Education by Gavin McCormack | Educational consultant

Education by Gavin McCormack

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Educational consultant
• Author

25.01.2022 Listen to these children talking about ‘being rich’ in 1979. Oh how times have changed! The little girl at the end is adorable #teachers #montessori #teaching #parents #children #finance

24.01.2022 I hope this helps any families stuck at home during covid! #teachers #education #teaching #parenting #parents #children https://gavinmccormack.com.au/8-ways-to-help-your-child-fl/

23.01.2022 What does creativity actually look like in our schools? When many of us think about being creative, we immediately talk about art, painting, acting or sculpture. But creativity in schools is much more than that! You see, before children speak, they hum and sing. Before they write their first word, they paint. The moment they can stand on two feet, they wiggle and dance, and when we give them time and space, they imagine.... Creativity is part of human existence, it’s in our genes, it’s who we are. We think, imagine and create everyday. Creativity in schools should run like a wild river beneath the house we call ‘education.’ Creativity is allowing children time to think, it’s giving the children the opportunity to sit where they want and with whom. It’s allowing them to represent their work in a way that suits them. It’s giving our children a voice, a choice and a chance to try something new. An opportunity to fail. When two children this week told me they’d like to work on the floor in the library on a table made of two stools and a craft board, we said ‘yes.’ They worked as hard as they possibly could, because education was on their terms, and the result... Two amazing letters to the Prime Minister on climate change! Now that’s creativity! #education #teachers #children

20.01.2022 Teachers of the world! Rise and shine! It’s time! For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way. 10,000 streams fan out like a river delta before you, each one promising the path of least resistence. ... The thing is, you're heading upstream, and when you make that choice, when you decide to turn your back on what's comfortable and safe and what someone called common sense, well that’s day one. From there it only gets tougher, so just make sure this is something you want, because the easy way out will always be there, ready to wash you away, all you have to do is give up! Quit! But you aren't going to, are you? With each step comes the decision to take another. You are on your way now, but this is no time to dwell on how far you've come. You are on a fight against and opponent you can’t see. You can however, feel him on your heels cant you? feel him breathing down your neck. You know what that is? Thats you! Your fears, your doubts and insecurities, all ganged up like a fireing squad ready to shoot you out of the sky. But don’t lose heart. You’ve got this. So stand tall, put your feet on the floor and don’t look back because we've got work to do. There’s a world that needs you! #teaching #montessori #school #children #education

19.01.2022 What is the emotional cup? And how can it help us understand our children more clearly? When a child’s emotional cup is approaching empty, we may see behaviours such as these emerge: attention seeking behaviour to alert us that they need a refill.... think they have to fight or flight to get a refill. demonstrate a sense of anxiety once they approach empty. What causes an empty cup? stress and pressure to achieve isolation yelling punishment failing fatigue being forced to do what they hate What refills a child’s emotional cup? play friendship one on one time together love and affection connection success being given the choice to do what they love. As adults we can see how the emotional cups of our children will need to be observed carefully, but it is also important to know how full your own cup is? If you’re running a little bit low too, take some time to do what you love, play a game or make a connection with a long lost friend. Have a great weekend ahead. #montessori #teachers #parents #school

18.01.2022 In a thousand different ways but quite often without words, our children ask: Can you see me? Do you hear me? ... Do I matter? Did you notice how hard I tried? Is it ok if I get this wrong? Can I spend time with you? Are my dreams valid? Can I make some choices? Will you always be here for me? Their behaviour is a great reflection of our response to these unspoken questions? #teachers #teaching #montessori #children #education

17.01.2022 Temporarily Removing yourself from it all, helps one gain true perspective. #life #teaching #love #nature

16.01.2022 Somewhere on top of a mountain in Nepal there’s a community thankful that the world chipped in a gave them a building where their youngest minds could be educated. It’s amazing what we can achieve when our intention, passion and purpose all in line! #education #school #teaching #nepal

