Curriculum Leadership - Guiding staff to use curriculum resources as TOOLS to SHAPE and RECONCEPTUALISE curriculum
Workshop 2 | Dr Mary Oski and Ms Shauna-Maree Sykes | Friday 2 August, 2:30pm | Wickham Room
Abstract
In 2022, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) conducted a large-scale curriculum survey with Learning First to identify the aspects of curriculum implementation and resourcing that were working well within our system, and the ways in which MACS could improve provision to schools. Over 500 teachers responded to the survey, indicating that our teachers were burnt-out, overloaded, and found it challenging to equitably access evidence-based curriculum and teaching and learning resources and materials in a post-covid world. The survey insights correlated with MACS’ declining academic performance in Mathematics and validated the large variance in the quality of teaching instruction and the resources being used within classrooms and across schools. This surfaced a critical challenge in terms of equity, access and excellence in teaching and learning for every student, in every classroom in the MACS system.
In early 2023, MACS embarked on a large curriculum design and development partnership to deliver on Mathematics Foundation-2 aligned to the Victorian Curriculum V2 for all schools. The result was the delivery of a knowledge-rich, comprehensive, coherent, and sequenced suite of curriculum materials, teaching and learning resources, and on-demand professional learning materials. The suite of resources is designed to be entirely adaptable, flexible and cater to composite classrooms. The resources complement and enhance practice within classrooms and ensure that teachers can make reasonable adjustments to cater to all students of various abilities and ensure their progress. This workshop will outline MACS’ rationale and reason for shifting to evidence-based curriculum materials to focus on equitable and excellent tier one instruction, how we partnered to develop the resources, and what the suite of resources entail for all schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Participants will have a chance to explore the resources and consider MACS’ approach to curriculum enactment.
Dr Mary Oski
Director Learning & Regional Services, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools
D.Ed, B.Ed, B.Theol, Master Ed.Leadership, Grad Dip Bus IT, Grad Dip RE, Grad Dip Comp Ed, Grad Cert in Management of Not-for-Profit Organisations, GAICD
Dr Mary Oski is currently the Director of Learning & Regional Services at Melbourne Archdiocese of Catholic Schools. In this role she is responsible for Learning & Teaching, Student Wellbeing, Learning Diversity, School Improvement, Learning Technologies and the four Regional Offices within the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Prior to this role she was the Executive Director of Curriculum at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) with responsibility for the Victorian Curriculum, VCE, VCAL and VET studies in addition to VCE Examinations.
Before her appointment to VCAA Mary held senior leadership roles within Catholic education leading the implementation of key initiatives in Catholic schools across Victoria. Her key policy responsibilities included learning and teaching, school improvement, review practices and processes, principal appointments and leadership initiatives as well as a period of time as Manager of Catholic schools in the Eastern Region. Mary commenced her education career as a teacher in a variety of secondary schools and held senior leadership roles in curriculum and student wellbeing.
In 2019 Mary was awarded the Australian Council of Educational Leaders (ACEL) Hedley Beare Educator of the Year Award for her outstanding contribution to the study and practice of educational leadership in Victoria. Mary has held a number of state representative positions for Victorian education as well as national representation for the Catholic sector, a reflection of her professional pedigree and commitment to the education sector.
Ms Shauna-Maree Sykes
General Manager Improved Learning Outcomes, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools
Shauna-Maree Sykes is the General Manager of Improved Learning Outcomes for Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools. She has a passion for enhancing and improving teaching and learning practices in Catholic schools. Shauna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Monash University, a Bachelor of Education degree, a Postgraduate degree in Curriculum Leadership from Melbourne University, and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Australian Catholic University. She has also studied change, leadership, policy, and education at Harvard University. Shauna has held various leadership roles in Catholic schools, overseeing professional learning, curriculum reforms, and large improvement initiatives. In the last 8 years, she has led the development of several reforms and transformations at MACS. Shauna is a current member of the VCAA Senior Secondary Assessment and Curriculum Committee and a former member of the VIT Initial Teacher Education Council. She is committed to enhancing teacher practice and improving equitable outcomes for all students in Melbourne Catholic schools and has recently delivered MACS’ Flourishing Learners Position Statement, Vision for Instruction, to guide MACS schools towards evidence-based practices.
