Professional Summary
A highly experienced and dedicated educator with more than 18 years full-time teaching in Australia, the UAE, and the UK. Led the development of STEM education in the junior school of a top 10 girls' school in NSW. Was awarded Experienced Teacher accreditation in NSW and recently completed a Master of Education (Learning and Leadership) at University of Technology, Sydney. Matthew is committed to engaging learners of all ages and abilities and to raising standards in the classroom. He enjoys leading professional learning initiatives and has implemented a workplace mentoring series aimed at supporting teachers working towards gaining teacher accreditation. Matthew is an authentic, people-centred leader who believes in transparency in the decision-making process, continuous self-improvement, discipline with a strong commitment to pedagogy.
Professional Teaching Experience
Iona Presentation College (2024-present)
Job title: Digital Technologies Teacher
Main duties: Teaching, assessing, and reporting on students in years 7, 8 and 9 as well as a year 7 Homeroom teacher.
- Leads the teaching of Digital Technologies
- Designs and implements engaging and differentiated curriculum aligned with the Western Australian Curriculum
- Developed and implemented an AI Literacy unit for year 9 students
- Provides extra-curricular opportunities for students to compete in RoboCup and First Lego League
Ravenswood School for Girls (2015-2023)
Job title: ICT Integrator
Main duties: Junior school ICT Integrator and STEM Teacher across all grades from Prep to Year 6.
- Designed and implemented a STEM curriculum for the junior school
- Member of the Junior School Leadership Team and the Teaching and Learning Team
- Awarded two professional fellowships to pursue learning relevant to the goals of the school
- Designed an implemented a workplace mentoring course to assist teacher working towards accreditation
- Led professional development initiatives on Design Thinking and Project-Based Learning
Samaritan College, Whyalla, SA (2010-2014)
Job title: Teacher of ICT and Religion
Main duties: To manage the ICT Department, including control over curriculum, assessment and reporting of students aged 13-18 and administrative duties, including budgeting.
- Led the teaching of ICT across the high school
- Led professional development sessions to guide colleagues in creating a digital portfolio
- Created a Code Club and a Minecraft Club to engage young people in digital technologies
Leadership Experience
Leading Professional Learning
My leadership experience includes leading a group of teachers through a professional learning plan as part of the Ravenswood Institute. My role as leader was to lead collaborative discussions, develop a team goal, plan and facilitate team meetings, encourage collaboration and peer observations, be a positive role model, record meeting minutes and liaise with the Coordinator of Professional Practice to plan how best the team can reach their goals. One way I provided professional development was by introducing the 'Skilled Helper Model' into the meetings. This model provides a 3-part process to help people establish meaningful professional goals and develop actionable plans to help achieve them.
Mentoring in the Workplace
At Ravenswood School for Girls I designed and implemented a workplace mentoring course to assist colleagues undertaking professional accreditation. The aims of the course were to: (1) support teachers enrolled in teacher accreditation, (2) help teachers develop self-mentoring skills, (3) to grow a culture of mentoring at Ravenswood, and (4) to celebrate a culture of excellence in mentoring. The duration of the course was one year and meetings could be held face-to-face and online. Mentor sessions followed the GROWTH model and mentees set SMART goals to help guide their progress. Benefits of using the GROWTH model include the setting of short term goals and long term goals, enhanced self-awareness, flexibility to think creatively and critically, a commitment to action and improved communication between the mentor and the mentee.
The Ravenswood Institute Professional Fellowship
In my time at Ravenswood School for Girls I was awarded two professional fellowships through the Ravenswood Institute. The fellowship enables participants to undertake a course of rigorous, sustained, professional learning within an educational focus area that was aligned with the schools priorities. The focus of my first fellowship was learning and for this I chose a short course on Disruptive Innovation at MIT in Cambridge, USA. The focus for my second fellowship was also learning and this time I chose a short-course on project-based learning at High Tech High in San Diego, USA. This three day course brought together educators from around the world and we were guided by the driving question, 'How do we design experiences that increase student engagement and deeper learning?'. To help answer this question I used a project-based learning approach and was aided by the Design for Deeper Learning Design Kaleidoscope (shown below). This is one example of the many valuable resources used during the course and is something I brought back to school to share with my colleagues. An new strategy I incorporated into my classroom is the 'Empathy Map' (see below). The empathy map is a tool used to categorise data collected from an empathy interview. Data gained from the interview is organised into a quadrant to help the student build a picture of the needs of a person. The student can then work out the main goal or need that person has and then design a solution. By applying this professional learning to my teaching practice I saw an increase in innovative design ideas that showed a greater degree of empathy, collaboration, and real-world problem solving.
Junior School Leadership Team
At Ravenswood School for Girls I was part of the Junior School Leadership Team. This included regular meetings with the Head of Junior School, Deputy Head of Junior School and other colleagues to lead and contribute to the daily running of the school, special school events and other activities. One way I contributed to the team is by contributing to the strategic goals of the junior school. In 2023 we had two STEM strategic goals: (1) Increase opportunities for Junior School students to engage with STEM and interdisciplinary learning activities; (2) Connect with external partners in higher education, industry or business to enhance STEM teaching and learning, and expand involvement in STEM competitions. In my role as a leader and STEM teacher I took responsibility for these goals and regularly reported back on the progress I made in achieving them. I was able to increase interdisciplinary STEM learning by collaborating on projects that incorporated languages, the arts and PDHPE. I was also able to build partnerships with many external STEM experts including people from the European Space Agency, CSIRO, Canberra Deep Space Network, Skype a Scientist and a STEM teacher in Spain. You can read more about these STEM initiatives in my STEM website, link at the end of the page.