15.01.2022 How important is modelling when educating our youngest citizens? When we model behaviour, when we model how something ‘can’ be done, we set expectations for our children, we show them that it is possible and along the way, we build connections and are able to observe what our children can and cannot do. Before I sat down with my little friend here I said. Come on let’s draw a lion. ... Her response was But I don’t know how to draw a lion. And that sets you up for the perfect response. Well, I’m going to try and draw a lion and maybe you can try with me. And step by step, I drew my lion and she watched and tried to replicate every line, circle and dot along the way. While we drew and chatted, I re-enforced how well she was doing and I observed how she sat, how she held the pencil and listened to what she knew about lions. By the end she’d done it, she’d drawn her first ever lion and I hadn’t touched her pencil once. I said at the end I thought you couldn’t draw a lion? To which she responded I can now! And through this careful process of modelling, we can build trust, practice conversation techniques, but more than anything we establish a belief that anything is possible if we have a guide to follow. Who’s your guide? #teaching #education #montessori #parents

15.01.2022 What are the 11 most important things that we as adults need to understand, before we can even think about helping our children reach their full potential. #teachers #children #parenting #education https://gavinmccormack.com.au/how-to-raise-amazing-childre/

14.01.2022 What’s the difference between split strategy and compensation strategy when teaching simple multiplication to children? #Maths #mathematics #mathteacher #teaching #teachers #education #school #parents https://youtu.be/fCWM7Sz5QJA

12.01.2022 Children will follow in the footsteps of those around them, as they grow, they absorb the environment that surrounds them. They mimic the actions they see, speak to others how they are spoken to, and most importantly, treat people the way they see others being treated. As adults they watch us like hawks, they listen to our words, examine our faces and absorb our reactions. ... What we want our children to be, we should be. What we want them to do, we should do, how we want them to act, we should act. There are no programs, curriculum or assessment tasks to monitor the care, love and compassion our children possess as they grow into adults. The only measure we should be using is how kind they are, how much they care and how much they believe in themselves to change the world. If we want our children to be kind, be kind! If we want our children to listen, listen! If we want our children to believe they can follow their dreams, make sure you’re following yours! #children #teaching #education #parenting #montessori

11.01.2022 As teachers we wait for the holidays to rest our minds. Our children use recess or playtime as their escape from working their brain so hard. ‘Never remove playtime as a punishment for bad behaviour. If we do this, the bad behaviour will only perpetuate.’ #parenting #children #teachers #montessori #education

11.01.2022 ‘Am I a good teacher? Is a question you may ask yourself. Or Is my child’s teacher any good? Well here is an assessment tool to help you decide. If your classroom or your child’s classroom has these things, well, you’re doing well!! VOICE there should be noise in every classroom. Voices of discussion, cooperation, collaboration, debate and problem solving.... CHOICE Can your children make decisions for themselves? Where to sit, who to work with and what to learn? REFLECTION Is there designated time for reflection in the classroom? How did I do today? What can I do better tomorrow? CRITICAL THINKING Can the children solve real life problems? Make it real. INNOVATION Do your children have the opportunity to use their own ideas? Model what you would do and and ask them to decide how they will paint their picture! SELF ASSESSMENT Does your timetable allow children to regulate their own learning journey? I tried my best today in English but tomorrow I will work harder on mathematics! CONNECTED LEARNING Do your lessons span the curriculum? If you’re learning about polygons, how did the Romans use them in their buildings? FUN is it fun? How did you do? #education #teachers #teaching #children #parenting #montessori #parents #schoolleadership

11.01.2022 Spent the evening unloading 15,000 books donated by the amazing Elizabeth Mary Cummings ready for our next school project in Nepal. Just hoping those borders open soon!!! Fingers crossed because there’s not a lot of room left to park my car!!! #nepal #libraries #books #education

10.01.2022 What is the sweet spot in education and when do we know that we are truly educating the whole child? Through careful observation and communication with our children, our task is to find the sweet spot in education that will truly hook the child into learning. When we discover this ‘sweet spot’ It creates an environment where our children run to school, work as hard as possible, have purposeful experiences and leave feeling accomplished! ... But what are the factors that allow our children to feel this way? 1. Find out what they are good at? If they are a naturally good painter, focus on that! If it’s history, then that’s your hook! 2. Attempt to discover what they enjoy! Observe what it is that makes them smile, what makes then naturally excited. As the silent puppeteer slowly navigate the child through the journey we call education whilst linking it to what makes their heart sing! 3. Make it purposeful. Find out what the world needs and link their passion, their drive and their dreams to something that will make a difference! In short: 1. What are they good at? 2. What do they love? 3. What does the world need? ‘Children are not empty vessels that need filling, they have interests, dreams and passions that we must understand.’ #education #school # #teachers

