITSL rightly assert that the demographics of school leaders did not match the gender nor the cultural diversity of Australia’s student

community. Furthermore, the AITSL study found that, for the prospects of a culturally diverse population of students to succeed at school, both academically and emotionally, there needs to be a similar diversity in the teaching administration run by the School. This begs the question, how can schools whose community is growing ever more culturally diverse still claim the notion of inclusivity and academic excellence when there is such a lack of representation in the leadership? School leadership needs to be seen re-evaluating what it purports and must begin moving to a more inclusive and modern form of education, one where the emphasis is on inclusivity rather than homogeneity.

There is no doubt that representation is important for the progress of society but there are also serious and legitimate benefits for having such cultural diversity in leadership that has proven to have resounding positive implications for school students. This is evidenced in another study commissioned by AITSL on the Spotlight into Diversity in School Leadership (2018), which noted that there is a strong positive connection between racial diversity and an increase

“Study found that, for the prospects of a culturally diverse population of students to succeed at school, both academically and emotionally, there needs to be a similar diversity in the teaching administration run by the School.”

The Benefits of Culturally Diverse Leadership in Schools

in innovation. It states that diversity increases perceptiveness, allowing for the consideration of more facts and ideas, with greater care and accuracy when compared to a homogenous group. Furthermore, the study found that diversity

As Rauland and her colleagues suggest in a 2015 study on cultural representation in school leaders, there is direct correlation to students’ academic achievement and diversity in leadership as students perceive a greater sense of community,

also increases innovation, and more specifically, it increases the adoption of new, more innovative procedures and processes that aid teacher workload and collaboration. However, the findings for AITSL were not in isolation. Major consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) confirmed these findings in their own report into diversity, stating: “The positive relationship between management diversity and innovation is statistically significant… [and] innovation boost isn’t limited to a single type of diversity”. Thus, according to both institutions, diversity in leadership can influence innovation, both in procedures and processes, it can bring in new perspectives and it can have a trickledown effect on all schooling and organisation staff.

But what about the student community? Can diversity leadership also trickle down from staff to also benefit students? Well, according to educational researcher Catherine Rauland and colleagues (2015), the answer is a resounding yes!

belonging, and representation within the school from influential figures. Corroborating this, a study conducted by Cresan Hughes and colleagues (2017) suggested that leadership diversity has a multi-faceted and compounding effect on school communities with schools that practise diversity and emphasise social inclusion leading to a markedly lower presence of racism and cultural stereotypes in the school. The study also found that when there is greater minority contact with a monoculture in school administrations, it “reduced the likelihood of punishment for both minority and white students… [showing] that greater racial and ethnic contact at the district level has the potential to reduce formal social control in schools”. Such findings suggest that diversity in leadership can have a flow-on effect within schools that benefit students’ wellbeing while reducing punishment and segregation by teachers of minority students. Such findings, though perceived as controversial, are by no means new, with the ‘racial threat hypothesis’ stemming from research conducted back in the 1960’s. Yet, what

Hughes’s research presents are the benefits of greater inclusivity in leadership and the positive, unintended impacts diverse leadership can have throughout a community, stating: “Inter-racial contact at a [administrative] level is associated with a lower likelihood of punishment across all racial groups”. It could therefore be argued that a necessary goal for all Australian schools is to align their leadership framework to reflect the growing rise in diversity, not only to benefit learning and wellbeing but to become a school that reduces racist sentiment and limits punishment based on internal biases.

The literature overwhelmingly asserts that diversity in leadership is essential for school community growth, antiracist sentiments and nurturing cultural awareness. Additionally, with a fastgrowing population skewing to greater diversity, it is now more important than ever that the leadership in secondary schools reflects the diversity of students attending schools. With this change, teachers can begin working more effectively, while students can feel represented, leading to fewer punishments and better role models in the school community.

Ultimately, there is no doubt that diversity in leadership is fundamental in our 21st century society, and if Australia continues to develop itself as a multicultural nation, then the leadership in schools must be reflective of this notion.

“There is no doubt that diversity in leadership is fundamental in our 21st century society, and if Australia continues to develop itself as a multicultural nation....”

Maths FUNdamentals

Danielle Hippmann Enrichment and Extension Teacher

purposeful learning experiences that open themselves up to differentiation.

While maths facts are important and are useful to hold information in memory, questions that encourage students to do more than recall facts have the potential to develop higher levels of thinking. As educators, it is important to recognise that there are two categories of questions, ‘open’ or ‘closed’, and both have different roles in the Mathematics classroom.

Mathematics is much more than calculating quickly and accurately. Students need opportunities to use their creativity and insight to question, investigate, describe, analyse and prove. It means enabling students to venture into unpredicted territories, take risks, and find a way forward. Fostering mathematical thinking in the primary years is a complex yet rewarding role for educators.

How do educators ensure deep thought, problem solving and flexible thinking?

Number sense is critically important for mathematical development and is the foundation for all higher-level Mathematics (Boaler, 2019; Feikes & Schwingendorf, 2008). When teaching Mathematics, educators must use rich, varied, and flexible strategies, to cater for differences in students’ learning preferences, interests and engagement. It means planning

Closed questions are often used to determine knowledge or an understanding of facts. These types of questions require little creativity as students are typically asked to find the ‘correct’ answer (Emry, Lewis, Morfett, 2006). An example of a closed question would be:

‘If I have two dozen eggs’ how many do I have?

Students need to know that there are 12 eggs in a dozen and that two times 12 is 24. This is an example of a closed question as all parts of this require recall of facts and there is only one correct answer.

On the other hand, open-ended questions involve more thoughtful, investigative driven responses from students (Emry et al., 2006). An example of an open question would be:

‘My friend and I ate all of a pizza which was cut into eight equal pieces. What fraction of the pizza might each of us have eaten?’.

This question requires students to demonstrate their understanding of fractions but also enables teachers to assess students’ ability to work systematically to find multiple solutions (Sullivan & Lilburn, 2004). It requires more than just remembering a fact or reproducing a skill. Open-ended questions help students develop their higher order thinking skills and typically require some analysis, synthesis or evaluation (Bloom, 1969). Open-ended questions can provide the provocation for a studentled mathematics inquiry where students explore and apply their knowledge.

“If a task is truly rich, it will provide interest, motivation and challenge for all our learners. It will not encourage our most struggling students to opt out and allow for the more proficient students to take over, provide direction, and supply solutions. By the same token, it will not be quickly and easily solved by more advanced math students, but will provide challenge and extensions for these learners as well” (Butler Wolf, 2015)

Maths FUNdamentals

“If a task is truly rich, it will provide interest, motivation, and challenge for all our learners. It will not encourage our most struggling students to opt out and allow for the more proficient students to take over, provide direction, and supply solutions. By the same token, it will not be quickly and easily solved by more advanced math students, but will provide challenge and extensions for these learners as well” (Butler Wolf, 2015)

It is important for educators to distinguish the different levels of thinking and the different types of understanding that exist within tasks. If teachers want students to move from calculating to thinking deeply, they need to actively provide these types of learning opportunities in their classroom. It is critical to understand that giving students an extra worksheet of ‘harder’ problems that follow a similar structure doesn’t necessarily equate to deeper thinking (Byrd & Van Gemert, 2019). Rather, students need to be provided with opportunities to look at unexpected patterns, to make connections and to develop new understandings. Teachers must ask questions and plan learning experiences that enable even the youngest students to think in these ways. Mathematics problems are notorious for putting too much structure into questions and if only closed questions are used in a classroom, a student’s thinking is limited to calculation.

While many textbooks do not require students to engage in higher order thinking skills, a growing number of online resources engage students in rich mathematical inquiries. Online websites such as Math300, re(Solve), NRICH, Youcubed, Open Middle, Engaging Maths and Three Act Maths have emerged to support teachers in their planning. Each provides complex tasks that have multiple pathways that can be taken to develop mathematical thinking. They provide learning experiences that follow current best practices in teaching Mathematics. Furthermore, they help teachers to become familiar with the fundamental principles underlying ‘rich’ mathematical opportunities.

In conclusion, students need tasks that are meaningful, interesting and challenging. While closed questions and structured calculations have a place, it is essential that teachers regularly include questions that require thoughtful and flexible thinking to develop fluency and number sense. To foster effective problem-solving skills, educators must consider the types of learning experiences they are providing and the connections students are making between Mathematics and the world around them.

“If teachers want students to move from calculating to thinking deeply, they need to actively provide these types of learning opportunities”

Just DOIT Directly and Objectively Capturing Learning at The King’s School

were given minimal notice of when a lesson observation was going to occur to reduce the risk of lessons being altered and influencing the data being collected (i.e. reducing the Hawthorne Effect). Each lesson observation typically lasted at least 40 minutes. There were fewer than two instances when this minimum observation period was not met due to external factors affecting the length or nature of the class being taught.

In 2020-21, The King’s Institute (TKI) developed and trialled the Direct Observation of Instruction Time (DOIT) instrument to systematically capture the interaction between student activity, lesson context and teacher interactions in any given lesson. DOIT was designed by TKI as a comprehensive tool for assessing learning time in classes to provide teachers and school leaders with quantitative data on which they can base future pedagogical intervention and seek to diagnose learning methodologies. Student behaviour, engaged learning time and teacher intervention are major variables of any evidence-based pedagogy.

The trial of DOIT occurred primarily on our junior campuses in Terms 1 and 2 2021. All year groups (including Pre-K) and subject areas being taught were eligible for inclusion in the observations. Teachers

In the first half of the year, TKI conducted a total of 34 random lesson observations across the junior campus with 22 and 12 observations occurring at the Preparatory School and Tudor House respectively. The most frequently observed subjects being taught in these observations were Mathematics lessons (n=13) followed by English (n=12), Science (n=3), HSIE (n=2), Creative Arts (n=2) and Languages (n=2).

Whilst acknowledging that this data is the result of a trial methodology and requires greater validation and reliability work, the preliminary analysis should provide our teachers and leadership at The King’s School with some insight into the learning behaviour occurring within our classrooms. At both Tudor House and in the Preparatory School, the predominant student behaviour during any given lesson is listening to the teacher (32% and 41% of class time respectively). By comparison, student talk in the form of questioning, responding to the teacher, or on task conversing with others constitutes 12% of class time consistently across both campuses. Student off-task behaviours account for just less than a quarter of accountable class time across both campuses as well.

Not surprisingly in primary school settings, the most prolific lesson context observed at The King’s School is whole class instruction. In Tudor House, we observed an average of 43% of class time being spent in a whole class instruction format. This was followed by an average of 30% of time undertaking individual work, 12% in paired work, 8% in small-group work (ie. three or more) and 7% in management of the class behaviour and organisational activities. Similarly, the Preparatory School averaged 48% of class time being spent in a whole class instruction format. This was followed by an average of 21% of time undertaking individual work, 7% in paired work, 11% in small-group work, and 13% in management of the class behaviour and organisational activities.

When we observed teacher interactions in the classroom, teachers instructing students was by far the most prevalent behaviour, accounting for an average of 45% of class time at both Tudor House and the Preparatory School. Teachers listening to and observing student learning accounted for the next largest interaction at 20% and 18% at Tudor House and Prep respectively. Teachers at the Preparatory School spent slightly more time engaged in questioningbased interactions with their students, accounting for an average of 16% of class time whereas it accounted for 13% at Tudor House. Teachers at both campuses spent an average 13% of class time providing observable feedback to their students.

