For everyone The tip of the iceberg 17 Jul 2024 When the threads of student confusion get tangled, experienced teachers bring out the sharpened blade of a good metaphor, writes TRAVIS MCKENZIE. He shares one of his best.
For everyone Shelving the ‘showcase’: How to help VCE art students write about their work 20 Apr 2024 How to get VCE students to care about writing about their art as much as they care about their creative projects? With a new ‘Season of Excellence’ category, TRAVIS McKENZIE sees hope on the horizon.
Schools Care factor: teaching in the age of AI 8 Feb 2024 In the age of artifical intelligence, it’s time we stopped thinking like machines and worked out what we really care about, writes columnist TRAVIS McKENZIE.
For everyone The art of navigation: why teaching is more art than science 31 Jul 2023 TRAVIS MCKENZIE: Convinced the science of teaching has made a perfect map of education, we have taken our eyes off the road, certain that if we just follow the guidebooks we will get to our destination.
For everyone Learning to love AI 3 Apr 2023 TRAVIS MACKENZIE: Unless we ban electricity in schools (think of the savings!) there is no way to keep AI out of our classrooms. So, instead of worrying, I suggest we learn to love the way it can work for us.
For everyone Extra work 7 Dec 2022 Teachers are so overloaded with bureaucratic bloat that burnout is almost inevitable. But TRAVIS MACKENZIE thinks there’s another way.
For everyone Play school 20 Sep 2022 It took a student going unscored in a subject that TRAVIS MACKENZIE thought was inherently fun to remind him that the high-stakes game of VCE can take the fun out of anything.
For everyone Fight or flight: safety at school 16 Jun 2022 We all want to work in respectful schools, but first and foremost we must be safe – staff and students alike, writes TRAVIS McKENZIE.
For everyone The leadership paradox 5 Apr 2022 From politics to education, why do we so often end up with leaders who seem unsuited to the job?
For everyone True stories: Fostering critical thinking one tale at a time 8 Dec 2021 TRAVIS MCKENZIE: What single resource provides the perfect means for ensuring every student graduates with the compassion and understanding needed to live in a functioning democracy?
For everyone FUNdamentals 14 Sep 2021 TRAVIS MCKENZIE: Teaching can be fun again when school leaders reduce the meaningless meetings, boring bureaucracy and prescriptive pedagogy that get in the way of sharing a love of learning.
For everyone Don’t get mad; change the system! 28 Jun 2021 Don’t mistake the in-house bickering in your workplace as a fault in the system. On the contrary, it’s a feature, says teacher and columnist TRAVIS MCKENZIE.
For everyone In the classroom, size matters 6 Apr 2021 TRAVIS McKENZIE: Will the 2021 school tutors program finally force the government to recognise the benefits of lower class sizes?
For everyone My mindful meltdown 8 Dec 2020 The mental health of teachers and students has never been more serious, so why are current wellbeing strategies making me laugh, asks teacher and columnist TRAVIS MCKENZIE.
For everyone Breaking the models 8 Sep 2020 Remote learning gives teachers a chance to rethink classroom practice, writes TRAVIS MCKENZIE.
For everyone Keeping it together, remotely 29 May 2020 Teachers are the professionals responsible for building communities, writes TRAVIS MCKENZIE.
For everyone Kicking goals 24 Mar 2020 TRAVIS MCKENZIE: What if goal-setting is all meaningless and we are focusing on the wrong thing entirely?
Schools Thinking on your feet 26 Nov 2019 TRAVIS MCKENZIE: Our ancestral teachers, from Aristotle and Socrates to the Elders of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island nations, knew how important it is to move while learning. It’s time we remembered.
Schools Keeping it together 2 Aug 2019 TRAVIS MCKENZIE: Teachers are the frontline of community construction. This doesn’t just mean creating young people ready to work, but citizens who can participate in the discovery of knowledge for its own sake.