Since 2015, the popular ScotsIdeas program has been bringing the best thinkers and the most pertinent ideas to The Scots College and the wider community, for compelling conversations in education. Find details of upcoming and past events here.
Past Events
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Helping boys become fine young men: What parents need to know about the path to maturity
An evening with Harvard developmental psychologist Professor Nancy Hill Wednesday 20 July 2022 Harvard developmental psychologist Professor Nancy Hill shared research-based advice for parents on how to help their boys develop to become fine young men. |
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Professor Nancy E. Hill is the Charles Bigelow Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and President of the Society for Research in Child Development. An expert in parenting and adolescent development, her most recent book is The End of Adolescence: The Lost Art of Delaying Adulthood (Harvard University Press, 2021).
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Helping Children to Deal with Stress and Uncertainty
A conversation with Andrew Fuller, Jocelyn Brewer and David Walker Tuesday 7 September 2021 Months of lockdown, endless hours on screens, and an uncertain future — these are stressful times. In this engaging conversation with top thinkers on young people’s character and care, hear how you can help your children with:
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Guest panelists included:
Andrew Fuller has recently been described as someone who “puts the heart back into psychology”. As a clinical psychologist, Andrew Fuller works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally, specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. His latest book is ‘The A to Z of Feelings’.
Jocelyn Brewer created the concept of Digital Nutrition in 2013 as a positive frame- work for considering the impacts of digital devices, social media, video games and our constant connectivity on wellbeing. Her work has featured in a range of media settings, including ABC Q&A and The Project.
David Walker is Deputy Head (Pastoral Care) at Wellington College in the UK. David helped to navigate pupils through extended lockdown in the UK. He has over 20 years of experience in top schools in the UK including posts at Clifton College and Whitgift School.
Andrew Fuller has recently been described as someone who “puts the heart back into psychology”. As a clinical psychologist, Andrew Fuller works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally, specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. His latest book is ‘The A to Z of Feelings’.
Jocelyn Brewer created the concept of Digital Nutrition in 2013 as a positive frame- work for considering the impacts of digital devices, social media, video games and our constant connectivity on wellbeing. Her work has featured in a range of media settings, including ABC Q&A and The Project.
David Walker is Deputy Head (Pastoral Care) at Wellington College in the UK. David helped to navigate pupils through extended lockdown in the UK. He has over 20 years of experience in top schools in the UK including posts at Clifton College and Whitgift School.
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Flourishing Friendships
Dr Rob Loe explores the science behind helping young people find, fuel and forge great relationships Tuesday 20 April 2021 This event was cancelled due to ill health. We hope to advise of another time in the future. Dr Rob Loe, expert in the science and measurement of human relationships, is back at ScotsIdeas to share wisdom and evidence on helping young people develop great friendships. Friendships are crucial to our wellbeing, learning and flourishing in life. Yet in a complex, fast-changing and online world, they seem to be less substantial and more elusive. In this engaging presentation, Dr Loe will explore how parents and educators can best help their young people discover the keys to creating, growing and maintaining great relationships for flourishing lives and communities. Dr Rob Loe is the Group CEO of the Relationships Foundation. He joined the wider family of relational organisations back in 2013, to found Relational Schools, having worked as a teacher and senior school leader for well over a decade. He studied Education at Cambridge University where he pursued areas of specialism such as schooling and exclusion, the family and community dimensions of social exclusion and school improvement and effectiveness. Having completed a doctorate in 2015 which focussed on the measurement of human relationships, Robert now researches, writes and speaks on the importance of fostering positive relationships between key stakeholders in schools. |
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Redesigning Education and Society for a Post-COVID World
A ScotsIdeas Panel with the Institute of Business and Economics Wednesday 18 November 2020 Leaders, teachers, parents and carers have been calling for a revolution in education for years. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown just how quickly things can change when they have to. From the blending of the physical and the digital, to the dethroning of one single measure for university entrance, 2020 has created a new impetus for a big change, not just in schools but across society. |
This interactive online panel drew out some of the significance challenges and learnings to come from 2020, and the opportunities schools have to chart a new course for the future.