Associate Professor Dean Dudley, CF Director of The King’s Institute

Just DOIT

Directly and Objectively Capturing Learning at The

King’s School CONTINUED

It is important to note that it is far too early to draw conclusive and causal inference from the data. Whist the variance of these reported percentages seems to be stabilising as the data sets increase, they do not enable us to draw conclusions about the quality of teaching and learning taking place. Our long-term goal of these lesson observations and the data collected via the DOIT instrument is to provide teachers with individualised data of their class activities, behaviours and interactions. These data are to be used as one of a suite of feedback mechanisms that teachers can reflect on and make evidence-informed adjustments to their pedagogy. A relevant analogy is the dashboard of your car: it does not provide information as to whether you are a good driver or not, it simply provides you real time feedback as to how the car is running at any given moment in time. DOIT is designed to provide data on the running of your class and the moving parts within it. The driver (or in this case, the teacher) decides how to adjust according to these dials and all the other external variables needed to teach in a safe, efficient, and effective manner.

“Teachers listening to and observing student learning accounted for the next largest interaction at 20% and 18% at Tudor House and Prep respectively.”

Reflection on International Coaching Conference November 2021

Melanie

Leader

The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), a division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Directorate of Education (2021), identified seven principles for effective teacher professional development as follows:

1. experiential

2. participant driven

3. collaborative

4. connected to and derived from teachers work with students

5. supported by modelling coaching and collective problem-solving

6. connected to and integrated with school change, and

7. sustained and ongoing.

These principles were reinforced in the Instructional Coaching Group’s 2021 Teaching Learning Coaching Conference (TLC 2021). Dr Jim Knight established the Teaching Learning Coaching Conference more than 15 years ago to bring together a range of experts on leadership, professional learning and coaching. He has studied professional learning, effective teaching and instructional coaching for over two decades and is a Research Associate at the University of Kansas Centre for Research on Learning and the President of the Instructional Coaching

teaching and learning closer to this vision. The conference focused on the idea that coaching is learning in the presence of others and leads to higher quality professional conversations where teachers master new ideas, ultimately helping their students achieve set outcomes. This learning relationship develops a culture of caring and leads to improved teacher capacity.

A coaching relationship consists of an instructional coach and a teacher. The TLC 2021 keynote presenter, Megan Tschannen-Moran (Professor of

Group. Dr Knight actively investigates the support that instructional coaches can provide teachers and has designed and implemented instructional coaching practices that enable teachers to accomplish their goals more successfully whilst honouring their professionalism. He fundamentally believes that the schools our children deserve will be taught by teachers who are treated as professionals.

Dr Knight’s vision for this organisation is to support excellent instruction, every day, in every class, every student, everywhere. Developing instructional coaches and educational coaching partnerships are significant tools in his desire to move

Educational Leadership at the William & Mary School of Education), explored how the relationship between the coach and teacher should connect to a higher sense of purpose, be based in educational trust and connect to a positive outlook on self-improvement. This idea positions the teacher as an active participant in this relationship. They are responsible for their own learning and are ultimately instrumental in constructing their changing context.

“The King’s Institute seeks to empower our teachers to be active participants in their own professional learning journey. We encourage and challenge our teachers to embrace their important place in education...”

Taylor

of Accreditation and Professional Practice

Tschannen-Moran explored the idea of evocative coaching. The choice of the word ‘evocative’ is deliberate and aims to motivate and encourage teachers to evoke greatness. Evocative means to call forth and give voice to teachers. It keeps the ownership of professional learning with the teacher and calls forth motivation and movement. The teacher’s goal is to achieve the desired educational outcomes and increase their quality of life. Tschannen-Moran also investigated the idea of self-efficacy and states that one of the many positive outcomes of a successful coaching relationship is that people become even better at what they do in their professional lives. This outcome can then lead to increased overall personal satisfaction in all other aspects of their lives.

Tschannen-Moran states that the coaching relationship and conversations are driven by five key ideas: consciousness, connection, competence, contribution, and creativity.

1. Consciousness is defined as raising a teacher’s awareness of the choices they are making when exercising their professional roles. It explores the idea of empathy and aims to support the teacher’s greater sense of personal awareness exploring what is driving their professional lives and growth.

2. Connection unpacks the need for the coach and teacher to have a strong professional connection. It aims to connect them to their larger sense of purpose and help explore what will fuel their interest and commitment to what they are trying to accomplish in their roles.

3. Competence develops strategies to foster the teachers’ skills and knowledge, and to help them drive their increasing expertise.

4. Contribution investigates a teacher’s sense of impact within the important work they are doing in their school context. The coach aims to recognise, acknowledge and affirm these contributions.

5. Creativity aims to support and encourage a teacher to try new ideas and improve their professional practice. This idea also aims to bring fun and liveliness to a teacher’s teaching and learning activities and strategies.

The above coaching relationship is activated in a coaching cycle around listening (what is the teacher’s story), empathising (recognise what is here and then how to build on that), appreciating (looking at a teacher’s current practice and finding their strengths) and design thinking (smarter experiments that are planned carefully to find new ways forward). Once the cycle is complete, in the spirit of continuous improvement, the cycle begins again.

The international research around coaching and its place within whole school improvement encourages the development of a contextualised coaching framework. This framework should draw on the concepts explored at TLC 2021 and be based on CERI’s principles for effective teacher professional development.

The King’s Institute seeks to empower our teachers to be active participants in their own professional learning journey. We encourage and challenge our teachers to embrace their important place in education as outlined by Gonski’s 2018 Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools which states that ‘education defines opportunity’ and enables ‘students to realise their full learning potential and achieve educational excellence.’ The School should seek to establish coaching relationships, as outlined at TLC 2021, with the aim to provide our teachers with opportunities to strive for the continued enhancement of their teaching practice and to enhance their self-efficacy which ultimately helps our students realise their full potential and achieve academic excellence.

The Future Project

Summary of The Future Project activities

The aim of The Future Project (TFP) is to motivate and engage the next generation of scientists and engineers. Teachers work together with researchers and educational organisations that are partnered with TFP, to design and implement authentic research projects for students. There are many professional development opportunities through the TFP partnerships. These varied aspects are what help make TFP the unique and successful model that it is.

Professor Peter Wilson Leader of Science Education, Leader of The Future Project

In 2021, the teachers involved in TFP were Catherine Breene (TFP Communicators Project Leader and Senior Supervisor), Bobby Gange (TFP Junior Interns Project Leader and Senior Supervisor), Christine Chen (Senior Supervisor) and Dr Vera Munro-Smith (Director of TFP) who worked collaboratively with our resident researchers from Quantal Bioscience, including Dr Belinda Chapman, Scott Mitchell and Georgia Wunderlich.

For the junior program, Catherine, Bobby and Vera worked together with the researchers and developed a special research project for the Yr10 TFP classes. Boys were tasked with building a model on the timely topic: “How mRNA vaccines work”. Students were provided with a foundation in the concepts by the scientists and teachers. The level of scientific knowledge communicated and working skills demonstrated surpassed standard Science curriculum outcomes. The quality of the video submissions was outstanding. A sample of the student videos can be viewed through either the The King’s School website or TFP Facebook page.

The senior program is open to students from outside of The King’s School such as James Ruse Agricultural High School and Tara Anglican School for Girls. This sees wide ranging collaborations with students and teachers passionate in science. It adds value to the programs and benefits, such as the opportunity for King’s students and teachers to draw from the experience of working together collaboratively with those from other schools with different demographics and learning and teaching styles.

This year, teachers, together with the researchers, developed a Design Thinking Challenge (DTC). The challenge was to design a novel solution to detect pests in crops for agricultural industries. A collaboration of the students, teachers and researchers with the Agriculture Faculty was formed. Shiraz and Chambourcin species of grapes were grown in the Hydroponics Room to be used to investigate resistance to oomycetes (a fungus, like organism). Students will work on publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal based on their findings. It was also an important project for teaching staff as cross-faculty relationships were fostered, as was an exchange of knowledge and skills.

The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) from the Australian National University (ANU) facilitates a Science Communication Workshop offered to Science teachers at The King’s School to develop their skills. Led by Dr Will Grant, it enables teachers to work alongside students and explore aspects of science communication, using a few different activities. The teachers can utilise the skills developed in their daily classroom practices and broader pedagogy.

A partnership between TFP and the Advanced Materials Characterisation Facility (AMCF) at Western Sydney University (WSU; Parramatta Campus) provided teachers, students and researchers with training and access to highly sophisticated and expensive scientific instruments; eg. scanning electron microscopes (SEM). These types of instruments are normally only used for university-level research. Teachers were able to use the instruments firsthand and to learn how they operate. Experts from the facility, including Dr Richard Wuhrer and Dr Laurel George, presented talks on research being conducted. This experience helps teachers to improve their professional knowledge and they can share this with their students.

The many benefits for teachers include professional development in their subject areas and raising the platform of Science education at King’s. Researchers share their knowledge, skills and experience with the teachers. The teachers can then implement this in their teaching. It also provides teachers with the opportunity for networking and working collaboratively in developing rigorous assessment tasks. Both teachers and researchers experience different teaching styles and strategies, which they are then able to use in their own instruction. Additionally, the experience for the teachers in working with the students on the research projects assists in fostering greater student-teacher rapport in a unique environment.

“The level of scientific knowledge communicated and working skills demonstrated surpassed standard Science curriculum outcomes. The quality of the video submissions was outstanding.”

The King’s School Professional Learning 2021

UNSW Australian Research Council

(ARC) Linkage Project

“An Investigation of Motivation and Engagement in Science” has seen Dr Vera Munro-Smith, Director of The Future Project work with researchers, Prof. Andrew Martin, Prof. Joel Pearson and Dr Roger Kennett from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Dr Emma Burns from Macquarie University (MQU). Together they have written and published a number of peer-reviewed journal articles in well-known journals.

One such publication in the journal Frontiers in Psychology titled “Assessing Instructional Cognitive Load in the Context of Students’ Psychological Challenge and Threat Orientations: A Multi-Level Latent Profile Analysis of Students and Classrooms” resulted from the three years of research and months of collaborative writing. The aim of this part of the research was to better understand instructional cognitive load and to inform us about how different students perceive and experience this load as either challenging

or threatening. Initially, five instructional-psychological student profiles were identified by this study that represent different presentations of instructional load, challenge orientation and threat orientation. These span a range of profiles - from the most maladaptive profile (the Instructionally-Overburdened & Psychologically-Resigned profile) to the most adaptive profile (InstructionallyOptimised & Psychologically-Self-Assured profile). Subsequently, three instructionalpsychological classroom profiles were derived that varied in instructional

The findings from this research have contributed to our knowledge of motivation and engagement of students in Science on the world stage. The ARC Linkage Project team have also presented “Successfully Balancing Explicit Instruction and Discovery Learning: Impacts on Students’ Engagement” to staff of The King’s School and the greater educational community at the National Boys Education Conference (NBEC) this year. Later in the year, the team will speak at the Australian Association of Educational Research (AARE) Conference

cognitive load, challenge orientations and threat orientations: Striving classrooms, Thriving classrooms and Struggling classrooms. When analysed simultaneously, we can gain insights about students’ learning experiences by taking into account the instructional cognitive load, students’ psychological orientations and classroom experiences.

Over 2000 students participated in this study, both from The King’s School as well as several other schools, which helped form the findings. This number of participants is very high compared to many other studies in such fields.

which invites education researchers to reimagine education research in response to these complex and uncertain times. This presentation will share further findings from the team’s study “Secondary School Students’ Aspirations in Science: Understanding the Role of Out-Of-School Science Participation”.

These contributions to educational research highlight the significance, relevance and importance of The Future Project as leaders in Science education both nationally and internationally. The ARC Linkage Project team is currently working on a number of journal articles and it is hoped that these articles will be published shortly.

Dr. Vera Munro-Smith Director – The Future Project

“Over 2000 students participated in this study, both from The King’s School as well as several other schools, which helped form the findings.”

Selected Staff Essays

Practical policy proposals to reverse declining academic standards in Science by allowing all NSW students equitable access to qualified and experienced teachers.

Zoe Tonge Science Department

“Australia has comparatively greater difficulty attracting graduates to teaching professions, since teaching was the first-choice career for only 58% of teachers in Australia...”

Changes have been proposed to the NSW curriculum to address the urgent need to develop skills and understanding in science, technology and innovation in the face of rapidly declining academic standards, particularly in maths and science. Information provided by key stakeholders demonstrates inequitable access to the curriculum for disadvantaged students. This suggests a policy gap where the most urgently required changes relate to teacher support and distribution in conjunction with minor changes to the syllabus.

There is almost a three-year difference in the skills and understanding demonstrated between the highest and lowest socio-economic groups and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students (ACER, 2020). In addition, disadvantaged NSW students most in need of qualified and experienced teachers are currently least likely to benefit from them (ACER, 2020). University entrance schemes, where students in socio-economically deprived and remote areas are eligible for “bonus” ATAR points, is a tacit recognition that students from these areas are educationally disadvantaged compared with other students.

Although both NESA and the NSW Department of Education state the intention to “improve educational outcomes, particularly for priority cohorts”, there is no formal statement as to how this might be achieved. The National School Reform Agreement (November, 2018) sets targets and outcomes to be achieved by the states and territories in terms of educational engagement and achievement and the measurements used to determine success in meeting these. It also, however, similarly fails to communicate how these outcomes might be achieved. Recent research supports the hypothesis that the inequities between socio-economically diverse cohorts are due in part to teacher shortages and teachers working outside of their specialist area. (ACER, 2020)

There has there been a 30% decrease in those beginning a teaching degree in Australia. In addition, a reduction in those continuing has resulted in only 40% of those enrolling in a teaching degree still teaching five years later (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited, 2016). Since enrolments in NSW schools are projected to increase by approximately 300,000 or around 20% by 2036, it is clear there is an

urgent need to address the attraction and retention of teaching graduates to enable equitable access to the curriculum for NSW students now and into the future.

Australia has comparatively greater difficulty attracting graduates to teaching professions, since teaching was the firstchoice career for only 58% of teachers in Australia compared with 67% across the OECD countries (ACER, 2021). The two most important reasons given by teachers leaving the profession early were “workload too heavy” and “insufficient recognition and reward.” Teachers leaving the profession early suggested that support from experienced teachers; an allocated mentor; stable employment; manageable classes; access to online resources and being supported through an online community would have encouraged them to stay (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited, 2016). The majority of newly qualified teachers are only able to get full-time work in schools where students have the most complex needs. It is suggested that even experienced teachers would find these positions challenging and that putting new teachers into that environment is setting them up to fail, hence leading to increasing rates of attrition (Gullaci, 2019).

Allocating newly qualified teachers to less challenging schools with an experienced, supportive and suitably remunerated mentor would allow them to develop their craft and confidence. This is an example of policy borrowing that has been successful in other countries to retain early career teachers in the profession (Huat et al, 2020). Attracting experienced teachers to more disadvantaged schools will provide qualified and experienced teachers where they are needed most and decrease the gap in skills and understanding between the least and most socio-economically disadvantaged students. This will require both financial compensation and a reduced teaching load in acknowledgement of the greater challenges of these teaching positions.

The proposals described above will simultaneously support disadvantaged students, attract more professionals into teaching and reduce teacher attrition, particularly in early career teachers. This is essential to enable NSW to meet the targets and outcomes set out in the National School Reform Agreement, enable equitable access to the curriculum for all students and support social and economic success across the state.

“Allocating newly qualified teachers to less challenging schools with an experienced, supportive and suitably remunerated mentor would allow them to develop their craft and confidence.”

Brady

Service-learning, as a pedagogy, has been increasing in popularity since the early 1990s. It started in the USA and has spread globally to other countries such as Spain, Germany and Kenya. This growth is due to the increasing focus on students being able to foster, not only their ethical and social capabilities, but also problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The literature shows that the use of service-learning as a pedagogy has an increasingly positive impact on social responsibility, academic development, and engagement in school (Billig, 2002; Furco, 1996). The difficulty for practitioners of service-learning in secondary schools is knowing what a quality service-learning program should contain and if the program is being implemented correctly.

Service-learning has its basis in the principles of social constructivist theory where the student is allowed to learn through experience and is engaged in the planning of their own experience (Luna & Folgueiras, 2014, p66). It also incorporates Kolb’s theory of experiential learning which emphasises the importance of incorporating reflection and analysis so the student can grow in their understanding of the concepts being taught (Luna & Folgueiras, 2014). Kolb (2015, xxi) describes experiential learning as “a theory that helps explain how experience is transformed into learning and reliable knowledge”. It is contrasted to other types of service programs by both service and learning being equally important throughout the project. It is contrasted to community service in the table below:

Susan

Service-learning therefore is seen as an active pedagogy (Butin, 2003, p1675), a pedagogy that links the classroom to the community and looks to improve the academic and social/ethical capabilities of the student (Butin, 2003).

The literature highlights that not only is the definition of service learning varied but so is how it is implemented. Chong (2014, p347) found that there are 147 different definitions of service-learning, making it difficult for practitioners to be able to decide on how to best implement this type of pedagogy in their respective environments . Adding to the difficulty of ascertaining how the practice of servicelearning should be implemented is the variation in how teachers carry out this pedagogy in different circumstances (Mitchell, 2008).

After distilling the pedagogical elements of existing literature, six themes were drawn from this research. These themes form the structure to investigate the fidelity of The King’s School service-learning program. The themes that should be present in a service-learning program based on the six themes identified are that the program:

1) is student centred;

2) is integrated with the curriculum;

3) involves partnerships;

4) is of the right duration and intensity;

5) involves action; and

6) incorporates reflection.

Research methodology and procedure

This research involved collecting information through a questionnaire sent via email to four individuals who organise programs that appear to have elements of service-learning. The questionnaire was sent after the participants consented to being a part of the research.

Follow-up interviews were conducted to clarify with the participants that my interpretation of their information was what they intended and that they agreed with how their information was represented. This data forms the basis of an initial report on the fidelity of the service-learning programs in the school.

Results

The programs run by the respondents have originated at different times and for different purposes, but they do all consider their programs to be service learning. Three of the programs have been unable to reach their desired outcomes this year because of COVID-19. This particularly impacted the roll-out of the planned K-12 service-learning program that was created in 2019.

When the organisers of these programs were asked to comment on the six themes in relation to their program, there were a number of areas that they agreed on and others where there was a difference in how they perceived service-learning.

Student Centred

Across the four programs, it was determined that when the program was based around advocacy and research, students were able to have more freedom in choosing what to be involved in. This was in the early stages of the formal service-learning program and one of the other programs.

“Students were encouraged to choose a cause close to their heart or personal experience.” Participant 3

Two out of the four involved students being able to choose from a pool of preselected options. This was mainly due to availability and accessibility of community partners. One of the programs didn’t provide a choice as the program only involved one community partner but the students could decide whether to be involved or not.

Integrated with the Curriculum

When asked if the program had strong links to the curriculum, it was found that two out of the four programs have evidence of direct integration with the curriculum:

“The project tied in closely to the Global Citizenship syllabus topic.” Participant 3

Service-Learning: Are we doing it right?

CONTINUED

“The style of writing and collation of writing mimic skills required in the Extension English and History courses.” Participant 2

In contrast, one of the programs incorporated writing, presentation and reflective skills without clear curriculum links although this did create the opportunity for students to connect what is learnt in the classroom to real situations (Wasner, 2016). The formal program didn’t reach this point due to COVID-19 restrictions on the execution of the program in 2020.

Partnership

When investigating the nature of the partnerships in the programs, three out of the four had direct links with community partners. They also expressed the view that the program was mutually beneficial for the students and the recipients of the service (Ohn & Wade, 2009):

“Yes, the boys get to learn from the resident and the resident gets to share their life stories with the boys and receive a book to share with family. Both have a mutual relationship that grows over the two terms.” Participant 2

In comparison, the fourth program involved indirect action and advocacy, so the partnerships and mutual benefit were shared between the students in the group working together for a number of weeks with the recipient benefiting from the money raised.

“The student groups were 3-4 students in size and they learned skills such as budgeting, stocktake, marketing and division of labour tasks.” Participant 3

Action

When asked what type of action the program incorporated, the programs had a mix of direct, indirect and advocacy. The formal service-learning program incorporated all three depending on the age of the student and the needs of the community.

“The projects all varied – some were fundraising initiatives (eg. cancer research) others were awareness raising (eg. indigenous issues) whilst many were direct action (eg. environment).” Participant 1

The programs that involved working with the community for a period involved direct action while the program run by Participant 3 involved indirect action and advocacy, although the organiser of this program considered this direct action.

Duration and Intensity

The participants were asked to consider whether the program ran for the appropriate amount of time and provided the right experience for students and partners. Three out of the four programs indicated that their programs ran or would have run for the right amount of time for the students to engage with the project and move through all the steps necessary for them and the partners to benefit from the program.

“The length of time to conduct the project (approximately 7 weeks) is necessary and sufficient.” Participant 3

“The time frame and fortnightly visiting schedule allow for the boys and residents to become comfortable with each other and the stories to flow.” Participant 2

In contrast to the program quoted above which ran for two consecutive terms, one of the other programs ran the two terms either side of the summer break. The respondent felt that the length of time and the interruption to the program impacted on the relationship with the community.

“Limiting it to two terms out of four stifled long-term engagement. The need to reestablish relationships after a five-month absence is energy wasted.” Participant 4

Reflection

All four participants responded that their programs involved reflection during and after the programs, both formal and informal. These involved getting the students to engage in critical thinking and problem solving.

“Students participated in a post Market Day reflection activity, which was a written task.” Participant 3

“One Tutor group session was allocated at the end of the planning stage for reflection, then another after execution or, if execution failed, reflection on why it did not work.” Participant 1

The reflection activities also allowed the opportunity for personal growth for the students.

“On the regional and bushfire trips boys were asked to write reflective statements and we engaged in reflective conversation.” Participant 1

“The extended nature of the program allows for the boys to grow throughout the experience both personally and in terms of their relationship with their resident.” Participant 2

Conclusion

The overall service-learning plan will need to be cohesive and consider a more efficient use of time and resources to enable the service-learning program to achieve the desired outcomes (Wade, 1997, p45). To be effective, the program needs to be a whole school approach. Further research and planning are needed before the School moves further forward with its service-learning program.

“The literature shows that the use of service-learning as a pedagogy has an increasingly positive impact on social responsibility, academic development, and engagement in school.”

International Baccalaureate Professional Learning Assessment Capable Teachers & Learners

Prep teachers delved into the work of Hattie, Frey and Fisher (2018) to understand the impact of various assessment strategies. They explored teacher clarity, which encompasses backwards-by-design planning, learning intentions and goals (d = 0.75), selfreported grades (d = 1.44), goal-setting (d = 0.56), and feedback (d = 0.73).

