Educators from across the State come together to deepen Science of Learning knowledge

Almost 1,300 educators throughout the State gathered to learn from some of the Nation’s most innovative educational thought leaders and practitioners at the second All System Day for 2023.

The event comprised an innovative mix of keynote presentations, interactive sessions and curated masterclasses, with elements presented live and streamed across venues in Devonport, Launceston, Hobart, Queenstown and Rosebery.

The Insight team were delighted to welcome education experts Leila Bothams, a leading Principal from Western Australia, Jordan O’Sullivan, HITP In Action coach for Secondary Colleges, Oliver Lovell, Toni Hatten-Roberts and Michael Roberts, HITP In Action coaches for Primary and Dr Lorraine Hammond AM as our All System Day presenters.

The presenters were supported by our Insight team Subject Matter Experts: Rebecca Prenter, Simon Eade and Lisa Fenning, who led the interactive sessions.

Dr Gerard Gaskin said the event was designed to deepen knowledge in the Science of Learning and Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction to inform the teaching that happens in every classroom across the system.

“We join with our educational peers today because we want to grow in our content-knowledge and pedagogical capability – to embed the Science of Learning in every dimension of our work,” he said.

Thank you to all those who attended and contributed to making this professional learning day such a success.

Feedback from both staff and presenters in attendance has been uplifting and we look forward to seeing everyone again for the next event in October.

Highlights

Leila’s session covered the vision and strategies she employed to establish a high-performing, high-care secondary school in outer metropolitan Perth. Her case study evidenced that when a compelling vision for excellence in learning and teaching is backed up by an uncompromising focus on high-impact strategies, school performance can exceed expectations.

Jordan O’Sullivan presented a masterclass on Sequencing Concepts and Modelling, which included a deep dive into Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction which aim to reduce working memory burden: Present New Material Using Small Steps (Principle 2), Provide Models (Principle 4), and Provide Scaffolds for Difficult Tasks (Principle 8).

Oliver Lovell’s masterclass highlighted “What’s the point of questioning?”, and how educators can use accountable questioning. Participants had the opportunity to create their own hinge question as part of the complementary interactive session.

Toni Hatten-Roberts followed with a masterclass on effective questioning and the myriad strategies teachers can embrace when refining and modelling checking for understanding.

In her keynote, Dr Lorraine Hammond discussed the intricacies of teaching spelling, and how explicit direct instruction supports student learning.

Finally, Dr Gerard Gaskin’s masterclass detailed the meticulous work of one of the most influential educational thinkers of our time E.D Hirsch Jr.

High Impact Teaching Practice kicks off at 24 schools

Over 133 teachers and leaders across Catholic Education Tasmania’s schools have commenced the highly anticipated High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP) In Action course.

Participants will work closely with education experts and exemplary teachers to learn about effective teaching pedagogy based on the Science of Learning, and how they can implement these approaches in the classroom.

All teachers will receive several days of professional learning over the course of the year, which includes learning more about the science of learning theory, watching exemplar teachers demonstrate practices, rehearse using the methodologies themselves and then receive specific coaching feedback on how they could improve.

Between the formal sessions, teachers will be encouraged to continue implementing the practices in their classrooms and reflect on how they might use their new approach across all subject areas.

Secondary Schools and Colleges will be working with Jordan O’Sullivan from Shaping Minds and his team of expert teachers.

Primary Schools will be working with Michael Roberts and Toni Hatten-Roberts from COGLearn. Primary School leaders have also commenced their leadership mentoring with Michael Roberts, a former principal who has implemented Science of Learning teaching in several schools throughout Queensland, to assist in planning the roll out at their school.

To learn more about HITP In Action and the journey at your school, speak with your Principal, or the INSIGHT team.

Sharing our passion for the Science of Learning – Teaching Matters National Summit

Over 300 educators from across Australia gathered in Hobart to learn from leading researchers and experts in the Science of Learning at the inaugural Teaching Matters Summit, hosted by Catholic Education Tasmania and Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn.

The Teaching Matters Science of Learning National Summit comprised three days of professional learning for educators from across Australia to learn from leading researchers and experts how the science of learning and high impact teaching practice impacts student learning.

The three day schedule was pack with engaging keynote sessions, panel discussions and opportunities to network, including at the Gala Dinner and the Breakfast with the Experts.

Endorsed by the Tasmanian State Government, the summit welcomed Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP as a speaker on the program, alongside esteemed education experts including

• Professor Pamela Snow, Professor for the School of Education at La Trobe University
• Dr Lorraine Hammond AM, Associate Professor School of Education, Edith Cowan University
• Dr Jenny Donovan, CEO, Australian Education Research Organisation
• Noel Pearson, Founder of Good to Great Schools Australia and Cape York Partnership
• And many more

As part of his address to delegates, Premier Rockliff congratulated Catholic Education Tasmania on the strides made in using direct instruction and the Science of Learning and Reading in classrooms. Premier Rockliff explained his regret at not being able to attend the Summit in its entirety, talked about how passionate he is about education, and reflected on his time as Education Minister for Tasmania.

Key Moments

Dr Gerard Gaskin shared how curriculum and education practices have influenced student outcomes over time, and what he believes works best in practice – Explicit Instruction.

The Gala Dinner provided an opportunity for attendees to network with fellow delegates and presenters from the Summit, and to share their thoughts on the keynote presentations that took place throughout the day.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Noel Pearson was unfortunately unable to attend the Dinner in person as planned. Mr Pearson provided a pre-recorded speech and was as captivating as ever as he credited Catholic Education Tasmania and Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn for their work within the Science of Learning through their respective projects, Insight and Catalyst.

Mr Pearson highlighted effective instruction as a means for providing social justice. If educators can use effective instruction it will provide better opportunities for young people around Australia to learn no matter their background or where they live.

How INSIGHT will support Literate Learners for Life

Teaching literacy, and key components of learning to read and write are integral to helping students reach greater achievement. We are not born with the skill of being able to read or write, so we must teach using explicit and direct instruction to develop these skills in the brain.

As INSIGHT begins to influence our schools, Literate Learners for Life continues to play an important role in creating better outcomes for Tasmania’s young people, the Science of Learning and Reading will help build stronger learning foundations for Catholic Education Tasmania students. 

“We’ve come from a place in Literate Learners for Life following the Science of Reading –  INSIGHT is embracing that and going deeper into the Science of Learning,” said Lisa Fenning, the Literacy Project Lead Advisor at Catholic Education Tasmania.

It is important that students are placed in an environment that gives them the best possible opportunity to succeed. Explicit teaching removes distractions for students and allows them to focus on the most important information. It uses a highly structured environment that is focused on producing specific learning outcomes, and breaks down topics and content individually.

Literate Learners for Life follows this structure and uses a Science of Reading approach to teaching in classrooms. The initiative ensures that the content within literacy teaching and learning is knowledge-rich.  This creates better understanding for students and ensures that what they are learning is full of relevant and essential information.

Speaking personally from her own experiences as an educator in Catholic schools throughout Tasmania, Lisa discussed how teaching explicitly can impact students and also how it impacted her. She believed at the time that her own grammar improved through exposure to text, rather than being taught literacy and grammar skills explicitly. This was the same throughout her teaching degree, where there was very little taught about grammar. Educators relied heavily on learning on the job and talking to other practitioners.

“The Science of Reading and Science of Learning has impacted teachers of my era and beyond because we did not have this knowledge ourselves, so understanding how the brain learns and what is best practice is key,” Lisa said.

“When teachers know better, we do better because all we care about is our student’s well being and our students learning.” 

Recommended Resources

• Why Knowledge Matters: Rescuing Our Children from Failed Educational Theories –  E. D. Hirsch
• Teaching Reading is Rocket Science, Louisa Moats
• Proust and the Squid (The Story and Science of the Brain) – Maryanne Wolf
• Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction – Doug Lemov, Colleen Driggs, Erica Woolway
• How the Brain Learns to Read – Stanislas Dehaene

All Systems Go – Providing Insight with the Science of Learning

On 31 January 2023, Catholic Education Tasmania hosted nearly 2,000 educators in four different locations throughout the state at an All System Day – CET’s largest professional learning event to date.

Educators were informed by a nationally significant  educational experts on high impact teaching practice and the positive outcomes it has for student learning. Presenters included

• Dr Lorraine Hammond AM, Associate Professor in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University
• Ollie Lovell, Teacher, Podcaster and Author
• Dr Nathaniel Swain, Teacher, Instructional Coach and Researcher
• Michael Roberts, HITP Coach for Insight
• Toni Hatten-Roberts, HITP Coach for Insight
• Reid Smith, Ochre Education

The event was held at Wrest Point Casino in Hobart, with three other locations throughout Tasmania simultaneously broadcasting the All System Day. Attendees, virtually and in person, had the opportunity to listen to six different presentations on important aspects of the Insight project. 

There were also opportunities for educators who attended the All System Day to have discussions about the concepts and presentations they had heard, and importantly it was one of the first occasions since COVID-19 for staff in each of the regions to be in the same location.

Attendees of the Insight day spoke glowingly of the high quality and professionalism of each of the presentations that were shared with staff on the day.

Two further development days will be held later in the year, which will provide the 24 participating CET schools with system-wide training and development for all educators.

National Science of Learning Summit to be held in Hobart

A collaboration between Catholic Education Tasmania and Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn has resulted in the hosting of a national teaching and learning summit in Hobart next month.

The Teaching Matters Science of Learning National Summit is a professional multi-day learning event where educators from across Australia will convene to learn about the science of learning and high impact teaching practices, and how to develop / implement a knowledge-rich curriculum. 

Catholic Education Tasmania Executive Director Dr Gerard Gaskin said the national summit will help educators improve their teaching, and the learning outcomes of their students, via the provision of international networking and shared thinking opportunities. 

“The science of learning invites the teacher into a personal exchange with every student in their class – supported by a quality curriculum and clear principles of effective instruction. 

“It is already proving successful in drastically improving student achievement. We can’t wait to share this research with other educators across the country at the Teaching Matters Summit,” said Dr Gaskin. 

The Summit will be held at Wrest Point Convention Centre in Sandy Bay on 2 – 4 of April. It will feature keynote presentations from highly credible experts in the science of learning, Q&A sessions with panellists and educational experts, and networking opportunities for attendees. 

Experts presenting at the Teaching Matters: Science of Learning National Summit include:

• Professor Pamela Snow, Professor for the School of Education at La Trobe University
• Dr Lorraine Hammond, Associate Professor for the School of Education at Edith Cowan University
• Noel Pearson, Founder of Good to Great Schools Australia and Cape York Partnership 
• Reid Smith, Founder and Co-CEO of Ochre, teacher at Ballarat Clarendon College and a member of LaTrobe University’s Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab.

There’s still time to register! Complete your registration here.