09.01.2022 To every teacher out there, the answer to saving the rainforests, cleaning the oceans and finding homes for our refugees, sits in the seats in our classrooms. Let’s make sure the curriculum reflects these goals every time we teach. What’s the point in learning about the orang-utan’s habitat, the blue whale’s diet or the importance of equality and acceptance, if we are not going to make a difference by doing so? ... #teacher #education #school #montessori

08.01.2022 As adults, we must be very careful when using the following statement with children: Have you finished all your work? You see, work to me and you is usually a daily task that we do to put bread on the table and milk in the fridge, but to a child in their earliest stages of learning, the word ‘work’ runs much wider than that And If we lose sight of what the word ‘work’ means for our students, then we risk our children missing out on the fundamental skills of life that each a...nd every situation offers. Here are things that our children see as work: Helping a friend Choosing a task Solving a problem Having a debate Making a decision Talking Writing Thinking Predicting the future Making a plan Packing their bag Putting away their materials Making a new friend Cleaning the classroom Being prepared Trying something new Consulting a teacher Planting some seeds Drawing a picture Reading a book Studying a model Looking through a microscope Discovering a new skill Learning a hidden fact Feeling happy Being honest Standing up for a friend Being loyal Listening to a story Asking for help Smiling at a friend Making someone else happy These are all work to our children, these are all achievements and extremely important. Thoughts? #teachers #school #montessori #education #parents

07.01.2022 How important is it to develop ‘genuine’ relationships with your students? You see, teachers who put relationships first, become a child’s teacher for life. Children are unbelievably astute, just as they detect weakness in the substitute teacher who puts on a brave face but Is quivering on the inside, they also know the difference between a genuine and a fake relationship.... When children know that you care, when they know that you make mistakes but you keep on trying. When they see that you’re genuinely happy to see them succeed and show determination when things got hard, you’ll finally win their trust. And at that point They’ll have the confidence to fail, they’ll feel they have the ability to tell you when it’s too hard! They’ll reach out when they’re feeling alone, overworked or under challenged. You’ll push them, support them and allow them to reach their potential and in return, they’ll critique your teaching technique, they’ll support you when implementing change and most of all They’ll trust you when you tell them You can do it! Keep going! Teachers who put renationships first, don’t have students for one year, they have students who view them as their teachers for life! #teachers #teaching #education #montessori

07.01.2022 ‘You are not in the mountains, the mountains are in you.’ The closer we can bring our students to nature, the more they understand about how the world works, what makes the flowers grow, the sky blue and the sun shine, the more our children will respect and protect this beautiful world we have been gifted! Let’s get our children to the tops of mountains, let them smell the air, taste the wind, feel the cold water between their toes and experience the world in all its glory! ... Once they taste the pleasures that nature offers, they will guard it, protect it and care for it. Our job is the either bring our children to the world, or bring the world to them! #teachers #montessori #school #education #Nature

07.01.2022 This morning I walked into my office to find a cup cake made by a nine year old student with a small note that said Best Principal ever. I sat down, read the note which said inside, ‘Thank you for organising all this fun stuff for us. Suddenly, all those hours of emailing, running cricket sessions, covering playground duty and trying my best to make sure that the children learn normally during this crazy pandemic, were all worthwhile.... Without question, every single minute was worth it. For me, the thing that struck me was there was a child who spent her evening cooking and baking with the intent of showing gratitude, of telling someone else that their actions matter, that those efforts were noticed! She acknowledged my efforts and made me feel proud and I’m the principal! Shouldn’t I be the one telling her that she’s done great work and that I’m proud of her? No, because we both have that power! And that’s it! In that instant I knew that this was real education, this was life, this was how to be! It wasn’t just a cupcake and a note. It was a future, a leader, an empathetic compassionate change maker who had an ability to change things. It resembled hope. ‘Sometimes the smallest gestures have the greatest impact.’ #teachers #education #school #montessori

06.01.2022 Someone has been spying on me! #teachers #teaching #school #montessori #parents #education #principals #primaryschool