• I used to think that feedback was teacher dominated. Now I think there is great power in harnessing student voice in the feedback process.

• I thought conceptual understanding was not accessible. Now I know it is an important driver of assessment.

• I used to think goal-setting was important but now I think it is critical.

Shannon O’Dwyer Deputy Head - Academics

The King’s School, Preparatory School

The Preparatory School hosted an inschool IB workshop, entitled Evidencing Learning this year. Over two days, the academic staff examined latest developments in educational assessment, its purpose and characteristics. They explored a variety of strategies to monitor, document, measure and report on learning to inform teaching and deepen understanding.

Prep School staff unpacked the concept of “assessment-capable teachers and learners” (Absolum et al., 2009; Clark, 2012, p.208). Assessmentcapable teachers are those who are skilled at analysing evidence to inform decision-making, providing meaningful feedback, and empowering students to become assessment capable learners. Assessment-capable learners are students who analyse their current understanding, discuss next steps, select tools to guide learning, seek feedback, monitor their own progress and adjust learning accordingly.

In collaborative groups, Prep teachers planned effective ways to assess student learning in our context. They discussed setting goals with students, co-constructing learning intentions, and designing concept-driven, authentic

• I used to think assessment was just for data collection. Now I think assessment guides teaching and learning experiences.

assessments. As a staff, Prep teachers set a goal of spending more time monitoring learning, providing feedback and negotiating success criteria with students as agentic learners.

Throughout this two-day workshop, Prep teachers regularly paused to reflect upon their own learning as practitioners. Their notes included:

• I used to think assessment focused primarily on skills and knowledge. Now I know students have a role to play in holistic assessment.

• I used to think increasing agency risked reducing accountability. Now I think student agency increases the impact of assessment and leverages learning.

This was a powerful workshop for strengthening assessment capability in the Preparatory School. Since its completion, there has been a renewed commitment to specific, timely feedback, concept-driven assessments and clear learning intentions in our school.

“Assessment-capable teachers are those who are skilled at analysing evidence to inform decision-making, providing meaningful feedback, and empowering students to become assessment-capable learners.”

Preparing Students for the Conceptual Age

Caitlin Hayman Director, Academics | PYP Coordinator The King’s School, Tudor House

As Tudor House embarked on the journey to become an IB PYP school, we redesigned our mission statement and identified the purpose of the education Tudor House provides. Our students are entering a global community and will need many soft skills to flourish in their lifetime. We are not preparing students for a specific career but rather lifelong values, discipline, and the ability to explore new ideas and to think independently. For the 21st century, the purpose of education is to prepare children to compete in the global environment.

According to Daniel Pink, society has moved on from the ‘Knowledge Age’ and is now in a ‘Conceptual Age’ where our problems no longer have a single answer. Therefore, as a PYP school, we deliver our curriculum through a conceptual lens. A transdisciplinary, concept-driven curriculum supports the development of students’ understanding of complex ideas.

A concept is a “big idea”—a principle or notion that is enduring and is not constrained by a particular origin, subject matter or place in time (Erickson 2008). Concepts represent ideas that are broad, abstract, timeless and universal. Concepts add depth and rigour in student thinking to the traditional “two-dimensional” curriculum consisting of facts and skills. Concepts place no limits on breadth of knowledge or on depth of understanding, and therefore are accessible to every student. Concepts are powerful, broad and abstract organising ideas that may be

transdisciplinary or subject-based. They represent the vehicle for students’ inquiry into the opportunities and challenges of local and global significance. Concepts are concise; they are usually represented by one or two words.

A concept-driven curriculum is a powerful vehicle for learning that promotes meaning and understanding, and challenges students to engage with significant ideas. This is central to the Primary Years Programme (PYP) philosophy. Purposeful inquiry is supported by a concept-driven curriculum (Wiggins, McTighe 2005).

A concept-driven curriculum is the means through which students develop their conceptual understandings. Students co-construct beliefs and mental models about how the world works based on their experiences and prior learning. They integrate new knowledge with their existing knowledge and apply these understandings in a variety of new contexts. They learn to recognise patterns and see the connections between discrete examples to strengthen conceptual understandings.

As a team, the academic staff participated in a two-day workshop at the commencement of Term 2, ‘Concept Driven Learners’. We developed our ability to design and evidence concept-based learning that leads to depth and rigour in student thinking, within and across subjects.

“In a complicated, fast-changing world, the intelligent path is to let go of being a KNOWER and embrace being a LEARNER.”

GUY CLAXTON

Preparing Students for the Conceptual Age

We then investigated how our Programme of inquiry promotes a school-wide vision for concept-driven learning and, together with the planning process, creates opportunities for students to make connections and transfer understanding from one context to another.

Collaboration is a hallmark of the PYP, central to the mission of the IB and the pedagogy it describes. As a distinguishing feature of transdisciplinary learning, the key aim of collaboration is to “fuse knowledge from a number of different disciplines and engage with stakeholders in the process of generating knowledge” (Wickson et al, 2006).

During the collaborative planning process, the most potent element for inquiry is the conversation about conceptual understanding. Regardless of whether a school’s framework already identifies a central idea and the lines of inquiry, the focus is always about the bigger picture.

Every journey of inquiry (UOI) is a new one. The simple question, “What is it that we hope students will come to understand more deeply?” has to be asked EACH TIME an inquiry is developed….even if this context for inquiry has been explored before. Voice, Choice and Ownership means there is consideration at the planning table for fresh ideas and relevance to students’ interests and needs – being careful to invite their voices in.

Our framework is based on, but not limited to, the eight core concepts of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP):

Form - What is it like?

Function - How does it work?

Connection - How is it linked to other things?

Change - How is it changing?

Causation - Why is it the way it is?

Perspective - What are the different points of view?

Responsibility - How can we be responsible?

Reflection - How do we know?

The world is changing. Knowledge is changing. The ability to view the world with a more flexible mind is invaluable. Concept based learning is about big transferable ideas that transcend time, place, situation. Concepts are a way to organise and make sense of learning. We can’t possibly teach everything that is important, but we can teach students to build their understandings to then engage with the big ideas.

In our complex and ever-changing world, our students need to integrate their understandings and transfer their learning across new contexts in order to succeed.

Restriction Drives Innovation

Shannon O’Dwyer Deputy Head - Academics

The King’s School, Preparatory School

This presentation was delivered at the International Baccalaureate Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on 15 October 2021.

Last term, the Preparatory School implemented the PYP Exhibition with 100 Year 6 boys, who were all living in lockdown. This paper shares some of the changes we made along the way which caused us to pause and consider the merits of different practices and approaches to facilitating studentcentred inquiry.

Leah Nye

The King’s School, Preparatory School

David Guild

The King’s School, Preparatory School

William Sandwell

The King’s School, Preparatory School

Karen Mackey

The King’s School, Preparatory School

Restriction Drives Innovation

Innovating the Process

1) Provocation

Invitations to learning tend to be most powerful when they are immersive, experiential events that provoke emotion, dissonance or tension. Without the opportunity to create a hands-on experience, one of our talented teachers created a short film to pose the question, ‘What’s happening in the world now?’

It was a beautiful and highly evocative montage of scenes and current events that were intriguing to the students. As it turned out, this digital provocation was every bit as impactful, emotive and memorable as other learning invitations. The students watched it multiple times, and they were able to discuss specific clips that piqued their passion or conviction and thus launched their inquiry.

2) Generating Issues

Discussion is our go-to strategy for eliciting thinking and bouncing ideas around a large group of students. We feel comfortable posing questions, prompting thinking and encouraging students in person, and we often use paper/pencil to record students’ thinking. In an online context, chart paper was substituted for a digital tool (in this case, Padlet) for students to record their ideas, feelings, questions and connections. Whilst not an example of innovative practice per se, we were surprised (and delighted) by the quality of students’ thinking. They asked deep philosophical questions, generated a myriad of issues and made mature connections. We suspect that the quiet privacy of the online space facilitated deeper reflection, allowed students to take their time and encouraged introverts to find their voice and contribute in powerful ways.

3) Constructing a Central Idea

Next problem! How were we going to develop a shared central idea? How were we going to write one overarching, enduring statement with 100 writers in 100 different homes? After identifying related concepts, each student “had a go” at drafting a statement, using two or more concepts, that connected their chosen issue to the transdisciplinary theme. One teacher collected all the drafts, created a shortlist of statements and shared the boys’ work back to them (acknowledging those writers whose intellectual property was used). All students then considered which of these statements best captured the essence of the inquiry, voted for it, and justified the connection to the transdisciplinary theme. In hindsight, we believe this process of not only drafting, but defending the strength or relevance of the statement, led to greater ownership and understanding of this year’s central idea.

4) Developing Social Skills (in Isolation)

Preventing loneliness and facilitating social connection was a high priority during Distance Learning. Exhibition offered us two choices: to simplify the process and allow each student to complete an individual inquiry; or to support students to cooperate, collaborate and converse through a shared inquiry. We chose the latter. Groups were formed according to students’ choice of issue, then each group met via Zoom multiple times per week. They met with a mentor teacher, and they met without a teacher. Each group discussed ideas, shared resources (and frustrations), solved problems and kept each other accountable for due dates along the way. They worked collaboratively to produce one presentation, to which each member contributed slides, text, images and audio recordings. It was wonderful to witness students exercising agency and leadership by organising additional meetings, leading workshops on tech skills and trouble-shooting to support their peers.

5) Elevating Research Skills

Technology is a powerful tool for facilitating research. While note-taking on paper is still preferable for students at this age (to support processing and comprehension), there are several other tools that elevated research during this inquiry. For example, students used online APA generators to acknowledge sources and each group completed a comprehensive, accurate reference list. Students also kept digital research journals. Through typed entries, they produced longer, deeper reflections and they were more confident to share their comments on the highs and lows of the research journey with an audience. Without the onus of handwriting, the boys seemed to achieve greater fluency and flow in their daily reflections.

Finally, technology allowed the students to consult primary sources with much greater ease. Without the time commitment of face-to-face interviews on the school site, the boys were able to schedule many more Zoom interviews with experts all over the world. Timing was more flexible (as the teachers could accommodate early mornings, late afternoons, or evenings), and attendance was more flexible (as one group, multiple groups or the whole grade could benefit from leading or listening to the same interview.) Busy professionals (in fields of science, law, government or business) were able to schedule 30 minutes to talk with a group of students, from their homes, offices or cars. In one week, the students scheduled and conducted 25 interviews with primary sources in different fields of expertise.

6) Reaching a global audience

The sense of pride that comes from presenting work in person cannot be replicated easily in a digital space. When school is open, the boys excel at talking about their learning to a live audience of their parents, grandparents and teachers. However, one benefit of a digital Exhibition is its global reach. This year’s digital Exhibition was published and shared with IB networks across the Asia-Pacific, and beyond. Within days, the boys received questions, comments and feedback from students and teachers in many parts of the world (Singapore, the Netherlands, Qatar, Nigeria and the Philippines). Within two weeks, they received 270 comments from six different countries. The feedback included questions about the process and the content, as well as positive affirmation for the boys’ knowledge and communication skills.

Where to from here?

As a team of educators, we are still reflecting on, “Where to from here?”. In the next iteration of PYP Exhibition, we intend to take our new skills and insights, born from the necessity of lockdown and apply them in discerning ways. We hope to blend the best of face-to-face pedagogy with digital innovation to continue facilitating powerful, student-led inquiry.

Commitment to Professional Learning Teacher Expert Networks for Curriculum Reform

NSW Education Standards Authority and Association of Independent Schools

Following the first comprehensive review of the NSW school curriculum in three decades, the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) launched the Teacher Expert Networks (TENs) for Curriculum Reform. The review, led by Professor Geoff Masters made many recommendations, including that the new curriculum should be developed collaboratively with all stakeholders, and teachers should be closely involved in all phases of implementation (NESA, 2020).

The NESA TENs is a state-wide, crosssector Professional Learning Network (PLN) that ensures the new NSW curriculum connects with practice and works well in the classroom. It is the first time teachers have been consulted on new syllabus documents in this way, with the opportunity to provide constructive feedback and participate in genuine collaboration directly with NESA policy officers and subject matter experts. According to NESA, the reform of the curriculum needs the expertise of teachers because teachers are the experts in implementing curriculum (2021).

It was a privilege for us to be selected by the Association of Independent Schools (AISNSW) to represent NSW teachers and the independent sector in the NESA TENs. The implementation of the program is supported by leading academics who

form the Curriculum Reform Teacher Engagement Advisory Group. We have been fortunate to hear from Professors Pasi Sahlberg, Andy Hargreaves, Chris Brown, Cindy Poortman and Santiago Rincon-Gallardo who are experts in their respective fields of research.

Through the NESA TENs blended learning program, we have been undertaking modules of study including asynchronous and live lectures on the theory and practice of Professional Learning Networks (Brown & Poortman, 2017), the power of collaboration for deep learning, enhancing professional capital and whole system improvement (RinconGallardo, 2016). We heard from Professor Sahlberg about how to build a culture of trust in schools, with comparisons between Australia’s education system and Finland’s high status, trust-based school system (2021). Professor Hargreaves also presented his research on collaborative professionalism as a positive force for change - that the most successful and sustainable efforts to improve student achievement draw on both expert knowledge and strong collegial relationships (2018).

As part of the program, we have been attending the South Coast Region meetings throughout 2021 in Wollongong, as well as state meetings in Sydney and

“It is the first time teachers have been consulted on new syllabus documents in this way, with the opportunity to provide constructive feedback and participate in genuine collaboration directly with NESA policy officers and subject matter experts.”

Alison Lawson

The King’s School - Tudor House

Juliana Horton

The King’s School - Tudor House

Teacher Expert Networks for Curriculum Reform

online during lockdown. Hearing from NESA subject matter experts in English, Mathematics and Science, we were able to provide direct feedback on new syllabus outcomes, content, resources and general framework in relation to our classroom practice. With the new English and Mathematics curriculum for Kindergarten – Year 2 being introduced in 2022, we have also been collaborating with NESA, colleagues and sector representatives to:

• advise NESA and user-test the new curriculum and support materials

• connect the new curriculum with teaching practice to ensure it is ‘teachable’ and will have a positive impact on student learning

• communicate with teachers in regional, cross-sector networks to support phase-of-school familiarisation of the new curriculum

• build the capacity of teachers to implement the new curriculum in their school, sector and region (NESA, 2021).

It has been a privilege to collaborate with NESA on this important project and it is reassuring to know that teachers’ voices are being heard when it comes to new syllabus implementation. The program will continue until all new syllabuses are implemented in 2024.

Parent Learning

We discussed the purpose of learning in the context of distance and in general.

Rev Stephen Edwards Deputy Headmaster Head of Senior School

The King’s School

With boys and parents at home for a long winter of lockdown, we took the opportunity through a number of seminars to not only support students and parents in their distance learning but to also take time to better understand the learning process.

Three seminars were provided for parents via the Zoom platform:

1. How to navigate Canvas (the School’s learning management system): Mr Roshan De Silva (Dean of Digital Learning)

2. How to help your son academically during distance learning: Mr Steve Owen (Director of Wellbeing) and Housemasters

3. How to better understand the learning process: Dr Dean Dudley (Director of the King’s Institute) and Thought Leadership Teachers.

Students need to be proactive when they are engaged in distance learning. Students and their families were encouraged to develop healthy habits both in their thought worlds and actions. The boys needed lots of encouragement and to focus on what they could control and not on what was out of their control. Although we were in our separate corners at home, the boys were encouraged to keep good relationships with their mates, families and teachers. The delightful statistic that we received was that over 80% of students surveyed felt more connected with their families during lockdown! Distance learning provided an opportunity for boys

there is a positive emotional climate and when they are able to construct new knowledge by building on their current knowledge. A successful learner is not simply having the ability to consume and regurgitate knowledge, but it is when a student has the desire to learn more and the confidence and ability to ask questions to further their knowledge.

Our parents became further engaged in their son’s learning during lockdown and we trust our seminars were able to support them in their learning.

to take control of their own learning. Some boys flourished whilst we also acknowledge that some boys struggled with this concept.

Students need to be proactive in their learning journeys whether they are in the classroom, on the sporting field or at home. People will have a desire to learn when things are personally meaningful to them, when they have challenging but achievable goals, when they have the ability and confidence to interact, when

“A successful learner is not simply having the ability to consume and regurgitate knowledge, but it is when a student has the desire to learn more and the confidence and ability to ask questions to further their knowledge.”

Safeguarding Children and Young People

Staff across each of our campuses participated in three training sessions in 2021 that were focused on ‘Safeguarding Children and Young People’. The sessions were facilitated by Halloran Morrissey, who are leaders in supporting organisations to safeguard children. The sessions were part of the recommendations of The King’s School Child Safe Strategy and Plan to strengthen the School’s approach to safeguarding children.

Session 1 – January 2021

• Focusing on how to embed Child Safe Standards 1, 2 and 8 into everyday practice at The King’s School

• Understanding the safeguarding practices for focus in 2021.

Session 2 – September 2021

David Swinfield Director of Continuous Improvement

This session was presented to staff across all campuses and explored the post-Royal Commission period, with a focus on further developing the School’s culture of safeguarding. The session explored the safeguarding culture through the Child Safe Standards and the research that emerged out of the Royal Commission.

Topics covered:

• Overview of the key findings of The King’s School Safeguarding Review

• Safeguarding landscape in 2021

• Child Safe Standards.

Key learnings:

• Understanding the key messages from The King’s School Safeguarding Review

• Understanding the importance of having a safeguarding approach at The King’s School

• Identifying the role individuals can play every day in contributing to further developing the safeguarding culture at The King’s School

This session provided specific training to members of the Child Safeguarding Steering Group (CSSG) and included a facilitated meeting to allow discussion of the development of Terms of Reference. The session focused on how the group can embed the Child Safe Standards into practice, with a focus on leadership and cultural change.

Topics covered:

• Leadership, governance and culture

• Safeguarding culture

• Child Safe Standards

• Role of the CSSG

• Terms of reference for the CSSG.

Key learnings:

• The importance of leadership in creating a child safe organisation - in particular the role of the CSSG in driving the shift from compliance to a general culture of safety

• Understanding of the four dimensions of risks identified in the Royal Commission research and the role the CSSG has in prioritising the focus to deliver cultural change

• Understanding the Child Safe Standards and how these can be implemented into the culture of The King’s School to develop strategies to keep children safe from harm

• Development of priorities for the CSSG and Terms of Reference.

Session 3 – September 2021

This session was presented to Campus Executives and a range of Middle Leaders on responding to peer-to-peer harmful sexualised behaviour. The session focused on situations where there is no statutory response and examined risk mitigation strategies and how information can be shared and students supported.

Topics covered:

• Research examining child sexual abuse in school settings by a child, the prevalence and causation, and organisational responses

• Sexual behaviours in children and the law

• Sexual behaviours in children and how we can assess them

Key learnings:

• Understanding the current research on peer-to-peer harmful sexual behaviour and causation

• Understanding the research into organisational responses to peer-topeer harmful sexual behaviours

• Understanding the legislative framework relevant to children and sexual behaviours and The King’s School’s obligations and the law

• Recognising the differences between healthy, problematic and abusive sexual behaviours

• Developing skills to assess sexual behaviours in children at various age groups using the ‘traffic light’ model

• Understanding the risk management strategies and the importance of collaborating and sharing information to ensure decisions are in line with The King’s School expectations.

“The sessions were part of the recommendations of The King’s School Child Safe Strategy and Plan to strengthen the School’s approach to safeguarding children.”

Health Literacy with The University Of Sydney and The Australian Catholic University

Health Literacy

Health literacy relates to how people access, understand and use health information in ways that benefit their health. People with low health literacy are at higher risk of worse health outcomes and poorer health behaviours.

Staff from The King’s School senior campus PDHPE Department participated in a collaborative program with Tara PDHPE staff that was delivered largely onsite and facilitated by:

• Dr Louisa Peralta (Lead Researcher), Senior Lecturer (Health and Physical Education), The University of Sydney.

• Ms Claire Marvell, Teaching Lecturer (Health and Physical Education), The University of Sydney

• Dr Renata Cinelli, Senior Lecturer (Health and Physical Education), Australian Catholic University

This study involved several stages that would flow sequentially into each other:

1. March 2021: The researchers reviewed our Year 7-10 PDHPE programs with a particular focus on explicit health literacy and advising on potential avenues for improvement in this space, especially in critical thinking.

2. June 2021: Dr Peralta and Ms Marvell delivered a one-hour PD session in person where feedback was provided based on the analysis of our existing Stage 3 and 4 PDHPE programs. During this face-to-face session, King’s staff were able to review the findings of the researchers and work collaboratively with the Tara PDHPE staff to ensure the health literacy needs of our students are continually met. An emphasis of this session was to find scope to embed as many critical thinking opportunities as possible, specifically within our resources and assessment tasks.

Noel Talty Head of PDHPE Department

Warwick Percival Assistant Head of PDHPE Department

Jimmy Hilgendorf PDHPE Department

3. July 2021: Due to the nature of COVID-19 and distance learning, the third stage of this program was a Zoom interview with Dr Cinelli. This Zoom session focused on our experiences to date within the program and which, if any, of the revisions we had been able to embed into our existing programs.

Key Learning

1. There is plenty of scope for health literacy to be embedded into the whole school curriculum, not just within PDHPE, as health literacy forms an integral aspect of lifelong education and one’s ability to improve health through informed decisions.

2. Explicit examples can be utilised within PDHPE to enable critical thinking specifically regarding the topics of nutrition, disease, and lifelong physical activity.

3. A further review of all PDHPE teaching programs needs to take place, with the aim of inserting as much health literacy as possible through relevant and contextual examples as possible.

Limitations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the distance learning environment that took place during Term 3, opportunities to delve into the space have been limited. More opportunities to explore the concept of health literacy exists now that we are back in the physical face-to-face teaching environment.

The Evolution of Canvas at King’s 2021

units that catered for multiple learning styles and needs. Unlike the use of earlier Learning Management Systems, CANVAS was not a dumping ground for resources without context. Teachers had to analyse their teaching practice and answer pedological questions such as:

• How do students access information online?

• Is information accessible to all students?

Roshan DeSilva Dean of Digital Learning and Innovation

King’s is celebrating one year of CANVAS normalisation within the school’s learning infrastructure. Building on the success of a well-planned first implementation process, CANVAS provided teachers with a framework to deliver a blended learning environment which augmented daily face-to-face teaching and learning. CANVAS supplied ubiquitous access to learning anywhere, at any time. This continuous access enabled students to control the pace of their learning and in well-developed courses, choose their own learning journey. The quick, instant teacher feedback and access to logically presented resources have fostered and encouraged student learning independence.

