This week Pete (@mr_van_w) and John (@jfcatto) find some synergy in their holistic digital projections. Embracing the uber-efficient strategic programming of a blended asset matrix approach to "blue-sky" policy processing. It's king of our brand.
They also talk about the culture of teacher "wellbeing"; both within a personal and school-wide context.
Pete: Building a Positive Staff Culture Takes Work - Mary Davenport
https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-positive-staff-culture-takes-work
John: Why it's important to switch off from work - Rebecca Vukovic
https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/why-its-important-to-switch-off-from-work
"Wellbeing" is a weasel word [sic] - @RobWard79
https://twitter.com/RobWard79/status/998072612235415552
Apologies for the sound quality this week. The work experience kid (John) was left in charge of monitoring the audio. The self absorbed millennial that he is only really listened to himself, who sounds great BTW - On reflection, I'm not sure that was even an apology.
This week Pete (@mr_van_w) talks about Malcolm Roberts' idea to restrict K-3 teaching to cover only Literacy/English and Maths/Numeracy. By his reasoning, these concepts are mostly interchangable and isolated to any context. Pete has other thoughts.
John (@jfcatto) looks at the difference between item teaching and curriculum teaching. Apparently one is good for students learning and the other raises school results. Unsurprisingly, Pete thinks that one of these is more important than the other.
Pete: Malcolm Roberts Academic Review
John: Why Teaching to the Test is Educational Malpractice - Steven Singer
https://gadflyonthewallblog.com/2016/11/03/why-teaching-to-the-test-is-educational-malpractice/
This week Pete (@mr_van_w) examines the tempting lure of building lessons around the current fad in student culture. This happens to be Fortnite at the moment, it was Pokemon a couple of years ago and it will be something else next time you teach the topic.
John (@jfcatto) highlights the need for teachers old and new to have a mentor to support them and their teaching. #findyourmarigold
Pete: Teachers and Parents Share Stories From Inside the 'Fortnite' Phenomenon - Patrick Klepak
Forego Fortnite - Doug Robertson
https://hestheweirdteacher.blogspot.com.au/2018/05/forego-fortnite.html
John: Every Teacher Needs a Mentor - Heather Walport-Gawron
Pete (@mr_van_w) talks about anxiety and depression and its effect on teacher burnout. Sometimes maybe a change is as good as a holiday and experiences may vary.
John (@jfcatto) delves into some of Australia's Chief Scientist's criticism of the ATAR.
Pete: Breakdown, reach out, recover - Victoria @mrshumanities
https://teacher5adaybuddybox.com/2017/04/18/breakdown-reachout-recover/
John: ATAR should be simplified or even abolished, says chief scientist Alan Finkel - Michael Koziol
This week John (@jfcatto) brings in an article that he is really conflicted about and put down to the difference in application of Flipped Learning rather than the pedagogy itself.
Pete (@mr_van_w) managed to finish the full 150 pages of Gonski 2.0 (BTW in no way building upon or related to any other reports that may have been written by the same person and referred to by a very similar name) and gives us his take on the key recommendations.
John: Is Flipped Learning looking at education the wrong way? - Melanie Ralph @lustreeducation
https://au.educationhq.com/news/47871/is-flipped-learning-is-looking-at-education-the-wrong-way/
Pete: Through Growth to Achievement - David Gonski et. al.
https://www.appa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/20180430-Through-Growth-to-Achievement_Text.pdf
John (@jfcatto) and Pete (@mr_van_w) are back from holidays to answer listener questions that have been coming in over the last couple of weeks.
Despite John's "fat voice" https://youtu.be/1urXgf0gilg they manage to talk about:
New website: https://sites.google.com/view/catfish2
Old website: https://sites.google.com/site/catfisheducation/