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One thing that we know about human behaviour is that it doesn’t change randomly.  Prior to any change is either a positive or a negative experience that prompts thought – usually aligned to also be positive or negative.  We’re offering you a chance for the right kind of thought … leading to the right kind…

I often make a ‘tongue in cheek’ joke when working with educators that one mantle the Education Sector can lay claim to would be that of World Champions of ignoring our own research. I get where that comes from – perhaps the scathing criticism meted out to any school who tries something a little different…

I’m a firm believer that every single educator has both a SuperPower and a Kryponite.  A SuperPower is something that we’re not often comfortable describing to others for fear of coming off boastful and arrogant. Yet, we all have them.  So diverse is the craft of Teaching that all of us have a particular kernel,…

I was in a Year 5 class just last week when a familiar topic arose – especially in the good state of Victoria.  A boy noticed my car keys as I packed up my bag after the lesson, and in particular the house key I have resplendent in its Richmond Football Club head and colours…

As a fervent advocate for Restorative Practices in our schools, I’m continually frustrated by two big myths that surround what is the best available tool for schools looking to build a rich, sustainable, relational and productive learning culture. Myth #1 – It’s too soft. Many schools where training alone has been the approach to embedding…

It was Einstein who said “Any fool can know.  The point is to understand.” Understand.  It’s an interesting word and one that paused me to reflect a little on exactly why it is that we do what we do.   As much as I sometimes become frustrated with many key aspects around change in our schools…

Restorative Practices Teacher Training Melbourne Training & Convention Centre – 2nd June 2015 We’re amazed by just how many schools are identifying that Restorative Practices is a productive and effective way forward – not only in the student wellbeing and behaviour realm, but also in terms of exponentially improving student learning outcomes.  That said –…

Many schools have Mission Statements of either a formal or an informal nature.  Greg Jarvis was a truly great Principal I knew whose informal Mission Statement for his school was “The home of happy children” and the wonderful part was that this Mission Statement, regularly and cheerily espoused, rubbed off on everyone who came into contact…

Through Real Schools, I’m constantly asking if certain things need to stay the way they are in schools just because they always have been. Examples include: Must the status of Teachers in society continue to decline? Must bullying really continue to be so prevalent in our schools? Should schools really focus on outcomes at the…

We poke the bear – but we listen to the bear too! At Real Schools, we really like to give you something to think about with our Newsletters.  Sometimes it’s about your School Culture and sometimes it’s about the critical Practice of our Teachers.  From time to time we also touch on challenges in Student…

Our own definitions of beautiful I’m a cricketer and an educator – not necessarily in that order. As the former, it’s been a sad and confusing week. The death of 25 year old cricketing prodigy Phil Hughes has deeply shaken every cricketer that I’ve met and spoken to. It’s not just that a young man has died, as…

Finding voice in a foreign language I recently returned from a voyage to Kazakhstan where I delivered a keynote to hundreds of School Leaders and Teachers while the snow built up outside – it was a little surreal. I’ve been fortunate to visit the city of Astana before and the experience is always jam-packed with…

Do Our Schools Have Anger Issues? Let’s look at the facts: * 46% of our male students and 26% of our female students report that they have been in physical fights. * 74% of Teachers report a low understanding the physiological importance and the effect of anger in our bodies/brains is the key to better behavioural choices. * 60-70% of our students view…

Fighting for a Successful School Culture There’s a favourite scene of mine in the great Sylvester Stallone “Rocky” movies (it’s actually from the fourth installment where Rocky fights a gigantic blonde Russian ‘block of iron’ called Ivan Drago – don’t pretend you haven’t seen it!). Rocky is receiving a terrible thumping from his opponent when…

No … this isn’t another weight loss article. Apologies if the title of this article may have led you to believe that within these words lays the secret to dropping 7kgs in a week and to getting those rock hard abs in just 15 seconds a day.  Truth be told, if I had those kinds…

Last week, we presented some statistics about how thinly spread our current School Leaders are in terms of time.  For instance, we asked if it’s ok with you that (behind recording, reports and budgets) the next most common use of Principal time was transitioning between other activities! Judging by the number of folk who replied requesting…

We’re abolishing “Drop and Run” Professional Learning The research tells us that in any presentation of around 90 minutes that passive participants commit around 7 seconds of content to long term memory.  That equates to around 0.13% of what’s being delivered actually being remembered long enough to impact practice.  That’s not much “bang for your buck” is…

Don’t fill your 2014 PD days! Now that we’re late in the 2013 School Year, the thinking and planning for 2014 will be in full swing. As a former School Principal – I remember it too well!  Your thoughts will also be on how to invest in your people for 2014, such that they are up…