Programs
Oz-e-English Writing (Language) Years F–6 - Curriculum
"One of my favourite features of Oz-e-English Writing is that it addresses a lot of techniques that we probably overlook, and it addresses them a lot better than I would normally."
– Kate, Instruction Coach, New South Wales.
Instruction Coach Pathway - Professional Learning
"I like it that you can do the professional learning at your own pace. You can sit at home on the weekend and do it, or you can sit at school and do it, during the holidays you can do it."
– Kate, Instruction Coach, New South Wales.
Instruction Coach Pathway - Professional Learning
"When I was doing the professional learning, it questioned my knowledge and my understanding, but I didn’t feel threatened by it."
– Principal, Instruction Coach, Northern Territory.
Teach Spelling Mastery F-5 - Professional Learning
"The Spelling Mastery professional learning modules are a perfect balance of developing understanding and modelling through practical application."
– Danielle, Teacher, South Australia.
Leadership Coaching - School Improvement
“I really like having a School Improvement Coach so we can have open discussions about where we’d like to go, and our School Improvement Coach can give us feedback on what to do, I really like that.”
– Principal, Instruction Coach, Northern Territory.
Leadership Coaching - School Improvement
“As a leaders of our school, it’s nice to not feel that we are being judged, we’re being supported. I think that’s the strength of what Good to Great Schools Australia does. I don’t feel that I am being bombarded with orders, I feel that we have a dialogue, we get good feedback and its truthful feedback of where we need to be heading, and what we can do to achieve things. I feel like we work together rather than being told what to do.”
– Principal, Instruction Coach, Northern Territory.
Leadership Coaching - School Improvement
“Participating in the Good to Great Schools Australia program, our team’s practice has become more concise – it has tightened things up a bit more, from what I’ve seen and heard from staff.”
– Lauren, Instruction Coach, Northern Territory.
Leadership Coaching - School Improvement.
“From a coaching perspective I think my practice has improved heaps through working with GGSA and through our weekly meetings. In terms of how I navigate school improvement conversations and concerns. What gets fed back and how I go about structuring those conversations and meeting with those teachers and getting everybody on board has improved.”
– Anthony, Middle School Coordinator, South Australia
From a coaching perspective, I think my practice has improved heaps by working with GGSA and through our weekly meetings. In terms of how I navigate school improvement conversations and concerns, what gets fed back and how I go about structuring those conversations and meeting with those teachers and getting everybody on board has improved.
– Anthony, Middle School Coordinator, South Australia
Participating in the Good to Great Schools Australia program, our team’s practice has become more concise – it has tightened things up a bit more, from what I’ve seen and heard from staff.
– Lauren, Instruction Coach, Northern Territory
– Lauren, Instruction Coach, Northern Territory
Direct Instruction has allowed me to teach my student a quality program without having to spend hours and hours producing resources. I actually get to have a weekend off every once in a while without feeling like I was going to be unprepared the following week.
Instruction Coach Pathway Curriculum
Roles
Principals
“Oz-e-English Writing has got a good variety of topics linking into our syllabus such as Australia and Asia and the Indigenous connection. There’s a good variety of topics that are very interesting, the students are very interested in the topics that come up.”
– Assistant Principal, New South Wales.
“My practice has improved by my consistent language that I now use. It’s not jumping around to different things, in writing I’ve got a consistent language for those lessons. The students are hearing that constant, constant, constant and I think that makes a difference.”
– Assistant Principal, New South Wales.
“Having a School Improvement Coach means we can have open discussions about where we’d like to go, and our School Improvement Coach can give us feedback on what to do, I really like that.”
– Principal, Northern Territory.
“For us, as leaders of our school, it’s nice to not feel that we are being judged, we’re being supported. I think that’s the strength of what Good to Great Schools Australia does. I don’t feel that I am being bombarded with orders, I feel that we have a dialogue, we get good feedback and it’s truthful feedback of where we need to be heading, and what we can do to achieve things. I feel like we work together rather than being told what to do.”
– Principal, Northern Territory.
“Many of our aboriginal teacher assistants are also teaching components of the program which has elevated their status and confidence. They also see the benefits of implementing DI. It is especially rewarding to see their talents and abilities being utilised better.”
– Principal, Western Australia.
“The reality is that it (Direct Instruction) is working beyond any level of belief, and it’s destroying every myth that had been allowed to grow that this community or these children were somewhat different, and that mainstream education wasn’t for them.”
– Patrick, Principal, Queensland.
“We collect data regularly, and have weekly teleconferences around that data. It means no children start to slip through the cracks ... we know straight away if children aren’t learning and we can remediate that.”
– Jo, Principal, Queensland.
Instruction Coaches
“Working with Good to Great Schools Australia has been an exciting opportunity for the school and looking into the future it is the place that we want to be, running this from Foundation to 6, it’s a program that’s embedded in the school and that the students will really benefit from.”
– Instruction Coach, South Australia.
“From a coaching perspective I think my practice has improved heaps through working with GGSA and through our weekly meetings. My practice has improved in terms of how I navigate school improvement conversations and concerns. What gets fed back and how I go about structuring those conversations and meeting with those teachers and getting everybody on board has improved.”
– Middle School Coordinator, South Australia.
“My favourite feature of the Oz-e-English Writing is the way that it is structured, so that you build on the previous lesson’s knowledge. It’s that structure and the continuity.”
– Instruction Coach, Northern Territory.
Teachers
“I came to the school at the start of the year and the kids they couldn’t read, they couldn’t write, they didn’t know their sounds. It was nice to start off with those kids who had done five or six years of schooling and had really not gained a lot. Now in the third term they’re reading full storybooks. It’s working, that’s all I have to say.”
– Alice, Teacher, Queensland.
“The Spelling Mastery professional learning modules are a perfect balance of developing understanding and modelling through practical application.”
– Teacher, South Australia.
“Nothing beats Direct Instruction for structure and supporting those older students who need to catch up.”
– Teacher, Victoria.
“Direct Instruction was a win for my students and a win for me.”
– Principal, Northern Territory.
“Direct Instruction has allowed me to teach my student a quality program without having to spend hours and hours producing resources. I actually get to have a weekend off every once in a while, without feeling like I was going to be unprepared the following week.”
– Teacher, New South Wales.
Teaching assistants
“I am very inspired by the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy system. It works. It benefits our kids.”
– Majella, Teaching Assistant, Queensland.
“My granddaughter has just gone in leaps and bounds. If she slips back she knows she has to work. So the Direct Instruction model makes them reach their personal best because they get constant feedback on their progress – not to compete with other kids but to compete with themselves and to do the best they know they can do.”
– Donna, Teaching Assistant, Queensland.
Education
“Expectations are higher, behaviour has improved, attendance has improved and teachers are seeing the benefits of the method in their students’ results.”
– Keira Stewart, Acting Principal, Warruwi School, Northern Territory.
“I have never seen children as engaged with the curriculum as I have at our campus.”
– Finn Buckley, Former Principal, Hope Vale Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy.
“The students are more confident. They know they have the ability to learn and to read. It’s exciting when you have students wanting to come and read in their own lunchtime.”
– Brett Jensen, Former Deputy Principal, Aurukun Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy.