PD and Events — New Tech Network Australia: Innovative Thinking in Education

Fostering Learning Alliances with NTNAU Instructional Coaching

Becoming an ally for each learner is something NTNAU teachers strive for. We strive to establish a warm, demanding stance with our students and prioritise the creation of a safe, inclusive and emotionally supportive classroom culture for each learner. The NTNAU Instructional Coaching Program gives leaders of learning across our Network the tools and ability to do the same with adult learners. Designed specifically for those leading school change or simply improvements in teaching and learning, we invite you to join us in Terms 3 and 4 2024 to dive into our coach development program for leading adult learning with small groups and one-on-one.

It’s here: Design Thinking with NTNAU

A year in the making, and after several years running this program in schools, we are now thrilled to officially launch NTNAU Design Thinking.

Aligned with the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum, this fully resourced semester-long course is suitable to run for students of any age. Designed for the modern student, this course takes the load off teacher preparation time and maximises student collaboration, critical thinking and communication skills.

Engage your students through real-world Maths problems

Guided by a subject specialist, turn your Maths content into real-world problems that engage students and inspire collaboration, academic discussion and critical thinking.

ALL LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE WELCOME. LEAVE WITH A PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING UNIT TO TRIAL NEXT TERM.

FACILITATED BY NTNAU MATHS COACH TIM WOODBINE

New Tech School Tour - Texas April 2023

This April, we had the great pleasure of taking fourteen Australian educational leaders to Dallas, Texas to visit six New Tech schools that are at the forefront of educational reform. These leaders had the opportunity to network with educators, principals and experts from all over the USA, gaining insight into the most recent practices and developments in project-based learning, school leadership, and educational innovation.

We were welcomed into schools by students and teachers alike, had some incredible hands-on learning experiences and learnt so much from what we saw. It’s hard to narrow it down, but here are our key observations below. Why not join us on our next trip?

Design a PBL Project in a Day - 4th June 2021

This online, one day course is for anyone that needs a refresher in Project Design or to hit the ground running with Project-Based Learning, this workshop provides a step-by-step guide to 'speed-creating' a project in just one day. Improve an existing project or come with nothing more than curriculum dot points. You'll be guided through the process by experienced practitioners, receive feedback through Critical Friends and leave feeling inspired and confident to roll out your project.

Project-Based Learning 101 - 2 Day Course Coming Soon!

Are you ready to rethink teaching and learning?

Would you like a more collaborative classroom where students are engaged in authentic, real world learning using critical thinking and taking the reins over their own learning?

With over 25 years experience in helping schools become more student-centred, improve student outcomes and develop as learning communities, we’re excited to be opening our doors to teachers across Australia to share the New Tech model: a student-centred approach to Project-Based Learning.

Virtual Workshop: Supporting Diverse Learning Needs in the PBL Classroom

As a teacher, when you receive your class list and see the many varied learning needs of the students in your care for the year, it can be pretty daunting. Especially when project-based learning is the primary mode of instruction. In addition to the usual requirements for differentiation for often vastly varied literacy levels and academic abilities, PBL throws up some distinct challenges for teachers (and the students themselves!). The requirement to work as a team can typically be daunting to many students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, the noise levels of an active classroom can also be distracting. Meanwhile, students with anxiety may struggle with standing up and presenting to the class or other experts.

Join us to understand how students with diverse learning needs can be supported by teachers to thrive in the PBL classroom and become confident, active members of their team.

Graduate Certificate in Project and Problem-Based Learning - Enrol Now!

At New Tech Network Australia, we are committed to revolutionising teacher professional development. Starting in 2021, we’re excited to announce our brand new Graduate Certificate in Project and Problem-Based Learning. Project and Problem-Based Learning teachers across Australia will finally be able to get the recognition they deserve for their unique skills in curriculum design and student-centred learning from Term 3 2021 onwards. The twelve month course will be online and self-paced , designed with busy teachers in mind.

FREE Virtual Workshop: Inclusive, Equitable Classrooms

With people around the world taking to the streets to protest racial inequality, the Black Lives Matter movement is a hot topic amongst many of the young people we teach. A light has been shone once again on Aboriginal deaths in custody and our students watched with horror, as we did, the brutal restraint of George Floyd and far too many other African Americans in the US.

In divided and uncertain times, it’s the classroom teacher that will so often be at the coal face of these discussions: fielding questions, privy to our students inner thoughts and acting as a key contributor as they shape their opinions and view of the world. It’s an important time for self-reflection and some fantastic tools exist for helping us check for subconscious-bias in our relationships with students. Following a summer of self-reflection with our partners at NTAC in the US, we’ve

PD and EventsEmily LiccioniOctober 22, 2020Project-Based Learning, Progressive education

What is Problem-Based Learning?

