Author: lenoxhill

Our latest podcast features Reid Smith, the co-CEO of Ochre Education. Ochre is a national not-for profit committed to advancing student outcomes and closing the disadvantage gap by supporting teachers to teach and enabling all Australian students to access a high-quality curriculum, through their online library. 

Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) was thrilled to collaborate with Ochre in the development of scope and sequenced curriculum resources. Over 20 of our teachers collaborated with the Ochre team to produce low variance, knowledge-rich curriculum resources for a comprehensive online library. 

We know teachers are managing multiple priorities and are time poor, these challenges are compounded in schools with disadvantaged communities where limited support is available. 

CECG has embedded a robust pedagogical framework for our teachers to deliver best practice teaching principles in the classroom since 2020. In collaboration with Ochre, we have curated a wealth of tried and tested, knowledge-rich resources that have been designed to support efficient and effective curriculum implementation which are readily available to draw on. 

CECG’s teachers and Leaders can access curriculum scope and sequences, unit plans and lesson plans for core subjects through their Catalyst MS Teams and those external to CECG via Ochre’s website. Unit plans include starter quizzes, videos, presentations and worksheets and are supported by Daily Review and assessment resources. The materials are available to download, for teachers to leverage in their classrooms. 

“It was wonderful to play our role in making curriculum resources readily accessible to all teaching colleagues across the nation. We are fortunate at CECG to have a superior level of investment in professional development. It has been a privilege to share our knowledge to benefit others.”

Listen to Reid’s podcast to hear more about the fantastic work of Ochre Education. 

Members of the CECG team, along with colleagues from other Australian systems, recently returned from the Knowledge Society ‘Science of Learning Tour’ in London. This tour provided a unique opportunity to delve into the English School System’s reform journey and gain valuable insights from some of the highest performing schools in London.  

Visits to Ark Soane Academy, Langford Primary, Michaela Community School and Angel Oak Academy gave the team international exposure to the impact of the Science of Learning on student outcomes.  

Our team have curated their key learnings for consideration in your system, schools and classrooms.

10 Key Insights

1. Doing less, better!
Focus on improving what you are already doing. Keep refining, not adding, remaining disciplined to focus on what has most impact for improving student learning.​  

2. Set clear expectations and guidelines for all practice
We tend to focus on clearly sharing the specific practice, or change, we want Leaders and teachers to implement or refine. However, we often aren’t as clear to detail what it isn’t, or being aware of what to do when it goes wrong.​ 

3. Students learn what they attend to
Attention is critical to student learning. There must be consideration for the structures, processes and systems in place within the school to minimise distractions in the classroom and create the conditions to prioritise teaching and learning.​  

4. Time is​ precious
It is critical that there is an urgency to learning. We have limited time to make an impact – focus on the most efficient pathway to achieve the desired outcome.

5. Streamline feedback and coaching so it’s achievable
Observations, feedback and coaching should be part of the culture at a school. Effective feedback is welcomed, streamlined, achievable and consistent.​  

6. Be ambitious and cut the fluff
Students need clear instructions to achieve their best results. We need to provide better clarity on precisely what it is we want students to know and do with what is taught in every lesson, every day.​  

7. Every detail matters
Leaders need to be across the detail and sweat the small stuff when it comes to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and behaviour.​  

8. Consistency creates efficiencies
Creating consistent and streamlined timetables, instructional routines, curriculum materials, behavioural expectations, and planning time reduces the workload for teachers, so they can focus on high impact teaching.  

9. Plan for whole classroom success first
Quality first wave teaching must be our first critical focus when planning. Consider what is required for ALL students in the classroom. Thereafter, what specific scaffolds and supports are required for individual students at point of need. ​ 

10. Continuous reflection supports long term sustainability​
Leaders (school and system) need to continuously reflect upon, and prioritise, ‘creating the conditions’ for effective and efficient practice to be embedded and sustained.​  

The CECG team hopes that you find these insights valuable. We continue to explore opportunities to leverage the knowledge of others as we seek to transform students’ lives through learning.   

To learn more about our approach to the Science of Learning, see our new Knowledge Pack 3.0 exploring the fundamentals of our 8 Big Ideas of Learning. 

The Catalyst program was developed from the commitment to improve student outcomes by evolving teaching and learning practice across CECG’s 56 Schools. Founded in a comprehensive body of research of Science of Learning and the Science of Reading, Catalyst launched its system-wide change journey over three years ago, with a precise focus on Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment. 

