Author Archives: Trevor Furness

Student wellbeing - More than a pulse check

Student wellbeing: More than a pulse check

I’m pretty sure it’s not news to anyone reading that there is a student and teacher wellbeing crisis going on.  There’s been a 162% increase in serious mental health problems in teenagers since 2019 and the problem doesn’t seem to … Read More

Do you want to be effective or efficient?

Let’s talk about learning programmes and how we measure them. Effective learning and efficient learning are two important concepts to understand when trying to measure success. Effective teachers are those who can engage their students in learning and get them … Read More

Retrofit or Refresh: The Next Steps for Global Edtech

Earlier this year we hit the road travelling to the US and attending some huge events in the field – South by Southwest EDU in Austin, the California Charter Schools Conference in Long Beach, and Spring CUE in Palm Springs.  … Read More

Can Mentorship Fill the Education Gap?

Can Mentorship Fill the Education Gap?

In my last article I called 2021 the year of Resilience. We learned how to endure uncertainty, manage constant anxiety and weather repeated lockdowns. Let’s be honest – we missed out on a lot.  I’d like for 2022 to be … Read More

2021: The Year of Resilience in the Australian Education & EdTech Community

It’s been a year of growth in challenging conditions.  Our personal and collective resilience as individuals, as teams, as communities, and as industries has been tested. Our reliance on technology has evolved our expectations of flexibility, work-life balance and social … Read More

The A B C of adopting school dashboards

The A B C of adopting school dashboards

Gartner defines data-literacy as the ability to understand, share common knowledge of and have meaningful conversations about data, especially to drive better business outcomes. In the world of education, the prime goal of data literacy is to enable educators to … Read More

Learner wellbeing insights are as important as NAPLAN and ATAR

Learner wellbeing insights are as important as NAPLAN and ATAR

When I talk to customers and schools about their data projects lately, overwhelmingly they are interested in student welfare. Schools are becoming more aware of the opportunity to measure student welfare, particularly through self-reporting mechanisms, to help track and monitor … Read More

What role can EdTech play in teacher & student wellbeing

What role can EdTech play in teacher & student wellbeing?

In 2020, educators reported a concerning drop in student empathy, physical activity and willingness to learn.  According to Amy Graham and Pasi Sahlberg in that report: ‘Australian educators send us a clear message in this study: classrooms have become emotionally, … Read More

Teachers are wrestling a complex beast

Teachers are wrestling a complex beast: always ‘on’ technology

Technology is a disruptor. I don’t mean that in what has become the typical interpretation, where technology helps institutions transform their education practice. It has done that, too. Technology has been great for new learning methods, and improved communication and … Read More

2020 showed how fast we can reinvent education

Back in my secondary teaching days, “no history; no future” was a phrase I often used to remind young history students of the importance of studying the past. To inform and create a better shared future, we must analyse what’s … Read More