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Recently 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 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 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 […]
Read MoreI joined Twitter over three years ago. One of the first educators I followed was @cpaterso – or Cameron Paterson, as I’m assuming it says on his passport. His then-bio appealed to me. It was something along the lines of hating grades and – I think in the metaphorical rather than literal sense – wanting to […]
Read MoreI wrote this for my weekly Generation Next column. According to Saturday’s Sydney Morning Herald, “Stuffed toys that help children deal with ‘difficult emotions’ are being spruiked as a means to ‘assist with the stress of NAPLAN.’” As an aside, it does seem ironic that the PR firm pushing these toys is called Evil Twin. Now, I understand that […]
Read MoreSo there I was on Monday, enjoying my first morning in Copenhagen when I stumbled across a protest taking place outside the Danish Parliament. A group of teachers were protesting what is known as “The Lockout.” Essentially – and I think this is right – based on my conversations with the teachers protesting and press […]
Read MoreWhen I’m in schools, I always recognise that the teachers I’m working with are the experts on their school. As well as being expert educators, they understand the idiosyncrasies of their colleagues, leaders, students and wider community. However, what I’m finding more and more is that within schools, teacher “expertise” is often not recognised outside […]
Read MoreFor the most part, I believe that kids tend to rise or fall based on the expectations of the adults in their life. Last year, I was reminded of the book, ‘Pygmalion in the Classroom’ when I attended a workshop by James Nottingham. The book describes an experiment carried out in a US elementary school to […]
Read MoreI’d imagine a few things would come to mind if I asked this question to a room of teachers. Some of the answers, I’m sure would be pretty funny – if a little inappropriate. However, yesterday I was reading this article by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter FitzSimons, discussing the merits of Des Hasler’s coaching […]
Read MoreOriginally posted on The ABC Drum. In the wake of two teenagers being shot by police in Kings Cross, The Sydney Morning Herald has been running a series of articles focusing on the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. The facts presented by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics within the articles are startling. As a result of a […]
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