Over 2,300 educators from across the Archdiocese gathered to hear from 25 national and internationally recognised education leaders at the annual System Day. This year’s event was held at the National Convention Centre in Canberra, and the atmosphere was brimming with excitement as staff connected in person for the first time in several years.

Event Highlights

Archbishop Christopher Prowse addressed the audience with a welcoming presentation reflecting on the theme for 2023, Walking Together, and how it strongly links to the work of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn (CECG) through Catalyst.

Archbishop Christopher Prowse

Director Ross Fox presented the long-term direction of teaching and learning for CECG. He also announced the direction of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn’s Strategic Plan – Faith in Learning – a focus on providing both faith and learning opportunities for our students and our staff.

Director Ross Fox addressing attendees

“We have exactly the right teachers, Principals, classroom support and learning assistants to be one of the best education systems in Australia, if not the world. We can do that through a focus on learning and our faith – Faith in Learning,“ Mr Fox said.

“To be the best system, we endeavor to have a common approach across all our schools, grounded in the evidence of the Science of Learning, to ensure we provide the best learning outcomes for students, and a great place to work.”

Watch Ross Fox’s full presentation here

Good to Great Schools Australia founder Noel Pearson was invited to share his experiences with Explicit Direct Instruction in schools in Cape York. His stories provided key evidence and insights on why this approach is the most effective way of teaching.

Noel Pearson delivering his keynote presentation

“This is the most important thing I have seen in education in the past 20 years. For 30 years I have seen so many children fail to reach their potential. We have a juvenile justice crisis in this country, and it starts with the failure to read.”

Watch Noel Pearson’s full presentation here

Catalyst was recognised by the Federal Government. Senator Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Education expressed his interest in the impact of Catalyst’s approach to developing teachers to deliver evidence-based teaching practice to improve student learning outcomes.

Educators were given the opportunity to select three breakout sessions from a selection of over 20 topics, to further enrich their Science of Learning knowledge. Session presenters included Dr Lorraine Hammond, Ollie Lovell, Michael Roberts, Toni Hatten-Roberts, Ingrid Sealey, Reid Smith, Dr Tim McDonald, Professor Tom Lowrie and many more.

System Day 2023 presenters

Participants also heard from Ross Fox, Noel Pearson, Professor Pamela Snow, Dr Jennifer Buckingham, Br David Hall and Dr Ben Jensen in a panel discussion, moderated by Australian Education Research Organisation’s CEO Dr Jenny Donovan.

Each panellist provided their unique perspective on the Science of Learning, the evidence and why Catalyst is so important, not just for CECG but for others to learn from.

Media coverage following the event has been widespread including –

• Australian Financial Review, Indigenous underclass abandoned by educational authorities: Pearson
• Canberra Times, Noel Pearson urges schools to follow evidence, praises Canberra Goulburn Catholic education Catalyst program
• Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Do the opposite to what progressive thinking says’: Pearson slams teaching trends
• The Australian, Progressive teaching fads fuel youth crime: Pearson
• WIN News, Educators gather in Canberra for conference
• ABC News, Teaching model used in ACT Catholic schools praised
• ABC Radio, Has progressive education failed?
• National Indigenous Times, Noel Pearson warns of schooling system failing disadvantaged and Indigenous kids
• Education HQ, ‘Failing to see 50 years of evidence’: Noel Pearson slams inquiry-based learning
  Riotact, Catholic school teaching program ‘the most important thing I’ve seen in 20 years’, says Pearson
• Catholic News, Pearson backs Catholic schools’ ‘Catalyst’ reform

Thank you to all those who attended and contributed to making System Day 2023 such a success. Feedback from both staff and presenters in attendance has been uplifting and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year.