Brave Hearts, Bold Minds
The Scots College Research Office
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How are we reinventing boys' learning?

31/3/2022

 
In last week’s article we shared a few of the reasons why the current education system may not be best suited to preparing boys for life after school, and why schools like Scots need to continue to reinvent the educational experience. This week we ask ourselves: how have we been helping our staff to reinvent education within the College and best prepare our boys for the future?

Philosophy in action
As with all good design, we start with understanding where we are and where we want to go. When we’ve thought about what’s different in educating for boys in our context, we’ve drawn on our distinctive philosophy of education, ‘Brave Hearts, Bold Minds’. Central to this is the motif of a ‘quest’, a challenge, a calling for boys to go on a journey of realising the potential that lies within and replicating the good they encounter without. As they move through the school, their experience is framed by key themes like Mastery, Adventure and Courage and Conviction. One of the keys to a successful curriculum for boys is ‘coherence’ – does this make sense as a story that’s worth pursuing, or is this just a game that I have to play?

We’ve then worked extensively and inductively with our staff to flesh out what sort of graduate outcomes we want to see at each stage of this journey. What exactly should we look to see by way of ‘Adventure’ for a Year 9 boy? What, then, should we decide to emphasise in our curriculum and pedagogy to give coherence around those big themes? Doing this helps us avoid presenting schooling to boys as primarily about subjects and disciplines and grades, but more about pursuing noble ideas and virtues. This has been made visible to staff in our unique Brave Hearts Bold Minds Staff Guide, an interactive website showing what we are aiming to achieve with boys across each of our graduate qualities and each phase of a boy’s journey from Cubs all the way through to Year 12, as well as research-informed advice on how to best make this happen in the classroom (and in the rehearsal room and on the playing field, for that matter). And this year we launched the Scots Design Cycle, helping staff apply a design thinking mindset to the way they translate those outcomes into rigorous and engaging learning experiences.

The engine room for this great work by so many staff is The Scots College Research Office, established in 2012 by the Principal, Dr Ian PM Lambert. We aim to support our leaders and teachers to reinvent education through our Brave Hearts, Bold Minds philosophy, and do so not just for Scots, but for ‘the common weal’ — the good of all. Here are three examples of this in action.

Teaching for Character Program
Since 2019 all our staff have been engaged in what we call the Teaching for Character Program as our main professional learning activity across the College. This trains and equips teachers in their teams to redesign an aspect of their teaching to more deliberately cultivate character as defined in our graduate profile. Designed to be an action research cycle, it has seen some exciting developments in both what boys learn and how teachers frame their learning around character formation. For example, in 2021 the Drama and Media team in the Senior School redesigned their unit on ‘Understanding Comedy’ to help boys think about how humour (one of our ‘Leadership Through Teams’ civic character qualities) can be used to build up and bring together, rather than to cut down and divide. In 2020 the Learning Enrichment team in the Preparatory School worked with boys to develop their own language around a ‘growth mindset’ (reflecting our performance character quality of ‘The Quest for Excellence through Personal Growth’). Watch Preparatory School Teacher Holly Davison and students describe their journey. Hear Sam Anderson, Head of Christian Studies, reflect on the ‘buzz’ that his team experienced as they wrestled with the purpose and form of their teaching to better achieve our purpose as Scots educators.

Innovation and Design Co-Curricular Program
In 2020 we designed and piloted a year-long co-curricular course for Year 10 boys focused on design and innovation. Boys worked with internal staff and visiting academics to learn the design thinking process and tackle a series of real problems, such as waste reduction, or assessment redesign for student engagement. The program was carefully designed and evaluated to see how well it achieved its outcomes. One of the best learnings was that when we create curricula from scratch, outside the normal timetable box, students and teachers can see the normal curriculum with fresh eyes and bring new ways of thinking to it.

Applied Entrepreneurship Program
Perhaps our most interesting experiment in curriculum redesign has been the creation of a whole new parallel program for our Year 11 and 12 students. Established in 2017, the Applied Entrepreneurship Program seeks to shape the student experience around the changing nature of work. With perhaps 17 different jobs and 5 careers, they need ‘a new work mindset’ (Foundation for Young Australians, 2017).

