2024 has seen the ongoing commitment of our teaching staff to engaging in action-based research to ensure our practice is contemporary and relevant. Below is a description of some of our achievements as a staff this year.  

University of QLD Learning Lab Research Partnership  

This year we joined the ‘Melbourne cluster’ of schools in partnership with the Learning Lab at the University of QLD. The Learning Lab is an interdisciplinary group of academics whose research focuses on cognitive psychology and neuroscience and the science of learning.  

The school’s partnership program works to assist teachers in translating research into practice. In this initiative, we joined with Trinity Grammar and Westbourne Grammar here in Melbourne, and like schools such as Ravenswood in Sydney.

At St Catherine’s, our Research Team of Mrs Ceri Lloyd, Ms Vasilki Spanos, Ms Freda Armstrong, Ms Liv Cher, Mrs Alison Cassidy, and I focused our project on teaching for wellbeing, looking to create greater alignment between our School’s Teaching and Learning and Wellbeing Frameworks.  

Our research for this year focused on ascertaining the level of knowledge and feelings of competency amongst our staff, with our data collection and analysis of findings identifying self-regulated learning as a necessary focus point for us moving forward. This result was pleasing, given our emphasis on cognition and metacognition as part of our Thinking Agenda, as well as emotional regulation. Next year we will continue the partnership with a focus on implementation in the Middle Years.  

We presented our findings alongside 18 other schools at the Research Symposium in Brisbane, where we were also able to spend the day at Brisbane Grammar School to learn about their Effective Thinking Culture Program.

Teaching Excellence Program  

Our Senior School Psychology and Mathematics teacher Mrs Kelly Brady completed the Teaching Excellence Program (TEP) this year, which involved the completion of two action-research projects. Kelly’s final inquiry explored the question of whether ‘cold-calling can be utilised as a technique to increase learner inclusion and engagement.’  

Through engaging with research into the correlation between cold-calling, class participation ratios, inclusion, and emotions, Kelly’s findings affirmed the value of ‘warm calling’ as a strategy suitable for our context here at St Catherine’s.  

Given the time commitment required to complete the TEP, we want to congratulate Kelly on her excellent inquiry and look forward to her sharing her findings next year.   

Victorian Institute of Teaching Inquiry Projects  

This year has seen the most significant cohort of St Catherine’s teachers transition from provisional to full registration through completing the rigorous Inquiry Project for the Victorian Institute of Teaching.  Teachers were required to complete year-long action research, including data collection and analysis, classroom observations, and a final presentation to a panel of senior teachers.  

The topics explored by our teachers were the following:  

• How the development of metacognitive thinking routines can foster independence and confidence in Year 11 Chemistry – Ms Genevieve Taberner   
• How explicit teaching of consent improves the decision-making process in respectful relationship scenarios – Miss Olivia Cody 
• How can frequent exam practice and scaffolding strategies enhance student resilience in answering questions with unseen data sets? – Ms Lowri Sully  
• How can I improve student independence and resilience by improving their cognitive capacity to access learned information, consolidate learning, and make it more retrievable in future tests/exams? – Ms Jessica Basa  
• Will an increase in student participation correlate with improvements in confidence and engagement? – Miss Emily Richards  
• How does the strategic integration of introduction games in the weeks preceding the explicit teaching of a new topic work to reduce cognitive load and thus enhance student readiness to learn? –  Mr Saska Ayris  

The panel was blown away by the impressive standard of the inquiries, which is a testament to the care and professionalism of our teachers. We congratulate everyone who completed their VIT this year.   

The Thinking Agenda at St Catherine’s School is unique in its focus on not only improving student thinking but also developing the quality of our teachers’ mental models to enable them to refine their practice with precision. Providing teachers with the space to engage in research both within and outside the School is crucial for their growth. We look forward to these projects continuing to benefit both our staff and students in future years.