Brian's Blog

Taking a Leap of Faith Earlier this week, a friend of mine based in Ontario, Canada, Chris Quinn sent out a post reminding us of Trisan Bishops quote, “Good leaders get to the heart of the matter. Great leaders get to the matters of the heart”. Chris went on to elaborate this by saying, “Leading from the heart… sharing compassion, empathy, kindness… while taking people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be… and showing others how it’s done!” This message got me thinking, if I want to lead from the heart and show others the type of educational landscape I want to see, I need to continue to take leaps of faith balancing risk and wellbeing while crafting this trust-based transformation.  In this post, I don’t have all the answers; however, I have tried to pen some thoughts on what we as professionals need to do to maintain our personal integrity, embrace calculated risks, and make commitment to serving others so that educational excellence is truly achieved. I am mi...

Reigniting Our Passion and Purpose in Education. Teaching is a noble and transformative profession, but even the most passionate educators can experience periods of dryness – those moments when inspiration seems elusive, and the spark of creativity fades. Yet, within these challenging times lies an opportunity for educators to reenergise themselves, rediscover their sense of awe, and create remarkable learning experiences that have a lasting impact on their students. In this blog post, I will explore strategies to overcome such dry spells, harness the power of personal passions, and delve into the profound impact of nurturing relationships between educators, students, and their families. Moving Beyond Frustrations Frustrations are a natural part of any profession, and education is no exception. From administrative hurdles, losses in sporting fixtures (yes, like most Australians, I got on the Matildas bandwagon and I feel devastated for them knowing the time, effort and passion they put...

  The Potential of Personal! In the evolving landscape of education, the concept of personalised learning has gained considerable attention. This pedagogical approach tailors the learning experience to cater to the unique needs, interests, and strengths of individual students. With its origin deeply grounded in academic research, personalised learning holds the opportunity to transform the classroom into a dynamic environment that fosters engagement, motivation, and deep understanding supporting the student to flourish academically, socially and emotionally. Academic Backing for Personalised Learning Research consistently highlights the advantages of personalised learning in the primary classroom. According to Black and Wiliam (2010), students thrive when their educational experience aligns with their personal interests and preferences. Hattie (2012) emphasises that by catering to learners' needs and strengths, educators can improve students' academic performance and confidence...