Teaching and Learning Group
At Ravenswood School for Girls I was part of the Teaching and Learning Group. This was a highly collaborative group that brought together colleagues from across the entire school as well as senior leaders. This group played a crucial role in shaping and improving the educational experience for students and teachers. The group helped to integrate innovative teaching practices into the classroom, planned and facilitated ongoing professional development, used data to inform decision making, managed departmental budgets and encouraged research and the piloting of new teaching methods and technologies, as well as many other functions. The group helped foster a culture of continuous improvement and shared responsibility for student learning. Ways in which I contributed to this group are sharing my experiences of professional learning I had undertaken and by sharing effective and innovative teaching strategies I had implemented in the classroom.
Teaching and Learning Toolkit
The Teaching and Learning Toolkit is a collection of resources, strategies, and evidence-based practices designed to support educators in enhancing their teaching effectiveness and improving student learning outcomes. The resources I have listed below are some I have found most effective in my experience and are ones I continuously come back to. The toolkit is regularly updated as new educational research emerges to ensure educators have access to current evidence. One resource I find particularly useful for new research in teaching and learning is the 'Teaching Matters' blog by The University of Edinburgh. This blog shares many ideas and different approaches to teaching and is regularly updated.
Theory of Change
A theory of change helps you create a step-by-step process for achieving your goals. It helps you articulate your ideas and connect them to a bigger goal that could have a far-reaching impact. Further, it prompts thinking about the people involved in the change, how the effect of the changes can be measured, and the long-term benefits you envisage because of the change you are making. This tool is an essential framework that enhances clarity, engagement, evaluation, learning, and resource efficiency. By mapping out the pathways to desired change, it empowers teams to make informed decisions that drive impactful outcomes.
Mind, Brain and Education (MBE)
MBE is at the intersection of various fields, such as neuroscience, cognitive science, and educational psychology. Learning and teaching affect the brain and its capacities to grow. Hence, the goal of MBE is to improve learning outcomes for all learners. As educators, we can help students rewire their brains to increase how their minds perform. We can do this through excellent teaching, and this involves teachers incorporating research-informed strategies to enhance student achievement and the learning experience. Examples of these strategies include giving students more frequent, formative, low-stakes assessments, more opportunity to reflect on learning, and telling students that effort matters most and they have the ability to rewire their brain to make themselves better learners (the concept of neuroplasticity).
Utrecht Roadmap for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (UR-SoTL)
The Utrecht Roadmap for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (UR-SoTL) is a structured framework designed to assist educators in systematically researching and improving their teaching practices. Developed at Utrecht University, the UR-SoTL provides a practical, evidence-informed approach that encourages critical reflection on teaching methods and their impact on student learning. It not only supports individual professional growth but also contributes to a culture of continuous improvement in educational institutions. Further, by focusing on student learning mechanisms, educators can design interventions that actively engage students in their learning processes.
Positive Education
Ravenswood School for Girls is recognised as one of the leading girls’ schools in Positive Education, globally. They were the first school in NSW to implement a Visible Wellbeing approach to Positive Education under the guidance of Professor Lea Waters, Professor and Founding Director of the Positive Psychology Centre, the University of Melbourne. In my time at Ravenswood I participated in many positive education training days and I learnt many effective strategies to enable all of my students to flourish. From character strengths, to a growth mindset, and by adopting Martin Seligman's PERMA model, Ravenswood provided dedicated wellbeing lessons to all students. Ravenswood Principal, Mrs Anne Johnstone, led the implementation of Positive Education and was recently announced as Australian School Principal of the Year at the annual Australian Education Awards.
Evaluating Learning - Rainbow Framework
According to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), evaluation is a key practice all teachers are required to engage in. I regularly evaluate the effectiveness of my teaching programs and I use the Rainbow Framework to do this. This approach to evaluation includes seven stages: manage, define, frame, describe, understand causes, synthesise, and report. Benefits of the Rainbow Framework are that it allows you to learn what did not go well, and it places an emphasis on what can be done to improve future iterations of the program. A further benefit is the social nature of the framework. Feedback from students and colleagues is encouraged, and this promotes innovation through collaboration and partnerships.
Cultures of Thinking and Visible Thinking
'Cultures of Thinking' (CoT) can be defined as places where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, made visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members. Visible Thinking emphasises three core practices: thinking routines, the documentation of student thinking, and reflective professional practice. The Visible Thinking routines created by Project Zero at Harvard encourage active processing in students. They ask students to think beyond the facts, ask questions, probe the certainty of their ideas, and visibly connect new ideas to old. I have incorporated many visible thinking routines into my teaching and I have also designed my own visible thinking routines. In 2019 I presented at the 7th Cultures of Thinking Conference at Bialik College in Melbourne. In this presentation I shared my own visible thinking routine called 'M and M Thinking'. A resource designed to help students learn about systems thinking.
Current Project - AI Literacy
AI Literacy is the knowledge and skills that enables humans to critically understand, evaluate, and use AI systems and tools to safely and ethically participate in an increasingly digital world (Digital Promise, 2024).
AI Literacy Teaching Strategies - Day of AI
Day of AI offer free, interactive learning activities designed to spark curiosity about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in primary and secondary students. Topics covered include the basics of what AI is, and what AI is not, and understanding the benefits of and risks of AI. Further, students learn about chatbots, machine learning, ethics and AI, and about the impact AI is going to have on business, industry and jobs. For a final project, students are challenged to use AI to tackle a real-world problem. This year, students were asked to tackle sustainability and climate change. The aim of the learning is to help students develop a set of competencies that enables individuals to critically evaluate AI technologies, communicate and collaborate effectively with AI, and use AI as a tool online, at home, and at school. This year I incorporated Day of AI resources into my teaching of AI with year 9 students. My aim is to adapt these resources to make them suitable for younger aged students.
Website Links
Publications
Contact Me
matthew.scadding@yahoo.com