Guest panelists included:
Guest panelists included:
- Honorary Professor Mike Conway, Founder and CEO of XVenture, University of Wollongong, emotional agility and mental coach for the Socceroos and former managing director of The Wiggles.
- Professor Gigi Foster, Professor of Economics UNSW, host of ABC Radio National's 'The Economists', and 2019 Young Economist of the Year.
- Mr James Oliver ('09), Research Director, Strategic Projects, NSW Department of Education.
- Dr Ian PM Lambert, Principal of The Scots College.
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Why' The System' Doesn't Work for Boys
How parents and teachers can understand the power of relationships to help boys succeed at school A ScotsIdeas Evening with Dr Rob Loe Monday 24 February 2020 Dr Rob Loe, former teacher, senior leader and leading academic in the measurement and management of human relationships as CEO of the Relationships Foundation, spoke lucidly about why relationships matter and why we don’t understand them as well as we should. In an age obsessed with social networks, he called for schools and families to invest in ‘relational networks’. ‘Relationships are not about how well you like people, but how well you know them,’ and the foundation for flourishing individuals, communities and nations. How can we build deeper relational networks in schools? Drawing on ground-breaking research with tens of thousands of school students, teachers and parents around the world, he showed the protective impact of good relationships, and how great schools invest seriously in creating belonging. |
Four key strategies for improving relationships in schools included:
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Fireworks in the Musical Brain
A ScotsIdeas Evening with neuromusical educator Dr Anita Collins Wednesday 28 August Award-winning educator, researcher and writer in the field of brain development and music learning, Dr Anita Collins visited the College in August 2019 to present to parents, boys and staff. Dr Collins is internationally recognised for her unique work in translating the scientific research of neuroscientists and psychologists to the everyday parent, teacher and student. She wrote the script for the highly successful TED-Ed video, ‘How playing an instrument benefits your brain’, followed by her TEDx talk, ‘What if every child had music education from birth?’ Over the last two years she interviewed close to 100 researchers in labs across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. In her fascinating ScotsIdeas talk, Dr Collins explored ideas of creativity, music and the brain as well as unpacking some of the compelling evidence around the Arts and boys’ wellbeing. She also worked over two days with boys and staff to teach the Bigger Better Brains course. |
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Raising Boys
A ScotsIdeas Evening with parent educator Steve Biddulph AM Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 September 2019 Leading parent educator, Mr Steve Biddulph AM joined us for a special ScotsIdeas in September 2019 over two sold out nights, speaking to more than 1,000 parents. As one of the world’s best known parent educators, and author of The Secret of Happy Children, Raising Boys and The New Manhood, Steve has influenced the way we look at childhood and especially the development of boys and men. His engrossing talk shared insights into how to raise sons who are kind, confident and safe, as well as explore:
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Strategies for promoting virtue at home and at school can vary in their effectiveness. Those which the evidence suggests are more likely to succeed include:
For more parent and teacher resources from Professor Miller, visit The Character Portal. |
The Character Gap: What it is and why it matters for raising boys A ScotsIdeas Evening with Philosopher Professor Christian Miller Thursday 6 June 2019 As part of our Patribus Initiative in educating for the Character and Care for Fine Scots Boys, an audience of boys, parents, staff and friends of the College were treated to a masterful talk by leading American philosopher of character Professor Christian Miller (Wake Forest University). His talk, entitled ‘The Character Gap: What it is and why it matters for raising boys’, addressed what we mean by character, why it matters, and what approaches are more or less effective in helping boys develop it. Drawing on his recent book The Character Gap: How Good Are We? (Oxford, 2018), which reviews the insights on moral behaviour from hundreds of psychological studies over the past 50 years, he argued that:
