Bravery in teaching was at the heart of the South West Academic Trust (SWAT) teaching and learning conference at the University of Exeter earlier this month.

While he may not have reached the rallying cry of Scottish independence leader William Wallace, the headteacher of Devonport High School for Boys (DHSB) in Plymouth, Dan Roberts, encouraged the 200 delegates to be “brave in a climate of change”.

He gave examples of how technology can impact learning and challenged the delegates to use scientific knowledge to “revolutionise” their professional development.

Students from SWAT secondary schools also led presentations on their research projects.

Year 12 students Vikram Thirupathirajan and Cian Kinsella from DHSB introduced their work on “challenging the most able” and fielded some difficult questions from the teacher audience.

After the conference, DHSB English teacher and conference delegate, Louise Everett-Lindsay, said: “The diversity and passion of the students and teachers was infectious. Bravery as an approach allows staff in schools to experiment, innovate and reflect, and build our resilience.”

Pic: Vikram Rajan and Cian Kinsella introduce their work on “challenging the most able”

 

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *