Why is literacy important? (A lesson from 2020)
As far as books go, 2020 has turned into Margaret Wild’s ‘The Sloth Who Came to Stay.’ You know the picture story book about the busy family forced to adjust …
be the change
A Community transmission worth spreading
Olfactory memory. Have you ever smelled a smell and immediately been reminded of a place, person or thing from your past? That’s olfactory memory: the recollections of odours. For me, …
6 life changing leadership Lessons
One Thursday back in 2012, I received an email from the judging panel for the Lindsay Thompson Fellowship (a Victorian Education Excellence Award). They wanted to interview me the following …
Parent insights into the remote schooling experience (Part 1)
Victorian schools are one week into their remote learning journey, Queenslanders are starting today and other states are yet to begin. I thought this would be a good time to …
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Stress, anxiety and remote learning: What teachers need to know
“Change is the only constant in our lives.” Whoever said that quote sure knew what they were talking about! Our lives now change on a daily basis- yesterday we entered …
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New Zoom security features every teacher needs to know about
I’m on the Zoom train. I’ve been on it for the past 3 years and I have no plans of getting off any time soon. Now, I need to start …
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Tips for preparing student work during school closures
Australian teachers and schools have the ‘benefit’ (if you can call it that) of entering this challenging time a few weeks after many other countries. We therefore have the opportunity …
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Creating a supportive classroom culture
If we want our students to be risk takers in their learning, we must create an environment in our classroom where they feel safe to take risks. So much of …
Oz Lit Teacher
Oz Lit Teacher is a movement of sorts- it’s about sharing good quality mentor texts to help Australian teachers teach reading and writing. The whole concept of Oz Lit Teacher …
Learning to run, running to learn
I recently completed a 50km ultramarathon in Australia’s stunning Blue Mountains. With 2400 metres of ascent and descent and over 8130 stairs on the course, it was no easy feat! …