Keyword: Catalyst

CECG celebrated for ‘Making a Difference’ in ACT classrooms

Written by lenoxhill on December 5, 2024. Posted in News.

CECG schools across the ACT have been praised for notable improvement in the latest NAPLAN results released this week on the My School website.

The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) has identified the Top 20 Schools Making a Difference in each state and territory, comparing year on year data for 2023/24. Of the 20 top schools in ACT identified, 13 Catholic Education Canberra-Goulbourn (CECG) schools were recognised, a milestone widely acknowledged by media sources this week and celebrated as a clear endorsement of the power of High Impact Teaching Practice and explicit teaching.

Following its launch over four years ago, Catalyst has transformed how teaching and learning is approached in CECG schools. By implementing High Impact Teaching Practice, grounded in Science of Learning and the Science of Reading, schools have seen positive growth and improvement in literacy and numeracy outcomes.

CECG Director Ross Fox emphasised the program’s ongoing potential in an interview for RioTact –

“We’re excited by these results, but we know there’s more we can achieve. The advancements in early years learning are encouraging, and we’re confident they’ll lead to sustained higher achievements over time.”

Following the success of CECG schools, Good to Great Schools Founder and Co-Chair, Noel Pearson called for all schools to adopt explicit instruction in their classrooms. In an interview for The Australian, he acknowledges all challenges schools face but emphasised,

“If you don’t get the instruction right, you’re going to fail anyway.”

Explore the Catalyst Approach to Teaching and Learning

Learn more about the Impact of Catalyst

See the Catalyst journey in our CECG schools

Watch the interviews with CECG Director, Ross Fox

Sky News Interview with Peta Credlin

ADH TV Interview with Daisey Cousens

Read the articles

The Australian – A Revolution is Now Underway in Our Classrooms

The Australian – Rollout Direct Instruction to All Classrooms Says Noel Pearson

Sarah Henderson MP – Media Release – Explicit Teaching Success Must Be Replicated In Every Classroom

CathNews – Naplan Scores Soar After Return to Old-School Teaching Methods

CathNews – Pearson calls for all schools to adopt direct instruction in classrooms

The Canberra Times – Lessons to Learn from NAPLAN Results

Riotact – ACT Catholic Schools show the way in My School Rankings

S2|E8: Reflecting on Catalyst with Ross Fox

Written by lenoxhill on November 28, 2024.

In this episode I chat with Ross Fox, director of Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn, about his reflections on Catalyst from the last 4 years. After 8 years with CECG, he is stepping away from the role of Director to explore other opportunities. In our episode today we hear about Ross’ reflections about Catalyst, including its effectiveness, implementation and vision. We hear about:

His greatest achievement in the Catalyst space
Where he would like to see Catalyst in 5 years time
What he hopes for the future of HITP
What’s next for him on the horizon
The use of time to be as effective and efficient as possible in schools

Leading the Way: Catalyst Sets the Standard for High-Impact Teaching in ACT Schools

Written by lenoxhill on October 7, 2024. Posted in News.

In an interview for Riotact, Dr Lorraine Hammond, a pioneer of the Science of Learning teaching movement, has underscored the importance of explicit teaching in transforming classroom practices in light of the recent literacy and numeracy inquiry.

The article highlights the adoption of High Impact Teaching Practice by Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn through the Catalyst program as the benchmark for reform. Through embedding a scientifically backed, data-driven methodology, significant improvements in student outcomes have been witnessed across the Archdiocese and these results cannot help but attract attention from government schools, creating a compelling case for wider adoption.

Dr Hammond recognises the barriers and resistance to government school and system reform, despite the weight of evidence behind High Impact Teaching Practices. She urges the Directorate to bypass those teachers attached to the past and start with a “coalition of the willing”, to build momentum towards positive change.

“Because teachers are altruistic and they want the best, it just creeps very, very quickly, because then parents are like, ‘Well, hang on, what’s happening at that school down the road, they’re doing this. Why aren’t we doing that, too?’”.

In addition to best practice teaching, Dr Hammond believes that routine and an orderly working environment are a key contributor to success. The CECG approach creates a structured environment for learning, with classroom architecture designed to ensure that students are ready and willing participants and to ensure that teachers achieve whole class engagement.

This approach is particularly important when it comes to literacy. “To get to 100 per cent reading, you’ve got to go through the bottom 20 per cent, so this is going to help everybody. If we don’t go through that bottom 20 per cent they’re never going to learn how to read. That’s the position that Catalyst took as well.”

Read the full article on Riotact

Explore the Catalyst Teaching Approach