Rather than think in subjects, it focuses on five key charges derived from the literature on what future graduates need – leadership, strategy, analysis, influence and problem-solving. While students do receive a normal higher school certificate, they also obtain a range of industry-oriented micro-credentials and experiences that they’d never get in a normal curriculum. They learn not in classes and subjects but in three modes – the Workshop blended classroom, the Scots Lab where they prototype new ventures, and a self-paced My Mastery online learning program. And through a personalised approach, they’re graduating with a much better sense of their identity, aspirations and abilities, as well as work and university pathways into future industries. Just last week Year 12 student Kahu Millen secured an internship in the office of Member for Wentworth Mr Dave Sharma MP, furthering Kahu’s fascination with politics.

ScotsX
Inspired by the work of our staff and the provocations of the many experts we’ve worked with over the years including Professor Yong Zhang, we are in the process of designing ScotsX. This significant new venture will provide a small group of Middle Years boys with a truly reinvented schooling experience — a new ‘operating system’ for a new era — designed to significantly accelerate their academic and character development and show that rigour and creativity go together. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting opportunity launching in 2023.

Should you be interested in finding out more about these and other projects, please contact us.

Dr Hugh Chilton
Director of Research and Professional Learning

Professor John Haldane Speaks On Our Intellectual Heritage

22/5/2016

 
PicturePrincipal Dr Ian PM Lambert with Professor John Haldane, admiring a portrait of Rev John Dunmore Lang
The Scots College's identity as a Presbyterian, non-selective, holistic educator of boys owes a great deal to the intellectual genealogy of its founder. The Reverend A. A. Aspinall's mentor was the great Presbyterian clergyman, politician and nation-builder Reverend John Dunmore Lang, who was in turn the disciple of one of Scotland's most influential 19th century churchmen, Reverend Professor Thomas Chalmers. A brilliant philosopher, political economist and preacher, Chalmers held the Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of St Andrews and the Chair of Theology at the University of Edinburgh.

​A group of staff and Senior boys had the privilege last Thursday 12 May of hearing the scholar who occupies the same Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of St Andrews. Professor John Haldane, one of the most respected moral philosophers in the world, delivered a special address on Thomas Chalmers and the Scottish tradition of moral philosophy. He explained the vital role of moral philosophy in integrating the disparate disciplines, exploring several pressing contemporary issues such as healthcare, economics and the future of the welfare state through its lens.

Along with the group of boys attending the annual St Andrews Summer School in June and July, the College is delighted to be hosting a number of guest academics and admissions representatives from the University of St Andrews across 2016, reminding us of our rich intellectual heritage and exploring opportunities for boys and staff to study at Scotland's oldest (and one of the UK's finest) universities. For more information or to discuss your interest in St Andrews please contact Dr Hugh Chilton at h.chilton@tsc.nsw.edu.au.

Over 40 staff join the ScotsResearch Open Afternoon

25/2/2016

 
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Staff watching an interview with the Principal of The Scots College, Dr Ian PM Lambert, talking about his own research journey.
Scots is a unique school in many respects, not least in having a Research Centre supporting staff and students engaged in research-led practice and connecting the College to the best insights into boys' education. Over 40 staff members from across the College gathered for the ScotsResearch Open Afternoon last Friday to discuss their research journeys and to explore further areas of development. Staff had the opportunity to watch an interview with the Principal, Dr Ian PM Lambert, on his own research journey, and to see the scope of ways in which research is critical to enriching the quality of our educational enterprise. As detailed in the ScotsResearch Report coming very soon, focus areas for 2016 include embedding experiential education across the curriculum, action research with the International Boys' Schools Coalition, expanding the new Master Teacher Fellowship program, furthering research partnership projects on the Indigenous Education program and the Glengarry experience with the Australian Catholic University, and further engaging boys, families and old boys in the College's heritage and traditions.

