The Educhange Podcast

Beth is currently the Technologies and Innovation Specialist at Coomera Anglican College, and previously worked with ACARA, and was responsible for the implementation of Australian Curriculum in Digital technologies for the North Queensland cluster of schools. We spoke with Beth earlier in the year about about how we teach technologies well, what is happening at Coomera Anglican College, and about her experiences of working with ACARA.

Last week, the Victorian Government announced a school banking ban over accusations the banks were using inappropriate tactics in the programs. With calls for other states to follow, this week on The Educhange Podcast we're talking about financial literacy. We're joined by Fiona Guthrie, the Chief Executive of Financial Counselling Australia, and we discuss how we, as educators, can be be preparing our students for the real world. 

Tony Vallance is a Learning Specialist at Lilydale High School. Tony is passionate about bridging the gap between theory and practice, and developing learning opportunities rooted in the real world with practical applications. In this episode, we talk to Tony about STEAMWorks - a tech learning space he created at the school. We also hear about Tony's mantra in education. 

Our guest today is Phil Cummins. Phil an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Tasmania, an integral part of the School for Tomorrow and the managing director of the Circle Education group.  The collective conversation this week is: 'Do we spend enough time educating for our students' character?' Charles chats with Phil about character education pedagogy and how we embed character education into all the learning and teaching that's going on at our school.

Our guest today is Yasodai Selvakumaran. Yaso is a Humanities Teacher and Relieving Head Teacher in Professional Practice at Rooty Hill High School in Sydney's west. In 2019 Yaso was named as one of the world's top 10 teachers in the Global Teacher Prize, an award that recognises exceptional teachers who have made outstanding contributions to the teaching profession. In this episode, we talk about why we teach, and what is it that drives our teaching philosophy. You're also going to hear from a few EC community members who shared with us why they teach and what drives them.  Join our collective conversations on our socials to join the conversation. 

Today we're joined by Nadeem Memon and Dylan Chown. Both from the University of South Australia, Dylan and Nadeem have been working with how we can value and use the cultures of our students to enhance their learning. In this conversation we as what is Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and how can we use culture in the classroom. 

We have some exciting news to share about what is to come in season 8 of the educhange podcast! Listen to find out about our new co-host and how you can get involved this season! 

2020 is the most disruptive year learners have had to endure in decades. Overnight, teachers and students switched to remote education and all of a sudden parents are really key to facilitating learning. In this Educhange podcast mini series, we talk with six experts in keeping learning going. Today, our guest is Shanaj Begum. Shanaj is a mother of three children, two in secondary and one in primary. Shanaj is also currently completing her final year of a law degree. In this episode, we talk about the role of parents in facilitating learning from home, what has been great, and what has been challenging. 

2020 is the most disruptive year learners have had to endure in decades. Overnight, teachers and students switched to remote education and all of a sudden parents are really key to facilitating learning. In this Educhange podcast mini series, we talk with six experts in keeping learning going. Our guest today is Aaron Tait. Aaron is a dad, a military veteran, an author, an entrepreneur and a co-founder of Y-gap and Education Changemakers. At EC Aaron brings real diversity to the team with his leadership experience and out-of-the-box entrepreneurial thinking. Today, I chat with Aaron about pivoting and adapting to change, and why entrepreneurial thinking is more important now than ever.

2020 is the most disruptive year learners have had to endure in decades. Overnight, teachers and students switched to remote education and all of a sudden parents are really key to facilitating learning. In this Educhange podcast mini series, we talk with six experts in keeping learning going. In this episode, our guests are Russell Cailey, the principal of Think Global school, and Grace, a year 11 student at the school. Russell and I talk about place based learning from home and keeping students engaged and motivated. We also hear from Grace about how learning has changed for her, and the challenges faced with remote place based learning.

