One of the most common fears I hear about using circle architecture is that it takes too long to get the students into a circle and then back to individual work. For this reason, I was delighted to hear from our partners at West Wallsend Public School about mastering the art of swift transition.…
Just one of the aspects of Restorative Practices that I’m a fan of is that it embodies a very old truism about teachers – that the best ones are both Firm and Fair. Think about the best teacher you ever had and it’s likely that they didn’t sacrifice firmness for fairness or vice versa.…
Before he became a high-profile Sydney-based radio personality, I remember watching Ben Fordham cut his teeth on current affairs programs like … well … A Current Affair. The way I saw it, Fordham’s job description was to hide in the bushes and dive out with a lighting, sound and camera technician to catch a…
Raph was in Year 7 and living with Tourette’s Syndrome. His version was low impulse control and swearing tics when placed under any social pressure. Adam (that’s me) was the Assistant Principal in charge of behaviour. You’d be right in thinking that Raph and I were in regular contact. One day, I tired…
In our contemporary restorative model (we call it RP2.0), one of the simplest and most effective changes we encourage teachers to make is the use of Affective Language. Affective Statements are absurdly simple. All you do is say what you were about to say … and chuck an accurate feelings word in there. …
I’ve had several conversations with schools considering a harder line when it comes to improving student behaviour. I get it. It’s hard at the moment. Our workforce is somewhere between stretched and overwhelmed, and we’re a feeling little desperate. The evidence for some schools choosing this path is a quick win they’ve had. They’ve…
I had a fabulous story relayed to me by my colleague Daniel Vella this week. I’d rather not name the school as they have a class still trying to shake a negative label… and the work’s not done just yet. But they know who they are! The story is about a Year 5/6 teacher who…
I’ve had a few chats with teachers and school leaders lately about preventing conflict between boys (mostly) of all ages in the playground. The most common context for these spats between their boys seems to be sport. Some of these schools are considering extra yard duties for staff so that somebody can umpire…
My latest audiobook adventure was recommended to me twice on the same day. So firstly, my thanks go to the intrepid and wise Chris Cawsey (Principal, Rooty Hill HS) and also Dr Michael Carr-Gregg who mentioned this book later on the very same day in a keynote presentation I observed at the Queensland Association…
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker gave a commencement speech to students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois last year. This link will provide you with a 2-minute excerpt of what he had to say. I’m a fan of his message. Pritzker is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, attorney and venture capitalist whose family owns…