Our ability to measure outcomes, impact and showcase the benefits of the Catalyst program for our teachers and students has been critical through the implementation to ensure success. As such, CECG engaged Deloitte Access Economics (DAE) as an external, objective evaluator to monitor and evaluate the program during the initial implementation period.  

The DAE evaluation of the approach sought to first understand a baseline analysis of system performance pre-Catalyst and then to establish an understanding of how Catalyst had been introduced and put into practice. From this understanding, DAE have published their findings on progress made over the course of the three-year implementation period, with an early assessment of the impact of Catalyst across the system. 

With teachers as the most important learner in the Catalyst change effort, the assessment included interviews and observations across 15 teacher case studies and an annual High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP) Teacher Self-Reflection survey. These engagements highlighted the extent to which Catalyst training had an impact on teachers’ instructional decisions and practice, and the amount that these reported changes were perceived to have influenced student engagement and learning.  

DAE’s Key Findings

“The Catalyst story at Catholic Education Canberra & Goulburn (CECG) is a unique one in the Australian school reform landscape. The integrity of the design, the quality of the implementation and the belief of the staff – school and central – are all strong predictors of improved learning outcomes. As is the foresight to pursue ongoing evaluation for system learning and refinement, and the transparent sharing of the key outcomes as they emerge so the whole system can celebrate the success.”

Deloitte Access Economics

With over 1000 teachers within the Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn trained in the implementation of HITP, DAE reported that by 2023-24, there was an overwhelmingly positive response to the approach 

• 4 in 5 teachers see value in the Catalyst approach 
• 78% of teachers indicated they would not go back to the way they taught before Catalyst. 
• 82% of teachers believe HITP helps their teaching 
• 76% of teachers use HITP everyday 

“Any program of lasting change needs to be adopted theoretically, practically and culturally. We know that our high-quality, low variance curriculum resources and our professional learning opportunities deliver exceptional theory and practice for teachers. What the DAE report shows, however, is how readily our teachers have embraced the change journey. Their belief in High Impact Teaching Practice has been reinforced by a culture of strong leadership and peer support which has been validated by measurable gains in student performance.”  

Catholic Education Archdicoese of Canberra & Goulburn Director, Ross Fox

Where to next for Catalyst? 

“CECG deserves tangible impacts in headline student learning measures in coming years, as the transformation process continues and matures.”

Deloitte Access Education

As many CECG schools saw a critical mass of teachers and leaders fully engaged with Catalyst in 2023, the conclusion of 2024 will offer an exciting next phase to test the full extent of Catalyst’s impact on student learning.  

With promising early signs reflected in the DAE report, Catalyst will continue to focus on embedding and sustaining the program in all CECG schools. By supporting teachers to continuously improve their practice towards realising our Bold Goals; ‘Every student a competent reader’ and ‘High Impact Teaching visible in every classroom’ and to truly transform students’ lives through learning.  

Read the full report

Learn more about the Impact of Catalyst

Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new Knowledge Pack exploring the fundamentals of our 8 Big Ideas of Learning.

Our 8 Big Ideas are guided by the Science of Learning, and insights from global experts in education, including the work of ED Hirsch Jr, Barack Rosenshine, Dylan Wiliam and Emeritus Professor, John Sweller. These ideas distil the research into readily accessible principles for adoption by teachers across our system:

1. School is where we learn biologically secondary information
2. Learning is a change in long-term memory
3. Teaching is a profession that should be informed by evidence
4. Knowledge matters, it’s what we think with
5. The most effective way to teach knowledge is explicitly
6. High quality whole class instruction will help all students to learn
7. Reading is essential for students to acquire knowledge
8. Curriculum should be ambitious, coherent, sequential and cumulative

Our two previous Knowledge Packs are the most frequently downloaded resources on our website, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers. Knowledge Pack 3.0 encompasses a carefully curated collection of over 60 articles, podcasts and webinars exploring each of these Big Ideas.

Since 2020, the Catalyst program has embedded evidence-based, High Impact Teaching Practice (HITP) across the 56 schools in our Archdiocese, supported by three pillars – Curriculum (What to teach), Pedagogy (How to teach) and Assessment (How we know). The release of this pack reinforces our commitment to empower teachers by translating research into practice.

Director, Ross Fox, commented, “I am delighted to endorse our third Knowledge Pack as a key resource for any system adopting Science of Learning. As we witness positive shifts in student learning and teaching practice, we are validated in our investment in our teachers by providing them with quality resources, professional learning and support.