2020 is the most disruptive year learners have had to endure in decades. Overnight, teachers and students switched to remote education and all of a sudden parents are really key to facilitating learning. In this Educhange podcast mini series, we talk with six experts in keeping learning going. In this episode, our guest is Dave Faulkner, the CEO and co-founder of Education Changemakers. Dave has been the regional director for one of Australia's largest and sparsely populated regions and leads our remote workforce at EC. Maddie and Dave talk about great remote staff culture and how to run great professional learning online.

2020 is the most disruptive year learners have had to endure in decades. Overnight, teachers and students switched to remote education and all of a sudden parents are really key to facilitating learning.  In this Educhange podcast mini series, we talk with six experts in keeping learning going.  In this episode, our guest is Sarah Dohl. Sarah is the Middle School Leader of Katherine School of the Air. Kathrine School of the Air has over 50 years of experience in designing and delivering remote learning. 

In this episode, we speak to students about their experiences and their future in STEM. 

We've partnered with Catholic Education South Australia to bring you this mini series on STEM education. In this episode, we speak with Jon Soong, the CEO and Co-founder of Makers Empire, a company in Adelaide that helps K-8 educators teach Design Thinking, STEM and 21st-century learning skills using 3D printing and 3D design. We chat to Jon about the role 3D printing and design can play in STEM education and STEM careers, and about his professional experiences in STEM and entrepreneurship.

We've partnered with Catholic Education South Australia to bring you this mini series on STEM education. Professor Karen Reynolds is the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering and the Director of The Medical Device Research Institute at Flinders University. Karen is a biomedical engineer and is a leader in the field having been awarded the Women In Innovation Award for engineering in 2016. In this conversation with Karen, we speak about the E in STEM and her work in the biomedical field.

We've partnered with Catholic Education South Australia to bring you this mini series on STEM education. Professor Thomas Lowrie is Centenary Professor at the University of Canberra and Director of the STEM Education Research Centre where he leads a team undertaking groundbreaking research in STEM education, using innovative technology to assist children's learning. We speak with Tom about his passion for maths education and the role of STEM learning and digital literacy in classrooms today.

We've partnered with Catholic Education South Australia to bring you this mini series on STEM education. In this episode, we speak to Flavia Tata Nardini, the CEO and Co-founder of Adelaide-based Fleet Space Technologies, a company on a mission to change Earth from Space through creating a digital nervous system that will connect every single device on our planet. Join us for this conversation where we discuss rocket science, the Internet of Things, and the value of female leadership in STEM industries.

We've partnered with Catholic Education South Australia to bring you this mini series on STEM education. Professor Martin Westwell is the Chief Executive of the SACE Board, South Australia's curriculum and assessment authority. Martin had an illustrious career in the biotechnology industry, in science innovation and in science education. In this episode, Martin speaks about the value of STEM education and how we can support young people through learning as they engage in a constantly changing world.

Take a listen to find out about an exciting collaboration we've had with Catholic Education South Australia and our first mini series focussed on STEM education. 

Justin Robinson is the inaugural Director of the Institute of Positive Education, based at Geelong Grammar School. He leads a team dedicated to promoting the theory and practice of Positive Education through research and providing training for other educators. In the four years since its launch, the Institute has delivered more than 200 training courses, which have been attended by more than 10,000 educators, representing more than 1,000 schools from around the world.  The ripple effect of this training has been experienced by well over 250,000 students.  Justin is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education and was listed in The Educator's 2017 Hot List. He lives with his wife Jeanette and their four children on the Corio campus of Geelong Grammar School.

Valerie Campbell-Hogg is the founder and CEO of Silkwood School, a school in the hinterland of the Gold Coast in Australia that approaches learning differently. With a background in business and personal development, and when her two young children were of school age, finding an inspiring educational experience seemed difficult, and so Valerie set up her own school. From humble beginnings in 1999 with 2 students in a rented house, Silkwood School now has over 600 students from Prep to Year 12 and they've built their own educational model. 

