Pre-PreService Teaching

It's 7:30 on Monday, July 12th and I'm preparing to go to a Pupil Free Day. In the states we'd call it a staff development day. With my mom and sister already a part of the teaching profession in New York I know what staff development consists of here and I'm extremely curious to see how things are different here in Australia. Over the next 9 weeks I will be conducting some research into the Australian methods and philosophy of education. I am placed in a Year 6 classroom here in Australia on the Sunshine Coast. For obvious reasons, I won't be able to discuss specific names of my school or teachers and students names. I'm hoping that this blog can begin a conversation about what we as American Educators can borrow from our Australian colleagues. This blog was created to critically examine and analyze the differences between the two education systems. It isn't about right and wrong, it's about discovering a more broad range of techniques and styles in order to incorporate all learners into the classroom. No two classes are the same but with skillful adaptation and a little effort, we can always learn from one another as educators.