Australian Education Awards winners

Discover what the winners of the Australian Education Awards are doing in the classroom, which is having a significant impact on student learning. 

One of the biggest awards in the education space is the Australian Education Awards, where the “country’s top performing schools, principals, department heads and teachers” are celebrated for their achievements.  

We sat down with the winners of the 2019 Teachers Mutual Bank Best Use of Technology and Teachers Mutual Bank Teacher of the Year to find out what they are doing in the education space, which is helping to support student learning.

College Principal, Kylee Owen being interviewed by the ABC on the use of virtual reality at Callaghan College.

Best Use of Technology - Callaghan College

Virtual reality

In partnership with the University of Newcastle, Callaghan College has looked at the impact of virtual reality in the classroom and the difference it makes to varying aspects of learning.

Callaghan College Principal, Kylee Owen provides the example of how virtual reality is used to engage year 11 students with poetry. “One of our students created a virtual World War I trench. As you walk through the trench there are various activities the student has to do, like pick up a piece of Wilfred Owen poetry and undertake a task based on that.”

Drone piloting

Virtual reality isn’t the only technology being utilised by Callaghan College. Partnering with Civil Aviation Safety Authority, it has also used aviation technology in its courses. “We created a remote drone course, which provides students with the opportunity to learn the skills of drone piloting and the students gain a credential,” says Owen.

According to Owen it is not using technology for technology’s sake. “It is using technology to support learning and, most importantly, finding the best tool to make it as effective and immersive as possible.”

Teacher of the Year - Tony Vallance, Lilydale High School

Real world learning

Learning Specialist, Tony Vallance’s teaching style is far from “chalk and talk”. Instead he focuses on projects that provide real world connections. One such project was an initiative with Zoos Victoria, which saw students build prototype inventions.

“One of our prototypes was a tracking collar for the Eastern barred bandicoot, developed by one of our year 9 students and it is actually used in the field now,” explains Vallance. 

Mindfulness practice

Vallance also runs mindfulness practices every day at recess, in a collaborative advanced virtual environment, dubbed “The CAVE” by students.

“We might say ‘Okay, let’s do a mountain top meditation’ and on the screen we will have a nice nature scene. You can even have lotus petals float around you as you breathe in and out. We can fully customise the learning environment and give kids and staff that time out each day.”

For Vallance, one of the most important things about being a teacher is having empathy and connecting with the kids as people. “The students have been part of the journey the whole way. They really want to put their own mark on the place and feel a connection to the school.”

To see the full list of winners, visit the Australian Education Awards 2019 website.