Book Review: Grounded
Every now and then a leadership book arrives at the right moment. Not because it introduces entirely new ideas, but because it gives language and structure to things many leaders already sense but rarely make time to explore.
Grounded by Katrina Bourke is one of those books.
At its heart, Grounded is not a book about leadership techniques. It is a book about leadership as a human practice.
Grounded is a calm and thoughtful contribution to the leadership space. It does not promise quick wins or dramatic change. Instead, it offers a framework for understanding yourself more deeply so that your leadership of others becomes clearer and more intentional.
For leaders in education, it is a timely reminder that leadership is not only about what we do, but about who we are while doing it.
This Is Just a Warm-Up Act: The Biggest Transformation to Education Is About to Take Centre Stage
I am excited to share that I have contributed to the latest issue of the Teacher Learning Network Journal, where I explore the transformative impact of generative AI on education. In the article, I argue that this is not just another technological trend. It is the beginning of a significant shift in how we approach learning, teaching, and assessment.
Drawing on my experience as an educator and leader, I challenge teachers, leaders, and policymakers to move beyond the quick fixes and start thinking about how we can harness AI in a way that enhances rather than replaces great teaching. From rethinking homework to reassessing our approaches to assessment, AI offers both opportunities and challenges that we cannot afford to ignore.
Three Popular Reads: Key Takeaways for Teachers
As an educator, school holidays provide a precious opportunity to step back, recharge, and dive into some of the pleasures you don’t have time for during the term. For me, that’s reading.
The following three books are some of the most read books in the world of leadership and education. Here are my bite-sized summaries of these enlightening reads, each offering valuable insights for educators and leaders alike.
Creative Schools by Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica, The 5:00 AM Club by Robin Sharma, and The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Book Review: Passion, Guts, and Leadership
Term 4, 2012, marked a significant turning point in my life. As an 11th-year secondary school teacher, I had the joy of welcoming our daughter into the world with my wife Rachel, who is also an educator. After much consideration, we decided that Rachel would return to work full-time while I would take on the role of the stay-at-home dad.
Now, those who work in secondary schools know that part-time teacher timetables are the hardest things to create, so I was not going to be able to get the 2 straight days I was after. Enter Deborah Patterson.
So now what happens?
Now I am sure that many schools across the country have had the same conversation after their respective lockdown periods. Every faculty and pastoral meeting would have had it on the agenda. Lists would have been made and Principal Executive teams would have collated the feedback. The question…. what are our Lessons from Lockdown?