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Adventure in the World A ScotsIdeas Evening with Adventurer Mr Adrian Hayes Monday 8 April 2019 In our second ScotsIdeas event for 2019, we welcomed international adventurer Adrian Hayes to tell the story of his recent attempts to climb the world’s second highest mountain, K2. Hayes described to our keen audience of parents, staff and boys that climbing K2 is a level beyond even it’s taller counterpart, with few ascents and a sobering ratio of one death for every four climbers reaching the summit. Hayes also discussed the motivation for people to undertake adventures, and suggested that we need to be honest with ourselves and others about how we search for significance through our adventures and indeed all activities. A panel of Scots staff helped to connect Hayes’ extreme adventures with adventure in the life of a Scots boy. Kym Mcmaster (Coordinator of Experiential Education) explained how adventure fits into the Brave Hearts, Bold Minds philosophy of education at Scots, and is embodied in our Experiential Education approach of ‘learning through doing’. |
Jeff Grundy (Director of Glengarry) talked about the essential elements of adventure in the Glengarry program, and how this ‘scripted adventure’ prepares young men for adventure in the world. Former Scots staff member and doctoral researcher at ACU, Matthew Pfeiffer, described his research showed that
adventurous experiences at Glengarry developed important life skills such as self concept, internal locus of control and resilience. To find out more about him, please click here. |
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Reinventing Education: Why schools need to lead their own revolution to prepare students for the future
A ScotsIdeas Evening with Professor Yong Zhao Monday 4 February 2019 Born in China and teaching in the United States for almost 30 years, Professor Yong Zhao is currently the Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Kansas as well as serving as an advisor to many institutions and schools around the world. Acknowledged internationally for his comparative analysis of Eastern and Western education systems alongside his extensive writing on automation and the future of work, Professor Yong Zhao returned to Scots in 2019 for an evening of thought and action. In his wide-ranging, humorous and challenging presentation, Professor Yong Zhao suggested that education should focus on developing each student's strengths rather than highlighting their weaknesses, and that students should have as much choice as possible in their learning journey. We are also privileged to have Professor Zhao collaborating with our vision of Reinventing Education. To find out more about him, please click here. |
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China, Globalisation and the Future of Work and Education
A ScotsIdeas breakfast with Professor Yong Zhao Friday 8 June 2018 Professor Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas. He is also a professorial fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University in Australia as well as a Global Chair at the University of Bath, UK. He previously served as the Presidential Chair and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon, where he was also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. Prior to Oregon, Yong Zhao was University Distinguished Professor at the College of Education, Michigan State University, where he also served as the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Technology, executive director of the Confucius Institute, as well as the US-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence. ‘In an age of smart machines, the answer is not to become one. It is to become more human.’ Such was but one challenge delivered by leading educator Professor Yong Zhao, visiting the College to address boys, staff and parents on the need for a new vision for education in an age of globalisation and disruption. Connecting strongly to the College’s deep Presbyterian tradition of shaping the curriculum to the individual and directing learning towards the common weal, Professor Zhao explored the possibilities for a more ‘personalisable education’ that allows students to develop their talents and apply them in real-world learning settings. To find out more about him, please click here. |
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The Call: Finding and Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life
A luncheon hosted by the ScotsResearch Office with Dr Os Guinness Thursday 31 May 2018 Dr Os Guinness is an author, social critic and currently a senior fellow at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics in Oxford. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War Two where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and his D.Phil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford. We had the privilege of having him deliver two talks to boys, parents, staff and friends of the College, addressing the deep and timely questions of how we live with our deepest differences, and how we find and fulfil the purpose of our lives. In his seminar address on ‘The Global Public Square’, he challenged us to see religious freedom not as a right purely for ‘the religious’, but foundational to a free society for all. His luncheon talk on ‘The Call’, drawing on his own experience and the legacy of his famous family of Dublin brewers, pointed students in particular to the emptiness of a purely material conception of life and the deep joy found in the service of others. To find out more about him, please click here. |