05.01.2022 We are not teachers, we are guides, silent puppeteers following the child’s lead as they tell us how and why they want to learn. Only through, NOT Teaching and observing, will we truly understand our students. ‘A good teacher knows when to teach, but a great teacher knows when not to.’ By allowing our children to walk free in the classroom and to make mistakes, we allow them to practice actually living in and among each other, we allow them to refine their essential skills fo...r life. We allow them to live. And while I agree that academics are absolutely crucial, It isn’t teaching that will stop our wars, save the rain-forests or help refugees to find new places to live, it is skills such as empathy, resilience, compassion, determination and understanding. Our job as adults is to prepare our children for a future we are yet to understand. A kindergarten child of today will graduate from high school in 2032. Who knows what the world will look like? That is 12 years from now. 12 years ago, there was no Tesla cars on the road, google maps had just been created the iPhone had just been released. Who knows what 2032 will bring? It is time we brought education to Life and brought the skills of life into education! #teachers #education #school #montessori

05.01.2022 Somewhere on a mountain top in the Himalayas, I stood before a class of children and asked the question What do you want to be when you grow up? One boy stood up and said one of the most profound things I’ve ever heard in my life. He said When I grow up, I want to be able to take care of my mother like she takes care of me.... And with that statement, everything was put right in the world. #teachers #school #children #montessori #Life #change

05.01.2022 To every teacher out there trying their best! We’re with you! Yes it’s hard, today was a struggle, but you’re making a difference, you’re doing your bit. You made someone smile, you said hello, you were there with them, you held their hand, listened to their stories and told them they matter! Whatever you managed to do today was enough, it was everything there was for you to do! That’s your purpose! You’re alive, you’re here, you’ve got this! ... Don’t you dare give up! Don’t you dare walk away. There’s light around the corner but there’s one thing you’ve gotta know! This isn’t a climb where you’ll reach the top, you are the top, you climbed that mountain the moment you decided to become a teacher! You’re on a journey. A journey of change, one of making a difference, a journey filled with purpose, love, hope and potential! No matter how big that storm is, the sun still shines behind those clouds! Do your bit, try your best and let it pass. You’re a teacher, that’s what you do! #teacher #teaching #school #montessori

04.01.2022 How important is connection in your classrooms? Our children are social species. They rely on eye contact, body language, tone, intonation and a sixth sense of trust as they decide how they feel about the adults and other children in their lives. The more we encourage these kinds of interactions in our classrooms and schools, the more our children will feel connected, the more they will be able to make decisions using their instincts and the less they will feel lonely. ... When we build a learning environment where natural interactions between students and teachers are inbuilt into the bricks and mortar of the philosophy, then we cultivate something called the ‘role of neighbour.’ Or what some may call empathy or understanding. When we prepare environments that create pathways of communication in each and every lesson, we encourage our children to think about questions such as: How can I help my friends? What are the consequences of my actions and what does it mean to be part of this community? Ultimately, if we wish to educate the whole child, our students need to feel their way through their educational journey. #teachers #education #children #montessori

03.01.2022 When it happens you’ll know.

03.01.2022 It’s that time of year again where many parents around the world are looking for new schools for 2021. But what should parents be looking for? This should help! #teachers #education #school #children #parents... https://gavinmccormack.com.au/ten-questions-all-parents-sh/

03.01.2022 ‘The future depends on the adults that lay dormant in the children of today.’ Our success as educators is not assessed by what grades, points or scores our children get. Our success will be determined by how kind, caring, empathetic and understanding our children become. ‘The ultimate learning objective for any child is love, and the world needs it more than ever.’ ... Have a lovely day. #montessori #teachers #parenting #children

02.01.2022 The ultimate gift we can give to our children is ‘time.’ They won’t remember what gifts we gave them, they won’t hold onto the money we earned or the things we bought. They’ll remember the times we made them laugh until they cried, the times we told them it was going to be alright and the times we sheltered them from the horrors of the outside world. No matter what situation we are all currently in, our children need us to hold their hand, look them in the eye and tell them... that it’s all going to be alright, and that yes! it might get hard, but you’ll be right here! #teachers #montessori #parents #children #education

01.01.2022 When we position the teacher as the oracle or the font of knowledge, standing in a silent classroom filled with children all listening obediently in rows, we are ultimately saying to them. Good morning everyone, today you can only be as smart as me. It’s time to let our children lead the way, it’s time to guide our children rather than teach them, it’s time to bring back that love of learning to the classroom, by inspiring, being the bridge between the child and the world.... Believing in their ability to think and do. To fail and to experiment with the world around them. It’s time! #teacher #school #teachers #education #montessori

01.01.2022 When we make the teaching of language tangible and movable, we ignite the senses of our children, making learning memorable and real. #teaching #teachers #education #montessori #children #school #parents #parenting