Professor John Hattie delivers annual Currie Lecture on education and teacher quality in Canberra

Respected educator, Professor John Hattie, has delivered the Australian Council for Educational Leaders’ annual Currie Lecture in Canberra, stating that there is not a teacher quality issue in Australia.

More than 180 educators from around the state came together for the lecture, at Australian National University, to hear Professor Hattie discuss the issues surrounding teacher education and the recently released Teacher Education Advisory Group (TEMAG) report.

In the lecture, Professor Hattie said that in many cases teacher quality is described by relaying stories of success rather than providing evidence of quality. He challenged educators to refrain from telling stories about success and rather, provide evidence of success.

Professor Hattie spoke about the merits of graduating teachers based on their ability to be classroom ready. The attendees were challenged to identify questions that graduates could be asked to ascertain if they were ‘classroom ready’.

To round up the discussion, Professor Hattie discounted the criticism that is often reported around education debates that pits one strategy against another.

His key point was that education debate should focus on what strategies can make the biggest impact and how can teachers work together to increase the impact of strategies.

Australian Council for Educational Leaders ACT President Kerrie Blain said she was thrilled to have Professor Hattie deliver the lecture.

“Professor Hattie is a leading voice in the education sector and the Currie Lecture provides a chance for the entire sector to come together to discuss important issues,” Ms Blain said.

Professor Hattie is the Director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute at the University of Melbourne and has been recently appointed as Chair of Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.

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