CENTRE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE & RESEARCH Empowering teachers through coaching and mentoring
It follows that if Each boy at his best is the College mission statement, then each teacher will need to be at his or her best.
From left: Katie Southworth, Warren Lidstone, Nicole Billante, Graeme Swanson and Joe Eccleton
As part of the evolving and developing school community, and as an outcome of the 2016–17 curriculum review, College has established the Centre for Teaching Excellence & Research, which aims to support and empower teachers through a coaching and mentoring model. The Centre, under the direction of Assistant Principal – Curriculum Joe Eccleton, is tasked with the continuous improvement of teaching and learning at College through collaboration and leadership, action research, coaching and mentoring. “We have exceptional teachers at College, teachers who are prepared to make significant personal
sacrifices to ensure that our boys have every opportunity to succeed. And I am aware that it will be our teachers’ skills, institutional knowledge, and motivation that will be the key factors that will enable better outcomes for our boys. “One of the results of the curriculum review was that our staff wanted more time to collaborate with their peers. It’s for this reason that we’ve set up the Centre and within it established four Heads of Teaching & Learning, each carrying responsibility for a specific area of the curriculum,” says Joe. Science, Physical Education and Health is the domain of Graeme Swanson; Humanities and English
fall to Nicole Billante; Warren Lidstone is head of Arts, Technology and Modern Languages; and Katie Southworth is head of Mathematics and Commerce. Joe says that the first goal for the Centre will be identifying what best practice looks like at College and then to develop a common understanding of best practice among the staff. This will entail the Heads of Teaching & Learning observing classes, running think tanks with staff and students, visiting other schools and analysing the most current and relevant international theoretical research. “It’s about growth mindsets and ensuring there is self-awareness; it’s
College Issue 34 2018
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