Rob Steffler is the Dean of Studies and Director of The DeLorean Project at Glasshouse Christian College, a P-12 Independent School on the Sunshine Coast. Based on his passion of providing students with explicit opportunities to develop the capabilities and skills they will need to effectively navigate their way through the workforce of the future, Rob and his team innovated a new Year 10 curriculum. In this podcast, Rob shares The DeLorean Project with us and we explore the framework and learning structures that make this an authentic, community-supported, student-directed opportunity.

Nicola Bone is the founder of Sound Off Schools, a mindfulness and well-being program currently sweeping through Queensland schools. Based in Brisbane Australia, Sound Off Schools are guiding students through mindfulness practices to help deal with increasing levels of mental health issues in the classroom. Nicola Bone is a gun - she worked both in public health and as a teacher before founding Sound Off Schools. In this episode we speak about the connection between mindfulness and mental illness, and how we can better support thousands of school students.

Sue Karzis is CEO of State Schools' Relief in Victoria, Australia. State Schools' Relief is a not-for-profit organisation that was established to provide financial assistance to students and families in order to promote school attendance and achievement. To date they have supported hundreds of thousands of young Victorian students and their families. Sue has been the CEO of State Schools' Relief since 2017 and has a varied career in leadership across organisations like Monash University and Trinity College where she has led Student Services, Partnerships and Engagement.

Linnea Garrett is Principal of Chicago Tech Academy High School (Chi-Tech). Under her leadership, Chi-Tech is the only high school in the district implementing whole school project-based learning. During her time at Chi-Tech, Linnea has led and supported the development of a real-world learning program where students understand the connection between education and career and gain both access and exposure to career opportunities through weekly power lunches and internships in a variety of Chicago businesses.

Think Global School is a travelling high school where students live in four countries every year, making unforgettable connections between their education and the world around them. In this episode, we talk to Jamie Stekart, Head of School, about the role of project-based, place-based and mastery learning in a constantly changing world. Jamie has been a teacher, principal, superintendent and Outward Bound Expeditionary Learning Instructor, and has a passion for collaborative leadership and listening to the voices of students.

Joanne McEachen is the Global New Measures Director for New Pedagogies for Deep Learning and has led the development of a system of tools to measure “deep learning”. In this episode we unpack how we can better measure the components of learning we truly value, rather than the learning that is easiest to measure. Joanne is also the CEO and Founder of The Learner First, her organisation which privileges the lens of the least-served learners to revolutionise the measurement, assessment, teaching and learning across whole system change. She has worked with schools and districts to both design learning that works for each individual learner and to know how it works. Joanne has been a teacher, principal, super-intendant and national change leaders in New Zealand and around the world, and has co-authored five books, including her latest, ‘Measuring Human Return - Understand and Assess What Really Matters for Deep Learning'.

In the wake of the Christchurch shooting and the tragedies in Sri Lanka over the Easter long weekend, there is no time like the present to talk about fostering intercultural capabilities, respect and curiosity over fear with our students.Jessica Swann is the Outreach Program Manager at Benevolence Australia, and in this interview we explore the methods she uses to demystify Islam with teachers and students in schools.  

Aaron Mabikafola is a passionate and award-winning educator who is on staff at Bethany Christian College, Adelaide, South Australia. With 20 years of experience as a music and classroom teacher, Aaron's love for story­-telling, the arts and experience as a photographer, graphic designer, film maker, musician, producer and songwriter, continue to be shared with students in his role as the school's Media Arts teacher. 

Dr Glenn Savage is a Senior Lecturer in Education Policy and Sociology of Education at the University of Western Australia. His current research examines the development of national schooling reforms and how policies in systems impact on ideas and practices in schools. He is also a Senior Honorary Fellow in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. In this interview we unpack the Australian education report, Gonski 2.0, and its implications for teachers and school leaders, along with the relationship between policy and practice globally. 