What is Problem-Based Learning and how does it work for Maths?

PrBL is the abbreviation for Problem-Based Learning and is the recommended pedagogy for mathematics within the New Tech Network. PrBL is a pedagogy in which the teacher starts the lesson with a real world problem, ideally authentic to a student's life. Tim Woodbine, Maths Coach for New Tech Network shares his vast experience of designing and implementing Problem-Based Learning into Maths Classrooms and tells you how to get started.

Join Us for Beyond NTAC 2020

Imagining Beyond

The current moment has required the education community to reflect on what we value, and to ponder the significance of what falls outside those bounds. The response to COVID-19 has forced students, families, and educators to take action outside the traditional school experience. This has put a spotlight on the role of K-12 education, whose past entails policies, procedures, and teaching practices that don’t meet the needs of students in today’s world, and often catalyses inequities that harm learning and development.

As we persist through this crisis, we must resist the urge to put the pieces of an obsolete past back together again. We must imagine beyond, and see this moment as an opportunity to put what we value at the core of our practice…

Virtual Workshop: Student Agency (Online & Beyond)

We know you're working hard right now. In fact, teachers across the Network are telling us they've never worked harder. We know you've had to be very resilient and develop a Growth Mindset to many things in recent weeks and we salute you.

With teachers taking the reins to bring the best learning opportunities they can to their students we thought a discussion about Fostering Student Agency (online and beyond) would be timely.

Apprentissage par project? Pourquoi pas!

Project-Based Learning puts the ‘why’ into every teachers’ favourite question: “why are we doing this, Miss?“

Before Project Based Learning, I often struggled to answer this question (other than “it’s on your exam”). Why should a group of teenagers more interested in almost anything other than ‘past participles’ or ‘adjectival agreements’ commit to learning this when so often a visit to the country of the language they’re learning is something that may never eventuate?

This week we’ll be diving into the unique challenges of language teaching in the project-based learning classroom

PD and EventsBradley ScanlonMarch 8, 2020Project-Based Learning, Professional Learning

Announcing Keynote Speakers for NTAC Australia 2020!

As a former School Principal in Washington, DC, Jim now works for New Tech Network (NTN) as Chief Schools Officer. Jim’s focus is on supporting the implementation efforts of over 175 schools in 29 states and Australia that make up the Network. Working to ensure that every NTN school has the support it needs to become…

PD and EventsEmily LiccioniFebruary 19, 2020NTAC Australia, Network Schools

Registration Open for NTAC Australia 2020!

We’re very excited to announce that the date has been set for the first ever New Tech Annual Conference Australia and we’d love to invite you, your School Leaders and teaching colleagues.

NTAC Australia 2020 will be held on Tuesday 14th April 2020 at St Joseph’s College, Geelong. This will be a fantastic opportunity for school leaders and teachers to come together and learn from educational experts from across Australia and the United States.

Keeping it Real with Project-Based Learning

Crafting projects that address real-world problems, that encourage students to work with and present to meaningful external partners and that make learning RELEVANT to the lives of the many students we teach is no mean feat. With our upcoming Virtual Workshop on ‘Authenticity in PBL’, we thought some of you might be interested in this articl

Powerful Professional Development Gains Accreditation by NSW Education Authority

The NTN Model of PBL and Student-Centred Learning, which started over 20 years ago in Napa, California, has landed in Australia! With over 46 hours of powerful professional development that is now also accredited by the NSW Education Standards Authority. We offer both Proficient and Lead Teacher level courses with many more accredited hours to come.

Don't Miss the Spring Leadership Summit 2019

Join fellow New Tech Network Australia colleagues and New Tech Network Australia staff to reflect upon this year’s learning and to plan for the upcoming school year. Using NTN’s 5 Domains of Leadership Framework as a tool, participants will work together to determine implications for practice and to identify actionable next steps for pursuing their organisation’s goals…

Virtual Workshop: NTKs and the Student-Centred Classroom

We all know that student inquiry is the cornerstone that should drive teaching and learning post project launch but keeping the Need to Know list alive is something that many of us PBL teachers struggle with. Join us for the next Virtual Workshop as we explore ways to…

New Tech Network Australia Presenting at ACSA 2019 Curriculum Conference

The call to action of the ‘Through Growth to Achievement’ education review highlights the urgent need for educators and education systems to ensure that Australian students receive a world-class education that empowers, engages and enriches. This exciting conference will explore the key priorities…