My trip to Perth for a Teaching Intensive

Last night at 1am I got back from four incredible days in Perth at the Fogarty EDvance Teaching Intensive. I've wanted to go to this intensive ever since I heard about it from Lorraine Hammond back in 2018!

The intensive brings together hundreds of teachers practice teaching with real, live students!

It's held at Dawson Park Primary School and students come in during their holiday break to be taught by preservice, early career, and established teachers who are all keen to get better at Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI. Hear my podcast on EDI here). The kids also have lots of fund incursions, including science experiments, and visits from critters (see the last pic below!)

Each day of the intensive, participants watch expert teachers like Brooke Wardana, Jared Bussell and Jordan O'Sullivan, teach using EDI practices. They then have a brief planning break for recess, after which the students return to the classroom and the teachers practice implementing the techniques that they've just learnt and refined, applying them in context.

It's a high energy, high impact way to learn, and makes the most of all of the benefits of deliberate practice.

I gave a keynote on Day 1 on Cognitive Load Theory, and presented two follow up workshops on Days 2 and 3 on Practical Classroom Management (which I'll be delivering as a short course at LaTrobe uni later this year too with Dr. Mark Dowley).

It was a phenomenal four days and really lived up to the hype. A real highlight for me was meeting lots of inspiring educators that I've heard lots about but hadn't met in the flesh (Brooke, Jared, Jordan), as well as connecting with the Fogarty EDvance team who coordinated the four days. I also got to hear lots about their School Improvement Program, which is SUPER exciting, and I hope to be able to share more about over this year. We'll have to get a similar teaching intensive going over east some time soon too… Watch this space!

Here are some pics : )

You are reading an instalment 132 of Teacher Ollie's Takeaways, an (aspirationally) weekly email in which I share some personal thoughts on teaching and learning, as well as great resources from others. Subscribe here, view all back issues here.

Announcements and Opportunities

• Spots are filling up fast for the upcoming Steplab Instructional Coaching Intensive on March 6th in Melbourne. With Josh Goodrich and Peps Mccrea presenting, as well as edu leaders like Nathaniel Swain and a strong contingent from the Catalyst program coming along, it should be a fantastic day! Find out more on the event page.

• The Science of Learning Leadership Accelerator is happening in Perth on March 9th-10th. This will be a fantastic 2 days of connecting with movers and shakers who are bringing the Science of Learning to the fore in Australia. I'm particularly looking forward to the keynote from Tom Rees who heads up Ambition Institute in the UK. Find out more here.

Takeaways (TOT132)

• How to implement instructional coaching as a whole school initiative: Build a positive culture with drop-ins, Improve drop-in quality with training, run a pilot, and more! From @Harris_SJW

• Educational neuroscientists at @UoL_CEN unpack the evidence around some popular claims. Shared by @PepsMccrea

• Shaping Minds Australia has released, for free, a comprehensive F-6 Maths curriculum. It's amazing. Check it out here.

• 5 principles and 7 actions for efficient language learning, and learning more generally!

• Quote:

  • ‘A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.' – Roald Dahl

– The three above quotes come from Hobbiss, Sims, & Allen (2021)

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