Up until around 12 months ago – unless you were a tennis fanatic – you’d probably not heard of Stanislas Wawrinka. The reason being, Stan is the second best tennis player in Switzerland. The best being… oh you know. Anyway, it was at the 2014 Australian Open when Wawrinka was drawn against Novak Djokovic – a bloke who had […]
Read MoreJohn Hattie, the author of the much quoted Visible Learning was recently appointed by the Federal Government to the Chairmanship of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. In today’s Australian Newspaper, an article by Jennifer Buckingham from the Centre for Independent Studies said, Last week, Hattie indicated things were going to change in teacher education under […]
Read MoreRecently I was chatting to a principal about what we would look for in potential staff members if we had the opportunity to build a school from scratch. I scribbled down some notes, and later copied them onto my Tablet. I tweeted it out on my #DoodlesByDan tag and within about 2 hours it had […]
Read MoreIf I had a business coach – which I don’t, but if I did – they would probably smack me around the chops for writing a post like this. But hey… what the heck, here goes! You, or your school shouldn’t work with me if: 1. You’re just ticking a box. I was approached by […]
Read More1. We’re innovative. The kids all have iPads. To do what? To do what you already did quicker, more efficiently or on a larger scale? In many schools the power of the iFad or whatever technology has been wheeled into the school is compromised by the way in which they’re allowed or – more importantly – […]
Read MoreMy latest #OffCampus segment for the TERPodcast focused on how schools measure their success, and whether or not we need a rethink. You can listen to it here. I touched on some broad themes, that each on their own could speak to your schools strategic plan for the next 5 years… you have one right? […]
Read MoreThis is my latest #talkingpoints video. It’s designed to act as a stimulus for discussion in your school. What’s the attrition rate in your school? Is it something that is ever discussed? For more reading on this, check out this article I wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald last year, as well as this one (not […]
Read MoreA couple of weeks ago, I asked a room full of Australian teachers if they’d heard of Sir Ken Robinson. One person tentatively raised their hand – and even then, he didn’t seem too sure. I was seriously taken aback, not least because I use Sir Ken’s name in some of my promotional material! Dan […]
Read MoreThere’s a reason I started to take my then three-year-old son to swimming lessons. It’s because, left unattended, he would have – most likely – jumped in the deep end without the pre-requisite skills to live to tell the story. Neither he or his mum were too keen on that scenario. Hence the weekly lessons. Just […]
Read MoreI love getting feedback. After each speaking engagement or facilitated workshop, I seek feedback from those who attended and from those who engaged me for the gig. I enjoy receiving positive feedback (obviously) but it’s the feedback that suggests improvements, or points to flaws in my delivery that push me to be better at what […]
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