The College enjoys a range of disciplinary and pedagogic research programs underway at the College and with leading researchers at Australian universities and an increased number of staff involved in higher degrees by research. World-leading academics are regularly visiting the College to work with students and staff, and there is great enthusiasm for public research-related events such as ScotsIdeas and the Clark Lectures. The marks of an enriched scholarly and professional culture abound. Research at Scots already makes the College a unique place in Australia: this rising tide of brilliant teaching and research connections promises to make it all the more so in years to come.
For more information about ScotsResearch, come and speak with us in the Research Office.
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Leading economist and theologian Professor Paul Williams speaks at ScotsIdeas on business, ethics and leadership

17/11/2015

 
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On Thursday 12 November, ScotsIdeas, with the Institute for Business and Economics, welcomed Professor Paul Williams, Research Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College, Vancouver, for a special Business Breakfast on Ethics and Leadership.

Professor Williams trained as an economist at the University of Oxford and worked in economic consulting for several years before undertaking theological training at Regent College. He then returned to the marketplace, working as an economic advisor for major international corporations and government agencies. In his most recent role before coming to Regent College, he served as Chief Economist and Head of International Research for DTZ Holdings, an international real estate consulting and investment banking group headquartered in London, UK. His key clients included JP Morgan, MetLife, Pirelli, Prudential, GE Capital, the Government of Estonia, and the Spanish Social Security Agency. Professor Williams has written numerous articles on Christian faith and the marketplace. His research interests include capitalism and globalization, the theology of public discipleship, marketplace mission, and workplace spirituality. 

Professor Williams addressed such questions as whether markets are moral, how theology has shaped economic thought, and the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis, in a discussion moderated by Economics teacher Mr Stephen Thompson. Professor Williams also met with a number of College staff to further our thinking about the nature of leadership and vocation in a Presbyterian school.

Eminent historian Professor David Bebbington delivers 2015 Clark Lectures

23/8/2015

 
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Over 200 members of The Scots College community and friends were treated to a stimulating evening at the 2015 Clark Lectures last Thursday, the centrepiece of the two week visit to the College from the eminent historian Professor David Bebbington, of the University of Stirling in Scotland. Professor Bebbington delivered a masterful overview of the development of higher education in Europe since the 12th century, connecting this story in seven acts to changing expressions of Christianity. He raised some critical questions about the nature of contemporary education at schools and universities, particularly the consequences of teaching young people functional skills without helping them think through the big questions of life: Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is right and wrong? What makes life worth living?

In many ways these questions lie at the heart of what we aim to do at Scots, as we challenge young men to develop brave hearts and bold minds, to seek and pursue what is good with all their might. Through programs like The Clark Lecture Series, ScotsIdeas, student university pathways, and a number of cooperative research programs, the Research Centre aims to help us as a College in 'lifting our gaze' and thinking harder about how the big questions shape our daily educational mission.

For more information about the annual Clark Lecture Series please visit clarklectures.org.

The 2015 Clark Lectures with Professor David Bebbington from tscdigitalmedia on Vimeo.

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Sports Science: A ScotsIdeas Demonstration and Discussion

30/5/2015

 
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On Thursday 14 May a full Coote Theatre enjoyed hearing distinguished athletes, doctors and coaches reflect on the relationship between sport and holistic development at Sports Science: A ScotsIdeas Demonstration and Discussion. Drawing on the College’s extensive sports science research links with major universities and sporting programs, Mr Tenzing Tsewang, Director of Sports Science, brought together an exceptional panel which included: Dr John Orchard, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney and physician for top teams including Cricket NSW and the Blues State of Origin team; Dr Carmel Harrington, Managing Director of Sleep for Health and Honorary Research Fellow at the Children's Hospital Westmead; Dr Stephen Cobley, Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences at the University of Sydney; and Mr Brian Smith, Director of Rugby at Scots, a Wallaby in the 1986 Bledisloe Cup and 1987 World Cup, and a highly experienced coach. 

The panel discussed the questions guests had submitted on such topics as the relationship between sport and academic performance, the sleep needs of young people, the challenges and opportunities for boys keen on pursuing a career in sport or sport-related industries (including the growth of ‘big data’ analysis in coaching), and the importance of ‘playing the long game’ in looking after your body and not over-training. 