The second stage of implementation is often the most complicated as it engages teachers in a conversation about how to design learning. Teachers had to understand the underlying processes linked to writing for the web and designing

• How do we cater for students who require adjustment?

• How does content layout and page design impact cognitive load?

• How much written text is too much? How do students read online?

• Why is scan ability and chunking important for processing speed?

• Why is a standardised user interface an important part of minimising cognitive stress?

• How have I personalised the learning journey?

• How do students access and assess ability?

• How do I supply valuable feedback, just-in-time?

In answering these searching questions teachers realised that students needed to be at the core of all design. CANVAS became a practical, well designed learning resource that helped students continue learning outside of the classroom.

With the help of the Digital Learning Team, an updated design of CANVAS was quickly implemented to help

standardise content delivery while still supporting specialised faculty and stage requirements. The update of CANVAS as a tool for teaching and learning has enabled:

• teachers to provide students with curriculum content and resources through a logically organised, consistent delivery method

• teachers to create, deliver and manage educational resources which monitor and track student participation and performance

• the creation of a range of learning resources, enabling differentiated learning by increasing engagement and time management

• a range of learning outcomes to be achieved by supplying an opportunity to create diverse, interactive content

• teachers to be able to create a central repository for all learning material and modules

• students to be geographically independent – access anywhere, anytime to curriculum information

• students in Years 3 - 12 to take charge of their learning, pace and style.

The development of CANVAS over the last academic year enabled the School to provide its students with a seamless transition to online learning throughout lockdown. CANVAS, along with other supporting tools also enabled HSC students to sit the all-important HSC Trial online, while maintaining exam integrity. In the K- 6 space, CANVAS continued to provide access to learning to continue developmental milestones in formative years.

Archives Amplified

Pearce Archivist

In this world we have been living in during lockdown, the annual Australian Society of Archivists Conference was able to proceed via the Virtual Event platform on 14-16 September 2021, allowing for a virtual experience from the Brisbane Convention Centre.

Attendance at a conference is contingent on the participants sharing knowledge, reflecting on current practice or being inspired to develop new skills. Mentoring others improves relationships and encourages development and so the short paper I presented to the School Archives AGM entitled “Engaging with the Community” was designed to provide mentoring to the school-based archive community. The virtual format provided opportunities for more than the usual number of attendees to share in their experiences. The paper looked at the School’s place in the social and historical setting of Parramatta and how I have been able to integrate this “Place” within the

non-school community through visits to community groups, providing access to the collection to other museums such as the Maritime Museum and National Trust and by engaging with social media. The aim was to encourage the School Archive to engage with the local community, to broaden access to collections and develop relationships.

As the Conference proceeded the attendees were challenged to question the very role of Archives. Is the purpose of the Archives to collect “old stuff”, to keep secrets or to share knowledge? Journalist Matthew Condon challenged the traditional release dates for Archives arguing that archives are only important to

research carried out by John Willsteed. His study of the “underground” music scene in Brisbane during the 1970’s and 1980’s has been validated by ephemera, that which is usually produced and discarded after an event. How rich is our story when illustrated by such ephemera? Look carefully at the artist who created multiple and unique notices each week to remind boys of a play practice. What does this tell us of how time was spent? Not swiping on a screen but actively engaging a brain creatively. So much of our social history is bound up by the Archives ephemeral collection.

School or community archives are memory keepers for their community

the community if they seek to illuminate. They need to be accessible to those who need to access the material. The recent release of the “Palace Letters” was a case in point. Had Jenny Hocking not challenged their access via her High Court challenge might those documents have remained a secret perpetually? For what purpose?

The King’s School Archives collects a vast amount of “ephemera”. That is those posters, programs, tickets, badges and photographs and so on which tell a story and so it was reassuring to hear about the

(Lauren Chalk PhD student, 2021). They fill in the gaps not provided for by traditional institutions. Our Archives has contributed to studies involved in the diet of WWII veterans, the development of curriculum in Australian education, the place of sport in various forms in Australian society, the growth of the Cadet Corps within Australia and provided biographical information for books, dictionaries and other publications. We have shared our collection with other institutions such as the Maritime Museum and the National Trust. We are the memory keeper not just for our school but for the wider community. Our mission statement provides us with a commission to use our assets for the good of society.

Jenny

“How rich is our story when illustrated by such ephemera? Look carefully at the artist who created multiple and unique notices each week to remind boys of a play practice.”

Archives Amplified

It was exciting to hear of the role Archives public, private and incidental have played in charting and mapping climate changes and to know that in a small way there is a King’s connection. Archival climate data from diaries such as the one compiled by former Headmaster WB Clarke and the father of former student Vere Belfield (1891-92) from Armidale have contributed to a longitudinal study by Dr Linden Ashcroft of temperature and climate

its 60th anniversary in 2021. They have opened two new exhibitions, “Connection” and “Voices”, both of which combine traditional archives with the digital. A worthy goal and as our anniversary draws closer, we should examine ways in which we too could share our assets more broadly.

We also need to explore new ways of capturing heritage and memory. In a case study in Norfolk Island, Zelmarie Cantilon

Amplifying the Indigenous voice within our School community is essential to broaden our understanding of who we are. We need to celebrate the Indigenous heritage of the land on which we dwell, to celebrate and help identify those amongst our community who have felt they were outsiders because of race or culture. Rose Barrowcliffe and Kristen Wright, both long time advocates of the “Stolen Generation” and Children in Care, have used Aboriginal place names and Google maps to help preserve and prompt memories. It maybe that we too can adapt Aboriginal place names into our 320 acres in Parramatta or the 210 acres of the Southern Highlands to celebrate our Indigenous students.

change in Australia. This project is still being provided with new information as everyday Australians discover weather data in old family archives.

But there is much to learn and much we can improve. As we move towards our Bicentenary, one goal is to make available in digital format more of the collection. Currently students access the School Magazine and the WWI biographies. Slowly we are using Kingsnet to share snippets from the digital collection. The National Archives of Australia celebrates

and Sarah Baker have used “zines” or an art-based method for creating cultural heritage. Participants have drawn, written poems, made sketches to create memories. Our Archives have carried out a small project by asking Old Boys from the original Broughton House or Old Government House to remember what took place in what room in the old buildings. Provided with a floor plan they have scribbled down their memories, listed boys who shared a dormitory and remembered events all of which have enhanced the restoration of two significant structures in the Parramatta area. How much more could a similar project capture memories for other events or buildings if provided with a stimulus?

The final plenary session was presented by Robert Atkinson AO, a former commissioner for the Royal Commission into Institutional Abuse. He challenged us as Archive practitioners to reflect on whether we are doing enough in our institutions to ensure that records are created and kept. He challenged us to ensure that our institution has policies enshrined and articulated according to the recommendations in Volume 8 of the report. Have we? If a four-year-old grandson can be physically abused in a day care centre in September 2021, then we collectively have not done enough.

“We need to celebrate the indigenous heritage of the land on which we dwell, to celebrate and help identify those amongst our community who have felt they were outsiders because of race or culture.”

Concrete action today that will advance education tomorrow: Implications for school libraries

In the article below published earlier this year in the Canadian School Libraries Journal, Dr Di Laycock and Pooja Mathur shared their thoughts on UNESCO’s (2020) “Education in a post-COVID world: Nine ideas for public action” from the perspective of implications for school libraries.

Di Laycock Head of Information Services

Di Laycock is the Head of Information Services at The King’s School and President of the School Library Association of New South Wales and she focused on Idea 3:

Value the teaching profession and teacher collaboration. There has been remarkable innovation in the responses of educators

education. As frustrating as this was for those in the teaching profession it seemed we could gain little traction to convince people otherwise. And while it’s not appropriate to think or say, ‘thank heavens for the pandemic,’ it has provided the self-appointed experts with a window into the reality of teaching, and teachers have to be thankful for that. As lounge rooms became classrooms, parents and carers gained insight into some of the complexities of teaching – the work behind delivering differentiated content to students, the need to keep students engaged in the virtual environment, and the ability to accommodate differences in students’ access to technology and their skill in using it. Added to this, parents

to the COVID-19 crisis, with those systems most engaged with families and communities showing the most resilience. We must encourage conditions that give frontline educators autonomy and flexibility to act collaboratively.

Dr Di Laycock

Di noted, “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic it seemed as though everyone who had ever set foot in a classroom knew how to be a teacher, thought teaching was easy, and felt qualified to comment on all things related to

and carers have come to recognise the role that teachers play in meeting the wellbeing needs of their children.

In terms of teacher collaboration, many of my colleagues found the isolation from colleagues the most challenging aspect of engaging in the distance teaching and learning process. Teaching is contextual and teaching relies on relationships, not only with students, but with colleagues. Unable to share the physical spaces of the staff room during the pandemic, teachers lost the opportunity for the informal face-to-face conversations that so often include valuable exchanges regarding

Pooja

Mathur Teacher Librarian

“As lounge rooms became classrooms, parents and carers gained insight into some of the complexities of teaching...”

Concrete action today that will advance education tomorrow: Implications for school libraries

teachers’ practice. Also absent were the social interactions with colleagues that provide a pressure release on the tough days that populate every teacher’s calendar. There’s nothing like a good vent to allow you to move on! While we were lucky at my school to only be closed for two weeks over the last 12 months, our library staff had a quick meeting every day to ensure that everyone was okay. It was hard enough for two weeks; I can’t imagine what it must be like for those who have not had face-to-face interactions with their students or colleagues for months on end.”

Pooja Mathur is a teacher-librarian and Reading Club Coordinator in the King’s School Senior Library and Secretary of the School Library Association of New South Wales. She focused on Idea 7:

Ensure scientific literacy within the curriculum. This is the right time for deep reflection on curriculum, particularly as we struggle against the denial of scientific knowledge and actively fight misinformation.

Pooja Mathur

Pooja remarked, “According to Combes (2008), the current Net Generation might be tech-savvy, but it is not information literate, their online research methodology tends to be flawed and ineffective.”

Additionally, Combes declares that often educators themselves lack the necessary skillset to safely and responsibly negotiate through the online information landscape.

The International Federation of Library Associations (2018) states that one of the aims of libraries is to promote critical thinking (an essential skill to develop for information and media literacy). Libraries need to be future-ready to support and lead their schools (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2018) by developing innovative professional practice, programs and library spaces. Teacher-librarians (TLs) must display leadership and ensure that students develop transferable skills, digital citizenship values and gain confidence in their research and library skills to comfortably transition to university and public libraries without encountering “library anxiety” (Foote, 2016, p. 57). TLs keep abreast of the latest technological trends, developments and challenges (Becker et al., 2017), which is reflected in their library’s information management strategies and services.

a bouquet of relevant digital educational databases; E-books and audio book platforms, digital citation builder; “How to…” videos on research and referencing; digital textbooks, newspapers, journals; academic integrity tools like Turnitin; digital reading, writing and tinker clubs; academic tutoring and support; and more. TLs provide just in time digital and/or hands-on support and training to staff, along with co-teaching and in-class support.

Hence, school library collections and services have evolved and embraced technology to adequately support teaching and learning needs based on pedagogy and curriculum requirements.”

TLs are curators – relevant digital resources for all subject areas and stage groups are collated regularly allowing educators and students to access quality educational sources. The library subscribes to and provides single log-on access to a multitude of digital tools including: an intuitive online catalogue;

“Libraries need to be future-ready to support and lead their schools (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2018) by developing innovative professional practice, programs and library spaces.”

