More than 30,000 teachers to benefit from education funding boost
Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR) is a unique program that supports teachers to make a profound and positive impact on the lives of their students.
Global education thought leader University of Newcastle Laureate Professor Jenny Gore and colleagues*, in partnership with the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the NSW Department of Education will expand this program to at least 30,000 additional Australian teachers over the next five years.
“Great teaching is foundational to the well-being of individuals, communities, the disciplines and the nation. I am deeply honoured and truly delighted that the Paul Ramsay Foundation has recognised the impact and greater potential of Quality Teaching Rounds,” Professor Gore said.
"All teachers are capable of great teaching with the right support," Laureate Professor Jenny Gore.
Originally conceived by Professor Gore and colleague, Dr Julie Bowe, QTR has revolutionised teacher professional development. Working in groups, teachers across all experience levels – from new graduates to school principals – are empowered to refine their practice collaboratively in a way that ensures ongoing improvement.
“Teachers are really excited about this way of working and the opportunity it creates for them to analyse and discuss in detail what they are doing and collectively develop ways to improve teaching practice.
“The beauty of Quality Teaching Rounds is that it puts all participants on the same level, where they can assess the quality of teaching and provide specific feedback to their peers in a non-confrontational and collaborative way. Better professional development is fundamental to better outcomes, both academic and non-academic, for students. QTR offers great promise across all subject areas and year levels,” Professor Gore said.
At $16.4 million, the Paul Ramsay Foundation grant is the largest philanthropic partnership for research in the University of Newcastle’s history.
In addition to the program’s significant expansion, the funding will support rigorous scientific evaluation of the program and the development of a business model for an outreach hub to support ongoing professional development.
“This incredible grant will enable our team to continue this valuable work in schools as we recruit for our 2019 phase.
“Teachers in rural and remote settings often struggle to access professional development, due to geographical isolation, costs associated with travelling, and difficulties in finding replacement teachers.
“We’re working to enable access for teachers in even the most isolated and disadvantaged schools to participate,” Professor Gore said.
The program has already attracted interest in regions including the United Kingdom and Singapore.
“We’re fielding strong international interest as this program has the capacity to easily translate to other regions around the world. The ultimate goal is to enable teachers from anywhere in the world to participate in QTR as we test and refine approaches to implementation at scale,” Professor Gore said.