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The Future of Work
A ScotsIdeas evening co-hosted with the Institute of Business and Economics Wednesday 15 November 2017 Work and workplaces are changing rapidly, and we need new ways of preparing boys to thrive in a radically different future. This stimulating evening on ‘The Future of Work’ featured TED-style talks from thought leaders and CEOs, including:
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Being a (Good) Man
A ScotsIdeas evening with Professor John Stackhouse Thursday 27 July 2017 For some time now, stereotypes of masculinity have been subjected to withering analysis. But what remains after all this criticism? What does it mean, and should it mean, to be a man today? Award-winning Canadian commentator and theologian Professor John Stackhouse moves beyond the stereotypes about masculinity, providing fresh insights and practical wisdom for bringing out the best in boys. Professor John Stackhouse, who in 2014 was the inaugural Clark Distinguished Professorial Fellow at The Scots College, is a renowned thinker, speaker and author. Formerly a professor of European history at Northwestern College in Iowa, a professor of religion at the University of Manitoba, and the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Culture at Regent College (University of British Columbia), he now serves Crandall University in Moncton, New Brunswick, as the Samuel J. Mikolaski Professor of Religious Studies and Dean of Faculty Development. Find out more about Professor Stackhouse here. |
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Beyond Mental Health
A ScotsIdeas evening with Professor Ian Hickie AM and Associate Professor Elizabeth Scott Wednesday 8 March 2017 On Wednesday 8 March 2017, the first of our ScotsIdeas forums brought Australia’s leading mental health experts to talk about the big issues in the flourishing of young men today. Professor Ian Hickie AM is the Co-Director of the Brain and Mind Centre at the University of Sydney, focussing on the area of health and policy. He is the Commissioner in the National Mental Health Commission and oversees enhanced accountability for mental health reform in Australia. He is an internationally renowned researcher in clinical psychiatry and a leading voice on mental health issues, often appearing on ABC Q&A and advising the Prime Minister. He leads developments in youth mental health, early intervention in emerging depression and other severe mood disorders and developments of e-health based systems for enhanced mental health care. Professor Hickie was the inaugural CEO of beyondblue, a founding director of headspace, and executive director of the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute from 2003. Associate Professor Elizabeth Scott (MBBS, FRANZCP) is the Medical Director of Uspace at St Vincent's Private Hospital. Uspace is Australia’s first private mental health service targeted to the needs of young adults aged 16–30. Liz is also a consultant psychiatrist at the Brain and Mind Research Institute, conjoint lecturer at the School of Medical Sciences, University of Sydney and is appointed to the School of Medicine at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney. |
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The Battle for America and the Future of Politics
An evening with Dr Harry Melkonian, US Studies Centre Monday 7 November 2016 On the night before the US Presidential Election, we welcomed Dr Harry Melkonian, Lecturer at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, for a special ScotsIdeas Forum on this remarkable election and its significance for the future of politics in the US and around the world. Raised in the United States, Dr Melkonian was a partner at the law firm of White & Case specialising in business torts, constitutional rights, and intellectual property and was licensed to practice in both New York and California. In the course of his career, Dr Melkonian has conducted over 1000 jury trials in the US. Some of his trials involving constitutional issues include being the lead trial lawyer in the landmark Meinhold v US case in which the right of gays to serve in the US military was first established. An Honorary Associate at Macquarie Law School, Dr Melkonian also teaches numerous continuing education courses in Sydney dealing with American history and politics. He has two sons in Year 10 at Scots. |
Battle for America from The Scots College on Vimeo. |
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Sustainable Futures Forum
with the Faculty of Applied Science Thursday 3 March 2016 How will we face the challenges of sustaining life on earth? On Thursday 3 March, The Scots College Research Centre and Faculty of Applied Science hosted a number of fascinating academics at the ScotsIdeas Sustainable Futures Forum, exploring conservation, climate change, corporate citizenship and the cities of the future. Following brief presentations from each of our experts, we enjoyed a rich Q&A time with our panelists. Joining us for this special evening were: Dr Laurie Marker Founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia Professor Steven Sherwood ARC Laureate Fellow and Director of the Climate Change Research Centre, UNSW Professor Christopher Wright Professor of Organisational Studies and leader of the Balanced Enterprise Research Network, University of Sydney Business School Sandy Burgoyne Director of the Future Cities Collaborative, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney |
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Motivating Boys: A ScotsIdeas Symposium
Thursday 5 March 2015 How can we motivate our young men to achieve their best? Over 100 parents, staff and members of the community enjoyed a stimulating evening at the Motivating Boys: A ScotsIdeas Symposium. Our panel of guest speakers offered thoughtful, honest and entertaining answers to the audience's questions about such topics as:
Guest panelists included: Professor Herb Marsh, Australian Catholic University Recognised as one of the world's most productive educational psychologists and the 11th most productive researcher across all disciplines of psychology, he is an expert in measuring motivation and teaching effectiveness. Associate Professor Helen Proctor, Senior Lecturer in Education at The University of Sydney Author of several books in education history and policy, including Controversies in Education (2015), A History of Australian Schooling (2014), and School Choice: How parents negotiate the new school market in Australia (2009). Mr Scott Monk, novelist and editor at The Australian Author of acclaimed novel Raw (an HSC set text), Beyond the Knock Knock Door and other books that have ‘got boys into reading’, now an editor at The Australian newspaper. Mr Lee Morley, The Scots College A former professional rugby player in the UK, now a Scots Business Studies and Economics teacher and winner of the College’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2014. |
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Sports Science: A ScotsIdeas Demonstration and Discussion
Thursday 14 May 2015 What is the relationship between performance in sport and holistic adolescent development? How do we help boys (and girls!) develop holistically, head, heart and hands? These questions were explored at a fascinating panel discussion and demonstration of the College's sports science research facilities. This ScotsIdeas evening also presented an opportunity for members of the community to see the College's sports science facilities and the research students at the College and from universities are conducting on injury prevention, the relationship of body and brain, and the nature of adolescent maturation. Guest panelists included: Dr John Orchard Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, a highly-regarded sports and exercise medicine physician for a number of teams including the Australian Cricket Team, the NSW State of Origin team and the Sydney Swans. Mr Brian Smith Director of Rugby at Scots, a Wallaby in the 1986 Bledisloe Cup and 1987 World Cup, captain of the Balmain Tigers, graduate of the University of Oxford, and, most recently, attack coach for England and Head Coach of London Irish RUFC. Dr Carmel Harrington Managing Director of Sleep for Health, Honorary Research Fellow at the Children's Hospital Westmead, a founding member of the Sleep Health Foundation, and author of two books, The Sleep Diet, and The complete guide to a good night's sleep. Dr Stephen Cobley Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health Sciences at The University of Sydney, a researcher and author on Talent Identification, biomechanics and psychology, with a particular focus on developmental factors that constrain performance in sport and education. |
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Well May We Say: A ScotsIdeas Evening of Great Australian Speeches
Wednesday 11 November 2015 On the 40th anniversary of the Whitlam dismissal and those famous words - ‘Well may we say “God Save the Queen”...', oratorical senses were delighted with an evening of great Australian speeches, re-delivered by talented young speakers, with context and commentary from entertaining experts. Speeches included:
Guest panelists included:
Co-hosted with the College's Debating and Public Speaking and the History Societies |
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IBE with ScotsIdeas: Business Ethics Breakfast with Professor Paul Williams
Thursday 12 November 2015 Professor Paul Williams, Research Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College, Vancouver, joined us with the Scots Institute for Business and Economics for a breakfast exploring the relationship between morality and the market. Before serving from 2005 to 2015 as the Executive Director of the Marketplace Institute at Regent, Paul was Chief Economist and Head of International Research for DTZ Holdings, an international real estate consulting and investment banking group headquartered in London. His key clients included JP Morgan, MetLife, Pirelli, Prudential, GE Capital, the Government of Estonia, and the Spanish Social Security Agency. Listen to the Q&A discussion below. |
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