Teaching Impact Fellowships drive school improvement

Teachers as agents of change

"Being a change agent means actively dedicating oneself to improving education and making positive, transformative impacts in the lives of young people and their school communities." – Glenn C. Savage

At our core, we believe that educational leadership starts in the classroom. This article spotlights a group of dedicated Victorian teachers who are driving whole-school improvement through powerful projects.

These educators, all graduates of our Teaching Excellence Program and recipients of Teaching Impact Fellowships, have gone above and beyond to innovate and lead. As part of their fellowship, they:

• Identified a key problem of practice within their schools.
• Designed and implemented a project to address the problem, using evidence-based research.
• Applied their innovative ideas and shared their learning with others.
• Led teams to create lasting change and impact.

Innovating literacy education with AI

Meaghan Beddoe is an experienced literacy education leader from Phoenix P-12 Community College. She noticed a need to inspire students to write. Her project focused on teaching students to write compelling, character-driven narratives with the help of artificial intelligence.

Project impact

Increased teacher collaboration

Meaghan's team worked together to track student learning goals and adjust their teaching methods. They also gained confidence in using digital tools and AI-based assessments to create Individual Education Plans.

Improved student outcomes

The project led to a noticeable improvement in students' vocabulary, sentence structure, and overall involvement in the writing process. It empowered students to take more responsibility for their work.

Enhancing Koorie cultural connections

Kimberly Silva, a mathematics educator, and Shae Attrill, an arts educator, teamed up to create a Koorie Inclusion Program at Mount Rowan Secondary College. Their project was born from a desire to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and create a more inclusive education environment.

Project impact

Increased teacher confidence

Through a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' learning styles, teachers gained the confidence to effectively integrate Koorie perspectives into their classrooms.

Improved student wellbeing and outcomes

The program's strategies significantly improved student attendance and wellbeing. Data showed that students felt a stronger sense of belonging to the school community, which positively impacted their academic performance.

Enhancing mathematics through purpose-driven lessons

Stacey Lamb, a passionate primary school teacher at St. Bernard's Primary School in Wangaratta, tackled the challenge of student engagement in mathematics. She designed her project to give students multiple opportunities to revisit and solidify their understanding of math topics throughout the school year.

Project impact

Increased teacher capacity

Stacey led her team in adopting proven, data-driven strategies for purpose-driven lesson planning. By incorporating these methods into their lesson starters, teachers gained confidence in their ability to deliver engaging math content.

Improved student outcomes

Students demonstrated significant improvement in their thinking skills and a heightened level of student engagement in math. By revisiting and applying past knowledge to new lessons, they built a stronger, more lasting understanding of mathematical concepts.

The future of educational leadership

These stories showcase the power of teacher professional development and teaching innovation. They prove that when educators are given the opportunity to lead and innovate, they can create a ripple effect of positive change that benefits the entire school community.