Jake Plaskett is an innovative, self-confessed project-based learning evangelist who has been living in Australia since 2013. In his time here he has worked at MLC School in Sydney at a PBL Specialist Teacher, with the Department of Education in NSW, as the Coordinator of Innovation and Learning at Rosebank College, and at the time of interview, was the Director of Learning Innovation at Ruyton Girls' School in Melbourne. Jake's experience as a former student at High Tech High and then a teacher of Maths and Music at High Tech High ignited his passion for PBL pedagogy, and in this episode we unpack the benefits and a few of the challenges involved in project-based teaching and learning.

Melissa Moore is Deputy Principal at Rototuna Junior High School in Waikato, New Zealand, a state school that is pushing boundaries with integrated learning design. In this episode we explore the development of their integrated learning framework, the importance of Maori culture in informing the design and Rototuna Junior High School's commitment to measuring the learning they value.

Welcome to Season 5 of the Educhange Podcast. We're looking forward to dropping our first episode for the season on Saturday!

Dr. Lindsa McIntyre is currently the inspiring headmaster of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, located in the heart of the “promise neighborhood” of Boston. As a school leader, she has helped transform the Burke into a positive learning environment of love, becoming the first high school in Massachusetts to exit Turnaround status. In 2011 she was honoured by the Freedom House as a Champion of Freedom. At EC18, she sat down with our CEO and co-founder Dave Faulkner to talk through her inspirational work.

Laura McBain is the co-director of the K12 Lab at the Stanford University d.school. She is an accomplished educator, having led deeper learning approaches in education through her contributions at High Tech High, a network of 14 schools based in San Diego, California. In this recent conversation with Nicole Dyson at EC18, she shares how educators can use the process of design and empathy to enable powerful learning for students, especially by deploying a project-based approach that engages and empowers.

Daniel Flynn is the co-founder of Thankyou. Starting in social entrepreneurship at the ripe old age of 19, he continues to drive Thankyou's vision to see global poverty eradicated with the goal to help millions of people in need. An ‘ideas man' through and through, Daniel is a big advocate for living out your dreams. In this recent conversation with our co-founder Aaron Tait at EC18, he discusses why social entrepreneurship is so important and how teachers make a difference. 

Brad Milne and Hamish Barclay are Assistant Principals at St Thomas of Canterbury College in New Zealand. They are working to evolve learning approaches for their school by focusing on shifting pedagogy and implementing innovative practice. They share their insights with Maddie Scott-Jones on how gamification and inquiry learning can be used to engage and empower, changing what learning can be for students. Both Brad and Hamish have completed Post Grad studies in Applied Practice and Digital Learning.

Jonathon Cook is currently an advanced skills teacher at Austins Ferry Primary School in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Apart from being a 5/6 teacher, he is also in charge of transition, career focused learning and STEM at the school. He's in the early part of his career having been teacher for 10 years, with experience teaching in the Kimberly region, rural parts of Tasmania and in Hobart. Passionate about bringing equity to all kids in the state, we discuss what it takes to lift engagement in schools.

Chonny is the Director of Wellbeing at Presbyterian Ladies' College in Perth, Western Australia. In her role, Chonny has been charged with leading the work of the groundbreaking PLC Lighthouse, a $10.5 million health and wellness center for students from pre-kindergarten to Year 12. The Lighthouse is made up of three floors, each with a distinct purpose and focus and seeks to fully embed personalised wellbeing and positive education into the core work of the school.

Professor Adrian Piccoli was the NSW Minister for Education between 2011 and 2017. During these six years, he led significant education reform in NSW and nationally. His advocacy for quality teaching, needs-based funding for schools and improving the performance of rural and remote students see him regarded as one of the best education ministers in Australia. He holds degrees in economics and law and is now the director of the Gonski Institute for Education at UNSW, and Professor in the School of Education.