Guests at the evening also enjoyed the opportunity to see the College’s first-class sports science facilities and hear from researchers and students about the way research (often by Scots boys using their own maturation data) is shaping our approach to injury management, the relationship between body and brain, and the nature of adolescent development.

To watch footage of this ScotsIdeas event please follow this link: 

For more information about research in sports science, please see here.

We look forward to our final ScotsIdeas event in Term 4, ‘Well May We Say…: An evening of great Australian speeches’. We also invite you to join us at the annual Clark Lectures in August, featuring distinguished historian Professor David Bebbington. 

Sports Science: A ScotsIdeas Demonstration and Discussion from tscdigitalmedia on Vimeo.

Research Bite: Dr Sara Zitner on Collaborative Practice in the Visual Arts Classroom

27/2/2015

 

TSC Research Bite: Dr Sara Zitner on Collaborative Practice in the Visual Arts Classroom from tscdigitalmedia on Vimeo.

Scots seeks to be a place where teachers bring to the classroom deep knowledge of their discipline and deliberate reflection on their approach to teaching boys, drawing on and contributing to the best of pedagogical and discipline specific research. A number of staff at the College are engaged in 'action research', where the lines between theory and practice are broken down and teachers work collaboratively to design interventions in their own classrooms or programs. In the latest Research Bite, Dr Sarah Zitner, an accomplished artist (whose work includes the much loved statue of a Scots boy outside Aspinall House), formerly a lecturer in art theory and practice at the University of New South Wales and now a visual arts teacher at The Scots College, reflects on her own journey to bring together academic and artistic worlds, as well as recent experimentation with collaborative teaching practice in visual arts classrooms. See here for other Research Bites profiling staff research at The Scots College.

2014 Scots Research Report released

1/2/2015

 
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The Research Centre's 2014 Annual Report has just been released. It shares exciting news from the wide range of research and partnership activities in the life of The Scots College across 2014. Highlights include:
  • the first cohort of Scots graduates to achieve the Diploma of Tertiary Preparation through the University of Sydney - the first Australian Year 12 cohort to matriculate straight into undergraduate programs
  • collaborative research studies with UNSW into motivation and music and Raffles Institute in Singapore on the relationship between sport and academic performance
  • the Scots-University of Sydney Masters of Education (Leadership and Management) cohort who graduated in 2014 after an amazing 2 week learning experience at Cambridge University
  • action research into boys' literacy, the reasons men go into teaching, how to create creative classrooms
  • the inaugural Scots Distinguished Professorial Fellowship with Professor John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
It also features information about new research projects in the College over the next 2 years, including:
  • a Master Teacher project exploring the ways teachers become experts and opportunities for greater teacher mentoring
  • ongoing research in K-12 Sports Science
  • a major longitudinal study of the impact of the Glengarry experience
  • development of faith and learning resources for the 2020 classroom
  • a study of the paths of Scots graduates as they transition to university

Please enjoy reading it here.

Prof Darrell Bock, world expert in New Testament studies, visits Scots

25/7/2014

 
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On Thursday 17th July The Scots College welcomed leading academic and theologian Dr Darrell Bock to deliver a lecture on the Jewish background of Jesus Christ. Dr Bock is currently Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Profession of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in the US. He is a leading international scholar of theology and has written over thirty books on topics related to the Bible, including the New York Times bestselling Breaking the Da Vinci Code and a new book entitled Truth Matters: Confident Faith in a Confusing World written specifically for students thinking about the place of faith and truth in the University. Dr Bock joined us as a guest of the Centre for Public Christianity, and as one of a number of public and academic speaking engagements during his visit to Australia.

Over 50 students and staff gathered from Year 11 Studies of Religion and Years 10 and 11 Theology to hear Dr Bock speak. He addressed the presence and use of cultural script, evidence for Jesus’ Jewish heritage before providing a cultural historical context for his identity and life. Students were invited to converse with Dr Bock following the lecture and responded with insightful and reflective questions. This was a unique opportunity for students to engage with matters of faith: to be challenged in their understanding of Christian values in a context of intellectual rigor and excellence. 


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Professor Bock with senior Studies of Religion and Theology students, Rev Conrad Nixon (Senior Chaplain) and Hugh Chilton (Research Fellow)

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