Education | Dan Haesler

The Revolution Won’t Necessarily Be Televised

Over the past month Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC, aired a four-part documentary called Revolution School in which it followed the staff and students of Kambrya College in Victoria throughout the course of 2015. The premise of the doco was that Kambrya was a struggling school – in 2008 its Year 12 results put it in the state’s bottom 10% of […]

Why the Federal Government’s Education Policy Misses The Mark…

With a fair amount of fanfare this week, Australia’s federal government announced that it would invest an additional $1.2 billion from 2018 to 2020 that would be tied to a needs-based distribution of funding and reforms in our schools to “help every parent have confidence that their child is receiving the teaching they require.” Most of the commentary […]

Why I’m supporting the ILF

First of all, thank you! Thank you to everyone who has already got a copy of my book #SchoolOfThought! I was blown away to wake up on Sunday to find it #2 in ‘Schools & Teaching’ on Kindle in Australia… behind the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Malala! If you get my newsletter you’ll be aware that […]

Gonski isn’t about getting more money…

In today’s Sun Herald, you may have come across a piece headlined, NSW public schools increasingly turning to cashed-up P&Cs for funding. In brief the article points out that: P&Cs are asking parents for annual voluntary contributions of $200 per child or more to help pay for education programs as well as iPads, upgrades to toilets and additional […]

Developing a Minecraft Mindset

What’s in this post: How I used Minecraft to discuss Mindset with kids for whom mainstream education doesn’t work Access to the materials I created in order for you to do similar if you wish Of late I’ve found myself working with kids from some fairly tough backgrounds. Whether it’s kids who are wards of the […]

Snake, Walkmans, Moments & School…

What do these three things have in common, and why on earth would I waste your time asking you that question? If you’re of a certain vintage you’ll be aware of just how amazing Nokia phones were. What’s that? You can’t remember? Check this out. Of course, Sony Walkmans were so popular even competitor’s offerings were referred to as Walkmans, […]

3 things you (probably) didn’t know about Finland

Every couple of years, the OECD publish a report from their Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Their findings are (very helpfully) compiled into league tables, charting the performance of each of the participating countries in maths, literacy and application of scientific knowledge. These tables are then used to fuel media stories like this one, which […]

Stop Blaming ‘The System’

I often get asked to speak about engagement. I outline that four key considerations are essential if we are to genuinely engage kids (and staff) in our schools. They are: establishing good relationships, developing a sense of autonomy, encouraging mastery and having a bigger purpose than just chasing grades. Sometimes I hear that whilst these ideals are admirable – […]

5 Key Takeaways about Student Wellbeing

A couple of weeks ago the Centre for Education Statistics & Evaluation released their literature review into Student Wellbeing. You can access the entire document here. It clearly and concisely lays out all the considerations important for addressing student wellbeing in your school. It also offers dozens of research papers to explore by way of referencing. Having said that, if […]

The Problem(s) With (most) Professional Learning

A while back I gained accreditation from NSW BOSTES to deliver workshops for which teachers who attended could claim hours against the teaching standards. When I mentioned this to my old man in the UK he said, “Oh no! You’re not one them tossers now are you?” He’s been an accountant for his entire working […]

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