S02E07 - Rebecca Birch On Improving Australian Education

Knowledge for Teachers

In this episode, Brendan Lee speaks with Rebecca Birch, a teacher of English and the Director of Research and Practice at a top 50 independent school in Sydney, Australia. She shares her journey from a career in fashion and advertising to becoming an English teacher. Rebecca emphasises the importance of evidence-based practice and the need for teachers to be sceptical and critical of educational trends. She also highlights the challenges of implementing explicit instruction and the need for standardised teacher preparation programs. Rebecca calls for a clear hierarchy of importance within teacher standards and the role of teacher preparation in reinforcing those standards. The conversation also touches on strategies for schools to drive improvement without waiting for systemic changes.

Resources mentioned:

• Reimagining Teacher Professionalism. Why standards must be part of ITE reform
• Knowledge Society - Elena Douglas
• Trisha Jha
  • What is the Science of Learning? https://www.cis.org.au/publication/what-is-the-science-of-learning/
  • Implementing the Science of Learning: Teacher experiences https://www.cis.org.au/publication/implementing-the-science-of-learning-teacher-experiences/
• Strong Beginnings: Report of the Teacher Education Expert Panel
• Andrew Martin
• Kate Jones
• ResearchEd
• Alex Quigley: https://www.theconfidentteacher.com/
• Anita Archer
• Hollingsworth and Ybarra - Explicit Direct Instruction

You can connect with Rebecca:

Twitter: @msrebeccabirch

Linkedin: @rebeccabirch

Website: https://rebeccabirch.au/

Substack: https://rebeccabirch.substack.com/

You can connect with Brendan:

Twitter: @learnwithmrlee

Facebook: @learningwithmrlee

Website: learnwithlee.net

Support the Knowledge for Teachers Podcast:

https://www.patreon.com/KnowledgeforTeachersPodcast

About Rebecca Birch

Rebecca Birch is a teacher of English and the Director of Research and Practice at a top 50 independent school in Sydney, Australia. She worked as a learning support officer in diverse settings while she undertook her teacher training after a successful career in advertising and fashion.

Rebecca has provided consultation and content services for Ochre Education and Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn, and has appeared on panels for ResearchED and the Gonski Institute for Education. Her current research interest is the link between explicit instruction and student wellbeing. She writes for publication and through her newsletter (rebeccabirch.substack.com/).