Leading From the Middle Program AISNSW

Leaders in the middle of an organisation often experience frustration and struggle to succeed. They may not be sure of where they stand. The pressure of wearing many hats in a middle leadership role can be overwhelming and they don’t always get the credit they deserve. Part of leading successfully from the middle therefore rests in the establishment of good relationships, no matter where people are in the organisation. Middle leaders must be able to connect with everyone around them.

Special Education Integration Program, Flexible Learning Spaces, Feedback Models for Young Geographers, Student Performance Management, Enriched Music classes, Re-envisaging Standard English, Gowan Brae Monitorship, a Virtual Tour of The King’s School, Service Learning in the Preparatory School, Experiential Learning in Agriculture and Acceleration programs of study.

John Maxwell (2013) wrote that there is a belief that people cannot lead until they get to the top of an organisation. He refers to this as the destination myth. The thinking goes something like this: “When I’m a leader, then I’ll figure out how to influence others in a positive way, rather than learning these principles in order to be a leader.” Leadership is nothing short of a journey of learning. The beginning of that journey requires people to adopt new ways of thinking, new skills, and new habits.

In my opinion, leaders in the middle of an organisation are the leaders of leaders. These leaders help their peers achieve positive results, let the best ideas win in an environment of intellectual rigour and garner mutual respect. These leaders are expected to constantly develop and maintain credibility, exert influence and grow professionally.

The Leading From the Middle program is a collaborative venture completing its third year between The King’s Institute and the Leadership Centre of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW (AISNSW) to provide selected candidates with these skills. It asks them to grapple with real school issues through the construction of collaborative, creative, and meaningful leadership projects.

This year were saw 11 teachers across our three campuses successfully fulfil the requirements of the program, culminating in an oral poster presentation in front of invited members of the School Executive and Council. The projects showcased in November of last year were as eclectic as the teachers who pursued them. The topics covered included the

In 2022, we look forward to welcoming our fourth consecutive Leading from the Middle cohort with a new dimension that will include active collaboration with School Executive and Council members. We will be seeking candidates not because they set out to be leaders, but because they set out to make a difference.

“When I’m a leader, then I’ll figure out how to influence others in a positive way, rather than learning these principles in order to be a leader.”

Associate Professor Dean Dudley, CF Director of The King’s Institute

Teacher Accreditation and Professional Practice Teacher Accreditation 2021 Update

In November 2020 the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) made significant changes to its Maintenance of Teacher Accreditation Policy. As of November 30, 2020:

• Teachers still require 100 Hours of NESA Accredited and Elective Professional Development in each Maintenance of Proficient Teacher Accreditation Cycle - every 5 years if Full time, 7 years if Part time.

Melanie Taylor Leader of Accreditation and Professional Practice

• At least 50 hours of NESA Accredited Professional Development (formerly titled NESA Endorsed PD) is required in each cycle.

• All organisations (except NSWDET, Catholic Education Commission NSW and NSWAIS) had their NESA Endorsed Provider of Professional Development status revoked on the 30th November 2020.

• Deregistered Organisations include: ALL schools and universities, subject, specific associations, individual consultants, private providers.

NESA’s Accredited Courses (NESA Endorsed Courses 2004-2020) now focus on four priority areas. The priority areas are:

• delivery and assessment of NSW Curriculum/Early Years Learning Framework (as applicable)

• student/child mental health

• students/children with disability

• Aboriginal education and supporting Aboriginal students/children.

Teacher Identified Professional Development (2004-2020) is now defined as Elective Professional Development (2021 onwards). Elective PD includes:

• any course and/or activity in a priority area that is not accredited

• integrating ICT into teaching practice

• legislative requirements (eg. anaphylaxis, child protection, sectoral/school policy requirements etc)

• meeting professional ethics and responsibilities, including courses on meeting teacher accreditation requirements

• strategies for effective engagement with parents/carers and the community

• mentoring, coaching, professional dialogue supporting teaching practice

• educational leadership

• relevant further study

• professional commitment activities.

For teachers there are now two groups.

1. Teachers still completing the 5-year or 7-year Maintenance Cycle they were in on 29 November 2020. These teachers can complete their Maintenance Cycle Professional Learning Hours using Elective Professional Development.

2. Teachers who have completed the 5-year or 7-year Maintenance Cycle they were in, on 29 November 2020. These teachers are now obliged to meet the 50 Hours of NESA Accredited and 50 Hours of Elective Professional Development.

NESA Accredited Courses 2022 Onwards

In a recent development, in recognition of the direct employment relationship that independent non-government schools have with their teachers, NESA has developed a streamlined professional development (PD) course accreditation for schools such as The King’s School.

What does this mean?

• Teachers must complete at least 100 hours of professional development (PD) in each maintenance period to support their practice and ongoing professional growth. There is a requirement of a minimum of 50 hours NESA Accredited PD

• The King’s School will now again be able to design and provide accredited professional development for our teaching staff.

This is welcome news as we seek to support all teaching staff with their professional growth and teacher accreditation regulatory requirements.

More information regarding the accreditation of future King’s School professional learning events, days and courses will be provided as they become available. Please note that all accredited courses must still meet NESA’s new priority areas and professional development principles.

More information can be found on: https://www.educationstandards. nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/teacheraccreditation/professional-development/ pd-requirements

“NESA has developed a streamlined professional development (PD) course accreditation for schools such as The King’s School.”

New Staff Induction Program - Senior School

New Staff Induction Program – Senior School

WEEK 0

• Canvas TKS Induction and Accreditation Courses.

• New Staff Induction Days.

WEEK 1 WEEK 2

• Lunch Discussion: Gowan Brae Team.

WEEK 3

• Teacher observes colleague x 1, schedule HOD and Mentor observations.

WEEK 4

• Lunch Discussion: Boarding and Residential Life and Behavioural Management.

WEEK 5

• Teacher observes colleague x 1, meet with either HOD or Mentor to acknowledge key TKS competencies.

WEEK 6

• Lunch Discussion: Education Support Services, Enrichment and Extension and Counselling Team.

WEEK 7

• One class completes student reflection surveys.

WEEK 8

• Lunch Discussion: TKS Co-Curricular Program.

WEEK 9

• Lunch Discussion: Library Resources and Processes.

WEEK 1–4

• Teacher observes two colleagues, schedules and completes HOD and Mentor observations.

WEEK 2-3

• One/two classes complete student reflection surveys.

WEEK 4-5

• Teacher writes the New Staff Induction self-reflection.

WEEK 5-6

• Mentor and HOD write teachers New Staff Induction reflection.

WEEK 6-7

• People and Culture and Professional Practice Leader consults with HOD regarding finalisation of Part 1 of the New Staff Induction Program.

WEEK 8-9

• Finalisation of New Staff Induction Portfolio.

WEEK 2-3

• Teacher and Mentor meeting to discuss student feedback goals.

WEEK 3-4

• Teacher discusses their goals with HOD.

WEEK 4-10

•

Term

WEEK 1 -3

• Two classes complete student reflection surveys.

WEEK 4

• Teacher and Mentor reflect on student surveys.

WEEK 5-7

• Finalisation of New Staff Induction Program.

New Staff Induction

Ienna Head of Computing Studies

The King’s School Teacher Induction Program (TKSTIP) guides and supports newly appointed academic staff through the experience of their first 12 months at The King’s School. Each teacher is appointed a mentor who seeks to aid their transition into the school’s culture, building each teacher’s self-efficacy as well as managing their immersion into the expectations and opportunities within the school.

The program includes activities such as workshops, team-building exercises, observations, student surveys, goal setting and reflections with each teacher producing a professional practice ePortfolio. TKSTIP has proven to be an invaluable tool to help our newly appointed academic staff understand the school’s culture and become highly valued contributors to the three pillars within the King’s Distinctives.

Hoppitt Industrial Arts Department, Mentor

The personal reflections of new teachers, mentors and Heads of Department on TKSTIP provide insight into the program’s value and its successful integration of our new teachers into the King’s community. This collaborative approach to induction is illustrated in the partnership of Rodney Wood, Scott Hoppit and Michael Ienna.

Mr Rodney Wood recently joined our Computing Studies Department. Below he reflects on his 2021 experience of the New Staff Induction Program.

Wood Computing Studies Department, Mentee

How did the new staff induction program assist you with settling into The King’s School?

TKSTIP was of great assistance for a number of reasons. It provided me with a network of colleagues who were also new to the school and who were experiencing the same issues and challenges that I was dealing with. It also provided me with access to a mentor (Scott) who was experienced and could answer many of my questions. My mentor was also very welcoming and encouraging, taking the time to ensure that I was coping.

King’s School as a teacher?

What was it like starting work at The

I must admit that I was quite nervous starting at King’s which I imagine is fairly typical when starting any new job. I had been with my previous employer for a long time and commencing at a new school where I didn’t know the staff, students, and protocols/procedures was a daunting experience. King’s is a big school with many moving parts.

Meetings for new staff, held during lunch were also helpful for me in gaining an understanding of how things were done. Areas covered included the role of the school sergeant, Gowan Brae, reporting and report writing, the role and function of the CLL, boarding, and roles of the school executive.

Michael

Scott

Rodney

New Staff Induction

The on-line components of the program assisted by providing an opportunity to gain feedback from my Head of Department and my mentor. I found this particularly helpful. It also gave me the opportunity to consider and evaluate my teaching and learning practices and my engagement with the boys both within and outside the classroom.

The opportunity for me to visit and observe lessons taught by my Head of Department, other staff within my faculty and those outside of my teaching area, provided me with insights into teaching and learning practices that I found very helpful in the formation of my own pedagogy. This, coupled with the opportunity to have a number of my own classes observed has provided me with insights into my own teaching practices, giving me opportunity to further refine my craft.

How did a mentor help you in the above process?

Scott was very accessible and provided me with a great deal of support. His friendly, easy-going nature and willingness to help made him a pleasure to work with. Scott was proactive in letting me know when activities and tasks were taking place and assisted me to understand what was required of me. He provided me with an obvious point of contact when I had questions or concerns.

Rodney’s mentor was Mr Scott Hoppit. Scott is a highly experienced leader and teacher and below he reflects on his 2021 mentor experience with TKSTIP.

Describe the value of the new staff induction program at The King’s School.

As new teachers begin at King’s they are at varying levels of experience, ranging from highly experienced professionals, often with leadership roles, to fresh teachers in the early years of their career. The value of the new staff induction program at King’s is to provide essential information and support for new teachers and ensure they are high quality teachers that embrace the values of the school. The program provides information related to accreditation, the learning management system, the reporting process, house structure, boarding and residential life, behaviour management and other key policies, educational support, enrichment and extension, counselling services, the

areas and in the wider school community. A key feature of the program is for new staff to be put into small working groups and each group/member have an assigned new staff mentor to work with and be supported by as they transition into the school. New staff mentors work very closely with the new staff, acting to support and guide them at each stage of the program.

The program provides new staff with the opportunity to observe other teachers, both within and outside of their subject areas, to survey students/classes for feedback and to be observed, with open and constructive feedback being provided. New staff are observed by mentors and Heads of Departments and the reports and reviews given aim to ensure the pedagogy used provides our

co-curricular program, library resources and introduction to essential staff.

The information is delivered through a planned series of induction days and lunch meetings before and during Term 1. These meetings also provide new staff with the opportunity to meet as a group and support each other in this process. It is great to see the new staff build connections and networks within the new staff group and then broaden these within their departments, co-curricular

students with intellectual rigour, quality learning environments and authentic learning opportunities. These reports and reviews, along with new staff reflections, are used by the People and Culture department and the Professional Practice Leader as part of the staff probation and induction period.