By sharing the knowledge gathered from our own journey, alongside pedagogical best practice from global educational leaders, we hope to pave the way for schools nationwide to readily adopt the principles in their own system and have similar positive impact.”

Download Knowledge Pack 3.0

Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) is delighted to support Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) in the second annual Teaching Matters National Science of Learning Summit, in Hobart. The three-day Summit, which has drawn over 400 educators from around the country, provides a platform to engage with global experts in the best practice teaching methodologies founded in the Science of Learning. We welcomed the opportunity to share our experiences and Catalyst journey.

Ross Fox addresses delegates at the Welcome Reception on Sunday, 24 March

“The Summit offers participants the opportunity to learn from, and network with, some inspirational thought leaders. It was fascinating to witness the enthusiasm throughout the day as like-minded educators obtained actionable insights to elevate their teaching practice,” said CECG Director, Ross Fox.

In his keynote presentation, Ross Fox discussed the philosophy of the Catalyst program, sharing our bold goals for high impact teaching and competent reading, and the expert research and evidence underpinning the approach. He shared the professional learning journey undertaken by CECG over the past three years to embed best practice teaching methodology across curriculum (what we teach), pedagogy (how we teach) and assessment (how we know).

Ross Fox presents his Opening Address on Day One of the Summit

Of particular interest to delegates was how readily the system-led changes were adopted by schools, with four in five teachers expressing wholehearted support and appreciation for the program. Ross Fox showcased the successful outcomes in performance testing, illustrating improvements in student performance across the board, identified through system-wide assessment protocols including DIBELS, Phonics Screening checks, NAPLAN and ATAR which generated national media attention. Listen to Ross Fox’s presentation here.

Dr Gerard Gaskin delivered an equally enlightening address, sharing the significant progress achieved by the Insight program and noting how rapidly CET schools have come on board, attributed in part to Catalyst’s resounding proof of concept.

Day One ended with a lively Science of Learning (SoL) panel discussion, chaired by Dr Jenny Donovan, CEO, Australian Education Research Organisation. Panellists Glenn Fahey, Jordana Hunter, Dr Lorraine Hammond, Ross Fox and Dr Gerard Gaskin articulated the importance of teacher education and support at a system and university level. The conversation encompassed the value of high integrity curriculum to reduce variation and enable the teacher to focus on the student and their pedagogy.

Ross Fox participates as a panellist discussing the Science of Learning

The momentum continued into the second day of the Teaching Matters Summit, with keynote presentations from global experts in the Science of Learning and the Science of Reading.

To begin the day Jan Hasbrouck PHD, leading researcher, educational consultant and author spoke on the importance of comprehension when assessing fluency.

Toni Hatten-Roberts, Mastery Schools Australia and COGLearn, and Brendan Lee, Education Consultant and Host of Knowledge for Teachers Podcast spoke to the importance of rote learning and utilising the Instructional Hierarchy: Stages of Learning in the context of mathematics.

The afternoon commenced with a conversation surrounding links between Science of Learning and Wellbeing by Rebecca Birch, English Teacher and Director of Research and Practice, Queenwood. The final keynote was from Jennifer Buckingham who spoke to the landscape and quality of Initial Teacher Training.

To round out a knowledge rich second day, Glenn Fahey, Program Director at The Centre for Independent Studies, led the second panel discussion on the Science of Learning. This panel included Rebecca Birch, Lyn Stone, Dr. Nathaniel Swain, Brendan Lee, Dr Jan Hasbrouck and Michael Roberts. The discussion commenced with a vibrant exchange on the challenges of implementing the Science of Learning, with Lyn Stone highlighting the importance of finding a supportive school environment conducive to growth. Subsequently, the panel explored the primary considerations essential for understanding the Science of Learning within a classroom context, elucidating the advantageous aspects observable in such environments.

Learn about findings and recommendations from the Grattan Institute’s latest report, ‘The Reading Guarantee: How to give every child the best chance of success’. Read more and download the report from the Grattan Institute.

The report provides educators and policymakers data and insights to substantiate a national shift towards a ‘structured literacy’ approach and provides clear recommendations on next steps to achieving reading equity nationally.

This landmark the report highlights Catalyst as a system example of successful change and implementation, with evidence-based teaching practice at its core. Learn more about the Catalyst literacy approach, and high impact teaching approach.