Samaira Mehta is a 10 year old entrepreneur from California in the US. At the age of 7, Samaira invented a coding board game which she has taught over 2000 children to play so far. Samaira has started an initiative to teach coding to underrepresented girls called ‘Girls U Code', and to recognise her important work has received letters from The White House. She is passionate about helping everyone to be excited about coding, programming and STEM, and through her work she helps to bridge the gender gap in technology.

Iain Taylor is the principal of Manurewa Intermediate, a middle school with 850 students outside of Auckland, New Zealand. 45% of students identify as Pasifika and 35% as Maori and today we unpack exactly what Iain and his leadership team did to transform Manurewa Intermediate into one of the best intermediate schools in the country, winning the Prime Minister's Education Excellence Supreme Award in 2017. Iain is also joining us on the EC18 stage on 2nd October in Melbourne. 

Dr. Lindsa McIntyre is currently the inspiring headmaster of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, located in the heart of the “promise neighborhood” of Boston. As a school leader, she has helped transform the Burke into a positive learning environment of love, becoming the first high school in Massachusetts to exit Turnaround status. In 2011 she was honoured by the Freedom House as a Champion of Freedom. She will be delivering one of the keynote for our EC18 conference in Melbourne on October 2nd.

A quick preview of our some of our season three episodes as well as our annual learning Event, Educhange 2018. Held in Melbourne on October 2nd, it'll see hundred of educators come together to learn, connect and innovate. To find out more, head to educhange.com.au

Jim Watterston is currently the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. He began this role in January after many successful years leading education systems around Australia, including most recently in the role of Director-General of the Queensland Department of Education and Training. He has also led education as Director General of the ACT and as a Deputy Secretary in Victoria. We discuss leadership, teacher training and the need to reconceptualise education.

Alice was a passionate head of department in a Melbourne school before she shared her love for food and education as a contestant on Season Four of Masterchef. Since then, there has been a children's cook book, children's TV series, regular radio appearances and a stint as food editor for The Weekly Review. Alice discusses her insights as an educator on food as well as her new project, Phenonenom, a curriculum-aligned digital food education resource for primary teachers. 

Larry Rosenstock is President, CEO and Founding Principal of High Tech High, a network of thirteen incredible public charter schools K-12 in California. With a remarkable career in education receiving the Ford Foundation Innovations Award, an Ashoka Fellowship, and the McGraw Prize in Education, he has also served as an attorney at the Harvard Center for Law and Education and as a visiting professor at UC Berkley. We explore the philosophy of HTH that has lead to quality learning and outcomes for students.

Beverley Oliver is the Alfred Deakin Professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Deakin University. A leader in innovative student learning and experience in the higher education sector, she leads the university's drive to premium digital education and is an expert on graduate employability, skills and capabilities, digital credentialing, curriculum reform and digital innovation. We discuss the fascinating and evolving field of higher education and the knowledge and skills we need for this changing world.

Cally is a Deputy Principal at Bundaberg State High School up in Queensland, Australia, and the EC team were lucky enough to meet her in 2016 when Cally took part in the Changemaker Program. Cally is an incredibly passionate educator who is particularly focussed on changing the game for kids who are disengaged and sometimes school refusing, and is all about helping them to reengage with the education system.

Max Stossel is the Head of Content & Storytelling for the Center for Humane Technology, an organization of former tech insiders and CEOs dedicated to realigning technology with humanity's best interests. Before joining CHT, Max was a media strategist, spending more time learning the ins and outs of the facebook algorithm than any human should. He is also an award winning poet and filmmaker and his work has spanned across 14 languages, won two Webby Awards and consistently gets millions of views. Today we chat about the implications of technology for our modern world and the learners in our classrooms.  

With a successful career in industry behind him, Dave is now a Year 9-13 Metal Technology teacher in Whakatane, NZ, at Trident High School. In 2016, he was one of 6 teachers across NZ to be presented with a National Excellence in Teaching award by the Minister for Education. Dave is passionate about sustainability and empowering young people, and he leads brilliant learning with his senior metal technology students who co-design and build solutions for powering the school with renewable energy sources.