In my experience new staff find the induction program to be extremely valuable. It welcomes and supports them,

“The program provides new staff with the opportunity to observe other teachers, both within and outside of their subject areas...”

allowing them to settle very quickly into school and focus on their classes and teaching. There is no doubt that teaching at King’s can be very busy and quite demanding. However, the assistance and guidance provided to new staff through this program helps them to manage their time and begin their life at King’s in the best possible way.

transition of the new staff into the school, especially in areas that are different or unique to King’s. Examples of this include our Cadet Corps program, the school timetable, House structure and boarding and day student environments. Mentors help new staff manage the wide variety of expectations that King’s has for staff and assist them to balance their teaching, co-

a range of roles, both inside and outside of the classroom, I feel well prepared to assist new staff and show how great working at King’s can be and how wonderful the young men we teach are. I find sharing my experiences, be it positive or challenging, can help new staff settle in very quickly and assist them in not being overwhelmed by their change of school and the highly demanding nature of the teaching role at King’s.

feel mentors are very important to new staff at King’s as they provide their staff with a ‘go to’ person for any information and support they may need. Mentors help make the transition of new staff into King’s to be as smooth and positive as possible. They guide and support all new staff during the induction program, whilst tailoring the guidance and support provided to suit the individual needs of the teacher. Mentors use their range of experiences at King’s to assist new staff navigate the year, planning ahead and ensuring their staff find a good work/ life balance. Mentors can also use their experience at King’s to greatly aid the

curricular and extracurricular activities. As mentors are always in a different teaching department to the mentee, they can offer a different perspective and the new staff can be confident that any questions asked, or information shared can be done with complete trust and privacy. It is essential for mentors and mentees to build strong rapport, especially when completing teaching observations and giving feedback as part of the reflection and review process.

Why do you enjoy being a mentor?

I greatly enjoy being a mentor as it gives me the opportunity to guide and support new staff as they begin working at King’s. Being able to help new staff has been incredibly rewarding both on a personal and professional level. Having worked at King’s for 20 years and having carried out

I greatly enjoy the class observations. Being able to observe a wide variety of teachers, teaching styles and techniques in different subject areas and provide constructive feedback, is excellent professional development. Personally, I take on various ideas and techniques to use in my own teaching and it’s great to see how our students respond to different teaching styles and in different subject areas. Hopefully, the feedback I provide my new staff is also of value to them as they continue to develop and refine their teaching. Equally, working with new staff to review their class survey results can be very insightful and the boys open and honest appraisal of their teachers and classroom environment offers extremely helpful feedback. Finally, it is very rewarding to see your new staff happy, enjoying their teaching and becoming highly valued members of the King’s community, especially as they take on new opportunities and higher-level roles.

The Head of the Computing Studies Department is Mr Michael Ienna and below he reflects on the value of the New Staff Induction Program in supporting new teachers within his department.

Why do you think new staff mentors are important to new staff at The King’s School?

I

“I greatly enjoy the class observations. Being able to observe a wide variety of teachers, teaching styles and techniques in different subject areas and provide constructive feedback, is excellent professional development.”

New Staff Induction

Describe the value of the new staff induction program at The King’s School.

The new staff induction program is a great initiative that allows new members of the King’s community to integrate themselves into the School. From a department standpoint, the program allows new staff to engage across faculties and experience a range of lessons and teaching styles via observations. As a HOD, it provides set time to allow us to work together and team teach in class and to begin to gain a greater understanding of our strengths and weaknesses as practitioners. These sessions allow us to set the foundations for further development.

What is the role of the HOD for a new staff member as a whole and within the new staff induction program?

As a HOD, I look to ensure that the transition of a new staff member is as seamless as possible. This differs based on a new staff member’s experience in the teaching field. This year, the Computing department welcomed a new staff member who is highly experienced and joined us from a fellow GPS school. In this situation, the staff member was very comfortable with the design and structure of King’s, so we spent our time looking at the new types of content covered and learnt from each other on the different styles and techniques that we use in class. At the end of the induction program, I hope that a staff member feels comfortable in the school and the department and that they are well on their way to working collaboratively and we are learning from each other.

These reflections on TKSTIP provide an insight into its value to a teacher’s successful integration into the King’s community. Over the next triennium, as we enrich the induction experience of newly employed teachers, TKSTIP will continue to be enhanced through the development of the KingsNet Induction Landing Page, the redevelopment of the professional practice ePortfolio and through the analysis of the teaching and learning ePortfolio data.

Peer Reviewed Publications/ Presentations by Staff 2021

definition, philosophical tenets and core elements of physical literacy: A scoping review. Prospects: Comparative Journal of Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment, 50: 31-53. [Citations = 11; IF = 0.483, Q3]

St. John, L., Dudley, D., & Cairney, J. (2021). A longitudinal examination of enjoyment of physical education in children with developmental coordination disorder through a physical literacy lens. Prospects: Comparative Journal of Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment, 50: 127-139. [Citations = 1; IF = 0.483, Q3]

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Dudley, D., Weaver, N., & Cairney, J. (2021). High-Intensity Interval Training and Health Optimizing Physical Education: Achieving health and educative outcomes in secondary physical education: A pilot non-randomized comparison trial. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 40(2): 215-227 [IF = 1.950; Q1]

Dudley, D., & Cairney, J. (2021). Physical Literacy - Answering the call for Quality Education and Sustainable Development.

Prospects: Comparative Journal of Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment, 50: 5-11. [IF = 0.483; Q3]

Martins, J., Onofre, M., Mota, J., Murphy, C., Repond, R., Vost, H., Cremosini, B., Svrdlim, A., Markovic., M., & Dudley, D. (2021). International approaches to the

Dudley, D., Dean, H., Cairney, J., & Van Bergen, P. (2021). Pedagogical constraints of physical literacy based on cognitive load theory. Prospects: Comparative Journal of Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment, 50: 151-164 [IF = 0.483; Q3]

Moore, B., Woodcock, S., & Dudley, D. (2021). Wellbeing warriors: A randomised controlled trial examining the effects of martial arts training on secondary students’ resilience. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(4): 13691394.

Books

Malpeli, R., Telford, A., Whittle, R., AntonHem, L., Stonehouse, C., Dudley, D., Fender, J., Vandervelde, K., Watkins, S., & Wild, E. (2021). Fit for Life! Levels 7 & 8 Health and Physical Education for the Victorian Curriculum. (2nd Ed). Nelson

Publishing: Melbourne‘ WINNER’ The 2021 Education Publishing Association Awards - Australia Category Winner: Student Resource – Junior – English/ Humanities/Languages/Arts/Technologies/ Health and Physical Education in the Secondary education category; Overall Winner: Secondary resource (judged the best resource out of all six categories)

Malpeli, R., Telford, A., Whittle, R., Anton-Hem, L., Stonehouse, C., Dudley, D., Fender, J., Vandervelde, K., Watkins, S., & Wild, E. (2021). Fit for Life! Levels 7 & 8 Health and Physical Education for the Victorian Curriculum - Workbook. (2nd Ed). Nelson Publishing: Melbourne

Commissioned Reports and Submission Statements

Dudley, D., & Long, G. (2021). Response to the ACARA Revised HPE Curriculum. 6 July 2021. Written on behalf of the Australasian Society for Physical Activity. 6 July 2021

Barnett, l., Ridgers, N., Lander, N., Dudley, D. (2021) VICSWIM EvaluationFinal Report. Deakin University. 30 June 2021

Keynote Speaker Events

KEYNOTE: Topic - ‘Physical LiteracyBuilding a Definition’ (2021): Erasmus+ Multiplier Event. University of Lisbon (Portugal) 6 November 2021

Associate Professor Dean Dudley, CF Director of The King’s Institute

Peer Reviewed Publications/ Presentations by Staff 2021

KEYNOTE: Topic - ‘Physical Literacy - A Game Changer in Education, Sport, & Public Health’ (2021): Erasmus+ Multiplier Event. University of Strasbourg (France) 17-19 October 2021

KEYNOTE: Topic - ‘Effective Physical Education Pedagogy that promotes the development of Physical Literacy’ (2021): Change the Game. Umea (Sweden) 21-24 September 2021

KEYNOTE: Topic - ‘What drives Quality Physical Education’ (2021): ConnectedPE Conference. Melbourne (Australia) 19 July 2021

KEYNOTE: Topic - ‘What drives Quality Physical Education - The Meta-Analysis to date’ (2021): Discovery Conference (Peak PhysEd). Melbourne (Australia) 29 March 2021

Dr. Vera Munro-Smith

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Martin, A. J., Ginns, P., Burns, E. C., Kennett, R., Munro-Smith, V., Collie, R. J., & Pearson, J. (2021). Assessing Instructional Cognitive Load in the Context of Students’ Psychological Challenge and Threat Orientations: A Multi-Level Latent Profile Analysis of Students and Classrooms. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Burns, E. C., Martin, A. J., Kennett, R. K., Pearson, J., & Munro-Smith, V. (2021). Optimizing science self-efficacy: A multilevel examination of the moderating effects of anxiety on the relationship between self-efficacy and achievement in science. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 64, 101937.

Martin, A. J., Burns, E. C., Kennett, R., Pearson, J., & Munro-Smith, V. (2021). Boarding and Day School Students: A Large-Scale Multilevel Investigation of Academic Outcomes Among Students and Classrooms. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3730.

Professor Peter Wilson

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Wilson, P. W., Park, T. L., Harrison-Day, B., Hinton, D., Nilssen, L., Rose, M., & Isles, S. (2021). Aquaculture Recovery in Shizugawa Bay, Japan: Post Tsunami Recovery. Asian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Research, 42-47.

Wilson, P. W., Park, T. L., Harrison-Day, B., Hinton, D., Nilssen, L., Rose, M., & Isles, S. (2021). Environmental and Economic Recovery Post-Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster: Isotope Characteristics and the Recovery of a Crippled Fisheries Industry. Journal of Scientific Research and Reports, 53-59.

Szydagis, M., Levy, C., Huang, Y., Kamaha, A. C., Knight, C. C., Rischbieter, G. R., & Wilson, P. W. (2021). Demonstration of neutron radiation-induced nucleation of supercooled water. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.

Keynote Speaker Events

Keynote address at Advancing Japan Australia Knowledge Exchange’ Workshop Presentation, Adelaide, Australia, 10 June 2021.

Professor Peter Wilson Leader of Science Education Leader of The Future Project

Dr. Vera Munro-Smith Director – The Future Project

The King’s Institute

Taylor Professional Practice and Accreditation Leader - The King’s Institute

Tracy Owen Operations Manager The King’s Institute

Danielle Ursinio Campus Support The King’s Institute

Gill Campus Support The King’s Institute

The King’s Institute is responsible for the professional learning needs of all King’s staff and determines the efficacy of those programs and research-driven interventions undertaken by King’s teachers with their students. The King’s Institute provides a range of services to staff including providing research syntheses, connecting them to best evidence practices, classroom-based research design, and opening up Higher Degree Research pathways.

The King’s Institute works collaboratively with other areas of the School to ensure the best quality accredited professional learning is made available to staff in a manner which is tailored to their specific teaching needs. The Institute nurtures career aspirations by supporting those staff who wish to develop and present accredited professional learning to their King’s colleagues and the wider teaching fraternity.

Melanie

Meera

Dean Dudley Director of The King’s Institute